Viral infection update rhino? + other
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Viral infection update rhino? + other
| Thu, 12-09-2004 - 9:30am |
Well, (Friday vet trip) Copper has possible rhino viral problems. He was better overnight. Casey (dog)went to the vet Sat., got several shots including an allergy shot. It seems to have stopped her chewing on her feet and her ears seem better. Monday my cat Hunter went to the vet. He is sneezing, coughing, choking. Had a fever and pneumonia. He gets to go back for four days for a shot each day. Now 10 of my other cats have started sneezing and choking. I don't know if its the rhino sickness or what. They are all eating etc. I have started them on the pink antib. med to keep a secondary infection away. Its raining outside and half of them are having a fit wanting outside. This is unreal. I'm worried about Hunter. He won't stay in 24/7. He is in the worst shape. Catwoman, do you know if it sounds like they all have the rhino virus and is it too late to give them a shot or should they get it anyway? My vets have never mentioned anything other than leuk. shot and rabies shot. Donna

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Wow, it seems like you're having a time of it all huh?!
{{{Donna}}} I'm sorry your cats are getting sick.
Oh, my word, Donna -- how horrible. And I've been there myself, so I know what you're going through. If there's nothing but sneezing going on, it's possible it's nothing more serious than pneumonitis, the feline equivalent of the common cold. If the symptoms are more serious, it could very well be rhinotracheitis. It's good you've started them on antibiotics; kicking the secondary bacterial infection and good supportive care is all important. If there's no underlying problem like leukemia they'll probably recover in good form. However, a fair percentage of cats who come down with rhinotracheitis end up having recurrences for the rest of their lives; they're called chronic snufflers, and it's due to the damage caused to the tissues in the nasal passages. Tegan is a chronic snuffler, and Lois was also.
Absolutely the FVRCP shot is the most important for cats in a multi-cat household. (Of course the others are important too, especially since you have so many outdoor cats.) I wish I had known that years ago when I had about 15 cats, none of them vaccinated. Nobody ever vaccinates cats in this area! Aaargh! Some vets absolutely refuse to give vaccinations while there's any infection, since vaccines mount an immune response and there's already plenty to get the immune system stirred up if they're sick. Some give the shot anyway, on the assumption that at it's better to get it now than never. I've wondered if being vaccinated while sick might actually contribute to the chronic snuffling, but I have no real information about it. It could be strictly a coincidence.
Please know you're in my thoughts. I've been there and I know how incredibly stressful it is to care for that many at once.
Best wishes,
Penelope
That poor baby! It's not funny when they can't breathe, it's really not. Have you tried a vaporiser in the room she's in? That can really help to loosen things up and help them breathe, especially if you put in some eucalyptus drops or something. Of course, if the weather's too wet already, it might not do any good, depending on how well-sealed your house is.
I know what you mean about "I can't believe there's a vaccine that could have prevented this!" I never knew there WERE vaccines for cats until just a few years ago. Rabies, that's all I'd ever heard of. And yeah, I DEFINITELY know what you're going through. In probably late 1995 my cats got hit with some sort of incredible eye infection. As far as I can remember I must have had about 12 cats at the time, and AT LEAST seven of them came down with eye problems. Alex and two of her daughters had slight corneal ulcers that healed with only a little terramycin, Beckett and Ambrose had such severe ulcers they both barely escaped having to have one eye each surgically removed, Lois had a growth at the side of her eye for the rest of her life, and her sister Imra ended up totally blind in one eye and retained maybe 50% vision in the other. And all of it would have been preventable if I'd known about the cat vaccines.
Penelope
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