Feline leukemia
Feline leukemia is the most common non-traumatic fatal disease in cats. The disease has a long incubation period, clinical manifestations such as leukemia and lymphoma, and high morbidity and mortality rates. Some people call the disease feline leukemia-sarcoid syndrome.
Cats of different breeds and genders can be infected, but young cats are more susceptible. The virus is mainly spread horizontally among cats, and the virus is spread through the respiratory and digestive tracts. It is generally believed that under natural conditions, gastrointestinal transmission is easier than respiratory tract transmission. In addition, in addition to horizontal transmission, vertical transmission can also occur. Pregnant female cats can infect their fetuses through the uterus. The course of this disease is short and the fatality rate is high. About half of the sick cats die within 1 week after onset.
[Main Symptoms] Diseases caused by feline leukemia virus and sarcoma virus generally have a long incubation period, various symptoms, and certain difficulties in diagnosis. Common symptoms are described below:
1. Gastrointestinal lymphoma is mainly characterized by the occurrence of B-cell lymphoma tissue in intestinal lymphoid tissue and/or mesenteric lymph nodes and Peyer's patches. Clinical manifestations include loss of appetite, weight loss, pale mucous membranes, anemia, and sometimes vomiting or diarrhea. This type is more common, accounting for about 30% of all cases.
2. Multiple lymphoma causes swollen lymph nodes in many parts of the body, and superficial diseased lymph nodes in the body can often be touched with hands. Tumor cells often have characteristics of T cells. The spleen and liver are often damaged and enlarged. Affected cats often show general symptoms such as weight loss and depression. This type of cases accounts for about 20%.
3. Thymic lymphoma: thymic tissue is replaced by tumor tissue. Due to tumor formation and increased pleural effusion, breathing and swallowing difficulties occur, and sick cats often collapse. This type often occurs in young cats (around 2.5 years old).
4. Lymphoid leukemia has enlarged liver and spleen, and mild to moderate swelling of lymph nodes. Clinically, intermittent fever occurs, appetite decreases to complete loss, body weight loss, pale mucous membranes, bleeding spots on mucous membranes and skin, and hematology tests show an increase in the total number of white blood cells.
5. Other types of tumors caused by feline leukemia viruses are less common and are often limited to a single organ tissue, such as the kidneys and nervous system.
When pregnant female cats are infected with feline leukemia virus, sometimes vertical transmission occurs and the virus-carrying kittens are produced. Sometimes the fetus dies, is stillborn, or is absorbed by the mother.
[Treatment] Radiotherapy can inhibit the growth of thymic lymphosarcoma and also has certain effects on systemic lymphosarcoma. It can also be treated with a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine, that is, oral Chinese medicine can be taken at the same time as radiotherapy. For traditional Chinese medicine, you can try 3g of wild lily, 3g of Diyu charcoal, 3g of Rehmannia glutinosa, 10g of Codonopsis pilosula, and 10g of Asparagus pilosula. Decoc in water twice to obtain 60ml of medicinal solution. Take one dose per day, divided into two times, 30ml each time.
[Prevention] Prevention of this disease should be given priority. Strengthen feeding management and improve environmental sanitation. Check regularly to cultivate a healthy leukemia-free cat population. When introducing new cats, they must be isolated and quarantined. Only when they are confirmed to be free of the disease can they be integrated into the cat group. There are inactivated vaccines and compound feline leukemia virus vaccines to prevent this disease abroad, which are worthy of introduction and trial use.
