Upper Respiratory Infection Study
Orphan Kitten Club provided funding to UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital’s Kitten Viral Upper Respiratory Infection Study. This non-invasive study worked with kittens who already had signs of upper respiratory infections and were seeking treatment. In this project, they evaluated the drug Famciclovir as a treatment for kittens with ocular herpesvirus infection. The anti-viral drug, Famciclovir, was believed to reduce the duration and severity of eye disease caused by the feline herpes virus, but it had not yet been studied in young kittens.
UC Davis is currently evaluating data from 260 kittens, who were 10 days old to 12 weeks of age at enrollment. These kittens were evaluated on day 1, day 14, and then on day 21 for the initial clinical trial. The second arm of the study evaluated the kittens from day 21 to 1 year. Davis is currently working to publish their findings and we look forward to sharing the results!
This study is in the process of being completed, learn more HERE.
Click HERE to read the initial findings from Phase 1 of this study. Phase 2 (exploring treatments) will be published in the future & linked on this page.
The images below show “Sockies” the kitten on day one of enrollment in the study all the way to one year later!
Day 1 of enrollment
After 21 days of treatment
4 weeks without treatment & 7 weeks after enrollment
At one year of age after enrollment
