FHV+ Sneezing Symptom Relief?

[evirae]

My 4 year old domestic shorthair cat, Artie, has had eye discharge associate with FHV before, but it was always and still is clear. No colored mucous either-- she is mostly eating and drinking normally, but after having an allergic reaction and getting a steroid shot, about 3 days later, the sneezing began.

They are legitimate sneezing fits-- 5 or so sneezes at a time. She will still eat food and treats, and I have multiple water dishes out for her + a water fountain, and she is drinking. So with that said, as she's mainly "flu-ish" and has some appetite suppression and feeling blerg from this flare-up, I just don't know if there is anything I can do to help with the sneezing.

She has a follow-up appointment next Monday, and I am in contact with my vet. I also had been old by said vet to try lysine.

I tried the lysine paste-- oof, she hates it.
The chews? Not a fan, spits them out.
The powder I got, but she is not a huge fan of the multiple high-grade wet foods I've gotten her, so I am still searching to find one she likes.

Even if I can get lysine in her system, I don't know how long it might take for it to help the sneezing. I feel like that is probably making everything worse because that has to make her stomach upset and her feel just exhausted from these fits.

I know when I have sneezing issues, I can take decongestant, etc-- so OBVIOUSLY I will not be giving her medication without a vet's orders, but does anyone know of anything OTC/benign that might help?

At this point, I'll try anything (within reason and safe of course). I already use a low-dust litter, clean space, and humidifier. So I'm just trying to help her manage this symptom while she recovers from this flare up.

Thank you so much for reading if you made it through. I'm a bit at my wit's end and feel just terrible for her.

 

[SweetiePie1]

Sit tight. Artie has something going on and its great you are in touch with the vet and have a follow up appt. soon. Let your vet assess Artie and hopefully offer some additional options. My cat has been sneezing and we've been following our vet's advice (its always a process so i empathize) but he knows our cat and our follow ups are scheduled. Our cats only like dry food and they don't suffer pills lightly so we had to keep trying different options until we found something that worked. Folks in general are just cautious about offering specifics when it comes to health of our furry babies because of all the little dynamics that can come into play. Obviously Artie's health is the #1 priority and if his conditions worsens before the appt. don't hesitate to ask the vet for an earlier time slot. Artie's worth it and please keep us informed.

 

[SweetiePie1]

Sit tight. Artie has something going on and its great you are in touch with the vet and have a follow up appt. soon. Let your vet assess Artie and hopefully offer some additional options. My cat has been sneezing and we've been following our vet's advice (its always a process so i empathize) but he knows our cat and our follow ups are scheduled. Our cats only like dry food and they don't suffer pills lightly so we had to keep trying different options until we found something that worked. Folks in general are just cautious about offering specifics when it comes to health of our furry babies because of all the little dynamics that can come into play. Obviously Artie's health is the #1 priority and if his conditions worsens before the appt. don't hesitate to ask the vet for an earlier time slot. Artie's worth it and please keep us informed.

We are also currently giving our cats Lysine supplements as recommended. We got Lysine treats from VetriScience after our vet sent us a link and the cats do eat them. So they are supplements to support and the effects are usually not immediate....but never the less hopefully helpful.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Did you by chance ask the vet if there was anything you could give Artie that is OTC to help with the sneezing? That is where I would start - call them and see what they say.

If she has never had sneezing with any of her previous FHV flare-ups, could this be something else? Like a reaction to the steroid shot? Or, something related to the allergic reaction she had? Might be another question or two to pose to the vet.

If you haven't already tried Fancy Feast pates for her wet food, you could give them a shot and see if she would like them well enough to eat with the lysine powder. The pates are pretty decent food, and it seems like a lot of cats will eat these when they won't eat other wet foods.

 

[evirae]

I'm waiting on a call back from the vet-- I know for certain that no advice given is to be taken without vet approval, so I totally get the caution and am more trying to think of anything I might bring up when I get that call back. I will definitely ask about OTC decongestant/allergy if anything is applicable. Any other suggestions here will be run by the vet before following through on anything.

Mind you, my vet is less than 2km away, so I can get there in a jiffy if I need to.

