Malaysia Veterinary Forum (Archive)

Mutt · Joined: 02 Oct 2007 Posts: 15 Location: Kuala Lumpur

Hello there,
Was wondering if the doctors might share information on the following:
Do you see many cases of FeLV, FIP, or FIV in your practice?
If you do see cases ----do you find that they show up more so in certain breeds of cat?
Do most of your clients choose to give their cats vaccinations for the diseases menioned above? * Minus FIP as I don't think there is a vax for it as of yet?*
How about heartworm? Is this an issue for felines, especially if they live outside in Malaysia?
Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences,
Mutt

ashleywong · Joined: 25 Sep 2007 Posts: 80 Location: Tmn Desa, KL

Dear Mutt

I'm not a vet so i'm not replying from a vet's or medical perspective.

I'm a proud owner of 4 domestic short-haired cats who i adopted off the streets and yes, I took them to the vet, went through the whole blood tests to ensure they tested negative and provide them with vaccinations against feline leukemia and feline hiv in addition to the general vaccinations. i wanted to provide them with vaccination against rabies but i was told that it is not a requirement in malaysia.

i hope to share this with the public so there's more awareness among the human population that the cats and dogs and all pets you owned have a right and is entitled to a good quality of life and good medical care (as within the person's mean) that will help to improve their health and prevent onset of sickness/illness down the road, irrespective whether the said pet is an expensive pedigree pet which you bought with you whole life savings or a just an animal which you adopted of the street or have it foisted on you as a gift or you bought it on a whim and fancy.

the bottomline is when a person bring the animal home, whether its a "purchase" or a "gift" or "adoption", the said person is actually making an irrevocable promise and commitment to the said animal that it'll be provided with unconditional love and care and shelter and food and good medical care as required without undue care or duress.

this is the message which i hope that as the malaysian public becomes more "educated" and more "awareness" they will realise this and intergrate this into their beliefs and principles and teach it to the next generation..

maybe i'm an idealist but anything is possible. the journey starts with a single small step. hopefully one day we will see the dawn of a more compassion-awakened malaysia - hopefully in our lifetime.

ashleywong · Joined: 25 Sep 2007 Posts: 80 Location: Tmn Desa, KL

oh yes, i wanted to add, in hindsight it was a good decision for the cat's sake.

because one of my cat ginger walked out one day and never returned home. he went missing for 5 whole months and he was about 8 months old at that time.

when he returned to us just recently, the vet gave him a clean bill of health - good skin and fur, good dental condition, no fleas/no ticks/no mites/ no bites/no wounds, no old wounds, etc. the vet was suprised considering he was forced to fend for himself outdoor for so long (5 months is a long time to be away from home for a house cat). the vet attributed this to the vaccinations and good care we provide to ginger.

he's well now, start to put on weight and muscle bulk on good food.

this is what we told ourselves - whether ginger was catnapped or lost or wandered off, at least with his vaccinations completed, we could be assured he is in good health (if the new owner didn't bother to vaccinate him).

possibility that he was kept by a new owner is low because he was so afraid of us human when he came back to our house, the fear of us was so real you could almost reach out and touch it, yet he remembered us and found his way home. we suspected he must have been beaten or frightened when he was missing and this ruled out a loving second owner who took care of him. he was truly out on his own and he was able to survive and withstand it with good health because of the initial good start we provided him - good medical care and vaccinations as required.

so if one really care for the pet, do it for the sake of the pet, not for the sake of your pocket-book, although one can justify the initial expense as investment now that will reduce future medical bills (which is true as time goes by)..

depends on how you see it.

would love to hear other view points on this too.

Dr HanMRCVS · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 560 Location: Johor Bahru

i think you've just hit the jackpot on that ashley! with simple and basic care like vaccination, deworming, external parasite control and nutrition one can easily ensure the well being of the cat!

it may sound expensive in the beginning, but you will definately save heaps in future medical bills!

linziana · Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 5

hi i got a kitten 7 months old,he is male and recently got fever and flu.the problems is he got flu for the past 3 months and already been given antibiotics..he didnt sneez just the nose always wet.

yesterday he got fever and the temperature already decreased after i send him to vet.it seems that the dr said that his eyes got infection too.so got medication for the eyes.

he already tested for felv and fiv..negatives./..

is there any thing i can do to stop the flu symptoms ...?

Dr HanMRCVS · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 560 Location: Johor Bahru

is he vaccinated lin? sometimes herpes virus (part of the cat flu complex) can be latent in the cat. vaccination can provide high levels of circulating antibodies thus reducing the frequency and the severity of the symptoms.

