Hi all,

we got some swabs done for Benji last week because of his poor sore gums and they came back today positive for calici virus.

The vet is confident that he won't be a carrier for long and the likelihood is that it won't be passed on to other cats considering he will stop shedding after a while. The vet has recommended Interferon treatment for a month which he has seen positive outcomes with before so is keen to use it on him as well. He is a strong healthy boy so the vet advised we could either just treat as we go along for the symptoms or try and properly stop it in its tracks. I'm definitely leaning towards the interferon as I'd rather get his gums in check to then be able to take care of them properly. As it stands we can't put toothpaste on them for him as it would hurt too much from being sore.

Calici virus is hardly a death sentence but luckily he has a mummy that is a worrier and picks up on things quickly which the vet said has helped, preventing anything from becoming too serious. I did ask about having other cats in the house and he said he has seen many a kitty live with carriers and never be infected so I guess I don't have to worry in that sense.

Will keep you all posted on when the treatment starts etc, could be good to document it for others in Benji's situation!

Oh and on a very sad note my vet is returning home seemingly permanently, we will all really miss him as he is fab

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Mummy to;

Sooty 9.6.1996 - 28.04.2011 Rest in peace my love!
Storm (Sueragdandy Phantom) 28.02.2010
Benji (Kassaro Benjamin Franklyn) 08.03.2011

Sorry to hear about the positive virus status but as you mention there are far more serious conditions and it's certainly not a death sentence by any means!

Your vet is perfectly right in that lots of cats who come into contact with carriers ( there are a lot about ) never develop any symptoms whatsoever! Stress can play a role either way. Also think the Interferon is a good idea-nip it in the bud so to speak.

Great to see he's reassured you on new 'admissions' to the household as well.

Good luck! Lots of positive thoughts for Benji and all of you.

Hello I'm sorry to hear about your cat. I'm afraid I don't rate interferon treatment as particularly useful. It was hailed as the great breakthrough in fcv treatment however success rates are only about 20% I believe. The University of Glasgow I think are an authority on this.
Where will the vet be injecting Benji? In the back of the neck is fairly useless and from what I understand it needs to be in the gums. He will need an anaesthetic and his teeth pulled out so the vet can inject right into the gums where the infection is worst. It is also a very expensive treatment with a vial about £100.
So long as your cats are vaccinated and not showing symptoms then I would be inclined to leave it and many cats do spontaneously recover and as has already been said, you would be amazed how many cats are carriers without their owners knowing. I know some vets don't even swab for it anymore it is such a pandemic that most cats show up as having been in contact with the disease at some point. Vaccinations help reduce the symtpoms, but like our flu jab, can't cover every strain of fcv. Maybe treat his gums so he is more comfortable and have any bad teeth pulled out but please try not to worry to much. I will be very interested to hear what happens as this is a subject i am very interested in. Sorry if my post is not what you wanted to hear but it is only my opinion and your vet most probably has a different one xxx

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www.riobellesiamese.co.uk

Oh spots I was so hopeing he would get the all clear. What is it with these MC's at the min xxx

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All my children have paws!

Oh, I am sorry to hear that Benji is worrying his slaves. Hoping for a positive outcome all round. xxx

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Nellie Paddy Mitzy Milo Peggy Murphy

Millie and Monty, the White Devils!

Yeah was happy to hear that it isn't likely to affect other cats. But also it's comforting to know that the likelihood is that he won't be a carrier his whole life! Do you know much about the interferon? He has suggested that there are two ways of doing it, either he comes in every two days for two weeks and gets it injected in to his gum, then every three days for two weeks etc etc until it just tails off completely. Or he could do a mixture that you freeze that I can just give to him like you give Metacam at home, daily for a month. Now I'm more inclined to not put him through the amount of stress of constantly shipping him in and out, and although he deals with his vet trips really well I think there is a limit for all of them!

Thank you He doesn't seem to care, wolfing down his biscuits this morning and then having one of his chewy fish treats

Hiya! Just wondering where you got the statistics from? I haven't been able to find anything on that, but I've read various things where it has been considered successful. Also, I didn't see that they had to have their teeth pulled out to have it injected in their gums, the study I read the kitties still had some of their teeth (the ones that had been pulled were due to the severe lesions rather than to be able to treat). I'm not keen to yank all of his teeth out even if they are only his baby teeth. I don't really want to anything too invasive on him, being only 5 months. He has also used it for treatment on a few other cats/kittens with succesful results, although mainly for clearing up respiratory symptoms. x


Me too But I was prepared for it though considering he has over the months shown various symptoms xxx

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Mummy to;

Sooty 9.6.1996 - 28.04.2011 Rest in peace my love!
Storm (Sueragdandy Phantom) 28.02.2010
Benji (Kassaro Benjamin Franklyn) 08.03.2011

So sorry to read about poor Benji.I dont know very much about Calicivirus so cant really comment at all,I hope that any treatment you try is successful.xx

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Hiya, I think you are right about the interferon clearing up the respiratory symptoms but unfortunately Benji would probably still be a carrier and this could still have an impact on his gum health. There is very little on the internet about fcv as it is still a bit of a taboo subject at times. When I have found information it is usually positive in support of interferon as initially it was having a positive impact on treating fcv. I would ask your vet to speak to the Universtiy of Glasgow for their recommendations.
A few years ago I had a cat with bad gums picked up in a routine health check. The swabs came back positive for fcv and I spent several hundred pounds treating this although the cat was not ill and had no symptoms, she was simply a carrier. The interferon treatment was used but all the swabs kept coming back positive and finally the vet spoke to the University who told her that it was no longer regarded as particularly successful. The only way to use interferon with some success is to extract the teeth and inject into the gums. Until then my vet had been keen to try the interferon treatment and had believed, from her research, that it was successful. It was my vet who gave me that statistic from the University.
I sadly no longer have my cat but these days, having reserached fcv, I think we are on a losing battle. So many cats carry fcv I don't personaly think it is always worth testing for it. The most important thing is how the cat reacts to the virus and unfortunately your cat may have some genetic weakness to the virus that has caused the gingivitis. I'm sorry not to be more postive about it but I would hate for you to waste your money & get your hopes up for nothing. If you have insurance to cover it then maybe give it a go but I would definitely ask your vet to contact University of Glasgow.
Good luck xxx

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www.riobellesiamese.co.uk

I believe my two had the Calici virus and that it caused their ulcerative gingivitis, I get all confused with Calici and flu and stomatitis etc, but my two had nearly half their teeth removed and their gums touch wood seem to be ok.

I found this which is quite interestingand their is the Dr Addie site which scared me witless when I read it but I was in a bit of a tizz with it all, but some of the info seems slightly out dated on there.

I have resigned myself to the fact that I think my two will lose most if not all their teeth at a young age, but if it stops them suffering and being in pain then so be it,

I hope Benji is ok and that you are ok too and don't panic or work yourself up too much as we owners do