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This thread is devoted to suggestions that can help make our kittys more comfortable as they live with FHV. It could have been something you learned from your Vet or an idea you tried and found that it helped.
AGAIN let me stress that this is not a substitute for personal veterinary care or treatment and is intended only as a way to help cats and their caretakers understand their potential health issues with FHV. Always consult your own veterinarian if your cat is having any kind of health problem.
When I am a little congested. Mom has found if she makes herself a hot cup of tea and allows me to sniff it, breathing in some of the steam helps.
You don't want it to be too hot. She puts milk in her tea (she likes to drink it that way), but a little cold water added would cool it down before you let your kitty sniff it.
Along those lines, KC, Scottie mentioned that his mom put him in the bathroom while she showers so that he can breath in the warm moist air. Once the shower is over, she opens the door so that the steam drops lower and benefits Scottie. Good idea!!! Thanks Scottie!
My mom learned all kinds of things when my brofur Elliott was fighting chronic renal failure. Many of these thing also apply to all kitties too!
We use Gerber baby meats for the daily lysine. There's all sorts of flavors—chicken, turkey, veal, lamb, ham and beef. At our grocery store here in San Jose (Lucky's), it's 83 cents a jar, but one jar can "serve" two or three lysine-laced snacks. There's other brands too, but you have to be careful and read the label—do not give kitties onions or garlic. It can cause Heinz bodies, and a resulting anemia, in cats.
Mom just pulls open a 500 mg. capsule, sprinkles it on top of the Gerber, then stirs it up even though it's tasteless.
Your biped can learn more about Heinz bodies here (it also talks about propylene glycol here too!):
http://www.vet.uga.edu/vpp/clerk/Tarigo/index.php
Be careful about the dust and scent of the deodorizer in Kitty Litters. Mom learned the expensive way when it came to finding one I could tolerate. The can contribute to FHV flare ups big time. Just like an allergy in a human.After trial and error Mom has become a steady "Feline Pine" purchaser.
Another tip for my FHV friends. It's super-important to always eat high-quality foods! That means it's best to not eat grocery store or discount brands no matter how nummy they may taste.
Ask your biped parents to please read labels: we kitties are obligate carnivores, and meat should always be the first ingredient in our foods, wet or dry. And it's better food if it's not meat by-products used... meat by-products are beaks, feet, noses, and entrails! Ewwwwwww!
Some vets prefer we FHV kitties eat nothing but canned food, it's easier on our kidneys because sometimes kitties don't drink enough water when they eat dry foods. I don't like canned food though, so mom makes sure I get good food from the pet food boutique store she uses. She's now trying to sell us on Prairie ... but she admits it's because she's got a coupon! MOL
And always, lots of fresh water! Our bowls get changed a couple of times a day.
I want all of my FHV friends to stay away from the v-e-t this winter. Even though my v-e-t is very nice, I just don't like her poking at my eyes and ears!
(Which just reminded mom, time for my anti-yeast ear drops. Ick!)
This is a story about the healing properties of the Maitake mushroom. It's from June of this year but interesting nonetheless.
New Study Shows Anti-Herpes Protein Exists in Maitake Mushroom
June 23, 2007 - Researchers from the Institute of Environment and Health in China showed a special protein extracted from Maitake mushroom has anti-HSV-1 (herpes simplex virus type 1) activity.
They obtained a novel protein through a complicated extraction and purification process from Maitake mushroom. When the protein was added to cultured cells with HSV-1 in vitro, it suppressed replication of HSV-1 significantly.
Also they experimentally infected HSV-1 to the cornea of mice causing ocular disease. They applied the concentrated protein topically on the cornea, and found that the inflammation and viral replication were significantly suppressed, too.
Thus it was demonstrated that Maitake mushroom contains anti-HSV-1 protein in it. Since the study was conducted either in vitro or by topical application, it is not directly relevant to mushrooms or dietary supplements which are ingested orally.
However, it is amazing that the tasty edible Maitake mushroom also contains various components with different medicinal properties, such as immune boosting, blood sugar regulating and anti-viral activities. Further study is warranted.
http://www.maitake.com/whats_new.php?news_id=37&
Now mom wants to figure out how to make me eat them LOL
I just got back from the v-e-t, and she reminded mom it's very important to let us come into the bathroom when our human family is taking steamy showers. In the winter, people use the heater and the air is dry. We need the moisture!
My mom subscribes to many kitty health groups, and she is alarmed at how many kitties have been receiving metacam for various aches and pains.
Metacam is a non-steroidial anti-inflammatory medicine. It is a good medicine in dogs. It is a terrible medicine for cats! Metacam can cause acute renal failure in cats.
Please kitty mommies, tell your vets you do not want to risk your kitty's long-term health by giving metacam. There are plenty of other medications that can be given for pain that have less potential risks than metacam. The problem is vets can't tell you which kitties will have problems with metacam and which ones will be fine. And NEVER ever give more than one dose of metacam—one does is enough to put a cat into renal failure but giving multiple oral doses is tempting fate.
On our charts at our vet's is NO METACAM EVER. I hope your mommies can do the same for you.
Otherwise, how is effuryone? I'm sniffly and sneezy but eating well, and playing with my baby sisfur Cammi. I hope you are all okay too.
What helps me when I have an outbreak is Roferon.
I get it from my vet. It's diluted human interferon and a bottle is cheap and it's colorless and odorless and really doesn't have a taste.
You keep it in the fridge and have about 1/2 cc squirted back towards your tonsils a day.
Roferon has virus suppressing abilities and helps boost the immune system and is also used in treatment of FeLV and FIV and other viral baddies.
It just makes you feel better and eat better too!
It was a wonderdrug for our FIV kitties we've had in the past and helps the FHV and I hear it's also helping humans with multiple sclerosis and cancers (they're not sure exactly how it works but it helps).
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