Hydrating during FHV-1 Outbreak

[RainOnMe]

Hi there,
I adopted a kitten a few months ago, and recently had to take him to the hospital. Based on his symptoms, the Doctors ultimately assumed he has FHV-1, or feline herpes. I know this is pretty common for cats. My little guy doesn’t seem to have many respiratory or eye problems, his biggest issue is lethargy. He also had a nasty fever (106), but that’s been down for the past few days thank god. He’s sleeping all day and has no interest in food or water. I’ve tried wet food and he still doesn’t want it. The only thing I’ve gotten him to remotely drink is the Tiki Cat tuna broth and a few treats. He lapped up some of the broth, and left the tuna.

Ive heard the first outbreak is the worst, but he’s only 5 months old so I’m a bit concerned. He looks miserable 24/7. Has anyone had any luck getting fluids/nutrients into their cats when they’ve had bad flare ups? Should I try to get a syringe? I feel like if I put fluids in his mouth, he’d just spit it out lol. Does warm water help? Can I’ll use a sponge or towel somewhere? Any other ideas? I’m desperate since he’s so young and vulneable. All help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!!!

Lydia

 

[stephanietx]

Does he still have a fever? If he's not eating or drinking, he needs to get to the vet for fluids. You can test for hydration by doing the pinch test. Gently pull up the fur on the back of the neck like a teepee. If it snaps back, he's hydrated. If it stays up, then he needs fluids. You could syringe feed him and mix in plain baby Pedialyte. You could also offer plain meat babyfood mixed with some Pedialyte.

 

[RainOnMe]

Does he still have a fever? If he's not eating or drinking, he needs to get to the vet for fluids. You can test for hydration by doing the pinch test. Gently pull up the fur on the back of the neck like a teepee. If it snaps back, he's hydrated. If it stays up, then he needs fluids. You could syringe feed him and mix in plain baby Pedialyte. You could also offer plain meat babyfood mixed with some Pedialyte.

Hi! No fever today, thank god. I called the hospital for today and they said he should be ok for now, but if he declines further to bring him back for IV. The pedialyte/baby food drip via syringe is a great idea - nutrients and hydration. Thank you!!

 

[white shadow]

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Hi R RainOnMe - be really, really careful using a syringe to assist-feed !

Read this post very carefully......pay close attention to the details: https://thecatsite.com/threads/cat-advice-asap-head-cold.419162/page-3#post-5230214.

Here's hoping he feels better soon!

Be sure to keep us posted!
.

 

[RainOnMe]

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Hi R RainOnMe - be really, really careful using a syringe to assist-feed !

Read this post very carefully......pay close attention to the details: https://thecatsite.com/threads/cat-advice-asap-head-cold.419162/page-3#post-5230214.

Here's hoping he feels better soon!

Be sure to keep us posted!
.

Oh yes, I definitely will. I don’t plan on shooting it in his mouth at all, just dropping tiny drops inside his lip that hopefully he’ll swallow. Fingers crossed lol. Hope to have a good update soon.

 

[RainOnMe]

Hi there,
I adopted a kitten a few months ago, and recently had to take him to the hospital. Based on his symptoms, the Doctors ultimately assumed he has FHV-1, or feline herpes. I know this is pretty common for cats. My little guy doesn’t seem to have many respiratory or eye problems, his biggest issue is lethargy. He also had a nasty fever (106), but that’s been down for the past few days thank god. He’s sleeping all day and has no interest in food or water. I’ve tried wet food and he still doesn’t want it. The only thing I’ve gotten him to remotely drink is the Tiki Cat tuna broth and a few treats. He lapped up some of the broth, and left the tuna.

Ive heard the first outbreak is the worst, but he’s only 5 months old so I’m a bit concerned. He looks miserable 24/7. Has anyone had any luck getting fluids/nutrients into their cats when they’ve had bad flare ups? Should I try to get a syringe? I feel like if I put fluids in his mouth, he’d just spit it out lol. Does warm water help? Can I’ll use a sponge or towel somewhere? Any other ideas? I’m desperate since he’s so young and vulneable. All help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!!!

Lydia

UPDATE: I found a way to get food/water in him and wanted to share in case it helps anyone else. I got unflavored pedialyte, a syringe, and I had salmon mousse from the pet store. I mixed them together and heated it for a few seconds, then filled the syringe. I wasn’t trying to shoot it in his throat, I just thought maybe I could drip it slowly inside his lip and he’d swallow it. So I went to try and the syringe had an air bubble and squirted all over his chest, which made him have to lick it off and he realized it tasted pretty good. So I put the syringe in front of his face and he started licking it. I proceeded to spend 30+ min dropping the mixture on his tongue. He wouldn’t take it from the bowl I had it in, only the syringe my weirdo cat must have thought it was fun or something. May have also reminded him of nursing, who knows. I got a full serving of food and water! Hope it helps someone else! And hope it still works tomorrow lol.

 

[white shadow]

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That's a good lesson for anyone else - that it's never a good idea to try to syringe anything directly into the mouth!

Always, always ACROSS the tongue. Period.

Sorry not to be as thrilled, perhaps......but, I know you dodged a bullet.
.

 

[stephanietx]

You might find he will eat the baby food. If that doesn't work, try mixing in some classic pate Fancy Feast or FF kitten food.

