Pet owners often have to face health problems with their four-legged friends. It is important to be able to help the pet in time. But there are dangerous situations when you simply cannot do without the help of a veterinarian. One of these pathologies is the formation of a fistula in a cat. What this phenomenon is, how to recognize, diagnose and treat it, we will consider in the article.
Cat fistula - what is it?
Fistula is a channel connecting cavities or organs with the external environment or with each other. Outwardly, it looks like a purulent wound, fluid oozes from it, sometimes with the remains of dead tissue. The smell is fetid.
The consequences of improper treatment of such a pathology are extremely dangerous and can lead to sepsis (blood poisoning), and ultimately to the death of the animal. Therefore, it is important for the owner of a cat to be able to distinguish a fistula from a normal wound in order to contact the veterinarian with the animal in time. Self-medication in this situation is extremely dangerous.
Types of pathology
Veterinarians distinguish fistulas depending on the causes.
In this case, they are:
- Acquired - arise due to injuries, operations and purulent pathologies. For example, fistula after sterilization in cats. It is formed due to a violation of the rules of antiseptics during surgery. Or a fistula after periodontal disease. The pathological channel in this case form wound tissue. Such fistulas are dangerous for the animal and can lead to its death, therefore, they require urgent treatment.
- Congenital - their formation is caused by intrauterine malformations. The channel is lined with epithelial tissue, biological fluids of the animal (urine, saliva, bile) leave through the hole. More often there is an umbilical fistula. The danger of such a channel is that infection can easily enter through it. The fistula itself is not terrible for the cat's health.
Varieties at the place of education
In the place of localization of the fistula there are 7 varieties:
- Salivary - located on the cheek of an animal. They arise as a result of inflammation in the area of teeth, cheeks, salivary glands. Not too life-threatening for cats and can be treated.
- On the colon - appear after an injury or an unsuccessful operation, feces are excreted through them. The decision on treatment depends on the condition of the animal.
- Purulent - are formed due to the presence of pus and remove it from the inflamed area. More often appear on the legs of an animal. Pets are common.
- Urinary - located on the ureter, bladder, appear as a result of damage to organs.
- Intestinal - appear in the intestine due to trauma, obstruction. Fistula in a cat on the stomach can form after an unsuccessful operation or in the presence of an oncological tumor.
- Bile - bile is secreted through them due to trauma. The most difficult channels to treat.
- Paraanal - appear on the paraanal glands due to prolonged inflammation. In this case, a fistula is formed in the cat under the tail.
Building Qualification
It is also worth highlighting such forms of fistula:
- Epithelized. In this case, the channel will be smooth; wool may fall around it.
- Granulation. With this form, the walls of the channel will be loose, uneven, extending beyond the wound.
- Lip-shaped - in this case there is no channel. A hollow organ has a hole in the skin.
Pathology diagnostics
If the owner suspects that the cat has a fistula, you should consult a veterinarian. To make a diagnosis, the doctor will conduct the following activities:
- external examination, history taking;
- MRI or ultrasound of the affected area;
- biochemical blood test;
- identification of other diseases;
- biopsy (if necessary);
- channel sounding;
- fistulography method - filling the passages with a special substance and radiography.
After examining the animal, the veterinarian will be able to make the cat the correct diagnosis and prescribe the optimal treatment for the particular case. It can be operational or conservative, depending on what caused the appearance of the fistula and what condition the animal is diagnosed with.
How is it different from an abscess?
Fistula in a cat is easy to confuse with an abscess, especially to a person far from veterinary medicine. However, these two phenomena are fundamentally different.
Signs of an abscess:
- swelling at the site of the lesion;
- redness;
- soreness;
- the presence of an infiltrative capsule;
- purulent exudate department;
- fluctuation - a symptom explained by the presence of fluid in the cavity, manifested by undulating shocks.
An abscess externally represents a tubercle from which pus is secreted. If you open it, the wound heals.
The fistula also looks like a funnel, from which not only pus can be released, but also feces, as well as physiological fluids. Canal cleansing does not occur without treatment. If a cat has a fistula, the owner should not engage in self-processing, but should go to the veterinary clinic. Introduction to the fistula of any medication can be dangerous to the health and life of the animal.
Pathology therapy
If diagnosed, treatment of fistula in cats should be started as soon as possible. In this case, various methods are used:
- Purification of the channel from foreign objects that caused inflammation, removal of dead tissue, cavity sanitation. This is done surgically, under general anesthesia. After surgery, the canal is treated with antiseptic agents daily until it is completely healed.
- Restoring the natural path of the outflow of physiological fluid or creating a drainage hole. The pathological canal is cleaned and sutured.
- Removal of affected tissue in the fistula using a surgical spoon. This method is used if there is no inflammation, and the fistula still has not healed. In order for the pathological channel to grow, it must be clean.
- Introduction to the channel of the fistula of drugs that stimulate tissue healing. This is especially true if the cause of the fistula is an injury. Often in such a situation, the body simply does not have enough strength to heal. Owners of aged animals or cats that are weakened by chronic diseases meet with a similar phenomenon.
- Suturing the channel. This method is used if the fistula is congenital and covered with healthy epithelial tissues. The existing inflammation is treated, the epithelial layer is removed and the tissues are sutured.
At the same time, the animal is prescribed pain medication, if necessary, infusion therapy.
There are times when doctors decide not to touch the fistula. For example, if the animal is contraindicated in anesthesia, or the cat is old, or suffers from oncology. Then the fistula is treated daily and the condition of the pet is monitored. How to do this, the veterinarian will tell you.
Along with the treatment of the directly pathological area, antibacterial and immunocorrection drugs are also prescribed. How to treat fistula in a cat is now clear, but the disease is always easier to prevent.
Preventative measures
The owner of the animal should be careful about the health of his pet. The cat needs regular medical examination. After all, it is easier to cure the disease in the early stages. And in case of fractures or other injuries, it is necessary to monitor how the bones and tissues are fused.
It is important to maintain cat immunity at a high level. And in this process, far from a secondary role is played by high-quality feed, rich in vitamins and minerals. Also, the animal needs an active lifestyle, comfortable atmosphere. Then feline immunity protects the four-legged from many diseases.
In order to avoid the formation of a paraanal fistula in cats, it is important to monitor the state of the paraanal glands. Sometimes their inflammation occurs. Pathologies are affected, as a rule, by domestic cats, leading a sedentary lifestyle. They form a stagnation of secretion in the paired glands located near the anus. Normally, the contents are secreted during bowel movements. To prevent inflammation, you should periodically clean the glands, freeing them from accumulated secretion. For this purpose, you can contact the veterinarian.
If the animal has been sterilized, postoperative sutures should be carefully treated.