Kitten with watery eyes? How do vets diagnose feline herpes?

Question

How does a vet diagnose herpes in a cat? I rescued a kitten from a shelter a week ago. We woke up and his eyes where super watery , no other symptoms. We took him to the vet, he was in perfect health orher than his goopy eyes. They told me he had herpes. When a vet diagnoses this do they run test or swab the eyes? They perscribed me 3 medications. I just want to make sure it sounds like it was done rite. He had no feaver, lungs sounded fine, reg temp, perfect weight. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | 3.85 lbs

Rebeccah Wood · Accepted Answer

Hello there! Feline herpesvirus (AKA FHV) is very common in cats coming from shelters, and the key clinical sign of the virus is watery, goopy eyes that recur during times of stress or other illness. It lives in the body forever, but goes dormant until something challenges the immune system, and then it rears its ugly head again. While there is a diagnostic test for FHV, it's not commonly performed as the virus is not usually clinically significant (it's not usually a big deal once cats leave kittenhood). Some cats will only have one bout with it, and then you'll never see symptoms again. The treatment that your veterinarian prescribed was likely to prevent or treat any secondary bacterial infections that Oliver may develop/may have developed - viruses have no treatment, but they can make an animal susceptible to bacterial infection, particularly when the eyes are irritated with all the goo they make during a viral break. Conjunctivitis (a bacterial inflammation of the conjunctiva) is a common secondary infection that this virus can cause. If you'd like to confirm that he has FHV, you can definitely request the test for it (this usually involves sending out samples of the eye discharge to the lab), but it will likely be expensive, and the treatment would not likely be different regardless of the test results. I hope this helps, and please feel free to contact me for a consult or post a follow-up question if we can assist further. Best of luck to you and your kitten Oliver!

Kitten with watery eyes? How do vets diagnose feline herpes?

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