Milk fever, or eclampsia, in cats is a disease with acute neurological symptoms that can develop in pregnant or lactating animals. Most often, this disease affects cats in the early postpartum period. It is important to recognize the disease in time and begin rational treatment in order to protect the pet from serious complications and save his life.
Causes and mechanism of the development of the disease
During pregnancy, there are regular changes in which calcium from the mother’s body is spent on the formation of the skeleton of kittens in the womb. Parathyroid hormone is responsible for the assimilation and entry of this element into the bones and muscles (the parathyroid gland produces it ).
Sometimes at the end of pregnancy or after childbirth, the aforementioned gland cannot be rebuilt and provide the cat with increased calcium needs. As a result, only milk is saturated with it, but not the body of the animal. These processes explain the mechanism of pathology, and their study allows us to understand how eclampsia develops in cats after childbirth. Treatment of the disease involves rest and saturation of the body with calcium.
The development of eclampsia is promoted by poor nutrition and digestive diseases, due to which calcium absorption is impaired. Most often, this pathology is diagnosed in primogenous animals. Cats are prone to it, in which many kittens were born, since they have a higher need for calcium.
Symptoms
There are a number of characteristic signs that occur with a disease such as eclampsia in cats after childbirth. Symptoms in an animal on the first day after the offspring are usually as follows:
- restless behavior;
- dry mucous membranes;
- a strange attitude towards their kittens (instead of caring, a cat can run away from them or constantly drag them from one secluded place to another);
- muscle twitching;
- dyspnea;
- constantly wide pupils and the absence of their reflex narrowing even in bright light.
Later, convulsions, fever up to 40 ° C and above, fainting may join these manifestations of eclampsia. At the first alarming symptoms, the cat needs to be shown to the veterinarian to establish an accurate diagnosis and develop a treatment regimen. It is important for the doctor to conduct a differential diagnosis with epilepsy and tetanus and assess the severity of the disease. This is necessary in order to determine whether the animal needs in-patient treatment, or whether it can be provided with care at home.
First aid to the animal
Before the arrival of the veterinarian, the cat needs emergency care. This will increase the chances of recovery and a favorable outcome. Since eclampsia in cats can develop within a few hours, you need to act quickly. At home, you can help in this way:
- temporarily isolate a sick animal from kittens;
- provide complete peace for the cat;
- in the room where the pet is located, there should be dim light and fresh air;
- at elevated body temperature, it can be reduced with wet cool towels or an ice pack wrapped in cloth;
- in case of convulsions, the animal must be covered with pillows or blankets so that it does not hit or hurt during an attack.
Cubs need to provide artificial nutrition, as eclampsia of a nursing cat is a contraindication to natural feeding. Kittens should be kept in a separate room until their mom recovers completely so that she does not accidentally harm them.
Calcium Gluconate Treatment
Impaired calcium absorption and auto-intoxication of the body due to the accumulation of postpartum secretions in the uterus lead to a disease such as eclampsia in cats. Home treatment should be etiotropic, that is, eliminating the cause. The main drug for filling the deficiency of the missing trace element is calcium gluconate. After consulting a veterinarian, the medicine can be administered intramuscularly alone at home.
The doctor should determine the dose of calcium gluconate, but on average, to stop the eclampsia attack, it is recommended to intramuscularly administer 1 ml of a 10% solution with an interval of 40 minutes until the characteristic symptoms cease.
To eliminate edema, the animal can additionally be prescribed Prednisolone, and to eliminate muscle cramps, Drotaverin (No-Shpa). After the removal of the acute symptoms, the cat is usually injected intramuscularly with calcium gluconate twice - in the morning and in the evening - 1 ml for 7-10 days.
How else can you help at home?
Since eclampsia in cats is accompanied by the accumulation of toxic metabolites in the body, the animal needs to provide detoxification therapy. At home, this can be done with plenty of water. This method of oral fluid replenishment and elimination of toxins is an analogue of a dropper in a hospital.
The cat should be in a calm place, protected from light and harsh sounds. The animal should not experience stress and stress, as these conditions can lead to worsening and frequent convulsions. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the mammary glands, several times a day to check them for pain and the presence of seals. If necessary, milk can be slightly refluxed to prevent the development of a concomitant disease - mastitis.
Cat Health Recovery
Eclampsia exhausts a cat, and even after complete cure, its body needs to be treated with care and support. A pet needs a balanced diet, dairy products should be present in it daily (ideally, if they make up a third of the total daily food intake).
It will be advisable to take vitamin and mineral supplements with calcium, which the veterinarian can pick up. After recovery, the animal needs to be treated kindly, not to tease him or wake him up if he is sleeping. It is advisable to completely switch kittens to artificial feeding so that the cat does not develop calcium deficiency again.
In what situations can a disease not be treated at home?
Eclampsia is a disease that, if not properly treated, can lead to the death of the animal. A cat may die due to high body temperature (above 41 ° C) or due to brain damage and inhibition of the respiratory center.
There are signs of eclampsia in cats, which indicate a severe course of the disease and the need for inpatient treatment. If after the start of therapy in an animal state for a couple of hours no improvement is observed, this may indicate the need for intravenous infusion of the drug.
In cases of a prolonged increase in body temperature, which does not stray medically and with the help of home methods, it is also recommended that the cat be hospitalized. This is necessary to avoid the destruction of protein structures and the development of severe seizures. In the hospital, it is possible to administer drugs under the supervision of an ECG, which allows you to recognize cardiac abnormalities in time and begin to fight them.
Prevention
The main role in preventing such a dangerous phenomenon as eclampsia in cats is played by a full balanced diet during pregnancy. It should not be not only calcium deficiency, but also its overabundance. The intake of high doses of this element with food into the body during gestation can lead to malfunctions of the parathyroid gland and become an indirect cause of metabolic disorders in the future.
If an animal has been diagnosed with eclampsia in previous births, then the period before the next pregnancy should be maximized. Particularly carefully in this case, you should approach nutrition issues and be sure to undergo veterinary examinations on time.