Distemper in cats: signs, symptoms and treatment, vaccination

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Distemper in cats is a very dangerous viral disease, which has the scientific name of viral enteritis, or panleukopenia. Pathology is characterized by rapid development, therefore, in the absence of timely medical care for the pet, everything can end in death. Every cat owner should understand the seriousness of this condition and be able to identify the first alarm bells. This will save in many cases not only the he alth of the fluffy pet, but also his life.

Danger of viral enteritis

We have already noted that distemper in cats is highly contagious and can infect all members of the feline family. Most often, the disease is diagnosed during the off-season - in spring or autumn. For small kittens, this virus is generally deadly, since the probability of death after infection is almost 100%. It should be noted that the distemper is not dangerous for humans.

A feature of the disease is the resistance of viral particles to external factors. The pathogen can maintain its virulencethroughout the year, which gives it the opportunity to spread among a large number of animals. As a rule, the virus does not react in any way to modern disinfectants. In addition, it can be exposed to solar radiation for a long time and not perceive various enzymes. All this greatly complicates the diagnosis of the disease, especially in the early stages of development. As a result, veterinarians begin to treat the animal when it is already seriously ill.

Danger factors for distemper in cats:

• highly contagious;
• rapid spread;
• massive nature of the disease;
• high animal mortality;
• death of young animals and pregnant females.

Routes of infection

Modern veterinary science has well studied the ways of infection and symptoms of distemper in cats. As a rule, sick animals and those that are simply carriers of the virus are the source of a dangerous disease. The excretion of the latter occurs with feces and saliva. Methods of infection:

• After oral contact, the virus enters the cat's mouth while drinking or eating infected food.
• Airborne infection is possible when a he althy animal is in the same room with a sick one.
• The contact method involves infecting a cat through a harness, toys, litter box, bowls, etc. In this case, the virus can stay on objects that the sick animal has come into contact with for a long time. Often, the owner himself can bring the distemper into the house on his shoes, clothes or otherpersonal belongings that were in the zone of access of the virus carrier.
• The intrauterine route is characterized by infection of the fetus through the placenta. As a result, the offspring either die before birth (decompose or mummify), or live after birth for a maximum of two days.
• The transmissible method involves infecting a cat through ticks, bedbugs and fleas, that is, through blood-sucking parasites.

Many owners wonder if a cat that comes into contact with a sick dog and lives with it in the same room can develop distemper. Veterinarians advise not to worry about this. Despite the fact that both dogs and cats get distemper, the viruses that cause the development of pathology are completely different. For this reason, you can be calm - a sick dog will not be able to infect your fluffy pet.

Cats at risk

Distemper is a disease that occurs in almost all felines: cheetahs, tigers, leopards. Distemper in domestic cats is also widespread and deadly. At risk are young animals that are not even a year old, as well as older individuals that are over 6 years old. Unvaccinated kittens are the first to be affected by the disease. This is due to weak immunity. Older cats also lose the ability to withstand serious illnesses, so care for such animals should be more thorough.

Distemper is very dangerous for a pregnant cat and her offspring. The immunity of the expectant mother is weakening, and her own strengththere are not enough kittens to fight back against the deadly virus. It is worth noting that the breed predisposition of felines to distemper still plays a big role here. At risk are Siamese and Persian cats, Maine Coons, as well as the British.

Symptoms of distemper in cats

The incubation period of the disease is from 3-8 to 10 days. After entering the body, the viral particle begins to actively multiply, while infecting the brain and internal organs. Viral enteritis, as a rule, has a lightning-fast development.

Let's consider how distemper manifests itself in cats:

• temperature rises to 41 oC;
• weakness appears;
• eyes sink;
• diarrhea and vomiting observed;
• skin dries up;
• in the intestines, lymph nodes increase, which can be felt with your fingers.

Any of the above symptoms should alert the owner.

Another sign of distemper in cats is the refusal to drink and eat. The animal loses interest in everything and constantly lies. He has greenish or watery vomit, in which mucus and blood gradually appear. Feces differ in stench and liquid consistency, they can also be seen impurities of blood. The cat is tormented by constant thirst, but due to vomiting, she cannot drink. If the virus enters the heart, a dry cough appears. The animal's mucous membranes turn blue, it begins to breathe through the mouth. Sometimes, after these symptoms, the cat may feel better, but most often the petdies as a result of the virus.

Superacute flow

This course of the disease is usually observed in young cats who are less than a year old. This stage is characterized by the following features:

• shivering paws;
• refusing food;
• dirty and sticky wool;
• strong weakness.

When the virus affects the central nervous system, symptoms similar to those of rabies may appear:

• the animal is frightened by sharp sounds;
• fear of light;
• always thirsty but can't take a sip.

Later, foamy yellowish vomit may appear. The stools become very offensive, and there is a large amount of blood in them. Little kittens tend to stop responding to their parent.

Acute current

Acute distemper mostly affects adult cats. This stage is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• breathing difficulties;
• loss of interest in everything around;
• raising the temperature to 41 ^oC, then it usually drops to 37 ^oC;
• watery stool;
• yellowish or greenish vomit with foam.

After two days, mucus with small patches of blood becomes noticeable in the vomiting.

If the virus infects the respiratory organs, the animal will show the following symptoms:

• chest wheezes;
• eyes turn red;
• cough appears;
• onred rashes form on the skin, which soon fill with purulent contents;
• nose gets hot.

