From owners of cats you can often hear about a disease such as plague. In medicine, it is called panleukopenia. In cats (the danger to humans will be discussed later), it is especially common in summer and autumn. The distemper is characterized by a high degree of infectiousness and a high mortality rate.
Disease information
The panleukopenia virus of cats leads to the disappearance of white blood cells in the blood. Kittens are most susceptible at a time when cat's milk ceases to protect their immune system. However, adult animals can also be sick.
Vaccination can be used to save a pet from the virus, the effect of which continues throughout the calendar year. Then the vaccination should be repeated annually.
Infection pathways
Most often, cats catch panleukopenia at an early age when the mother’s antibodies cease to act. But unvaccinated adults can get sick. The virus spreads in several ways:
- from direct contact with a sick animal;
- through excrement;
- from contact with virus carriers, such as fleas.
In some cats, the virus may not manifest itself for a long time. The impetus for the disease becomes severe stress, for example when moving.
Pathoginesis
The virus gets into the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, the inflammatory process begins. Further, it spreads to cells that are distinguished by the speed of division. These particles are located in the intestinal mucosa and in the bone marrow. In these parts of the body, the virus settles.
Panleukopenia of cats causes the following problems:
- enteritis - inflammation in the small intestine;
- leukopenia - a significant decrease in blood leukocytes leads to a decrease in immunity.
When old cells in lymphoid tissues die, and new ones are no longer produced, a weakening of the immune system occurs. Then the virus begins to spread through the cells of other tissues. The body is no longer able to fight it.
The absence of symptoms in cats is a danger of panleukopenia. How to recognize a dangerous illness in a pet?
Disease onset
In animals up to one year of age, symptoms are more pronounced than in adults. Clinical signs in mature cats are a little "blurry." This is what prevents the diagnosis and timely treatment. The disease almost always leads to the death of the pet.
Symptoms of panleukopenia in cats can occur on the third to twelfth day after the activation of the virus. Until this moment, the disease is in a latent period.
Specific and nonspecific symptoms
The owner of the cat can often consider the first signs of many diseases of his pet, if he is attentive to him. The first symptom of panleukopenia in cats is related to behavior. The animal becomes lethargic, depressed, drowsy. It eats poorly or completely refuses food, its body is hot to the touch.
The second wave of symptoms is related to the body's response to a viral infection. The mucous membrane of the nasal cavity becomes inflamed, sputum is released from it. The conjunctiva of the eyes turns red, discharge appears.
When the virus has spread and managed to significantly harm the body, specific symptoms appear:
- Belly soreness - the owner does not even need to touch the belly of the pet in order to understand that it hurts. The animal cannot lie down for a long time, it stands in one place, arched in an arc.
- Vomiting - at first it is yellow in color, as the condition worsens, impurities of blood and mucus appear in it.
- Diarrhea - initially yellow, then a greenish tinge with impurities of blood. You can see fibrin films in it. The stool odor will be offensive, slightly putrid. The mucous membrane begins to die.
- Refusal to drink - the pet is thirsty, but refuses water. This is due to a constant feeling of nausea. A sick cat can sit for a long time at a bowl of water, but not drink.
- Decrease in body temperature - in a healthy pet, the temperature should be 38-39 degrees Celsius. In a sick animal, it can decrease by one to two degrees.
The body is dehydrated, the animal may die, therefore, it is necessary to inject liquid into the droplet method. Diarrhea with mucus is a particularly dangerous symptom.
In kittens, the virus spreads much faster. The disease manifests itself in an over-construction, affecting the nervous system. Young pets may experience cramps and paralysis.
Symptoms in pregnant animals
Cats in position are also susceptible to infection. Their disease can cause a miscarriage or the birth of dead cubs. Even if the animal produces healthy kittens, they will be diagnosed with cerebellar hypoplasia. This part of the brain is responsible for the coordination of movements. Kittens will be able to live normally, but will remain awkward for life. Their gait will look like a "drunk", and their head will tremble if the animal is concentrated will watch something.
Many owners confuse the first symptoms of a plague with poisoning and try to treat it at home. So precious time is wasted. It is important to consult a specialist when vomiting, diarrhea, and refusal of food and water are found in a pet.
If panleukopenia is detected in cats (the symptoms and treatment are described in the article), you should immediately contact your veterinarian. It matters every day.
Treatment
The specialist will be able to combine all the symptoms together and prescribe a treatment for panleukopenia in a cat. After diagnosing the disease, the doctor will prescribe a course of therapy that the owner of the animal will be able to conduct at home.