 

[RainOnMe]

You might find he will eat the baby food. If that doesn't work, try mixing in some classic pate Fancy Feast or FF kitten food.

Yesss, I heard that! I tried to get some this evening, but they didn’t have any at the drug store and a lot of places had closed since it’s a Sunday evening. I’m gonna grab some tomorrow. Thanks for the tip!

 

[RainOnMe]

.
That's a good lesson for anyone else - that it's never a good idea to try to syringe anything directly into the mouth!

Always, always ACROSS the tongue. Period.

Sorry not to be as thrilled, perhaps......but, I know you dodged a bullet.
.

Yes! Definitely do not attempt to push anything to their throats! They can easily aspirate and then you’re in big trouble. I was able to keep the syringe out of his mouth, he only licked the tip as I slowly let the food drip out, and he fortunately lapped it up. Thanks for reinforcing this!

 

[Rhall]

When my kitten had it I was so worried about him. I bought chicken baby food and warmed it with hot water to thin it. He lapped that up so we did that for a few days til he got his appetite back. I know there are some concerns about giving this food - but I really needed him to eat and get nutrition. We also placed him in his crate and placed a large towel over top to cover a steaming pot of hot water (several feet from the door so he couldn't reach it) and steamed him several times per day. He only gets the conjunctivitis now and we have drops for that and he sneezes a bit more than my other two.

 

[di and bob]

My cats have leukemia and can get sick with long periods of no eating and drinking. The ONLY thing that keeps them alive until they start eating normally again is Hartz Lickable treats in the stew (not the bisque, they won't eat that). It comes in a pouch in the treat section, or online at Walmart or Target. I always keep it on hand now and give their meds in it. I have never had a cat refuse it! It is almost a gel like sauce with bits of chicken/whitefish/shrimp in it depending on the flavor. I get the variety pack.

 

[Rhall]

Are there any vet universities around that your vet could consult with?

Yes! Definitely do not attempt to push anything to their throats! They can easily aspirate and then you’re in big trouble. I was able to keep the syringe out of his mouth, he only licked the tip as I slowly let the food drip out, and he fortunately lapped it up. Thanks for reinforcing this!

We had a cat with renal failure and I would finger feed him - taught to me by the vet to get him to eat. It involved taking small amounts of food on my finger, opening his mouth and placing it in the front of his mouth. He would still tongue some out but I could get him to eat some. The vet said they do this with cats who are refusing to eat to try to stimulate them to eat again.

 

[RainOnMe]

My cats have leukemia and can get sick with long periods of no eating and drinking. The ONLY thing that keeps them alive until they start eating normally again is Hartz Lickable treats in the stew (not the bisque, they won't eat that). It comes in a pouch in the treat section, or online at Walmart or Target. I always keep it on hand now and give their meds in it. I have never had a cat refuse it! It is almost a gel like sauce with bits of chicken/whitefish/shrimp in it depending on the flavor. I get the variety pack.

Ohhh! Thank you so much! I’ll look for that when I got to the store today. I appreciate it!

 

[RainOnMe]

We had a cat with renal failure and I would finger feed him - taught to me by the vet to get him to eat. It involved taking small amounts of food on my finger, opening his mouth and placing it in the front of his mouth. He would still tongue some out but I could get him to eat some. The vet said they do this with cats who are refusing to eat to try to stimulate them to eat again.

So interesting! I think that’s kind of how he reacted more favorably to me dropping little bits on his tongue with the syringe. He wouldn’t take from my fingers or the bowl, but he did from the syringe. They’re all quite peculiar lol. Thanks for sharing your tips!

 

[RainOnMe]

When my kitten had it I was so worried about him. I bought chicken baby food and warmed it with hot water to thin it. He lapped that up so we did that for a few days til he got his appetite back. I know there are some concerns about giving this food - but I really needed him to eat and get nutrition. We also placed him in his crate and placed a large towel over top to cover a steaming pot of hot water (several feet from the door so he couldn't reach it) and steamed him several times per day. He only gets the conjunctivitis now and we have drops for that and he sneezes a bit more than my other two.

Ugh, glad I’m not the only one. Do you remember how long it lasted for your kitten? The first bad flare up? I don’t know how much longer I can take seeing him this sick lol. And I’ve had soooo many people recommend baby food when it comes down to it, I’m going to pick some up at the store. Omg that’s so creative what you did with the steam!!! I haven’t noticed any nose/breathing issues yet thankfully. If I do, I’ll definitely try that. His main problem is lethargy and fever. So glad your guy is doing better now, gives me some hope.

 

[Rhall]

Ugh, glad I’m not the only one. Do you remember how long it lasted for your kitten? The first bad flare up? I don’t know how much longer I can take seeing him this sick lol. And I’ve had soooo many people recommend baby food when it comes down to it, I’m going to pick some up at the store. Omg that’s so creative what you did with the steam!!! I haven’t noticed any nose/breathing issues yet thankfully. If I do, I’ll definitely try that. His main problem is lethargy and fever. So glad your guy is doing better now, gives me some hope.

It lasted 7-10 days but he was the sickest for the first 2-3. I got him from a cat rescue who deals with it all the time. They sent over antibiotics and told me to steam him. It was on a Saturday I got him, so I took him to my vet on the Monday. I had another cat, so I had to keep him separated for about 3 weeks.