CAT DISEASE

Hyper Virulent Calici Virus

Scroll down for clinical signs of VS-FVC
Scroll down for signs to watch for


There IS a vaccine! A very serious and little known cat disease you need to know about!

There is a vaccine for VS-FVC.
The vaccine is called CaliciVax and is a Fort Dodge product.
It is licensed and proven effective against VS-FVC.
It contains a VS-FVC strain and a traditional calicivirus strain.
 
 
"While I do not take in kitties, and my 8 cats are strictly inside, I am the risk factor as this strain can be carried in on your shoes, clothing, etc. It is highly contagious and virulent. I picked up the vaccine for $12 a dose and gave it to my cats myself. I boosted them 3 weeks later. It was much easier than loading up all my cats in carriers and taking them in to the vets office."
 
PLEASE vaccinate your cats for this ASAP!
This can kill a perfectly healthy cat in 24 hours.
This is a nasty virus, it can ulcerate the tongue and internal organs, cause hair and skin loss, and kill in 24 hours time.
It was first identified in CA in 1998.
 
Signs to watch for:
-Runny Nose
-Sneezing
-Conjunctivitis
-Ulcers on the tongue
-Loss of appetite
 
Clinical signs of VS-FVC:
-Any of the above PLUS:
 -High Fever
 -Swelling of the face and/or legs
 -More severe oral and nasal ulcers
 -Loss of organ function
 -Skin lesions and hair loss


Note received from www.miaow.info :

WARNING

On cat diseases - VS-FVC, thought you might like to know our experiences with cats on this. 
In the last two years we have seen this variant more and more. 
However my foster homes and I were fooled by it in itially, as the symptoms were not obvious. 
So, especially with very young kittens 3-12 weeks, look out for sudden lameness, without necessarily other symptoms, especially initially. 
People expect always to see respiratory symptoms but we are finding a total absence in this strain. 
Sometimes they have a very mild version, just lameness and go off their food for a day, and nothing else happens. 
The other extreme is that kittens just collapse, they develop a high temperature and/or dehydrate very quickly - and die if not rehydrated very quickly. 
We often have to rehydrate subcutaneously for a few hours. 
I have had lots of experience with this problem in 08. 
Sometimes they had a series of collapses over a period of 1-2 weeks. 
You think they are recovering and then they go down again. 
Mostly, through the simple means of rehydration and other support, they have recovered. 
Sadly the littlest and weakest sometimes can't find the strength to fight back and their organs fail. 
I shall never get used to coping with this, but it's a fact of life in this 'game'.