Dr Dunker · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 464 Location: Puchong,Selangor

Mutt wrote: Hello there,
Was wondering if the doctors might share information on the following:
Do you see many cases of FeLV, FIP, or FIV in your practice?
If you do see cases ----do you find that they show up more so in certain breeds of cat?
Do most of your clients choose to give their cats vaccinations for the diseases menioned above? * Minus FIP as I don't think there is a vax for it as of yet?*
How about heartworm? Is this an issue for felines, especially if they live outside in Malaysia?
Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences,
Mutt

1. TO answer your first question. Yes I have seen these problems in cats in the practice I worked in, but not many. Confirmed cases are rare since testing is not done frequently due to cost issues. I can not say however that it shows up in any given breed of cat since more then 90 % of cats I see are DSH.

2a. IN my practice I have a hard enough time recommending core vaccine what more non-core vaccines that you have mentioned. Also as mentioned that testing is rather costly, most people rather not have it done. And if I can't test I would not vaccinate.

2b. If i am not mistaken there is such a vaccine for FIP, one just wonder what is the efficacy of the said vaccine. Corona virus as we know it have a nasty habit of mutating thus making vaccines "outdated" faster then most PC antivirus today. The last time and only time I have seen such a vaccine was when I was a student and route of inoculation is via the nasal passages. I could be mistaken though. I will get back to you on this.

3. I have never seen heartworms in cats in my rather short time in practice. But the fact that I do not actively look for heartworms in cats may be the real reason. It have been reported that cats do get heartworms but I would wager that it is rare even in our tropical climate.

HOpe this helps.

linziana · Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 5

hi dr ,he is not vaccinated yet due to the flu that continuously happened before and after i adopt him.the dr hold first the vaccin to treat the flu.this saturday i will bring him again to vet for helath review and if his condition ok then of course he will vaccinate.i also notice he is starting to limp.is it because the fever that he got..before this bout for months ago he had an accident and broke his two back leg.but after that recover and he walk as per normal.but today i noticed he started to limp....gotd i am worried bout him..

linziana · Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 5

hi dr ,he is not vaccinated yet due to the flu that continuously happened before and after i adopt him.the dr hold first the vaccin to treat the flu.this saturday i will bring him again to vet for health review and if his condition ok then of course he will vaccinate.i also notice he is starting to limp.is it because the fever that he got..before this bout for months ago he had an accident and broke his two back leg.but after that recover and he walk as per normal.but today i noticed he started to limp....gotd i am worried bout him..

HappyKatLover · Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 11:36 am Post subject:

Hi everyone.

Am a newbie here and just adopted a kitten from a stray mommy cat
of a neighbourhood fren. He is now 4 mths old.

I have not vaccinated him yet and doubt the previous owner had as I took him in when he was 6 wks old.

What sort of vaccination should I start with and if anyone would be able to recommend me a cat friendly vet clinic that I can go to in the Bangsar / Damansara Heights area?

Thanks

Dr Dunker · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 464 Location: Puchong,Selangor

The norm in this country is to vaccinate with your standard 4 in one vacc. You normally cover for the 3 organisms which causes some degree of flu (chlamydia, feline rhinotrachetis and calici) and feline parvo( aka felinie enteraitis or feline panleucopenia or FPL all mean the same thing). This would be your basic vaccine.

TO add on these some people add rabies which is not normaly needed in the selangor area unless you want to bring your cat overseas.

The rest would be FeLV and FIV (AIDS in cats). These two vaccination require that your cat be tested first before any injections of this type are given. Lastly another common vaccine would be the FIP vaccine (feline Infectious Peritonitis) which are administered as drops in the nose. Also there is some debate (infact a lot of debate) on how effective the FIV, FIP and FeLV vaccines are.

I dont know my way around bangsar area too well, but there is a practice in damansara hights, aptly known as damansara hights vet clinic, 03-20956877. Three vets there, dr khoo, dr ng and dr kee.

HappyKatLover · Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 3:04 pm Post subject:

Tks doc for info.

I plan to board my cat with a vet clinic for a couple of days when I will
be out of town. Obviously, no vet will take my cat until he is vaccinated.

Could you tell me if I vaccinate for the 4 in 1 flu vaccine say this weekend,
how soon after should I give my cat his booster shot? THe vet told me to
do it 3 wks after the 1st initial shot.

As I would be away during the time he is supposedly taken his booster shot, I am pretty worried about my cat.

So let's say I give his first 4 in 1 on 6 Sept and assuming his booster shot
is on 27 Sept, I am afraid I am not able to monitor his well being after his booster shot. He will be at the vet in a cage and feeling not himself and may not eat like his normal self.

Doc, do you think its not too late to give him his booster shot after
I return from trip on the 1 Oct? Er...its only a matter of 4 days?

Or any chance I can do booster 2 weeks after the 1st shot? that would
be most ideal

Happy is only 4 mths old and never been away from home so if I can, I rather not have him shot and be left in the care of others.

