cats

side effects of famciclovir for felines and is this okay for my cat?

[nancyjac]

One of my cats is FHV1 positive and presents chronic and recurring symptoms of viral respiratory infection and occular discharge.  FHV1 is not curable.  There have been some limited studies on the efficacy of using famciclovir for cats with FHV1 and results were favorable and the drug was well tolerated but they were short term studies with only a few cats. My focus has been more on bolstering my cat's own immune system with l-lysine and probiotics.  He still gets recurring sniffles and some tearing but it has less severe than before.  It has just become part of his day to day situation and doesn't appear to cause him any discomfort and doesn't affect his appetite or behavior.  IMO, it doesn't hurt to try famciclovir as a short term temporary solution if you are willing to pay the price (it is a pretty expensive drug), but I'm not comfortable with it's use for long term management of symptoms.  It doesn't cure FHV1 so even after short term treatment, symptoms are likely to come back.