cat flu in kittens

Re: cat flu in kittens

Amanda Nicholls — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:30:34 GMT

[quote user="Kate Richardson"]

99.9% certainty going to be related to Herpes if its ocular and especially if there is corneal involvement. I would definitely avoid steroids, use nsaids if you need some systemic anti-inflammatory. If there is corneal ulceration, then usual antibiotic cover either topically, or if you are concerned about chlamydia, then oral doxycycline IMO is better than topical tetracyclines. If there is corneal involvement and it is no better after a week of this treatment, then I would consider famvir. I can't put my hands on my notes from the ISFM congress which was on feline opthalmology/respiratoty disease a couple of weeks ago, but when I find it, I'll put the current recommended doses on.

[/quote]

That would be useful if you could post it Kate. I have found varying dose recommendations. The opthalmologist (I can't remember who) advised 1/4 tablet for adults and 1/8 SID for kittens (125mg tabets) which sounds a bit vague. I did use it last year for one of the local cat shelters when they had a bad herpes outbreak, difficult to know if it made a difference and it is expensive.

Re: cat flu in kittens

Anthony Todd — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:28:39 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]However DONT use corticosteroids![/quote]

Yeah, that was what I was always taught and thought, but how does it reconcile with the human use of steroids in all sorts of "no-steroid "conditions??

Re: cat flu in kittens

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:12:02 GMT

[quote user="Kate Richardson"]

I would consider famvir. I can't put my hands on my notes from the ISFM congress which was on feline opthalmology/respiratoty disease a couple of weeks ago, but when I find it, I'll put the current recommended doses on.

[/quote]

Recommended doses of famciclovir from notes I have are varied: doses of 6-10mg/kg sid/bid have been reported as working anecdotally but pharmacokinetically its not supposed to work at less than 15mg/kg tid. Doses of up to 25mg/kg tid have been given to good effect. I still think Virbagen Omega by injection is effective and easier to control in smaller doses for tiny kittens.

Re: cat flu in kittens

Kate Richardson — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:52:55 GMT

Re: cat flu in kittens

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 09:57:43 GMT

Can you still get tetracycline ointment Julian? I haven't used it for years because of difficulty sourcing and used Aureomycin but this now seems to have been discontinued. I never found it very effective anyway and doxycycline if given for long enough (4-6 weeks) will cure chlamydophila so long as there isn't perpetual re-infection cycle with other cats.

Re: cat flu in kittens

Julian Earl — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:39:55 GMT

Personally I never ever use steroids in cat flu cases, just on the basis that it is a viral condition. Seems a recipe for disaster.

However, re the chlamydia, and according to CPL/FAB vets, you can use tetracycline ointment for 2 weeks and if they improve but relapse, then that is an indication to switch to systemic oxytet or doxycycline. It does pre-suppose that you are not dealing with a secondary bacterial infection to a viral conjunctivitis but in that case the conjunctivitis will persist but the purulent discharge won't.

Re: cat flu in kittens

Martin Atkinson — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:33:52 GMT

If they are tiny kittens then it might be economical to treat them with interferon Virbagen Omega injections at 2.5 MU/kg daily for 3 days. I have seen dramatic recoveries from acute herpes or calici virus flu on this regime. It sounds expensive but because there is little need for ongoing symptomatic therapy it isn't as bad as it seems and I get the impression that they don't go into carrier status but have too little follow-up to be certain. Doses as low as 1mg/kg can be effective and less costly if they're a bit bigger. If they're more chronic with secondary bacterial conjunctivitis and snotty noses then interferon will not be as successful and some antibiotic, ointment and parentally, is also a good idea but you may not get such a spectacular 'cure'. If it is a unilateral conjunctivitis with little URTI then it may be chlamydia so just Fucithalmic ointment until they are big enough for Ronaxan tablets. But you won't know unles you do viral/chlamydia PCR. If you're sure its a herpes conjunctivitis only then Virbagen Omega made up to 250,000units/ml achieved by diluting 5MU in 20ml saline can be very effective using a couple of drops in each eye 4-5 times daily. However DONT use corticosteroids!

Re: cat flu in kittens

Amanda Nicholls — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:23:24 GMT

I remember from an opthalmology talk a while ago famvir was recommended (but very expensive)

Re: cat flu in kittens

Anthony Todd — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 18:53:48 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Chilton"]Just wanting to know what others think about that.[/quote]

As posted before, after my wife's cataract op the eye was on Maxitrol drops for a month...

And I seem to recall that steroids are used in human corneal ulceration but don't flame me 'cos i may have got it wrong....