Feline Herpes virus and famciclovir

[mservant]

@Debbis cats, that is really interesting information on your vet's approach and medication they are using.  I think more and more vets are starting to see the effect of both stress and pain on feline herpes and other viral infections so hopefully more varied approaches to management will come out of this.  It is always good to hear what works.  This thread is quite a few months old and I am not sure how the other members posting have got on, but thank you for the information.  I look forward to seeing more posts from you and learning more about you and your cat / cats.

 

[debbis cats]

Try the famvir in 125mg dose once a day and also ad the anti inflammatory onsior.  My kitty has been struggling with this for about 5 months now and just a month ago I tried the onsior and it seems to be under control.  Also I am trying homeopathic. He seems much better and able to get it under some control.  They are our family and to watch them in pain is awful.  My vet feels this is safe in a small dose as often as he needs it.  I started with 1/2 pill of the Onsior and what a difference. He just gets 1/4 now and sometimes I skip a day.  Try pill pockets.  The Famvir pill I cut into quarters and give him 2 quarters.  This equals 125mg.  If you quarter it he takes it much easier in a pill pocket. The Onsior is so small he hardly knows he gets it in a pill pocket,  Hope this helps

Debbi

 

[deborahlee]

I had a whole litter of foster kittens with this, and what worked the best was the famciclovir along with interferon used both orally and as eye drops.

Most vets I have come across don't have a clue about these things and I'm having a hell of a time finding a vet that does in the new area I moved to.

Also, there is a place online called that does medicine compounding for veterinary prescriptions that is extremely reasonable price-wise.  Check them out.  Saved me and the rescue quite a lot of money.

www.diamondbackdrugs.com

 

[cprcheetah]

Onsior is only approved for 3 days post surgically, it should NOT be given long term.  Is Onsior Really a Breakthrough?   This talks about NSAID use in cats:http://www.felinecrf.org/treatments_antibiotics_painkillers.htm#nsaids  Cats metabolize drugs a lot slower than humans do, NSAIDS are really dangerous and can cause Kidney Failure.  There are other safer pain medications you can give like Buprenex.  

 

[chad b]

Hello everybody!  I'm looking for some insight.  Our cat (Kelso) was diagnosed with the Feline Herpese Virus.  His main symptoms are wheezing, sneezing, and some minor eye discharge.  We typically see flare ups when we travel out of town and he doesn't get enough attention during our absence.  He has been treated with Famciclovir and responds great!  However, most recently after going off a 3 week dose, his symptoms are starting to return after only being off it for 2 weeks.  He does take L-lysine daily (the maximum amount recommended).  Thoughts?  Can he take the Famciclovir long term or more frequently?  My vet wants to wait it out and see if it clears up, but typically that doesn't happen.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[mservant]

Hi @Chad B, Mouse was only prescribed Famciclovir for a couple of weeks and apart from the horrible expense I was quite relieved not to continue giving him medication where I wasn't entirely sure what effect it would have on his body long term.  That said, I was happier using it than I was the antibiotics as he has not had secondary infections with his eye lesions like he did with his oral ones.  I don;t know where the research has got to with Famciclovir and on a quick search didn't find much other than about short term use.  However it might be worth taking a look at the article I am adding a link for, from 2011, as it does mention use until chronic symptoms resolve.  I would not recommend doing anything like this without full consultation with your vet as there may well be serious contraindications

http://samedicine.anzcvs.org.au/samedicine_assets/documents/2011 SAM proceedings/Malik 2011.pdf

 

[quasimodo]

Hello to all with cats with supposed herpes virus.   I have been for 6 years trying everything on the market for feline herpes.  Nothing to date has been effective and I would love to know if there is still research into this issue and new possible treatments.   It seems that we are and have been for quite sometime at a standstill for effective treatment for this problem, but are still being prescribed the same drugs which I personally know and I am now reading have little to no efficacy for most of us with our cats.   What I do know is herpes is contagious, yet, I have had no transfer to other cats  with the infected cat and she is the only one that suffers her so called symptoms with this diagnosis which is supposedly common in rescue cats.   If this is so, I have rescued all cats in various conditions and she is the only one with the virus still and with no subsequent relief of symptoms with all drugs.   Is there anyone with an idea as I would love to help her!   Is it pre-dominent in females, colour, age and how is the gestation of the symptoms in other cats?   Looking forward to hear anything.  Q

 

[deborahlee]

The best combination of medications I've tried and had reasonable success with was famciclovir along with lysine daily and interferon used both orally and as eye drops.

Needs to be continued for at least 3 weeks (not 2).

Many say interferon doesn't work, but there are vets who use it for viral and herpes. But it worked for me for 7 out of 10 kittens, and it started to work immediately.  Even the 3 others improved, sadly they got pneumonia and didn't make it.  But it was a miracle drug for the other 7.

the toughest part is finding a vet who is familiar with it and will dispense it.

 

[mservant]

Interesting, I have heard of it being used with feline stomatitis but not with herpes.  

 

[deborahlee]

Just FYI, in case you are interested ...

Here are some articles. First talks about topical, the 2nd, oral. (and they both give excellent info on herpes in cats in general).

http://www.acvo.org/new/public/common_diseases/herpes.shtml

http://www.askthecatdoctor.com/felineherpes.html

The vet who first prescribed it for me was a vet who specialized in cats only.  Every other vet I've ever been to, when I mention it, looks at me like I just flew in from Gallifrey.

The interferon, by the way, if your vet doesn't have it (or if he or she will write a script to save you a few bucks) can be gotten at on-line compounding pharmacies for reasonable prices.  And do check around.  I was quoted in the range of about $40 to about $150 by different places and the online ones seemed to be less expensive.