In the early days of the manifestation of the disease, the use of hyperimmune serum is effective. This drug is made from the blood of a sick cat and contains ready-made antibodies to the virus. The body of a sick pet will be able to cope with the disease with their help.
There is no specific treatment. There are a number of methods that are designed to help the body overcome the disease:
With a plague, a cat loses a lot of fluid, but refuses to take water, so the water-salt balance is disturbed. To restore it, droppers containing saline are needed. It is administered to the cat subcutaneously. You can drink your pet in small portions of saline solutions, which are sold ready-made and are designed to combat dehydration. They include salt, soda, glucose, potassium and sodium ions. These actions will remove some symptoms, but they will not be able to overcome the virus.
The essence of using antibiotics is not to destroy the virus. It's impossible. Drugs such as penicillin or cephalosporin will be able to fight bacteria that quickly multiply in the body due to weakened immunity. Antibiotic treatment will significantly reduce the number of pathogens.
With severe pain, the appointment of antispasmodics is allowed. They are injected.
Help the animal cope with the virus can take care of the owner. Without the permission of the veterinarian, you should not give your pet drugs that stop vomiting and diarrhea.
Diet for sick animals
If dangerous symptoms of panleukopenia in cats are detected, one needs to start strengthening the body with vitamins. They will raise weakened immunity, which will speed up the healing process.
The appearance of vomiting and diarrhea can be a protective reaction of the body. So it removes toxic substances and prevents them from being absorbed into the body through the intestinal mucosa. Sometimes a veterinarian may prescribe petroleum jelly inside. It will not allow harmful substances to be absorbed through the mucosa of the digestive tract. With effective treatment with serum and antibiotics, diarrhea and vomiting should pass independently.
Most often, a hungry diet is prescribed. The reason lies in several factors. Firstly, the body is not capable of fully digesting food. Secondly, the digestion is followed by the absorption of nutrients and, with them, toxins formed as a result of the activity of pathogenic microorganisms. Moreover, the owner is unlikely to be able to convince the animal to eat. The cat will not want to eat after prolonged diarrhea and vomiting. To maintain strength, the introduction of saline will be sufficient.
Sick Pet Care
Panleukopenia of cats is a serious disease. In addition to the treatment that the veterinarian should prescribe, the owner of a furry animal needs to monitor hygiene. It is necessary to carefully remove feces and vomit so that the sick cat does not become infected again.
It is often necessary to ventilate the home. This will reduce the concentration of the virus in the room. But you should make sure that the air temperature does not drop much, and the cat does not lie in a draft. An additional cold or pneumonia will only exacerbate the situation.
It is important for the pet to ensure peace. This will help him recover.
Treating a cat for plague is a rather complicated process. The owner will have to endure all the torments of the animal, observing his condition. In case of untimely initiation of treatment, the result in most cases will be fatal. Therefore, it is extremely important to consult a veterinarian on the first day of illness. And it’s better to do everything to prevent it.
Prevention
The owner of the animal may never encounter panleukopenia of cats, if you take care of the health of the pet. For this, a two-month-old kitten needs to be given the first vaccination against the virus. Then the procedure is repeated after two to four weeks. Then the immunity must be "updated" annually.
Some cat owners find it unnecessary to instill pets that are never outdoors. But in vain. The causative agents of the virus can get into the apartment with shoes.
If a cat died in the family from a plague, it is better to have a new pet after a month or later. The housing must be properly cleaned. The fact is that the virus is distinguished by its resistance to external factors and is able to live in enclosed spaces for up to a year.
It remains to figure out how dangerous panleukopenia of cats is to humans? But before that, a little positive. If a cat entered those few 10% of the lucky ones and got a plague, immunity to this virus becomes lifelong.
Danger to humans
Panleukopenia in cats (the symptoms of the disease were discussed above) is caused by parvovirus. Having diagnosed a pet with a serious illness, a person will worry not only about the health of his beloved cat. Especially people worry about their children. This is not surprising since many viruses are transmitted from animals to humans. Others are able to mutate, so the body does not have the antibodies necessary to fight them.
Parvovirus is known in the world that can be transmitted to humans. He wears code B19. However, its impact on people is minimal. In the worst case, it can trigger anemia (a decrease in red blood cells).
As for panleukopenia, it is caused by parvovirus, which does not affect a person. At least not a single case has been recorded anywhere so that a person gets sick with a cat's plague. You can safely take care of a sick pet and not worry about your own health. However, general hygiene rules should still be followed.