May 31st 2008 04:05 pm
Feline viral rhinotracheitis
A week after we gave the cats their “yearly bath” they began to get sick, one by one. Until we realized that we have a virus in the shelter and it is taking 90% (around 60 cats) of our cats down! We can no longer identify who’s the virus carrier since most of the cats in the shelter were sickly when they were rescued.
Feline viral rhinotracheitis (FVR), are responsible for upper respiratory infections known collectively as upper respiratory disease complex or “cat flu.” FVR and FCV cause 80-90% of cat flu cases and are spread from cat to cat by contaminated litter boxes and water bowls or contact with infected fluids such as saliva, nasal secretions, and eye discharge.
What Are the Signs? FVR is characterized by inflammation of the cat’s eyes, nose, or windpipe; discharge from the eyes or nose; lethargy; fever; loss of appetite; and constant sneezing. The symptoms of FCV include runny nose; more serious symptoms are tongue ulcers, excess salivation, weight loss, poor physical appearance, and a refusal to eat.
It was really a difficult week for us. I was already panicking. Some of the cats couldn’t breathe and were in serious condition. We had to nebulize them for decongestion. We also gave them antibiotics to prevent further infection. We had to force-feed some of the cats using a syringe since they have lost their appetites. We also gave them hydrite to keep them from dehydrating.
Thank God all the cats got well.
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9 Comments »
Jane on 31 May 2008 at 4:54 pm #
Hi Cons, you really are going through it! Cat Flu is one of the hardest to nurse, very intensive, you must all be exhausted. One of my cats has FCV and although he was very sick when he was rescued (seriously ill, the vets weren’t sure if he would make it), he bounced back and is now thriving with the aid of daily Interferon (Brand name: Virbagen Omega) which stops any outbreaks of the virus in him – I’m so glad the cats at your sanctuary pulled through, well done to you and your staff fro such a lot of compassionate hard core nursing!
PS: I look forward to seeing fat young Sola, when you have time to get some pictures up. I’d take it easy whilst you can, put your feet up!
not the mama on 01 Jun 2008 at 1:29 am #
Do you add Lysine to as a supplement to their diet? When my Chloe got sick during the holidays, the vet recommended it – of course, the vet’s Lysine was $25 a bottle for powder to sprinkle on the food.
I went to Rite Aid and got organic Lysine tabs, powdered them in the mortar and pestle and sprinkled a bit each day over the food. My girls, who usually shy away from anything medicated, ate the doctored food without anyone turning up a nose.
And no one else got sick all winter.
Oh – and the bottle of Lysine was like 50 pills, and I only used a handful on the cats. I took the remainder myself, and only got sick AFTER the bottle of Lysine ran out! Hmmmmmm….
Cons on 01 Jun 2008 at 4:10 am #
Yeah, we did give them lysine and vitamin C. We almost emptied around 20 bottles of antibiotics, 10 bottles of lysine and Vitamin C during that period. The sick cats stayed inside the shelter office the entire time and I bought a steamer aside from the nebulizer which I turned on 3 times a day to help them decongest.
I took a leave from work for a week (since I couldn’t concentrate anyway). The two vets that I consulted told me to brace myself for possible fatalities but I just couldn’t accept it so I told the caretakers that we will fight the virus. I gave them a little bonus afterwards for all their hard work.
Jan's Funny Farm on 13 Jun 2008 at 7:08 pm #
We’re so glad you took care of the kitties and they got well. For a moment, we were afraid you were going to say you euthanized them all.
Cons on 14 Jun 2008 at 11:24 am #
It was indeed a very stressful time. We couldn’t bear even the thought of losing any of the cats in the shelter thats why we gave them the best care.
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