At my wit’s end with sick kittens

[Lranders29]

Some of you may recognize my name as I’ve posted and commented here a bunch this fall about my babies Neptune and Josephine.
Neptune appears sick again and I’m taking him to a new vet today.
Since bringing him home from a local shelter in mid-September, this is a brief medical history.
-week after adoption, treated for bacteria in stool. Got boosters and tested negative for parasites.
-early October, pinkeye and URI, vet said Clamydia and it was treated and he seemed fine for a few weeks.
-after sister had gotten sick too, Neptune got sick as well with pneumonia and was treated for 6 weeks. X rays just after thanksgiving were clear.

A few weeks ago, sister Josephine came down with pinkeye and a simple URI. Eyes are better, still on meds for URI.

Neptune has been doing well overall. I’m doing a elimination diet with wet food and giving prescription dry which has helped the diarrhea more than any high quality wet food has. He’s been teething- I’ve found baby teeth.

Monday the 23rd I found he had chewed up a foam pillow and there was blood, making me think a tooth could have been bugging him. That same day, he vomited once which was rare. Then his third eyelids went up and haven’t gone down, so I’m taking him in today to a new vet for a second opinion. Other than the third eyelids being up and red, he’s behaving normally
Any ideas? What do I ask for? The shelter I got him from claimed he tested negative for all the bad stuff. I want to get them both healthy and be done with sickness and vetting!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Do you have records of what they were supposed to be tested for before you adopted them? I would ask for those records if you don't already have them. Symptoms sound like it could be feline herpes, but if you have had them vaccinated, I don't think the vet can test for that without getting a positive reading (due to antibodies produced by the vaccinations). Talk to the vet about this aspect and see what they think. They may just want to treat it like herpes, which then you could look into to immune-boosters such as L-lysine.

Hopefully, other members with more experience with this will come along soon and offer their input!!

 

[Lranders29]

Hi. Do you have records of what they were supposed to be tested for before you adopted them? I would ask for those records if you don't already have them. Symptoms sound like it could be feline herpes, but if you have had them vaccinated, I don't think the vet can test for that without getting a positive reading (due to antibodies produced by the vaccinations). Talk to the vet about this aspect and see what they think. They may just want to treat it like herpes, which then you could look into to immune-boosters such as L-lysine.

Hopefully, other members with more experience with this will come along soon and offer their input!!

Thank you for your response. I asked about herpes, and was told they should be fine since they had the series of vaccinations. I’m wondering if they were exposed when they were strays and so young. Perhaps the vet saying they’d be fine was easier than explaining they couldn’t get an accurate reading at that time. I did buy some l-lysine, but read it won’t do much during a flare up.
I still worry about big bad problems, but it’s so odd that his only symptom currently doesn’t impact his appetite or play.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Vaccinations only help to ward off herpes, but cats can still contract it - however, when they do the symptoms are generally less severe than in a non-vaccinated cat. So, maybe that is why your guy is being less affected? And, while I am still waiting for other members to respond, I am pretty sure I have read many posts on this site about how lysine can reduce the severity of a flare-up.

 

[Lranders29]

Vaccinations only help to ward off herpes, but cats can still contract it - however, when they do the symptoms are generally less severe than in a non-vaccinated cat. So, maybe that is why your guy is being less affected? And, while I am still waiting for other members to respond, I am pretty sure I have read many posts on this site about how lysine can reduce the severity of a flare-up.

That’s a good point about why he might have it but just not terribly. I’ve been adding lysine to their food now since Monday and I plan to keep going a few times a week regularly as other members do.

 

[Lranders29]

Update-
Had a good chat with the new vet. I shared a brief history. He examined Neptune and I was relieved to hear he didn’t notice anything off with his heart, lungs, lymph nodes, coat, mouth, everything. I nearly fainted when he suggested a recheck for FelV and I’m relieved to report it was negative. He checked eye pressure and it was normal. Doc settled on Haws Syndrome given the diarrhea happening. We discussed additional testing to get to the bottom of that since it’s been an ongoing issue.
I reviewed my invoice and this office generally runs 1/2 to 2/3 the cost of my prior office - compared exam, stool sample, and the eye pressure test.