Content
- Feline herpesvirus type 1
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Does FHV-1 infection last forever?
- Feline Calicivirus
- Treatment
- feline chlamydiosis
- Sticks in flat-faced cats
All cat lovers who can't resist the temptation to try to help those little puppies that keep meowing under a car, have already asked themselves why the kitten has so many bugs or because there is a half closed eye.
Being away from the litter is a stressful factor for the cat, and if he can't see, just imagine his feeling of insecurity. There may be many culprits in answer to the question of why is my cat so cheesy. Therefore, in this PeritoAnimal article, we are going to present the most common ones!
Feline herpesvirus type 1
Feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) is one of those responsible for the so-called "flu" in cats. It has a special tropism for the ocular region and respiratory system, that is, it causes a situation that we can simplify by calling it conjunctivitis and upper respiratory tract problems: sinusitis, sneezing, rhinorrhea (nasal secretion) etc.
Almost none of the kittens in a litter in which the mother is a carrier will be freed from contracting the virus, as the infection is reactivated with the stress of childbirth, although it has remained dormant for quite some time. This virus can affect kittens even when they are still in the mother's womb and, consequently, they are born with an affected eyeball. It usually causes acute infections in kittens under 3 months and moderate or latent in adults who have managed to control the initial infection thanks to a competent immune system.
Symptoms
At the ocular level, it can give rise to different clinical signs that have a common denominator: a lot of bugs appear in the cat, of different viscosity and color. Briefly, what happens in these ocular processes is an insufficient production of tears, thus predominating the mucous and lipid part over the same aqueous portion and, for this reason, the remelas appear. In addition, it has the following clinical signs:
- Blepharitis: Inflammation of the eyelids that can stick together due to eye discharge.
- Uveitis: inflammation of the anterior chamber of the eye
- Keratitis: inflammation of the cornea.
- Corneal ulcer.
- Corneal sequestration: a part of the dead cornea is "kidnapped" in the eye, giving rise to a dark spot.
Treatment
Herpesvirus infection can be a gateway for several bacteria that complicate the picture. Treatment involves the use of locally applied drugs such as antiviral eye drops, such as famciclovir or acyclovir and the control of opportunistic bacteria with antibiotics, lubrication and cleaning of secretions on a regular basis. They are usually long treatments and require a lot of dedication on the part of the tutor.
Faced with the presence of bugs in the cat, veterinarians usually perform the so-called Schirmer Test, which measures tear production and start the treatment with eye drops.
Does FHV-1 infection last forever?
If a cat gets through the acute infection without collateral damage, although it can always have a sequel to the cornea, it will become a chronic carrier. The infection will be reactivated from time to time, with lighter conditions that may even go unnoticed. Sometimes we notice that our cat slightly closes one eye or that the cat's eye is tearing up a lot.
Feline Calicivirus
Calicivirus is another responsible for the "flu" in cats. It can exclusively affect the eyes or cause a respiratory condition and eye discharge. It can also cause ulcers in the oral mucosa without other associated clinical signs.
Although the trivalent vaccine in cats, which includes FHV-1, calicivirus and panleukopenia, protects them from infection, there are two problems:
- There are many different strains of calicivirus that it is impossible to include all in the same vaccine. Furthermore, these strains are constantly changing, whereas FHV-1 is fortunately only one.
- Vaccines are usually given at 2 months of age, by which time the kitten may have already been infected.
After infection, the virus is constantly excreted and therefore there are frequent relapses, whether isolated from conjunctivitis or with associated respiratory signs such as coughing, sinusitis, sneezing...
Treatment
As respiratory signs are the most frequent, it is more likely that a oral antibiotic which is also excreted by tears, which allows control of secondary infection by opportunistic bacteria. If your veterinarian deems it appropriate, he can recommend antibiotic and/or anti-inflammatory eye drops (if the conjunctiva is very affected). The fact that there is a decrease in tear production makes this option widely used. Antivirals are not as effective as FHV-1.
To arrive at a diagnosis are carried out serological tests, as in the case of herpesvirus, although clinical suspicion and response to treatment may be sufficient.
feline chlamydiosis
the bacteria Chlamydophila felis does not participate in feline flu, but can appear in the eye as a result of a viral infection, taking advantage of low defenses.
It usually provokes a acute infection, with intense eye discharge, mucopurulent and a major inflammation of the conjunctiva.
The treatment for feline chlamydiosis, once identified by labor tests (a sample of the conjunctiva is taken with a swab and sent for laboratory cultivation) is based on ointments or eye drops from a concrete group of antibiotics (tetracyclines) for several weeks.
If the infection and the production of redness in our cat's eyes do not improve with the usual drops, our veterinarian will suspect this bacteria in the review appointments and will surely ask for specific tests to detect it and proceed with the appropriate treatment.
Sticks in flat-faced cats
In brachycephalic breeds (such as the Persian cat) it is very common that secretions appear in the tear fluid constantly and, for this reason, this type of cat have a tendency to live constantly with bugs.
Due to the physiognomy of the head of these breeds, their nasolacrimal ducts can become obstructed, with tears spilling outwards and the medial area of the eye becomes dry and glued. The final appearance is like a sort of brownish crust or slimy redness and a dirty appearance in that area, and there may be redness in the conjunctival area. In addition, protruding eyes (bulging eyes) may become dry.
THE daily cleaning of secretions to prevent them from drying out and forming wounds, either with saline solution or with specific products, it is essential in these cats. If our veterinarian deems it appropriate, he can recommend the application of an artificial tear to prevent corneal problems. Don't miss our article to learn how to clean your cat's eyes step by step.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.