Herpes cat

[betsycam]

Hi Lena or anyone, here’s another one for you!

I was doing trap/alter/release at a feral cat colony and trapped some kittens that were all sickly with herpes – eyes tearing, sneezing. Since they gentled pretty easily, I kept two of them. They are now about 5 years old.

They both eat a raw diet and are incredibly healthy skin/coat-wise. Poor Goatie, though, has the herpes flair up in her left – eye, with the swollen conjunctiva and tearing. If Ziggy has any after effect, it is probably in his ear because when I rub one side of his head he clenches his ear down and ducks away.

Since these are rescue cats and I’m already financially strapped taking two dogs to holistic vets for acupuncture/chiro etc, these guys are getting home treatment for anything but extreme emergencies. They are not getting any more vaccines. I did take Goatie to a western vet for the eye and she concluded it was the herpes and recommended lysine in their food. From what I’ve read, antiviral eye drops are expensive and aren’t of course curative, so I’m looking for any other natural remedies that might help. I know they can’t be cured, but is there anything else that might help when there are flare-ups? The lysine isn’t really doing it.

Thank you!

[Lena]

I’m also not a fan of the anti-viral eye drops. Sometimes eyebright can help these guys. Animal Apawthecary sells an eye and nose drop that contains it. It can be used as a tincture given orally or the homeopathic form can be used as well. Lysine is very hit or miss – I’ve seen it help some. Lowering stress can also help so if a little rescue remedy in the water can go a long way with these guys.

Sometimes it just takes time for the eyes to clear also. One of my cats is chronic herpes and I don’t usually give her anything unless she is really bad which is not very often luckily. Most of the time her eyes clear on their own.

This is other of those quite hard to treat diseases.

[Lena]

Euphrasia is the proper name for eyebright.

[Lena]

Some vets are also having success with high dosages of vit A/D. However the dosages used are high enough that they need to be given under the supervision of a veterinarian because of the risk of toxicity. However can be a fairly inexpensive treatment since the cost of vit A is low.

[betsycam]

Thanks so much, Lena! I will try the eyebright. How often does that need to be given to be helpful?

[lena]

I usually use it twice a day.

[abatova]

Hello Betsycam;

I have treated my Persian cat with “Clear Vision”, a traditional Chinese remedy, by Nature’s herbs for pets and have cleared up eye issues due to Herpes. Interestingly, it appears to be permanent as she is no longer having problems and is not receiving the remedy any longer. I would say it is definitely worth a try as my holistic vet also approves of it. You can purchase Clear Vision from Only Natural Pet (online).

Hope this helps.

Ayse

[betsycam]

Ayse, how long did treating with Clear Vision take before symptoms disappeared?

Betsy

[abatova]

If I remember correctly, it took about a 6-8 weeks. Herbs generally take several weeks to months to show efficacy and this will depend on the animal and condition. So, unfortuantely, the effects are not seen quickly as conventional drugs, but these herbs can resolve issues permanently. Please see the instructions on the packet of Clear Vision on how long to treat. This should be a good guide.

Hope this helps and your kitty’s eyes clear up.

Ayse

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