Feline snuffles - anything new?

Re: Feline snuffles - anything new?

Hannah Wynne Richards — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 11:02:58 GMT

Fair enough. You've seen the cats, I haven't.

Wynne

Re: Feline snuffles - anything new?

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 11:00:56 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"] Pasteurella? Martin I've given you 5 gold stars. I can't imagine why anyone would have criticised your post [/quote]You clearly got your stars in before I spotted red star man had been in action.

Given the symptoms have been pyrexia and malaise for a couple of days then ulceration of the tongue, lips and in the case of one of my older cats his nose, followed by resolution another 3-4 days, with virtually no other symptoms of URTI, I really cannot see how if could be anything other than FCV.

Re: Feline snuffles - anything new?

Hannah Wynne Richards — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 09:34:01 GMT

Pasteurella? Martin I've given you 5 gold stars. I can't imagine why anyone would have criticised your post - unless they had psychiatric issues with advising expensive treatment - and the level of cost which is acceptable is purely an owners decision, and has zero to do with the veterinary surgeon.

Wynne

Re: Feline snuffles - anything new?

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 09:19:50 GMT

Update on my cats' apparent little epidemic of FCV. All three now recovered although the two oldies had to be syringe fed for a couple of days. A client has all 3 of his (vaccinated like mine with Fevaxyn Pentofel) cats go down with it and there is an epidemiological link. One of my cats was in for blood tests the same day as their cat, the first to show symptoms, came in to be spayed.

This may if anything demonstrate that there was a breakdown in hygiene but as in practical terms it is impossible to guarantee no virus spread in the day to day running of a practice, this is what vaccines are for surely? So I will be be reporting it as a supected adverse reaction.

Re: Feline snuffles - anything new?

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 08:43:20 GMT

[quote user="villagevet"]Have you reported to vaccine company? They are normally quite anxious to support investigating vaccine breakthrough vs novel infection?

[/quote]Well for a start no swabs have been taken so I can't prove it is FCV although 4 cats in the same household going down in sequence with mild respiratory symptoms and ulceration of the mouth is pretty conclusive.

Far from being willing to support investigation my experience with vaccine companies is they give lip service to this but are already aware that the vaccines are inadequate so little is going to be gained.

Re: Feline snuffles - anything new?

Lindsey Edwards — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 23:07:07 GMT

Have you reported to vaccine company? They are normally quite anxious to support investigating vaccine breakthrough vs novel infection?

Re: Feline snuffles - anything new?

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 16:52:02 GMT

[quote user="Matt Hilary"]Not sure if there's any recent info to support antiviral treatment in cats (acyclovir, interferon gamma, L-lysine?).[/quote]I've had good (if expensive) results with treating feline viruses with Virbagen Omega (which is of course recombinant omega interferon of feline origin) especially in tiny kittens - it can 'cure' them in 3 days with no need for antibiotics. L-lysine is not effective for FCV as it is an RNA virus.

As for the issue posed by the OP which I neglected to answer in my previous post I would say that there are many variable in efficacy of vaccine, exposure etc but IMO, by far and away the most likely scenario is that, this cat was infected as a kitten and has been a symptomless carrier ever since until something has popped it's immune system - stress or concurrent illness?

PS just seen another vaccinated cat with symptoms of FCV 3 days lost neutering, 6 months, old vaccinated at 8 & 6 seeks with Fevaxyn Pentofel. What's going on

Re: Feline snuffles - anything new?

Matt Hilary — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 12:29:33 GMT

A good review on chronic feline nasal disease here:

Sturgess, K. (2013). 'Chronic nasal discharge discharge and sneezing in cats'. In Practice 2013 35: pp 67-76

Re: Feline snuffles - anything new?

Matt Hilary — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 12:23:48 GMT

There's a fairly extensive review of Feline Upper Respiratory Disease here though only from 2011:

Cohn, L. A. (2011). 'Feline Respiratory Disease Complex'. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice Vol. 41, Issue 6, November 2011, Pages 1273–1289.

Generally speaking FHV is implicated as the cause of chronic URD though other organisms are frequently involved.

As regards vaccination:

[quote]Most FRDC vaccines do not provide sterilizing immunity. That is, vaccination can reduce disease severity and perhaps the risk of transmission but will not prevent infection altogether. Severe infection sometimes occurs despite vaccination, and adverse reactions to vaccination occur (albeit rarely)... vaccination of cats for FCV and FHV-1 is recommended unless there is a compelling reason not to vaccinate, but neither vaccine provides sterilizing immunity.[/quote]

Vaccination for FCV can be particularly difficult as there is widespread variability in strains.

Treatment: supportive in acute cases.Concurrent antibiotics (doxycycline for mycoplasma/chlamydophila, [e.g.] amox/clav for 'normal' secondary infection) where bacterial infection diagnosed/suspected. Nebulisation/steam therapy.

Not sure if there's any recent info to support antiviral treatment in cats (acyclovir, interferon gamma, L-lysine?).

Re: Feline snuffles - anything new?

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 10:54:20 GMT

Well all my cats went down with symptoms of calicivirus one after the other over Christmas. Two are 15 years old vaccinated 2 years ago, one is just over 1 yr and due its first annual booster the fourth a 5 month old kitten vaccinated at 8 and 12 weeks. All are strays/re-homes so they could be carriers but it is odd they all went down together and none, even the oldies, have suffered symptoms to my memory before.One of the oldies is a FHV carrier this was definitely FCV symptoms.

I am aware from my own research and writing that the FCV vaccine is somewhat unreliable, the existence of vaccine resilient per-acute syndrome and FCV is an RNA virus capable of mutation but it all seemed a bit odd.

Re: Feline snuffles - anything new?

Michael Woodhouse — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 10:33:20 GMT

I thought rabbits got snuffles and cats got cat flu?