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- Nov 28, 2016
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Hi! I'm new to the site. Just adopted/rescued two adorable kittens that I love so much my boyfriend is getting jealous, and he's the one that adopted them!
Bert and Ernie got sick a couple weeks ago, took them to the vet, and they sent me home with 4 different treatments/medications: probiotics, L-Lysine, antiviral, antibiotic eye ointment. They responded well to the treatments, though it hasn't stopped the sneezing. The eye conjunctivitis also responded well to the eye ointment. The conjunctivitis started in Bert's left eye, then Ernie's left eye, then Ernie's right eye, and then finally into Bert's right eye. By the time Bert's right eye got red, we ran out of the vet's ointment, and it was the beginning of Thanksgiving weekend. They received the full course of antivirals, and we hoped that since Bert's right eye was looking better, that he would clear the rest of it up on its own. It didn't, and just got worse. So, I called vet on Friday, hoping I could get more ointment to continue treating it before taking them back in for their last round of shots/check-up, and hit such a wall. I just needed ointment! We were out of state, kittens have been travelling with us when we head home for the holidays, and do not get stressed by it. So, after some exploring, we found some over-the-counter Terramycin for cats at a Tractor supply store, and now that it's Monday, Bert's right eye is on it's way to recovery, and I rescheduled the Monday vet appointment till Saturday, so that we can take the kittens to the vet together, and they will be healthy enough (hopefully) for the their last round of shots.
My question is...what made Bert and Ernie sick? I believed it to be FHV-1, as that was the paperwork the vet sent me home with, except for a) they didn't actually run a test to see if it was FHV-1, b) the conjunctivitis responded to the antibacterial eye ointment, c) when I called to tell the vet that the eye infection had spread to the other eyes, and responded to the eye ointment, they didn't act as if that was good news, and instead said they needed to come back in because it spread, and that was unexpected (even though when they gave me the ointment, they explained to put it in any of the eyes if it spread), so that whole exchange really threw me off.
Is it possible that it wasn't FHV-1? Could it have just been a cold with pinkeye bacteria? Will they ever stop sneezing?
I accept that it could be FHV-1 and that the eye infection was caused by a secondary bacteria infection. They are both still sneezing, but their stuffy noses are gone, so I wonder if they have a secondary bacteria infection. I'll find out when I take them in on Saturday.
Bert and Ernie are around 3 1/2 months old.
First sign of illness was sneezing, then diarrhea, then Bert squinting his left eye, and Ernie's stuffy nose and subsequent lack of interest in food.
Took them to the vet within 24 hours, gave them antivirals, anti-bacterial eye ointment, and L-lysine every 12 hours, and probiotics every 24 hours.
So, how did the eye infection work? Was it a bacteria that spread? If it wasn't a bacteria, did the vet just give us the antibacterial eye ointment just in case it was a bacteria and because the lubrication helped with "dry eye" effect of the virus? How does FHV-1 affect the eyes? Does FHV-1 cause conjunctivitis or does it cause a "dry eye" that gets irritated and torn?
Maybe you don't have any answers to my questions, I'll ask them to the vet on Saturday. I'm happy to just start a dialogue because I've done a lot of reading online, and I'm just trying to piece it all together. I have a scientific background, and I like to understand how things work.
Best regards!
Doting new kitten mother.
Bert and Ernie got sick a couple weeks ago, took them to the vet, and they sent me home with 4 different treatments/medications: probiotics, L-Lysine, antiviral, antibiotic eye ointment. They responded well to the treatments, though it hasn't stopped the sneezing. The eye conjunctivitis also responded well to the eye ointment. The conjunctivitis started in Bert's left eye, then Ernie's left eye, then Ernie's right eye, and then finally into Bert's right eye. By the time Bert's right eye got red, we ran out of the vet's ointment, and it was the beginning of Thanksgiving weekend. They received the full course of antivirals, and we hoped that since Bert's right eye was looking better, that he would clear the rest of it up on its own. It didn't, and just got worse. So, I called vet on Friday, hoping I could get more ointment to continue treating it before taking them back in for their last round of shots/check-up, and hit such a wall. I just needed ointment! We were out of state, kittens have been travelling with us when we head home for the holidays, and do not get stressed by it. So, after some exploring, we found some over-the-counter Terramycin for cats at a Tractor supply store, and now that it's Monday, Bert's right eye is on it's way to recovery, and I rescheduled the Monday vet appointment till Saturday, so that we can take the kittens to the vet together, and they will be healthy enough (hopefully) for the their last round of shots.
My question is...what made Bert and Ernie sick? I believed it to be FHV-1, as that was the paperwork the vet sent me home with, except for a) they didn't actually run a test to see if it was FHV-1, b) the conjunctivitis responded to the antibacterial eye ointment, c) when I called to tell the vet that the eye infection had spread to the other eyes, and responded to the eye ointment, they didn't act as if that was good news, and instead said they needed to come back in because it spread, and that was unexpected (even though when they gave me the ointment, they explained to put it in any of the eyes if it spread), so that whole exchange really threw me off.
Is it possible that it wasn't FHV-1? Could it have just been a cold with pinkeye bacteria? Will they ever stop sneezing?
I accept that it could be FHV-1 and that the eye infection was caused by a secondary bacteria infection. They are both still sneezing, but their stuffy noses are gone, so I wonder if they have a secondary bacteria infection. I'll find out when I take them in on Saturday.
Bert and Ernie are around 3 1/2 months old.
First sign of illness was sneezing, then diarrhea, then Bert squinting his left eye, and Ernie's stuffy nose and subsequent lack of interest in food.
Took them to the vet within 24 hours, gave them antivirals, anti-bacterial eye ointment, and L-lysine every 12 hours, and probiotics every 24 hours.
So, how did the eye infection work? Was it a bacteria that spread? If it wasn't a bacteria, did the vet just give us the antibacterial eye ointment just in case it was a bacteria and because the lubrication helped with "dry eye" effect of the virus? How does FHV-1 affect the eyes? Does FHV-1 cause conjunctivitis or does it cause a "dry eye" that gets irritated and torn?
Maybe you don't have any answers to my questions, I'll ask them to the vet on Saturday. I'm happy to just start a dialogue because I've done a lot of reading online, and I'm just trying to piece it all together. I have a scientific background, and I like to understand how things work.
Best regards!
Doting new kitten mother.