Really I'm thinking if there is some short-term allergy medicine or something just to help her out. Those sneezing fits-- I can only imagine the headache I would have from them!

So it's more "she's not eating/drinking the EXACT same amount as before," but with sneezing and likely some sinus drainage (though again, nothing colored or worrisome at this time at least)-- that seems like common sense that it might affect some of her appetite. The hope is from her still eating and drinking, just a little bit less.

If nothing else, I sincerely appreciate being heard. The really good thing is that she is definitely eating and drinking, and is still very enthusiastic about treats. She's also sticking close to me more (might be the anxiety/etc possible temporary effects from the steroid shot), so I feel very hopeful just from being able to monitor her so closely (and because she isn't hiding). Also, of course, the vet told me 100% that if she gets worse or won't eat/drink to take her in immediately or, if they are not open, I have a referral of where to bring her for emergency.

Also good, no fever-- had the vet show how to take rectal temp properly, and Artie has been kind enough not to kill me. Yes. I am this crazy-cat-lady. She's kinda my lifeline, especially in quarantine. But anyhow, no fever, so that's good.

Regardless, funny enough in the short interim, I took those lysine treats and broke them into pieces.

And then she ate them.

She just didn't like the size. Go figure, huh?

Also, I will try the Fancy Feast because as long as she is eating and getting hydration, I'll be happy. As I said before though, if anything happens I'll absolutely run over to the vet/emergency. For now it seems the poor dear is gonna have to tough it out for a tiny bit.

 

[evirae]

If she has never had sneezing with any of her previous FHV flare-ups, could this be something else? Like a reaction to the steroid shot? Or, something related to the allergic reaction she had? Might be another question or two to pose to the vet.

And I will absolutely bring this up-- because the sneezing is the first ever in her life, and it happened after the steroid shot. I adopted her at 2-months or so, and it's always just been periodic eye drainage. Nothing new in her environment, food, etc.

So really it seems like the shot did its job in suppressing her immune system to deal with the allergic reaction, it just had the side effect of triggering a flare-up. She's never had a steroid shot like this before as well, but had no other bad side effects, and she was very closely monitored after. Apparently this is common enough of a trigger for articles & vets to publish, and the vet confirms that is likely.

Will keep this posted when I find out!

 

[evirae]

Well, quick update, the doc is giving a red light on anything decongestant-wise and is recommending antibiotics. While this doesn't make as much sense to me, he's been through this way more than I have (30+ years!), so I'll be absolutely following his advice filling a script in the morning.

Fingers crossed that it doesn't make her stomach more blerg, but I got some of the pate food and was able to give Artie her evening lysine dose in that powder form which definitely seemed easier to work in (along with some bonito flakes for appetite).

I'll keep you all posted, but mainly, again-- thank you for listening. I sincerely do appreciate it.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Make sure she is given food with the antibiotics, that should help some to reduce stomach upset. If the antibiotic is a pill that is crushable, or liquid, you can mix it with a bit of canned tuna or chicken water, just to ensure she ingests it all - and, then give her a bite or two of the tuna or chicken as a treat afterward. Or, if she like the pate food well enough, you can dole out a bit of that with the antibiotic and then give her the rest of it when she finishes the antibiotic bite.

 

[evirae]

The liquid definitely is not mixable with food given the flavor/smell of it, but I've given her the dosages and good salmon treats after (the one-ingredient kind) which she loves. So far she is taking it super well and is more annoyed for 5min and then just happy about treats.

Her sneezes are more dry today, but she has had fewer. I essentially administered the lysine powder in the same way as the antibiotics to make sure that she gets the right dose since she has not been keen to eat all TWELVE treats needed for a dose in treat-form. This strategy has been working really well and has not upset her stomach since this is along with eating tasty, healthy treats and having wet food to follow up with (she's very big on tuna/salmon in any form, it seems).

Still have a follow-up on the 13th which I will definitely be keeping regardless, of course! I also found that adding another humidifier (a smaller one I can just move to be in whatever room she is in) has definitel helped her sleep better.

