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Natures Immuno For Cats

Blend of medicinal mushrooms (turkey tails, cordyceps, reishi, shiitake, agaricus)

USD $59.95
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Feline Calicivirus: Prevention and Support

Vet Talks 4 min read
Sick cat laying on a blue blanket - feline calicivirus

Today we are talking about the most charismatic felines in this world, of course, I am talking about cats. As much as they are independent and appear to be made of iron, kitties can suffer from infectious diseases, especially respiratory ones like Feline Calicivirus.

This disease is highly contagious among cats and can bring a lot of suffering for you and your furry friend. When the necessary care is not taken, it can lead to death.

What Is Feline Calicivirus?

Calicivirus is an infectious disease that directly affects the respiratory system and is one of the most common and serious diseases in cats. This disease is highly contagious among cats and can bring a lot of suffering for you and your furry friend. When the necessary care is not taken, it can lead to death.

How Do Cats Get Feline Calicivirus?

This virus can be very resistant, and many cats get infected with calicivirus when they meet an infected cat. A simple inhalation or contact with saliva is enough for calicivirus to settle in your furry friend’s body. Cats with controlled calicivirus also transmit the disease. Therefore, it is necessary to be incredibly careful! For instance, toys used for kitties that carry the virus can be a way to transmit the disease. Therefore, toys used for infected cats must be discarded or washed, and disinfected with alcohol, to ensure the removal of the Calicivirus.

How To Protect Against Feline Calicivirus?

Although it may seem difficult to protect them against this disease, it is not a catastrophe and I have paw-some news! There is a vaccine that protects kitties against feline calicivirus, and this vaccine is included in most vaccination protocols for kitties. If you are in doubt, you can talk to your veterinarian about this.

feline calicivirus

Sometimes it is not possible to vaccinate our cats when they are a kitten. For example, when I adopted my cats, Coconut Sylvester and Ozzy Melinda, they were more than 1-year-old. So, it was too late to protect them when they were kitties. Unfortunately, they already had Feline Herpesvirus, which is another disease that has similar symptoms to Calicivirus.

What Are The Signs of Feline Calicivirus?

It is tough to tell if a cat has feline calicivirus based on the symptoms as they are similar to many other diseases such as Feline Herpesvirus. It is also important to make it clear that the symptoms appear and worsen according to the evolution of the disease in the feline’s body. Below I have given some examples:

  • Coughing
  • Sneezing
  • Runny nose
  • Fever
  • Diarrhea
  • Depression
  • Gingivitis
  • Lack of appetite and difficulty feeding
  • Mouth and snout injuries
  • Lethargy
feline calicivirus

I know, poor babies having all these symptoms! However, laboratory tests can give us the answer to whether or not our kitty has this disease or not. The best is to talk with your vet about that.

How To Treat Feline Calicivirus

The treatment for caliciviruses is based on drugs prescribed by your vet. Unfortunately, there is no specific remedy against Calicivirus. It means that the treatment is supportive, aiming to end all symptoms and the manifestation of the disease.

In addition to the drugs prescribed by your vet, other actions such as a balanced diet and adding NHV supplements are designed to help promote a healthy immune system in your feline friend and work alongside conventional treatment.

Natural Support For Feline Calicivirus

Natures Immuno: One of my favorite supplements for pets with viruses. This blend of mushrooms is in a clinical trial at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada and so far, the results are amazing. The mushrooms present in Natures Immuno are known for their extensive health benefits, including their extraordinarily strong properties against viruses. It supports the immune system and helps fight against viral infections. It is also useful for cardiovascular, liver, kidney, diabetic, and endocrine health as well as increasing energy and promoting general well-being.

As it affects the respiratory system Resp-Aid along with Natures Immuno and is an amazing option as well. We just finished a clinical trial with Resp-Aid and it has shown to help reduce the inflammation in the lungs and help improve the symptoms related to infections in the respiratory system. The partial results of this study were published in one of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world, The Immunology Journal, and this year the full results of this research will be published. We will have news for you soon!

Another herbal supplement from NHV that is helpful is Felimm. This formula helps to balance the immune system and helps fight secondary infections that can be related to Feline Calicivirus. In addition, it encourages detoxication of the lymphatic system, stimulates the appetite, improves energy levels, and helps combat upper respiratory tract infections.

Calicivirus also can cause gingivitis and diarrhea. In addition to the previous supplements suggested, Mouth Drops and Plantaeris can be helpful. Mouth Drops is like a natural, herbal mouthwash for pets, and Plantaeris is formulated to naturally help relieve diarrhea.

To finish my recommendations, I would not forget Milk Thistle. As your kitty may be receiving many drugs prescribed by your vet, it is important to protect their kidneys and liver. Therefore, Milk Thistle can be immensely helpful.

I hope you enjoyed this article. If you have any questions about the best regimen for your kitty, just reach out in our comments, on our chat, or on any of our social channels.

Dr. Amanda Nascimento DVM, MVSc, PhD

Dr. Amanda Nascimento DVM, MVSc, PhD

Dr. Amanda completed her undergraduate degree in veterinary medicine in 2010 and graduate studies in veterinary pathology (MVSc. 2012 and PhD 2016) at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo. She completed her post-doctoral training at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine – University of Saskatchewan in 2018. Dr. Nascimento will be hosting her own blog series and sharing her knowledge with our extended NHV family.

Published: January 21, 2021

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