The animal is very thirsty, but due to severe pain he cannot. If you do not urgently seek help from a veterinarian, the cat will die in a few days. If your pet does survive the disease and recover, it will develop immunity to distemper for several years.

Subacute form

If an animal has strong immunity, then distemper can take a subacute form of development. In this case, the incubation period will be several weeks. As a rule, in a cat, the symptoms are mild, and if the body is strong, then a complete cure of the pet is possible.

Diagnostic measures

If you notice at least one of the signs of an infectious disease in your furry beauty, immediately take her to the veterinarian. Don't forget to take your pet's passport with all his vaccinations. The diagnosis is usually based on the examination of the animal, its history, laboratory and clinical tests. First you need to examine the stool for the presence of virus particles. For this, the PCR method (polymerase chain reaction) is used.

However, you should pay attention to the fact that the test may show a positive result if your cat has recently been vaccinated. The main sign of distemper is a decrease in the number of leukocytes in the blood of an animal. To check this, you need to do a blood test. Before treating distemper in cats, a differential diagnosis is prescribed to rule out diseases such as pancreatitis,feline leukemia, intestinal perforation, immunodeficiency and various poisonings.

Treatment

It is worth considering how to treat distemper in cats. To date, unfortunately, there is no specific drug that could destroy the distemper virus. For this reason, veterinarians can only alleviate the course of the disease and fight to eliminate its symptoms.

To avoid dehydration, the sick animal is given fluid therapy. For this, glucose solution, saline solution and Ringer-Locke solution are used. These drugs are administered subcutaneously or intravenously. With their help, the electrolyte balance is normalized, and fluid reserves are replenished in the body. The duration of such procedures is determined only by the veterinarian, based on the symptoms and severity of the disease.

It is very important during this period to strengthen the immune system. For this, the animal is prescribed vitamin preparations, as well as immunomodulators. The following remedies will be effective for distemper: Gamavit, Fosprenil, Ribotan, Glycopin, Roncoleukin. Also, to save the animal, human immunoglobulin and drugs such as Timogen, Interferon, Anandin can be administered.

Treatment of distemper in cats involves the appointment of vitamin A, which helps to restore the intestinal epithelium. To activate the immune system, ascorbic acid will become useful, and B vitamins will help strengthen the nervous system. The work of the heart muscle can be supportedcaffeine and cordiamine. To prevent the attachment of a bacterial infection to a sick cat, antibiotic therapy is indicated. In this case, the choice of antimicrobial drug will depend on the overall clinical picture of the disease. Such drugs are usually administered parenterally. If the disease has been overcome, the cat will not need any rehabilitation measures or additional treatment.

Vodka treatment

Treatment of distemper in cats at home is unacceptable, because the animal can simply die. However, it is not always possible to seek help from a veterinarian. In such cases, you can try to save the pet with ordinary vodka, which should be mixed in the amount of one spoon with chicken yolk. Such a home-made medicine must be poured into the cat's mouth 2-3 times a day. However, please note that this method only works in the first two days after the distemper virus enters the pet's body.

Rules for caring for a sick animal

Distemper is a disease of cats that requires proper care of a sick animal. Immediately after the first symptoms are detected, the pet should be isolated in a separate room where it will be warm and dry. It is better to curtain the curtains so that bright daylight does not irritate an already exhausted patient. For drinking the animal should use only warm boiled water. If the doctor allows, you can give anti-inflammatory herbal decoctions with a small addition of ascorbic acid.

First, it is recommended to feed the animal warmmeat broth, but after a couple of days you can add buckwheat and rice porridge, as well as lean beef, chicken and low-fat cottage cheese. The cat should eat fractionally, up to six times a day. As the animal recovers, it can be gradually transferred to its usual diet.

Some veterinarians advise giving cleansing enemas to a sick cat, for which it is worth using antiseptics and herbal infusions. This will help you recover quickly. During the treatment period and for four months after it, the pet should not be allowed near other animals, as it can still carry the virus and be dangerous to others.

Consequences of a viral disease

It is necessary to timely administer the distemper vaccine to the animal. For cats, this may be the only chance to escape. Such a disease cannot pass without a trace, and in many animals it subsequently provokes the development of serious complications. As a rule, cats have respiratory problems that become chronic. In addition, the central nervous system and the heart muscle often suffer. These animals require lifelong special care.

Distemper is very difficult to treat and often leads to the death of the pet. To keep your furry pet he althy, you need to take care of all preventive measures in advance. All animals that live in the house should be vaccinated, since the virus is highly resistant to various external factors.

Distemper Prevention

Timely vaccinationcan save a life from distemper. To prevent a deadly disease, veterinarians advise following some rules:

• new animals must be kept in quarantine for at least two weeks;
• cat's diet should be complete and balanced;
• it is imperative to maintain the pet's immunity at a high level, for which you can use such bioadditives as "Kvadrikat", "Multifel", "Nobivak".

As for distemper vaccination for a cat, its effectiveness depends on how competently the preliminary deworming was carried out. Also important is the antiviral prophylaxis, which is prescribed before vaccination.

So that your pet does not get sick and makes you happy for many years to come, learn to identify the slightest symptoms of illness in order to contact the veterinarian in time and provide appropriate medical care to your furry friend. Timely diagnosis and treatment will give your animal a chance for a further full life. Remember, distemper is not a sentence, but the he alth of your pet in this case depends entirely on your actions.