Symptoms of development of a distemper in cats

Symptoms of development of a distemper in cats

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Panleukopenia (or a cat's distemper) is the viral disease arising both at house and at wild cats. The causative agent of this artful disease is the special picornavirus causing the low level of leukocytes in blood in the struck animal.

How the distemper at cats is transmitted?

First of all panleukopenia extends through contact of a cat with the infected liquids – with saliva and other fomita and also through contact with fleas. Quite often the distemper is transmitted to cats at their contact with bowls, with laying and even with clothes of owners of already infected animals. The distemper can be transmitted to cats and through other animals (for example, through minks or polecats).

Distemper symptoms at cats

The virus of panleukopenia affects digestive tract of an animal. It causes formation of an internal ulcer that leads to full rejection of a dead tissue of an intestinal epithelium. Symptoms of a cat's distemper are shown in the form of a bloody and plentiful diarrhea, in the form of serious dehydration of an organism of a cat, in the form of the general weakness. Besides, the animal has no appetite at all.

Unfortunately, such symptoms can cause death of an animal at short notice. Decrease in level of white blood cells leads to weakening of the immune system of a cat that causes in it the increased body temperature, the general weakness of an organism, drowsiness, vomiting, loss of elasticity of an integument. Veterinarians note that some cats who were infected with a distemper can periodically bite themselves for a tail, for paws and for a tailbone. Besides, sick cats can sit for hours near the drinking bowls, despite insignificant consumption of liquid by them. Veterinarians claim that the lion's share of mortality of cats from panleukopenia is caused by dehydration of their organism, but not the causative agent of a virus. It is necessary to take in attention that the picornavirus is capable to kill an animal less than in 24 hours therefore at a distemper aggressive tactics of treatment is necessary. Treatment of the infected animal includes full blood transfusion, intravenous injection of liquid, intake of vitamins A, In and With (in the form of injections), reception of various antibiotics and urgent hospitalization. The most important here is to manage to avoid sepsis (general blood poisoning). Veterinarians provide sad statistics: among kittens more young than 2 months as a result of infection with a distemper 95% of individuals perish. Young cats are more senior than 2 months have more chances of recovery: their mortality is about 60% at the request for the qualified medical care and about 100% without intervention of the veterinarian. Adult cats perish from a distemper in 15% of cases at treatment and in 90% of cases if the disease is already started. By the way, quite often panleukopenia causes complications in the form of dehydration, overcoolings, giperpireksiya, hypotensions.

Author: «MirrorInfo» Dream Team

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