Coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats what is it

Nevertheless, if the disease is detected in one of the pets, all cats contained in the house should be checked for the disease.

How to treat coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats?

Diseases of the digestive system и gastrointestinal tract In general, always a severe blow to the animal's body. Diseases are further complicated by the fact that the same symptoms coincide between a large number of completely different diseases, which must also be treated differently. A trivial diarrhea, vomiting or severe diarrhea may indicate any of the diseases, and therefore only an experienced veterinarian, who has already dealt with many diseases and knows what to do in this or that case, should carry out diagnosis. Most importantly, under no circumstances engage in diagnosis and treatment on their own, because often it will only make the situation worse. And so Coronovirus gastroenteritis in cats should not be neglected or overlooked.

Only an experienced veterinarian can make a clear and correct diagnosis, but do not rush to take your cat to the vet center yourself! Our center "Ya-VET" provides a service of making a house call to the veterinarian. This is not only convenient and will help you plan your time (because the doctor arrives in less than an hour at any time), but also helpful for your cat.

Cats often experience a lot of stress when moving to a new place, which is what the clinic serves. Stressespecially during illness, is very stressful for the cat, affects its immune system in a negative way and spoils the cat's condition. Our doctor will treat the disease professionally, quickly diagnose and prescribe a course of treatment.

Cats are very susceptible to viral infections, of which there are quite a few known at the moment. It should be borne in mind that lub.

In this article we will talk about infectious gastroenteritis, but remember that all the information is for informational purposes only. Diagnosis should be made by a professional, so Call your veterinarian if you notice the slightest symptoms.!

About coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats

In general, coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats has several names, which means the same thing. Thus, coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats otherwise known as feline viral peritonitis or else coronovirus infection.. The disease affects everyone in the feline family: pets of all breeds as well as wild cats. It is generally accepted to refer to the disease by the letters FIP, an English acronym that abbreviates the long and complicated English spelling of the infection – Feline Infectious Peritonitis.

Like any other infection, the disease is capable of not showing up for long periods of time.. Thus, the cat is a carrier of the virus until the infection feels weakness in the body and a gap in the immune system. This is the so-called incubation period, sometimes accompanied by intermittent diarrhea and diarrhea. If the diarrhea becomes more persistentIf the diarrhea becomes persistent, it is worth paying attention to it and seeing the veterinarian. If the disease is left untreated and allowed to flourish, it may also be fatal.

In total, the disease has two main forms, which coincide with most other diseases:

Coronovirus gastroenteritis in cats: the standard mode of transmission

The disease itself disease is infectious, which is caused by a special virus. It enters the cat's body by means of the cat's respiratory functions, for example by sniffing an infected object, or through the mouth during, for example, eating or licking. Alternatively, it is called oral and nasal. This is how the virus enters the body and begins to develop and gain strength. If it enters the body immediately through the gastrointestinal tract, the infection will take over the intestine and its epithelium at the beginning of the disease, if through the nasal route, the epithelium of the respiratory tissues in the upper part will be infected.

Varieties of coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats and dogs

There are 3 forms of coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats and dogs:

• Ultra-acute. This is the most dangerous form. Most often this form of the disease occurs in puppies and kittens along with intestinal infections such as parvovirus and rotavirus enteritis, with a pronounced clinical presentation. This form of the disease is almost 100% fatal within 1-2 days if the pet is not given skilled veterinary care in the first few hours. After the pet dies, its body must be cremated.
• Acute. Also seen in young animals in most cases. Clinical symptoms are pronounced, but not as pronounced. At the first sign of the disease, you should call a vet at home as soon as possible or take the animal to a veterinarian to begin treatment.
• Latent (latent). Often asymptomatic or with few, if any, mild symptoms. Appears in animals that are carriers of the virus or their immune system is significantly weakened.

Diagnosis and symptoms of coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats and dogs

The incubation period of the disease usually lasts from 1 to 5 days.
Coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats and dogs has the following characteristic clinical signs:

• incessant vomiting;
• prolonged diarrhea:
• lack of appetite;
• stools dark colored watery or in the form of mush with a foul odor and an admixture of blood;
• In the hyperacute form, the body temperature rises to 41° C;
• Heart failure develops.

To confirm the diagnosis of coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats and dogs and to differentiate it from other infections with a similar clinical picture, fresh feces are sent for laboratory examination.
The veterinarian also prescribes:

Treatment of coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats and dogs

When this disease is diagnosed, a comprehensive therapeutic treatment aimed at restoring the water-salt balance, increasing immunity and suppression of secondary bacterial infections is carried out. If necessary, adsorptive, antispasmodic and antiemetic drugs are prescribed.
The following drugs are used to treat coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats and dogs:

In the non-acute form of coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats and dogs and with early treatment, the prognosis for recovery is good.
To prevent the disease, it is necessary to follow the rules of hygienic care of the pet, limit contact with outdoor animals, and regularly undergo examinations at the veterinarian.

