Herpes in Cat's Eye Question

wrote:

So far, in this thread, I've read to avoid steroid treatments when
herpes virus is present, and when there is a scratch on the cornea. So,
how does the vet *know* that the herpes virus is present before
prescribing?

AFAIK, the only definitive test is to do PCR (polymerase chain reaction
- a molecular biology technique) with a secretion sample to detect the
DNA.

Is there a reliable test?
What sort of eye infections *do* they prescribe steroids for?

Steriods are to reduce the inflammation. It could be used for any
infection that was severe where you could rule out corneal abrasions
and Herpes (based on clinical symptoms and patient history), but in my
experience most opthalmic preps are antibiotic-only for cats with eye
infections. There may be other criteria I don't know about, too.

-L.

"-L." wrote in message
Steriods are to reduce the inflammation. It could be used for any
infection that was severe where you could rule out corneal abrasions
and Herpes (based on clinical symptoms and patient history), but in my
experience most opthalmic preps are antibiotic-only for cats with eye
infections. There may be other criteria I don't know about, too.


This makes me wonder- I have a 15 week old shelter cat who presented with
typical URI symptoms that included non productive conjunctivitis. He was
scoped for abrasions (none) then prescribed a steroid/antibiotic eye
ointment which helped. Once that tube was nearing empty I picked up another-
which did no good at all and even seemed to make it worse.

For a week I alternated the two tubes to see if I could discover why one
tube worked and the other did not. Only after a week did I get out a
magnifying glass and discover that the second (ineffective) tube was
antibiotic only with no steroids.
I got another tube of the steroid ointment and he cleared up- with the odd
flare up every two weeks or so.

I have had his eyes looked at by two different vets- and no mention was made
of 1) whether the URI was herpes or not- they just assumed it was, and 2)
that steroids were bad for herpes related conjunctivitis.

Has my cat been harmed?
Are these two vets not taking proper care with their shelter contract cats?
They make a mint being the shelter referral docs, as the shelter was billed
for every one of my many visits.

What else could cause conjunctivitis flare ups besides herpes?


--
Toni
http://www.irish-wolfhounds.com

["Followup-To:" header set to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes.] On 2006-02-01,
-L. penned:

wrote:

So far, in this thread, I've read to avoid steroid treatments when
herpes virus is present, and when there is a scratch on the cornea.
So, how does the vet *know* that the herpes virus is present before
prescribing?

AFAIK, the only definitive test is to do PCR (polymerase chain
reaction - a molecular biology technique) with a secretion sample to
detect the DNA.


For humans, there is a blood test to identify whether you have either
herpes type 1 or type 2 in your system, even if there's no outbreak.
They can also culture lesions to test for it (don't know how this is
done; maybe it's the same as the PCR thingie).

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Toni wrote:

This makes me wonder- I have a 15 week old shelter cat who presented with
typical URI symptoms that included non productive conjunctivitis. He was
scoped for abrasions (none) then prescribed a steroid/antibiotic eye
ointment which helped. Once that tube was nearing empty I picked up another-
which did no good at all and even seemed to make it worse.

For a week I alternated the two tubes to see if I could discover why one
tube worked and the other did not. Only after a week did I get out a
magnifying glass and discover that the second (ineffective) tube was
antibiotic only with no steroids.
I got another tube of the steroid ointment and he cleared up- with the odd
flare up every two weeks or so.

I have had his eyes looked at by two different vets- and no mention was made
of 1) whether the URI was herpes or not- they just assumed it was, and 2)
that steroids were bad for herpes related conjunctivitis.

Herpes causes keratitis which is degradation of the cornea. That's why
you want to avoid steriods - they can make the keratitis worse. Are
you sure it wasn't an anti-viral preparation? There may be some
steroids that are ok for use with Herpes - I don't know. Phil P. might
know more about it. I know we did not prescribe steriod preps for
Herpes at the feline pracrtice where I worked. But 99% of the cases we
saw involved severe corneal abrasions.



Has my cat been harmed?

Probably not. How is he doing now?

Are these two vets not taking proper care with their shelter contract cats?
They make a mint being the shelter referral docs, as the shelter was billed
for every one of my many visits.

What else could cause conjunctivitis flare ups besides herpes?

A lot of conditions - rhinoviruses, foreign material. Are you sure
they thought he had Herpes?

-L.

"Toni" wrote in message
.. .

What else could cause conjunctivitis flare ups besides herpes?

.......all I can offer you is this:
http://www.animaleyecare.net/disease...unctivitis.htm
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/in...m/bc/30200.htm

.........And how the heck are you Toni? Long time no see!

buglady
take out the dog before replying

CatNipped wrote:

How contagious is herpes in a cat's eye? What degree of contact would it

Hi, hope someone was able to help with this.

I wanted to comment, did you know that a fever blister on a human lip
is herpes too?

oh yeah

["Followup-To:" header set to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes.] On 2006-02-01,
Mr Tibbs penned:

CatNipped wrote:

How contagious is herpes in a cat's eye? What degree of contact
would it

Hi, hope someone was able to help with this.

I wanted to comment, did you know that a fever blister on a human
lip is herpes too?

oh yeah

Er, can be. Not all are.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

"Howard C. Berkowitz" wrote in message
...
In article . net, josh
wrote:

"Howard C. Berkowitz" wrote in message
...
In article , CatNipped
wrote:


If I'm applying opthalmic drops or ointments, I'm exposed to fluids
potentially containing viruses. The gloves are more to avoid
cross-contamination; the goggles are for splash protection.

Let's put it this way -- I've worked at BSL2 and BSL3 with viruses (as
well as bacteria). Even with the BSL3 glove box, we felt safer being
double-gloved (i.e., one being the neoprene one in the box).

I'm not saying you shouldn't put on a Level 4 suit before treating feline
herpes, I'm just saying it's a waste of time. The feline herpes virus isn't
zoonotic.

"Toni" wrote in message
.. .

flare up every two weeks or so.

I have had his eyes looked at by two different vets- and no mention was
made
of 1) whether the URI was herpes or not- they just assumed it was,

Which is a pretty good guess, as it's the most common cause. The
diagnostics to find out what is growing are generally not cheap, and most
cats, regardless of etiology, do just fine with topical antibiotics and
supportive care.

and 2)
that steroids were bad for herpes related conjunctivitis.

Don't know if everyone feels the same, but I was trained never to give
occular steroids to a cat with URI. Most often, if it's herpes, you're
reducing the inflammation (hence they feel better) at the expense of
allowing the immune system to learn to deal with the problem.


Has my cat been harmed?

Not if he recovered.

What else could cause conjunctivitis flare ups besides herpes?

Calicivirus, mycoplasma, and chlamydia are the usual suspects.


--
Toni
http://www.irish-wolfhounds.com

"buglady" said in alt.med.veterinary:

........And how the heck are you Toni? Long time no see!

Ditto!

Where're you posting from Toni? How are the big guys?

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.