Vaccinate for Herpes

I just took my cat to the Vet today. She has herpes, runny eye, nose. The Vet said I should have her vaccinated.. I have 8 cats. They all have been vaccinated when kittens...I don't believe in giving vaccinations from just reading about them.  And heard a holistic vet say they don't need all those vaccines.

But not sure what to do about the Vaccine for Herpes. I know she's not gonna get rid of it, but with a healthy diet and good care it helps them.

I'm keeping her in a separate room for two weeks til her recheck at the vet.

Should I get it b/c of my other cats?

I also give my cats Apple Cider Vinegar, the vet said why, looked at me like I was crazy. But she didn't find any fleas...lol

I also give them coconut oil and fish oil...

My cats are my babies..

If she already has it, I don't see how vaccinating her now will help. Did the vet explain?

Hi Andrea,

How did the vet determine your kitty has Herpes?  Were there tests done? What does the vet base the diagnosis on???

Her runny eyes and nose?   You can't diagnose Herpes without proper testing..... Lot's of stuff can cause a runny nose and eyes...

And you don't vaccinate for a disease you already have!! Wow.....!!  This person has a license??

How well do you know this vet?   I'd be cautious if I were you.....  Can you get a second opinion? Or maybe a new vet?

One of my girl cats has Herpes, and it hasn't affected the other 5.   When she flares, we add Lysine powder (vet prescribed) to her food and help keep her eyes/face clean by wiping gently with a warm, damp cloth.  We don't separate her from the other cats as it would add stress/exacerbate her condition.

I have to agree with Furmummy in that I don't think vaccinating now is a logical solution...

If she gets the vaccine, she'll just get sick.  Not sure why the vet is recommending to get the vaccine???  I have a herpes kitty and she's not gotten any shots since she was 2.  I'd definitely NOT give the combo FVRCP shot.  If needed, and the vet does a titer to check antibody levels, get the individual vaccines and leave out the "R" one for rhinotracheitis.

To keep the herpes virus in check, she needs to be on lysine twice a day.  The maintenance dose is 250mg twice a day and the flare up dose is 500 mg twice a day.  Lysine helps to stop the replication of the herpes virus.  Since Lysine is an amino acid, it's secreted out of the body when the cat urinates.  Dosing twice a day keeps the Lysine in the system.  Most of us who have herpes kitties use the powdered form.  Just 1/4 t = 500mg.  I add a bit of water to wet food, add the lysine, mix and serve. 

Additionally, making sure your kitty eats a grain free diet helps.  Studies have shown that the arginine in grains causes the herpes virus to replicate.  If you cut out the grain, that's another way to help your kitty. 

Hi, thanks to everybody for replying....Let's see 'baby cat' had runny eyes, runny nose and sounded congested. Took her in, it's a new vet....Said she should of had a vaccine for this, I don't do vaccines. 1 cos can't afford to get ALL 8 cats vaccinated. 2. Read that its not good, and they don't really need it. And my cats are all indoors.I have her seperated, but like someone mentioned they don't separate their kitty from the 5 others cos it would cause more stress...Hmmm so I'm thinking maybe letting her out. She also has some eye ointment I'm giving her. The vet said she wouldn't vaccinate cos it would make her feel worse.  She said next time she would vaccinate. I go back on the 17th for a recheck...I won't let them vaccinate. Like they mentioned why vaccinate if she already has it .I feed her Wellness wet and dry food. Plus coconut oil, fish oil and apple cider vinegar.. I will get some Lysine (powder form) to start giving her.I don't really trust the vets, they are too expensive and it seems all they care about is the $$$$.Thanks again for all the replies, Greatly Appreciated. [emoji]128571[/emoji]

I also had a kitty with FIV. He was a stray I took in.. All the cats used the same water bowl, litter, etc.  None of my other cats ever became sick....

But Bootsie went OTRB last year on 9/3/14. 

I'm kinda nervous, not sure if I should keep her separated...I brought her in Thurs.  It's now Saturday...She doesn't like the one of her cousins 'Brother' to get near her, she growls. He chases her too....