Sorry, I may sound too protective of my feline, but he's like a baby to
me, after all he's only 4 mths of age and had never leave outside the
comfort of home thus far :(

Many thanks doc :)

Dr Dunker · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 464 Location: Puchong,Selangor

Ok if thats the case, just do the vaccination 4 weeks later. remember that the vacciantions can be done 3 to 4 weeks apart and being late a few days is no biggie. but to vaccinate too close to one another is not a good idea at all. call your vet and reset an appointment. While i have vaccinated animals that were boarded in my practice, i do agree with you that it is best your pet goes home after the vaccination which is less stressful then being in a strange location.

Your cat would not be fully vaccinated when he bords in the clinic (by which time he would only have the first of 3 shots done). the reson vets dont bord animals that are not vaccinated is that being a clinic, sick animals are always present (thats what clinics are for afterall). granted vaccination is not going to insure your pet dont get sick but its a lot better then no vaccination at all. so i guess it is up to you and your vet.

HappyKatLover · Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:32 pm Post subject:

Hi Doc Dunker

Took Happy to the vet yesterday evening for his first checkup.
He's fine weighing at 2.5kg at 4mths 12days old.

Other then eat mites (treated & cleansed),
in his ears, dewormed, the she vet said he's in good health.

Everything is fine even with the 4 in 1 jab albeit a little growl & snarl
until the vet wanted to take his blood for the FIV/FeLV test.

Blimey! He went absolutely crazy when the needle reach his neck he yelled & snarl and turns...very vicious and almost like a tiger preying on its victim like the those I witnessed in Discovery Channel!

He gotten so ferocious ( I have never seen him so vicious before ) that
the vet & her male assistant is not able to extract blood as he struggled too aggressively and she worried that syringe may actually poked somewhere else other than the intended place.

The thing is, Doc that I need to ask is whether the extracting of blood cannot be taken from other part of the cat. I mean the neck is such a sensitive place even for us human, what more a tiny creature experiencing this pain inflicting by a total stranger!

And now he was left with a patch on his lower right side of his neck because the vet shaved a little off the part where she wants to put the syringe, all to no avail :cry:

I doubt Happy would allow to be poked at his neck again in the future! I mean he's like a monster when it touched this neck. So doc, is there
anywhere else besides the neck ( I ask the vet, she said other places not suitable ) that we human vampire :twisted: can suck their blood from :twisted:

Could we do it when he gets neutered when he's under general anasthethic? Then he's asleep and can't feel & know who's poking him.

Also, whats' the rationale behind the FIV/FeLV testing before vaccination?
I mean even if he's tested positive (whether he gotten it from his mom whch is quite likely coz I took him back when he was just 6 wks old and
never allow him outa house. Anyway won't matter how he got it) no harm to vaccinate him right? even if he's tested positive and not showing any symptoms of the disease?

And if he's tested negative, we still vaccinate him. So, I am not sure I
wanted to subject my kitten to another round of pain & pandemonium at the vet clinic. Unless, there's a better and less painful way to put the syringe I would rather just vaccinate him.

Pls advise me what to do doc as my heart aches just to see him experiencing so much distress and pain. To test or not to test.? If test, what other ways are there, if any, to take his blood
:cry: :cry:

Actually, I am feeling more distress than my cat now coz
I don't want my baby to get hurt again :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Thanks for your advice doc. Have a good weekend :)

Dr Dunker · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 464 Location: Puchong,Selangor

You can get blood form the front legs, but given the size of your cat, the neck is the best and only place to get blood. Its pretty common for cats to get pissed when blood is to be taken, the other option is to sedate, which no sane vet would do unless it is an important test (rabies titers for example). What i normally do is to place the cat in the cage in a dark room for half a day and try again later, in many cases the presence of a concerned owner just makes things much worst. Remember that your cat can detect an increase in heart rate and other biochemical stress changes several meters away.

As a rule if there were titers for FIV or FeLV i would not vaccinate (option given for retest 6 months later), coz your cat dont need it and if an infection is ongoing we just made things worst. Also as far as sticking a needle into an animal there is no painless way. It is purely up to you if you want to test or not but
I would not 'just vaccinate', I rather not vaccinate and have your cat indoors at all times. google up these vaccines and you may find many arguments as to whether to vaccinate or not. we can talk about that issue in depth later when i got more time to write. I truly understand how you feel about your cat but my advice is if you want to vaccinate leave your cat in the clinic for half a day and let the vets do their job.

On a personal note, in my 5 years of working i have only done vaccination for FIV and FeLV 3 times (testing done to 8 or 9 cats and only 3 qualified) and cats gave me hell and lots of holes on my arms and hands every single time. Gosh, I HATE taking blood from healthy cats.

Oh ya your cats fur will grow back in less then 3 month, no biggie.