![]() ![]() Prognosis is guarded since a number of these cats are chronically and progressively affected by the disease, though early treatment could lead to a better outcome.” Treatment is corticosteroids like prednisolone and a general deworming program. “The cause is unknown though thought to be due to immune dysregulation possibly associated with adverse food reactions, dysbiosis (as a result of bacteria in the gut being out of balance) or exposure to ingestion of ectoparasites (a parasite that lives on the outside of the host) or infection with endoparasites (parasites living inside the host). Vicki Thayer, board member of the Winn Feline Foundation. “FGESF is an emerging inflammatory gastrointestinal disease found worldwide in middle to older age cats,” says Dr. Feline Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Sclerosing Fibroplasia (FGESF) ![]() Wherever there are lone star ticks and bobcats, there will be cytauxzoonosis. Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri and Tennessee are particular hotbeds, but wherever there are lone star ticks and bobcats, there will be cytauxzoonosis. And it helps, of course, to keep cats indoors. Cohn says new data suggests that illness is transmitted from ticks to cats faster than previously thought, so the best tick protection has repellency to increase odds of ticks not even attaching to cats. However, treatment is expensive and grueling. Today, she says, with new anti-protozoal treatments, from half to up to 60 percent of infected cats survive. Leah Cohn, a leading cytauxzoonosis researcher and professor of veterinary medicine and surgery at University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia.Ĭytauxzoonosis was a nearly certain death sentence when Dr. “At first, symptoms are general, but illness progresses rapidly,” says Dr. When a lone star tick (and perhaps other tick species) bites the bobcat, the protozoa is picked up and can then be transmitted to a domestic cat. Try following this bouncing protozoa: Bobcats are traditionally thought to be a reservoir host but other wild felines and domestic cats can be infected as well, and when they recover they become reservoirs. CytauxzoonosisĬytauxzoonosis or bobcat fever can be complex to explain. Read up on Cushing’s disease in people here > 3. ![]() Once the source of the excess hormone is identified, Cushing’s can be cured or managed with either surgery or medication.” Adrenal gland and pituitary imaging might improve the diagnostic accuracy. “A blood test for response to a corticosteroid is the most useful diagnostic test for these cats. “These cats have varying or excessive need for insulin caused by an excessive amount of adrenal hormone secretion, noted with fragile skin, muscle wasting, poor wound healing, bruising and coat changes,” Dr. This is somewhat common in dogs but not so much in cats. Cushing’s syndrome or HyperadrenocorticismĪnother reason cats rarely become uncontrolled diabetics is Cushing’s disease or hyperadrenocorticism. Fortunately, treatment options are increasingly available, which helps to transfer the difficult diabetic into a well-controlled diabetic or even a non-diabetic.Īcromegaly or hypersomatotropism is among the unusual cat diseases you should know about. While the screening test for IGF-1 isn’t perfect, it’s helpful. Other cats may gain weight rather than the expected loss of body condition with diabetes mellitus.”Īcromegaly or hypersomatotropism is usually caused by a benign tumor of the pituitary gland, which secretes excess growth hormone and growth hormone-induced insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). The changes are slow to occur and often hard to recognize. “Some cats develop changes in their appearance with enlargement of bones of the face and elsewhere after chronic exposure to these hormones. Elizabeth Colleran, past president of the American Association of Feline Practitioners. “The insulin dose continues to go up and up without the expected reduction in blood glucose (sugar) levels when tested,” says Dr. Acromegaly or HypersomatotropismĮven when doing everything apparently right, some diabetic cats are hard to get under control, and a cat’s blood glucose just won’t cooperate. While most cat caretakers have never encountered these cat diseases (or even heard of them before), they all share one thing - they’re becoming more common. ![]()
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