Panleukopenia - an ominous word that indicates a no less sinister diagnosis. This dangerous viral infection has other designations. Among doctors, this pathological process is called infectious or parmovirus enteritis. In the people, this infection received another name - the plague.
Sometimes this disease is also called "Crimean disease." This is due to the fact that the first outbreak of this infection in Russia was recorded on the territory of Crimea in the second half of the 18th century. The disease affects the gastrointestinal tract, bone marrow, central nervous system, and also causes severe dehydration and degeneration.
Since the infectious process most often manifests itself in young and immature organisms, owners of thoroughbred kittens should be especially vigilant when observing the condition of their small and furry pets. This is necessary in order to recognize the first signs of a dangerous disease in time, which very often, in the absence of timely and adequate treatment, leads to death. The plague of kittens: symptoms, reasons, what to do - read this article further, and you will get all the answers to these, as well as to many other questions related to this topic.
The popular name of the disease is associated with plague. And such an association is not accidental here. As in the Middle Ages, the human plague, and the pathology voiced above, but already in modern realities, has a wide natural distribution, but already in the animal world. This means that this pathological process is able to affect not only representatives of the cat family, but also other inhabitants of the animal kingdom. Moreover, both wild and domestic individuals. Such "universality" contributes to the lightning spread of the pathological process, and leads to the appearance of a large number of potential foci of this dangerous infection.
Important! Fortunately, this viral spectrum is not dangerous for humans. Therefore, the breeder can be absolutely calm for his health in contact with a sick pet, and use only basic sanitary and epidemiological protection measures.
Brief description of the causative agent of the disease
The causative agent of plague in kittens is a microorganism belonging to the group of parmoviruses. Its Latin name is Panleukopenia Feline. Like the vast majority of viruses, this representative is resistant to high temperatures and is practically not susceptible to the effects of disinfectants. It also does not react much to changes in acidity and is able to function normally in its very wide spectrum - from 3 to 9 pH.
Mass death of microorganisms is observed when they are not less than 1 hour in an environment heated to 60 or more degrees Celsius. Moreover, the virus is very resistant to low temperatures. With negative values, the pathogen can retain all of its pathological properties for one year. Therefore, even dead animals, under favorable climatic conditions, can be dangerous and serve as a potential focus of the spread of the disease. If you want to learn more about the chum plague in kittens, symptoms of the reason for what to do, then continue to read the article further. The material brought to your attention contains a lot of useful information on this topic.
The main ways of infecting kittens with plague
Most often, infection occurs through direct contact with objects contaminated with a viral infection. As such, various objects can be made, with which the carrier of the virus had previously been in direct contact. This can be dishes, cloth, litter, contaminated food, as well as the surface of the floor or walls that has been exposed to viral exudate. It is important to know that the bulk of the virus is found in the feces, as well as in other types of secretions of sick animals (saliva, urine, nasal and ocular discharge).
Important! It should be remembered that stray cats, in the vast majority, are hidden carriers of the parmovirus that causes plague in kittens. These animals do not have any external signs of the disease and look completely healthy, but at the same time they are able to infect other representatives of their species that are more susceptible to this virus. Therefore, breeders of thoroughbred cats should take all measures in order to protect their pets from such contacts!
Parmovirus infection can also be transmitted by airborne droplets. There are cases of intrauterine infection, when the disease is detected in a pregnant cat. With this development of events, the breeder, unfortunately, has very little chance of getting a healthy and viable offspring. Fleas and ticks are also capable of transmitting the virus. Also, the breeder himself can transmit the infection to the kitten. This occurs when elementary rules of personal hygiene are not observed during direct contact with the animal. It must be remembered that hands that are not washed on time (especially after a street walk) are a potential source of infection.
Typical symptoms of the pathological process
For the convenience of readers, we decided to list them in the form of a list, which is given below. These symptoms are characteristic of the intestinal form of the disease in the acute stage.
