Feline panleukopenia: symptoms, diagnosis and treatments
DEFINITION OF DISEASE:
Feline panleukopenia, also known as feline infectious enteritis or feline parvoviral disease, is a contagious and highly disabling disease found in small, unvaccinated kittens. Panleukopenia mainly affects highly reproducible body cells such as those of the intestine. It is caused by the parvovirus virus and causes vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, killing, and commonly death.
CAUSES OF DISEASE:
Parvovirus can infect domestic and wild cats as well as other animal species such as ferrets and raccoons. The virus is eliminated in body manure up to 6 weeks after contagion with affinity in feline feces. The virus resists many disinfectants even after many years. Kittens contract the disease as a result of contact with infected feces, urine, saliva and blood, but also on inanimate objects. The virus can also be transmitted via the placenta.
SYMPTOMS:
Cats experiencing the effects of the disease may develop one or more of the following symptoms:
killing
lethargy
weakness
loss of appetite
fever
He retched
diarrhea
abdominal pain AND DEHYDRATION
fetal death
cerebellar hypoplasia
death
CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS:
Parvovirus affects the feline’s white blood cells that make up the immune system. Obviously from the blood tests we will be able to observe that the white blood cells will be half, and moreover they are also anemic therefore with few red blood cells. Fecal examination can be used to detect the presence of feline parvovirus in the fecal sample from an infected cat.
THERAPY:
The type of therapy to be started is fuidotherapy with lactated ringer’s saline solutions together with intravenous antibiotics to fight bacterial infections. The virus is particularly lethal in unvaccinated young kittens. Adult cats have a better prognosis, but their chances of survival are also not promising.