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Diagnosis

If symptoms of gastroenteritis are found in a cat, the following is not enough to determine the cause

collecting medical history and physical examination is not enough. A number of laboratory and hardware tests must be performed. Blood and feces are taken from the animal, the results of which may reveal problems with other organs that led to the gastrointestinal disorder. Bacteriological and virological analysis of vomit and gastric lavage may also be required.

One informative diagnostic method is ultrasound, which can detect the presence of a dynamic intestinal obstruction or foreign objects in the gastrointestinal tract, changes in the structure of its walls. In some cases an abdominal X-ray may be prescribed to increase the reliability of this examination.

Treatment

Therapy of coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats is aimed at suppressing the vital activity of the infectious agent, relieving the symptoms of inflammation of the mucosa of the stomach and intestines and restoring the vitality of the animal.

• Glycopin – immunomodulatory agent, activates the production of phagocyte cells;
• Globcan-5 – polyvalent immunoglobulin containing antibodies to viruses;
• Lycopid – destroys pathogenic and viral microorganisms in the body;
• Roncoleukin – immunostimulant, increases cellular and humoral immunity.

Most cats respond well to maintenance therapy. When treating coronavirus gastroenteritis use anti-diarrheal agents, gastroprotectors to protect the gastrointestinal mucosa, anti-emetics, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic agents.

When coronavirus gastroenteritis is recommended to put the cat on a starvation diet for one to two days, and then a few days giving only semi-liquid, easily digestible food. Make sure that the cat drinks at least 50 ml of water per 1 kg weight per day. If your cat refuses to drink, water can be injected behind the cheek with a syringe without a needle. If your cat is dehydrated, the doctor may prescribe intravenous infusions of isotonic sodium chloride solution and glucose.

In the vast majority of cases of coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats, the prognosis for recovery is good if the diagnosis is made in time and treatment is started at an early stage.

If the cat has good immunity and no concomitant diseases, the process of elimination is possible – the independent destruction of the infectious agent by the body. In such cases, the animal recovers quite quickly without the use of any therapeutic measures. However, it is almost impossible to completely remove the coronavirus from the body, and the cat will remain a virus carrier.

Treatment of peritonitis.

There are no specific anti-coronavirus drugs. Specific sera are not yet available.

The dry form is much better to treat, but much harder to diagnose, since the symptoms are often very similar to those of other diseases. Treatment is often directed toward regulation of the immune response to the virus. Usually immunosuppressive therapy is used, using glucocorticoid drugs. Use of large doses of corticoids gives short-term improvement. But pronounced immunosuppressive effect of their long-term use, in most cases causes a steady deterioration of the patient's general condition, which is associated with the suppression of cellular immunity.

If gastroenteritis occurs, symptomatic treatment is carried out.

According to some reports, a scheme in which injections of fosprenil were combined in parallel with symptomatic treatment was effective: sulfocamfocaine, antibiotics, gamavit, phytopreparation "Protection against infections".

Peritonitis in cats

Wet form of coronavirus peritonitis:

It is necessary to begin treatment as early as possible, while respecting the feeding regimes and hygiene of the maintenance of the sick animal. In this case, at this time can not be used immunostimulants, especially interferons, allowed to use recombinant interleukins (Roncoleukin, Betaleukin), but in the initial stage of the disease and it is undesirable.

The presence of large amounts of fluid in the abdominal (or thoracic) cavity threatens the animal with suffocation. To alleviate the general condition, the animal is punctured and the accumulated exudate is removed. Unfortunately, this manipulation brings only a temporary effect – rather quickly the effusion is recruited again. At the same time diuretics are used in therapeutic doses, but very carefully, as their use can dehydrate the body, but have no effect on the ascites fluid. Drip or subcutaneous infusions are also not recommended; only very small amounts of fluid are allowed subcutaneously in severe dehydration. Antibiotics are prescribed to suppress pathogenic microflora under veterinarian supervision. The use of prednisolone and other glucocorticoids in therapeutic doses is advisable.

Prevention and vaccine

Rules to be followed will help prevent coronavirus gastroenteritis in the cat:

• testing both pets for coronavirus before mating;
• Exclusion of contact with other animals;
• Proper nutrition, good hygienic care;
• Avoiding drafts in the house, overheating or overcooling of the pet;
• timely treatment of diseases of bacterial and viral etiology.

Protect the cat from coronavirus can be protected with a vaccine – Pfizer or Primucell. Drugs will help to weaken the severity of the disease, the rest depends on the pet's immunity.

Medication does not provide a complete guarantee that the cat will not get sick. Owners should monitor the pet closely, even if it is vaccinated.

Is it transmissible to humans

Coronavirus gastroenteritis is not transmitted from cat to human. The virus only affects members of the feline family, other animals and humans can be carriers of the infection, spreading it on clothing, hands, hair, but not getting sick.

Coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats is a deadly disease. If you do not go to the veterinarian in time to prescribe therapy and ignore the suspicious symptoms, it will be very difficult to cure the pet. Severe forms of coronavirus are untreatable, and 100% of such cases are fatal. In order to prevent the animal from becoming infected, it is important to follow preventive measures and carefully observe changes in the cat's behavior.