So, I'm wondering if your vet is thinking this: If the cat has FHV, she may not have established basic immunity against other diseases in the FVRCP combo, and hence, I should vaccinate to provide that immunity.  It's true that the vaccine won't do anything for the herpes, but the fact that she got herpes MAY mean she was not properly (or at all) vaccinated previously.

But I may be giving the vet too much credit.  All the same, it would be terrible if she were to come down with Panleukopenia.

If all your other kitties had basic shots, they should have immunity to the herpes virus, but I would still keep her separated because it sounds like she needs time to adjust.

For her, I would consider doing one FVRCP and then "boostering" it in 6 months.

stephanietx said:

 
If she gets the vaccine, she'll just get sick.  Not sure why the vet is recommending to get the vaccine???  I have a herpes kitty and she's not gotten any shots since she was 2.  I'd definitely NOT give the combo FVRCP shot.  If needed, and the vet does a titer to check antibody levels, get the individual vaccines and leave out the "R" one for rhinotracheitis.

To keep the herpes virus in check, she needs to be on lysine twice a day.  The maintenance dose is 250mg twice a day and the flare up dose is 500 mg twice a day.  Lysine helps to stop the replication of the herpes virus.  Since Lysine is an amino acid, it's secreted out of the body when the cat urinates.  Dosing twice a day keeps the Lysine in the system.  Most of us who have herpes kitties use the powdered form.  Just 1/4 t = 500mg.  I add a bit of water to wet food, add the lysine, mix and serve. 

Additionally, making sure your kitty eats a grain free diet helps.  Studies have shown that the arginine in grains causes the herpes virus to replicate.  If you cut out the grain, that's another way to help your kitty. 

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I agree, That's what I have done w/ Angel for years now. Lysine every day.  I stopped getting the other shots on his annual, (especially since he's been indoors only for 4 yrs. now). & only do the rabbi's shot, which If it weren't  "the law" I wouldn't do that either!  I don't think indoor only cats should be required to have it since they don't go outside, but I guess people would lie about their cats that do go out, to get out of it.  

Maybe w/ their Vet's approval would be a way to do that, but you know states would never do that. Just another way for them to make money. 

Angels Mommy cute, video and pics![emoji]128153[/emoji]

You should keep them separated until the newcomer is comfortable in your home, then start introducing them.  Here's an article on proper introductions: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

Kat Hamlin said:

 
So, I'm wondering if your vet is thinking this: If the cat has FHV, she may not have established basic immunity against other diseases in the FVRCP combo, and hence, I should vaccinate to provide that immunity.  It's true that the vaccine won't do anything for the herpes, but the fact that she got herpes MAY mean she was not properly (or at all) vaccinated previously.

But I may be giving the vet too much credit.  All the same, it would be terrible if she were to come down with Panleukopenia.

If all your other kitties had basic shots, they should have immunity to the herpes virus, but I would still keep her separated because it sounds like she needs time to adjust.

For her, I would consider doing one FVRCP and then "boostering" it in 6 months.

Click to expand...

@Kat Hamlin the vaccine isn't 100% effective for herpes.  Herpes generally is most common in animals that have come from shelters and other stressful environments with multiple cats.  Also, it seems to affect kitties whose system was already compromised from malnutrition and stress.  I would not knowingly introduce into a cat's system the virus that I know they already carry and have a negative reaction to (the "R" part of the combo shot).  I did that once and it took 8 months to get her over the infection that flared up.  The vet can order the other shots separately without the rhinotracheitis vaccine and the cat will be covered for the other viruses.  IMO, it's never a good idea to vaccinate a kitty with a compromised immune system if you want to keep them healthy.  That doesn't mean they shouldn't go to the vet regularly, it just means that you have to be proactive and decide what's best for your kitty.  Personally, after researching and talking with my vet, we both agreed that as long as we didn't move out of our current location and their wasn't an outbreak of some kitty disease/virus or rabies, we'd not vaccinate.  If needed, the vet can do a titer to test for antibodies and then we can go from there to determine the need for my cat.  It's a case by case decision, though.  I have all of my other kitties vaccinated every 3 years.