• The kitten looks lethargic and depressed.
• The kitten has an elevated temperature, reaching 40-41 degrees Celsius.
• The pet has vomiting that has a dirty yellow or brown tint or bloody inclusions.
• Diarrhea is fixed with liquid and fetid feces, which have a yellowish tinge, with blood impurities and fibrin clots in its composition.
• The animal has a total loss of appetite (a kitten can sit for hours over a bowl of food or water, but will not touch it, neither food nor drink).
• When examining an animal in the abdomen, an increase in lymph nodes and a thickening of intestinal loops, resembling rubber tubes in structure, are recorded.
• A sick animal tries to hide in dark and cool places.
• The kitten does not show any reactions towards its mother.
• The kitten may experience coughing, accompanied by profuse lacrimation and redness of the eyes.
• There is severe trembling of the limbs and dry skin.
In addition to the intestinal form in the plague, affecting kittens, there are two more varieties: pulmonary and nervous. With these forms of the disease, the above symptoms can be supplemented by shortness of breath and shortness of breath (pulmonary form), as well as periodic convulsive seizures and hypersensitivity to sound and tactile stimuli (nervous form). A kitten can rush from side to side and behave inappropriately. This is due to a lack of oxygen in the infected lung tissue, as well as a viral damage to the central nervous system.
In addition to the acute stage, there is also a subacute stage of the disease. With it, all of the above symptoms are erased, mild. This scenario is the most favorable for your pet. It is peculiar to vaccinated kittens or kittens with good heredity and strong immunity by nature.
Diagnosis of plague in kittens
With any form of plague, timely diagnosis of the disease comes to the fore. And her main method is a blood test. At this stage, it is important to differentiate parmavirus enteritis from other enteritis of various etiologies, as well as to eliminate toxoplasmosis. A low white blood cell count, against a background of a normal or high lymphocyte count, may already indicate the development of plague in your pet. It is also necessary to sow fecal secretions for the presence of the virus and histological studies to diagnose changes in the structure of bone marrow and lymphoid tissues. All diagnostic tests should be performed in specialized veterinary clinics.
Important! Very often, parmovirus enteritis, due to the similarity of symptoms, is confused with food poisoning. Remember that with timely and adequate therapy, the kitten will recover within 10 days. An incorrect diagnosis can worsen the scenario of the disease many times over, as well as lead to various complications, up to a fatal outcome, which occurs in 90% of such cases, in the absence of normal treatment. Therefore, at the slightest suspicion of a plague, your kitten should immediately contact a veterinary clinic.
Treatment and prevention of plague in kittens
Successful treatment of the disease begins with the creation of special conditions for keeping your sick pet. For this, a sick animal is isolated in a quarantine room with a minimum amount of sunlight. Street walks of a sick kitten should be completely ruled out. After creating the necessary conditions, you can proceed to the following steps aimed at curing the disease. They include:
• Diet therapy. Hard and hard to digest foods must be excluded from the kitten's diet. Water should only be boiled.
• Antibiotic therapy. The use of antibiotics and sulfa drugs is indicated.
• Immunotherapy. Hyperimmune serums (such as Vitafen) have a good effect.
• The use of vitamin complexes. A sick kitten is prescribed B vitamins.
• The use of antispasmodics (to reduce the gag reflex and relieve pain).
• Setting droppers based on saline solution (to relieve intoxication symptoms and prevent dehydration).
• The use of cleansing enemas.
The treatment of plague, depending on each specific case, may include other methods designed to accelerate the recovery of the animal. They can be used only after agreement with the veterinarian.
The main preventive measure in the fight against plague in kittens is timely vaccination of the animal. It is carried out at the age of 2 months, after the mandatory deworming procedure. After this, the animal must be vaccinated annually. If you still have questions about the plague of kittens, symptoms, reasons for what, then this video will help you clarify them completely. We will say goodbye to you on this, and wish you and your pets good health.
