Feline Herpes Kitty

[SLK0309]

Hi all! I took a stray in about 4 years ago who was pregnant and presented signs of an upper respiratory infection. Long story short, I fell in love with her (now named Olive) and ended up getting her fixed once she had her kittens and kept her as an indoor only cat. I’ve seen 3-4 different vets all of which suggest she has feline herpes (runny eyes and regular sneezing with very large snot rockets LOL)... One did the test and it came back negative but informed me that the test is really not that accurate and is known for false negatives. She prescribed famciclovir in a liquid form as Olive does NOT do well with pills and she is not a big fan of cat treats (even liquid form is a struggle, honestly)! Anyways, I got about 1 full day of the famciclovir into her before she started throwing up every time I would administer it. Needless to say, I stopped it because she is eating/drinking/playing just fine and I didn’t want to put her through that torture.

Anyways, my question is if anyone is aware of whether or not a compound pharmacy is able to make a topical version of the famciclovir? My vet seems to think it’s now possible to be made that way, but I figured I’d post something here to see if anyone had information on it! I have searched and searched but haven’t been able to find a pharmacy who can compound it into a topical form. Thank you in advance

 

[stephanietx]

Since the test came back negative, she could very well be dealing with a secondary infection. I would ask the doctor to do a culture and sensitivity test of one of the snot rockets (that's really a good definition for them) to see if there's an underlying bacterial or fungal infection going on. The sensitivity test will show them which medication, if any, will best treat the infection.

Also, what other supplements are you giving her and what kind of diet is she on?

 

[SLK0309]

A few years ago she did have a nasal culture done and that came back fairly normal too, but I can’t specifically remember what was tested. I’m going to have to check on that and maybe even have it redone.

I’ve given her L-Lysine with no help at all, and I use grain free cat food (1/2 can of wet food morning and night, as well as some hard food throughout the day).

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. How were you trying to administer the famciclovir? While having her tested for a secondary infection, which would be treated with an antibiotic, not an anti-viral like famciclovir, she still might benefit from it too. I do know that if a cat vomits from receiving this med, it can be given with some food to help prevent that. Aside from pill form, I believe it can be compounded into an oral suspension or paste. I am unaware of it being compounded into a topical solution.

Things to try with this med would be:
1.) Lickable treats, such as Applaws, Tiki Cat Stix, Vitakraft, Wholehearted, and Inaba Churu, just to name a few. Tiki Cat Mousse, which is a complete cat food (not a treat) works well too.
2.) The 'juice' from canned tuna or chicken in water, with a piece of the meat as a treat afterward.
3.) Baby food meats (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut - neither have any additives like onions, etc.).