Parvovirus in cats: symptoms and treatment

Parvovirus in cats is for many associated with a common intestinal disorder. Therefore, sometimes they do not pay enough attention to it, believing that there is nothing to worry about, it will pass by itself, a rather sparing diet. In fact, veterinarians are well aware of the danger of this disease.

Description

Parvovirus in cats is a problem of the digestive tract, and more precisely the intestines. In this case, there is a strong inflammatory process in the small intestine with the involvement of the internal mucous layer, and in some cases even the serous membrane. As a result, we observe a violation of all the functions of the gastrointestinal tract. This manifests itself in the form of diarrhea, refusal of food, severe pain.

What is parvovirus enteritis

So far we have been talking in general terms about what it is. Parvovirus in cats is divided into many species and subspecies, each of which has its own distinctive features. There are several classifications:

1. The first speaks of damage to the walls.
2. The second is about the origin of the pathology.
3. The third divides putrefactive or fermentation processes in the intestine.
4. The fourth talks about the course of the disease.

By the nature of the inflammation, the disease can also be different. In particular, doctors divide it into catarrhal, hemorrhagic, fibrinous, necrotic, ulcerative. The extreme degree can be considered the presence of through fistulas in the abdominal cavity. Treatment in this case is accompanied by the installation of drainage tubes and takes place in a hospital under the supervision of a doctor.

Primary and secondary form

As a rule, a healthy animal vaccinated by age, which properly eats high-quality feed, is less likely to get sick. Parvovirus is often not a separate disease, but a symptom of the underlying pathology. Therefore, primary and secondary catarrh are distinguished:

1. Primary include foodborne infections. That is, conditionally pathogenic microflora, salmonella, E. coli, anaerobes, which develop when poisoned by poor feed. This also includes bacterial infections and mycotic infections that develop when eating moldy foods.
2. Secondary parvovirus develops against the background of infectious processes of viral origin.

Another point is the pH of the internal environment. According to this indicator, acid and alkaline inflammation are divided. At first glance, the information is redundant. But she is very important for the doctor. The correctness of the diagnosis and its future treatment depends on this knowledge. With the acidic nature of the inflammatory process, fermentation processes develop with the release of carbon dioxide and methane. When alkaline, the process of decay occurs with the formation of a large number of toxic substances. Of course, one and the other option can hardly be called favorable. These are just features of the course of the disease that must be considered when making a diagnosis and prescribing treatment.

Causes

It is impossible to help the animal without knowing what parvovirus is. In cats, this ailment quite often leads to death. The percentage of death is especially high among kittens and elderly animals. Their weight is relatively small, and dehydration occurs within a few days.

This is a disease of viral etiology caused by parvovirus. It is characterized by extremely high infectivity. Most often kittens get sick. It has other names - infectious enteritis and feline panleukopenia. The causative agent is extremely stable in the external environment. That is why it is a headache for nurseries and shelters for homeless animals. They are always full of pets and it is extremely difficult to carry out a complete disinfection. Once a sick animal gets into them, the pathogen, along with feces or vomiting, settles in the cracks of the wooden floor, and then is transmitted from one to the other.

Infection pathways

How dangerous can parvovirus be in cats? Is this disease dangerous for humans? The FPV strain is not transmitted to dogs and humans, so you don’t have to worry about your safety. But the canine pathogen can be transmitted to cats. Let's look at the infection paths:

1. The virus can persist in the environment for up to a year, as we have already noted above. Therefore, if you have a cat or dog that was sick, then before you take a pet, you must always give him all the vaccinations.
2. In most cases, infection occurs through contact with dried feces or other secretions of sick animals. Most often if they contaminate food or water. Less often, healthy pets can become infected during the game by biting toys and other objects that had previously been in contact with a sick animal. It should be noted that parvovirus in cats develops so rapidly that the owner does not always have time to deliver a pet to a specialist.
3. From other cats with direct contact, the disease is transmitted less frequently, but this possibility cannot be ruled out. If animals are constantly nearby and come into close contact (play, lick each other), then the likelihood of an epidemic cannot be ruled out.

When a cat becomes contagious

An important question, because usually we start to think about it only when we see the pet’s obvious malaise. Symptoms of parvovirus in cats appear on days 4-6, but already on the second day after infection, the pathogen begins to excrete with feces. The most susceptible kittens at the age of 12 weeks. At this time, the amount of antibodies that were received from the mother is sharply reduced in the blood. And new ones do not have time to develop. But unvaccinated adult cats are no less susceptible to this ailment.

First symptoms

Parvovirus in cats may not appear at all during life. That is, the animal is a carrier, but does not experience health problems. This is not so common. In other cases, we can observe the following picture:

1. Severe vomiting. The attacks are very serious, the animal simply turns inside out. If you are sure that he had nothing to repay, then you should immediately consult a doctor. The signs of parvovirus in cats are rapidly increasing. Sometimes in the morning the owner sees that the pet is sick, and when he comes home from work in the evening, he finds him in a pool of vomiting and bloody diarrhea, half dead and exhausted.
2. Fever. In the most severe cases, the temperature begins to drop. This suggests that death is approaching.
3. The animal may develop intense thirst and hunger, but it weakens so that it is not able to eat or drink. Therefore, we have to put the system with glucose and physical. solution.
4. Diarrhea with and without blood. Diagnosis of parvovirus in cats can be difficult with a mixed clinical picture. But diarrhea should not be ignored. Be sure to consult your veterinarian if you see black feces that look like tar. This happens with damage to the upper intestines.

