- Joined
- Aug 24, 2014
- Messages
- 60
- Purraise
- 6
Came close to losing my 13 year old cat and now over $7500 in debt because I had no knowledge of herpes!
Have had cats for the last 30 years and in all that time have never had a cat with it. All my kitties have spent their lives indoors.
Horrified that my ignorance nearly cost the life of my cat- he was not expected to survive.
Started with adopting a kitty who several months later developed symptoms which were herpes and not a "common cold" as I thought!
She sneezed and had runny eyes for a week and that was the extent of it. But my big 13 year old cat became horrendously ill which ended up snowballing into
pneumonia, diabetic ketoacidosis and hepatic lipidosis. As soon as his symptoms presented he stopped eating- nothing after three days. Vet gave him some Clavamox (I was never even told a more effective treatment would be Famcyclovir) and eye drops. Two days later he was still not eating and respirations labored. He was very ill by this point and sent to ICU.
A few days later he'd moved on to ketoacidosis and then the dreaded hepatic lipidosis and hemolytic anemia. The critical care vet did not expect him to survive, but with her expert care, 7 days in ICU, transfusions and a feeding tube he's hanging in there 3 days after discharge.
So my question...now what? I have 3 kitties at home, what do I do? I'm a little surprised that my regular vet never offered Famcyclovir or even suggested L-lysine when I brought my big diabetic cat in who was sick with herpes and not eating. Should I have it on hand? Is "Viralys" a good option for a cat who will refuse food with any additive?
My diabetic kitty is as good as gone as he will not eat if he feels the least bit sick. Syringe feeding is out as he's Maine Coon and I could never get enough calories in him. I'd never put him through the hell he's been through and still going through now recovering.
My regular vet says not to worry as my cats will only get sick if they are stressed. Doesn't sound quite right, and I want to be as armed as I can battling this thing.
Help! I need to be prepared!
Have had cats for the last 30 years and in all that time have never had a cat with it. All my kitties have spent their lives indoors.
Horrified that my ignorance nearly cost the life of my cat- he was not expected to survive.
Started with adopting a kitty who several months later developed symptoms which were herpes and not a "common cold" as I thought!
She sneezed and had runny eyes for a week and that was the extent of it. But my big 13 year old cat became horrendously ill which ended up snowballing into
pneumonia, diabetic ketoacidosis and hepatic lipidosis. As soon as his symptoms presented he stopped eating- nothing after three days. Vet gave him some Clavamox (I was never even told a more effective treatment would be Famcyclovir) and eye drops. Two days later he was still not eating and respirations labored. He was very ill by this point and sent to ICU.
A few days later he'd moved on to ketoacidosis and then the dreaded hepatic lipidosis and hemolytic anemia. The critical care vet did not expect him to survive, but with her expert care, 7 days in ICU, transfusions and a feeding tube he's hanging in there 3 days after discharge.
So my question...now what? I have 3 kitties at home, what do I do? I'm a little surprised that my regular vet never offered Famcyclovir or even suggested L-lysine when I brought my big diabetic cat in who was sick with herpes and not eating. Should I have it on hand? Is "Viralys" a good option for a cat who will refuse food with any additive?
My diabetic kitty is as good as gone as he will not eat if he feels the least bit sick. Syringe feeding is out as he's Maine Coon and I could never get enough calories in him. I'd never put him through the hell he's been through and still going through now recovering.
My regular vet says not to worry as my cats will only get sick if they are stressed. Doesn't sound quite right, and I want to be as armed as I can battling this thing.
Help! I need to be prepared!