PS:  If anyone wants a little chuckle, do a google search for "Where is Chuck Norris."   Read the first hit.  then click on it and read what comes up.

 

[catgirljourney]

Butch and Sundance!!! =^..^=  what great names for such handsome bros.  I have 11 cats and several herpes infected kitties as well.  We just got prescribed Famciclovir for 2 fellas symptomatic.  I am relieved to find another eye ointment- Panatol to add to the arsenal.  It sounds like it was effective in your case.  We do Viralys and Mercola's Eye Support and are wondering if you use any supplements or natural alternatives. Pce.

 

[rollie430]

Sometimes, it takes quite a while before you can see any improvement. Odd, but this virus seems to be a seasonal 

problem, it occurred in March of last year also. Took a long time to clear up then, possibly because he had another condition as well. This time the Famciclovir worked almost immediately. I had it compounded, he eats wet food twice a day, and mixed it in with each of his meals. I also add L-lysine powder, 1/8 teaspoon to each of his meals. I had stopped for a few months. Realize now that, because this is a chronic condition, peculiar to the breed that it is something he should always have. Good luck!

 

[mservant]

Funny you mention seasonal @Rollie430:  Mouse has been coughing today for the first time in ages.  Will be keeping my eye on him for a few days to see if he keeps things at bay or other symptoms appear.

 

[3scammincats]

I have had very good luck with the lysine.  I crush up the 500 mg. pill in baby food.  Gerber's Lamb, beef, any of the meats.  He especially loves the ham! 

 

[3scammincats]

For kitties with herpes of the eye.  I was given many types of eye gels, but the one that kicked it in the butt was Oxypol 0.5% ophthalmic ointment.  My vet had to send a prescription to Roadrunner Pharmacy out of Arizona.  Then, I would call them with my information and credit card and send the meds out promptly!  I have gotten interferon for one of my cats from this pharmacy and they are wonderful.  If it needs to be on dry ice they are wonderful at getting you meds. that a lot of veterinarians don't carry in their practice.

 

[nitzysamma]

Hi everyone,
I just signed up and I too have a feline herpes rescue cat, I think I have tried all the different medications, some very expensive but today I filled a prescription for 20 Famciclovir 125mg for $14.07 at Costco I had taken it to Walgreens and almost fainted at the $103.00 cost.
I went on line I found someone that mentioned Costco and you do not have to be a member.

Hope this helps

 

[motown60]

My male cat "Bubba" just turned 14 in June 2014. We have lived with feline herpes since he was just 2 years old. We have gone to hell and back with that virus. I promise you... for years it seems that nothing worked for any length of time and Bubba would have the worst out breaks possible. The ophthalmologist spent years trying to make Bubba better, each time the treatments only lasted for a short period of time. Bubba has been on l-lysine gel for the last twelve years. He gets a dose everyday of his life. The last 2 years, famciclovir 250mg (his dose is 1/2 tablet every 24 hours) was added and believe me Bubba and I are thrilled. The improvements were unbelievable. Bubba started to do things that he had not done in years. Like chasing after his Sister, climbing the cat tree and having fun again. I got my real Bubba back. He has not had a real outbreak since the famciclovir was introduced. I can tell when the virus is trying to attack him but it never really gets a hold like before. Sometimes her gets a "red swollen" eye, but it only last for a day or so and it's gone. That only happened once. When he is doing really well showing no signs of the virus like a "teary eye," I reduce his dosage and give him only 1/4 of a famciclovir every 24 hrs. Bubba, me and  the Vet are thrilled at Bubba's progress these last 2 years. The drug is expensive, no doubt about it...but it works! At least it did for us and Bubba had the worse of the worst case. I don't think twice about the money because the drug has given Bubba his life back and he is loving it. He is just a little bit fat though....he loves to eat...his food, his sister's food, my food, just food. The Vet is not that much concerned about his weight yet, he is just happy with Bubba's improvement and glad that he has a good appetite. I would advise anyone to just give the drug a try. It did miracles for my Bubba.

 

[debbis cats]

My kitty was on the famciclovir too and I was paying 45.00 for 20 pills.  I called Costco and I got 50 pills for 26.00 dollars.  I couldn't believe the difference.  It did seem to cause my Angel headaches though.  I have taken him off of it and although his eyes are red he is better.  I also give him a product called Glucammune.  I don't know what is helping but when he seems painful I give him 1/4 pill onsior.  I hope you have a Costco near by.

 

[een13]

Thank you everyone for sharing your stories. My 13-year-old cat has been suffering from terrible upper respiratory infections about four times a year for the last few years, complete with sneezing fits, inward sneezing, snot rockets and runny eyes. She's miserable when she has these outbreaks, which are believed to be herpes-related. We've been treating her secondary infections with antibiotics (most recently, azithromycin), but I hated waiting until her infection got really bad before giving her relief.

My vet just started her on famciclovir, 1/2 of a 125mg pill 3x/day. It's only been a few days and not a whole lot of improvement to report, but I did want to share with you a Rx coupon site I found that saved me a ton on the medication: goodrx.com. I was skeptical that the famciclovir coupon that I found there would actually work, but it did! It brought down the $150 price tag at CVS for 32 pills to just $36. It's a totally free site; you don't even have to register. Save yourself some money!!

I hope I can report back very soon with positive results. Good luck to all of you and your feline friends!

 

[skel]

Thanks for the til, I was charged $155.00 at CVS Pharmacy, Rite Aid wanted $168.00. We ha e a Costco right down the street. I really can't afford this expensive medication but need to have this medicine.