Again, thank you all so much for letting me vent. Apparently I get way more anxious than I even imagined when it comes to Artie (I know, pets are family, but this really shook me!).

I'll keep you all posted if I find out anything else! The antibiotics are a 2x-a-day/7 days deal, so that should keep her from any secondary infections that might have been opportunistic in her lowered-immune-response state.

 

[stephanietx]

We give our girl a daily dose of Claritin (loratadine). We've been doing this for 10 years. She still sneezes, but not like she does if not taking an antihistamine. She's especially triggered by dust and seasonal changes. I grind up into wet food and serve.

 

[evirae]

We give our girl a daily dose of Claritin (loratadine). We've been doing this for 10 years. She still sneezes, but not like she does if not taking an antihistamine. She's especially triggered by dust and seasonal changes. I grind up into wet food and serve.

If the sneezing persists after this flare-up, I'll definitely be discussing this with my vet. At this time, since right now it's just associated with this event, I'm hoping it'll go away when she feels better (since she definitely doesn't sneeze like this on any normal day!)

Good to know, though-- thank you for sharing! If I think she needs help after this, I'll definitely ask.

 

[SweetiePie1]

Thank you for the Artie update(s). I am happy to hear she is managing. Hang in there.

 

[evirae]

Hi all! Quick update I totally forgot to give earlier!

Artie is doing well and, apparently, will need to go on antibiotics immediately in the event that she gets another steroid shot for any reason in the future. The reasoning given was that due to her FHV+ status, this is common for the immunosupression of the steroids to enable a FHV flare-up in the form of an acute respiratory infection.

The antibiotics were in liquid form and, as such, were very easy to administer. I made sure to give treats after, and she was just a trooper-- the treats in my mind were a consolation prize for taking her medicine but also to get a better taste in her mouth.

I've started doing only scheduled feedings to transition her to the wet-food-only diet, and it has been a moderate success. Artie has been on dry food forever, but she was always drinking enough water due to having been fond of water fountain water-drinking since she was young. The wet food I've garnished with some bonito flakes, but I supplement with a small portion (snack size) of her dry food to complement it as she still is getting used to the texture.

This is in part because wet food is just better for her but also because she clocked in at 12lbs 6 oz, and was called "sturdy." She was offended (haha, I think it was more me being "she is perfect!!!" than anything, but again my vet is great). I'll be slooooowly getting her to wet food, being very considerate that she, like myself, is not too fond of change.

Now that she has competed the antibiotics, she is back to herself. No sneezes, her usual "tortitude" snarky behaviour. Overall, I am just glad my vet was able to get everything to me (antibiotics, etc) in a super timely manner. I will also continue with lysine, though honestly she has a great control of FHV without it, so this is just going to be a good dietary supplement for her unless she ever shows negative side effects, none of which have been displayed yet.

So, in sum, the sneezing was from an acute infection which was solved from a 7-day (2x per day) course of antibiotics.

Thank you again to everyone who chimed in! I really appreciate the kindness that was displayed here while I was so anxious about my sweet little dork. I know everyone will be super happy to hear that she is back to her normal, dramatic self.

 

[SweetiePie1]

Soooo happy to hear Artie is doing better. She sounds like a handful so obviously it wasn't hard to tell when she started feeling better. I am ok with snorky and sturdy. Take care

 

[evirae]

Final Update-- I was able to figure after a lot of trial and error that she prefers the "flaked" wet food variety. I am adding that in while adding cat auto-feeder that will give a specific amount for her dinner since she is prone to just "graze" an that will let her have a midnight snack if she wants, all in the right amount.

I also added a swamp cooler to my home that helps keep the main area at a proper humidity level (and cools!).

So, this final update before I continue with the forums but conclude this thread is that the wet food + humidifier has assisted in seemingly eliminating her "snoring" she does sometimes. And her coat already is seeming to have no visible flakes-- she use to have a small bit of cat-dandruff, but it's gone.

Considering the implications and struggles in the respiratory-area with FHV+, I think that this was a great wake-up call to just make these small changes to give her a much better overall quality of life.

SO glad I found this forum! Also, Art3mis The Melodramatic AKA Artie sends lots of good wishes to you all.