Unfortunately, the hosts do not always have time to react. An animal dies in just a few hours. Sometimes kittens that are born to cats are carriers of the FPV virus. This leads to serious damage to the nervous system, developmental problems.

Diagnosis

The veterinarian takes an animal feces or intestinal scrapings for analysis. Today there are techniques that allow you to find in this material not only a virus, but also antibodies that are secreted by the body in response to its introduction. If the litter of kittens is affected, then an autopsy and seeding of materials is performed. This is not only a diagnosis, but also a chance to develop a suitable diagnostic technique.

Before mating, you must pass blood tests to both the cat and the cat. If specific antibodies are detected in it, then the animal is a carrier of the virus. It is excluded from breeding.

What is important for a doctor to know

Treatment for parvovirus symptoms in cats is difficult because they can be similar to acute poisoning. It is important to collect an anamnesis. Tell your doctor:

1. When did you notice the first change.
2. When was the last time a vaccine was given. Ideally, you should be treated by the immunization doctor.
3. The nature of bowel movements.
4. How long was the last treatment for helminths.
5. What fed the last two days.

If in the nursery a friend has taken over all the livestock, poisoning is most likely to occur. If we are talking about infection, then the incubation period will be different for all cats. When making a diagnosis it will not hurt to conduct a study. But the laboratory is not always available, so the doctor has to act by exclusion. That is, symptomatic treatment is carried out, and by the way the state of the animal changes, they conclude what exactly caused the disease.

Unlike the plague, it is difficult to tell in which area parvovirus is more common. In cats, it often appears if the animal walks freely, and does not live in an apartment if it does not have preventive vaccinations. In shelters, the number of cats is usually very large, so the likelihood of a sick animal and infection of the rest is quite high.

Treatment

Worst of all, when the animal is brought already in serious condition. Then the doctor has a difficult question, how to treat parvovirus in a cat, if there is practically no time for diagnosis. Most often, they put a dropper, which allows you to level dehydration and restore strength to the body of the pet. Depending on the condition of the animal, vitamins, hemostatic and other drugs are added to it.

In parallel, the veterinarian selects antibiotics that are designed to stop the development of pathogenic microflora. Do not forget that the antimicrobial drug itself, and its dosage should be chosen by the doctor. Traditional medicine can help, but you need to coordinate the scheme with the doctor, and also do not stop the traditional therapy.

If the cat is in satisfactory condition

Consider a different situation. The owner noticed that the pet was sad, plus diarrhea appeared, and immediately went to the doctor. In this case, the specialist diagnosed parvovirus. In this case, a starvation diet is prescribed. At least for a day it is completely deprived of food, but do not limit access to water. Instead, Rehydron may be used.

To begin with, it is recommended to cleanse the intestines. For this, Glauber's salt is used for acidic Qatar or castor oil for alkaline. Depending on the pH of the internal environment, weak alkaline or acid solutions can be used orally, by mouth. With severe diarrhea, astringents are used, for example, a decoction of oak bark.

After a couple of days, you can offer a mucous decoction of oatmeal on meat broth. It envelops the walls of the intestine and contributes to the rapid healing and restoration of its functions. On a tiny piece, you can start giving minced meat. In the absence of improvement, if diarrhea does not stop in the first 2-3 days, you will have to resort to more serious drugs.

Preventive measures

They are pretty simple. Considering how complicated and expensive the diagnosis and treatment of parvovirus in cats can be, the need to adhere to these measures throughout the life of a furry pet becomes obvious. Prevention comes down to the following points:

1. Timely vaccination against viral and bacterial infections.
2. Preventive deworming, the timing should be set by a veterinarian.
3. For feeding you need to use only high-quality feed and fresh products.
4. There should always be clean water in the bowl.
   

Finally

Any cat disease is a disaster for a loving host. And the worse the condition of the pet, the stronger the feeling of guilt. What did not save, did not finish. Unfortunately, there are diseases that develop at lightning speed. In some cases, no more than a few hours pass between the onset of the first symptom of parvovirus and the death of the animal. Clinics do not always work on weekends and at night, so with all the desire you can not be in time. Just in case, you need to have at home a number of drugs that will help and "hold out" to the reception of a specialist. This is “Tserukal” against vomiting, “No-Shpa” to relieve pain and cramping. Both drugs are best used in the form of injections. For stopping dehydration, a normal saline solution is suitable. Inject a large syringe subcutaneously into the withers area 10-20 cubes, this is enough for several hours. An ampoule of ascorbic acid can be added to it. If there is a temperature, you can put a children's antipyretic candle. The rest of the appointment should be done by the doctor.