Webinar calici virus

If my kitten gets feline calicivirus will it ever recover? Feline calicivirus exists as a wide variety of strains, meaning a cat can get infected many times throughout its life, in a similar way to humans picking up a common cold time and again. It's a common misconception that cats will never rid themselves of FCV once first infected.

In fact, in the case of a first infection in a sensitive animal, the cat may or may not develop symptoms. After this phase, it continues to shed the virus for a few weeks to several months, but in most cases ultimately recovers. This is particularly true if the animal lives alone and is not recontaminated. For cats living together, the problem is that the virus circulates, and cats are recontaminated constantly either via contact with other cats or via the contaminated environment, since the virus is resistant in the external environment.

Always remember : A cat that lives alone and is infected with calicivirus should eliminate the virus totally after a period of a few weeks to a few months. How can I prevent my kitten picking up feline calicivirus? Ensuring your kitten is vaccinated helps prevent contagious diseases, including FCV.

Most cats develop an upper respiratory tract infection and in more severe cases, the virus travels into the lungs where it causes pneumonia. At first the cat will have symptoms that look like a cold, with sneezing, nasal congestion, fever and sometimes drooling.

Large amounts of discharge can come from the eyes and nose. In more severe cases, cats can also develop inflammation and ulcers on the tongue, and the lining of the mouth. Lethargy, mild lameness and lack of appetite may also occur. These symptoms can persist from five to 10 days in mild cases and up to six weeks in more severe ones. During the course of the illness, opportunistic bacterial infections can also occur. Cats may lose weight, and the infection can also cause abortions in pregnant cats.

Most cats recover completely, but some will go on to develop a chronic form of gingivitis that causes thick and inflamed gums, which makes eating painful. Elderly cats and young kittens are more likely to suffer more severe symptoms. Fortunately, it is quite rare for cats to succumb to FCV infection. Cats that develop FCV-VSD will have much more severe symptoms, including a high fever, swelling of the head and legs, as well as crusting sores and hair loss on the nose, eyes, ears and footpads.

The mouth and ears may turn yellowish from liver damage, and there may be bleeding under the skin and in the gastrointestinal tract. Pet owners should always bring their cat to see the veterinarian if it shows signs of respiratory disease.

FCV causes about half of the respiratory infections that occur in cats, but feline alphaherpesvirus1 sometimes called feline rhinotracheitis virus is another common cause and sometimes dual infections occur. The bacterial species Chlamydia felis and Mycoplasma felis also cause respiratory disease, and may complicate FCV infections.

A veterinarian will examine the cat for symptoms. In most cases, there is no need to make a definite diagnosis, as these infections are common and will resolve with supportive treatment. However, if multiple cats are infected or the cats are housed with others, the veterinarian may take swabs from the eyes, nose or mouth. These swabs will be sent to the lab to test for the presence of the virus. Labs can also test tissue or serum samples.

Commercial labs detect the presence of FCV in two ways: by growing the virus in cells in a petri dish, or through reverse transcriptase PCR RT-PCR , a procedure that detects a segment of genetic material that is specific to calicivirus. This infection can occur in cats of any age, but young kittens older than six weeks have been found to be most susceptible. Cats typically acquire feline calicivirus FCV after coming into contact with other infected cats, such as in a cattery, boarding facility or shelter.

But because FCV disinfectants are not very effective against FCV, the virus may persist in the environment, which means that cats may come into contact with it without known exposure to other cats. Lack of vaccination or improper vaccination is thought to be an important risk factor, as well as lowered immune response due to pre-existing infections or diseases.

You will need to give your veterinarian a thorough history of your cat's health, onset of symptoms, and possible incidents or conditions that might have led to their current illness. Your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical exam to evaluate all body systems along with the overall health of your cat.

Depending on the conclusions of the physical exam, your veterinarian may recommend further diagnostic tests. A complete blood profile will also be conducted, including a chemical blood profile, a complete blood count and a urinalysis. The results of these tests, however, are often non-specific and do not provide consistent findings for an initial diagnosis.

To obtain a specific diagnosis, a test involving identification of FCV antibodies is conducted. A more advanced test that may be used involves growing the isolated viruses under controlled conditions using a technique called cell culture. Diagnostic imaging can be used to determine any damage to the lungs; chest X-rays may show changes in the lung tissue, including consolidation of lung tissue in cats with pneumonia.

Your cat will need to be hospitalized for intensive care and treatment if it has developed pneumonia, is experiencing severe life-threatening hemorrhages, or is not eating and drinking. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. Click Yes to help us continue to make these improvements.

Our Other Sites Close. Our Other Sites. What is FCV and how is it spread? The virus is readily transmitted between cats through: Direct contact — through contact with saliva, ocular or nasal secretions Inhalation of sneeze droplets Sharing or food bowls and litter trays A contaminated environment including bedding and grooming aids — FCV can potentially survive up to a month in the environment, although probably often does not survive more than days.

Typical signs include sneezing, nasal discharge, ocular discharge, conjunctivitis, ulceration of the tongue, lethargy, inappetence and fever. Signs may last from a few days to a few weeks and vary in severity. In young kittens the virus may also cause pneumonia. Gingivitis and stomatitis — chronic gingivitis is a common disease in cats, although the underlying cause s are not fully understood.

However, FCV can be isolated from virtually all cats with this condition, and it is thought that persistence of FCV infection in these cats is part of the cause of the gingivitis. This is not a simple disease though, as other cats exposed to the virus from a cat with chronic gingivitis will usually only develop upper respiratory signs. Other factors therefore seem to predispose individual cats to developing gingivitis in response to persistent FCV infection. Limping syndrome — occasionally, in young cats in particular, infection with FCV may also cause joint inflammation arthritis.

This is a transient problem, usually only lasting a few days, but the kitten or cat may be extremely uncomfortable with painful joints during this time. Often, but not always, there will be signs of URI at the same time. These are associated with mutations of the virus that allow infection to be established within different organs and in the cells that line blood vessels. This can result in severe disease including pneumonia, hepatitis liver inflammation , pancreatitis, skin swelling and ulceration, and bleeding from the nose and intestine.