Testing For Feline Herpes?

[momof3b1g]

I couldnt sleep and started thinking what a bad cat mom i have been. Why havent i kept up with the vaccinations for my cats. Zane has been on lysine for years and he gets the eye boogers. Assuming its feline herpes. but why the hell didnt I keep the other guys shots up to date. I think Oreo is getting a URI he likes to rough house with her.
Up until now they have always been healthy and its not been a problem.
back in 2013 when we first took him in they tested Feline IV & Feline leuk. Both negative and said there wasnt any thing to test that would be contagious to our other cats.
Ok so its 5 years later. i best get them to the vet for shots? am I over reacting. not sure why i thought they didnt need vaccinations. maybe i was thinking it was spread through bites only. IDK just feeling really stupid right now.
can they test them for herpes or only before they have had shots? cant remember

 

[jen]

How old are they? If they are indoors I wouldn't stress over vaccines honestly. Perhaps it is time for bloodwork though? Every 3 years is starting to be more normal anyway. Every single year is overkill. Does it make sense to vaccinate any living creature including humans for the same thing every single year? Nope.

 

[jen]

Why do you assume feline herpes for some eye boogers? It could be a mild, untreated URI, or allergy or something else.

 

[Noirele]

Take them to the vet and have the shots ! If they completed the cycle when they were kitten, I think a booster dose it's enough.
Anyway you can test cats for herpes with an ocular/throat swab and PCR testing. They did it with Merlin last month. Problem is, it came negative, but he's got chronic eye discharge which I can control only with lysine. So, I am not sure it's an useful test for chronic disease

 

[momof3b1g]

How old are they? If they are indoors I wouldn't stress over vaccines honestly. Perhaps it is time for bloodwork though? Every 3 years is starting to be more normal anyway. Every single year is overkill. Does it make sense to vaccinate any living creature including humans for the same thing every single year? Nope.

Oreo is 8 1/2 yrs, her 5 kittens are 7 1/2yrs, Zane is about 5yrs. Then Levi and Lillian are 1 1/2 yrs. The older guys are over do for shots. I wasnt getting them every year. Because like you said. They are 100% indoors. But if Zane has the herpes virus. They need to be current, no?

 

[momof3b1g]

Why do you assume feline herpes for some eye boogers? It could be a mild, untreated URI, or allergy or something else.

He has had it for years. Not sure what it was but gets lysine twice a day and it seems to work. If he misses a dose. Or stressed. His eyes get gooky. He gets flare ups ever now and again. Though this time it doesn't want to go away. I've added lactoferrin. And using eye ointment he had from before. Is helping. But I ran out. So will have to take him in.

 

[momof3b1g]

Take them to the vet and have the shots ! If they completed the cycle when they were kitten, I think a booster dose it's enough.
Anyway you can test cats for herpes with an ocular/throat swab and PCR testing. They did it with Merlin last month. Problem is, it came negative, but he's got chronic eye discharge which I can control only with lysine. So, I am not sure it's an useful test for chronic disease

Same here. Just tonight after hearing Oreo sounds like she is getting an uri. I got thinking. Wth did I not keep them up to date to keep them from getting sick :/ especially if it's so contagious. It never crossed my mind that sharing dishes etc could be a problem.