HAPPY FRIDAY!

Happy Friday!


An adorable black kitty was my first patient today. He was friendly, lovey and had a really unique personality. His Owner's were concerned because he has had a draining wound for quite some time now. He is an indoor/outdoor kitty and right after the accident he seem to be a little more lethargic than normal. After a few days he returned to his normal self but his wound is taking quite a while to heal. When he came in the wound looked like a bite wound and we treated him accordingly.


This is a very common occurrence in our practice. While I do think the wound, itself, is important enough to take care of, I really want to talk about the importance of testing and vaccinating for FeLV and FIV, especially in those kitties around other cats.  Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are two viruses which can be deadly to our furry little feline friends. These viruses can be transmitted through grooming, sharing water bowls and ultimately BITE wounds. If a cat has contracted one of these viruses it can be asymptomatic and clinically indistinguishable for years until they become very ill. Cats most at risk are outdoor or part of multi cat households.


So what do we do...knowing your cats risk factor, testing and vaccinating are the most important tools in prevention and treatment. We recommend testing your cat yearly for FeLV and FIV, and vaccinating for FeLV yearly. (The test we use in our clinic will not only detect FeLV and FIV but also detects feline heartworm disease as well. Stay tuned, we will have a whole other blog post for feline heartworm disease.) The test requires a few drops of blood and we can have results in about 10 minutes. Once negative, your cat can be vaccinated for FeLV. Unfortunately, the vaccine for FIV is not proven to work 100% of the time and is not recommended as a core vaccine through the American Association of Feline practitioners. 


Both of these viruses can have a wide array of symptoms. These viruses weaken your cat's ability to fight off infections and the secondary infections are what usually brings that patient into the hospital. If your kitty does come up positive, it is not completely a death sentence like once thought.  Once a cat shows positive we will just need to manage their health a little differently than a negative kitty. The other important thing to note is that anytime your bring a new cat into your family it is a good idea that they have a negative FeLV/FIV test on file before introducing them to your other kitty's. This can help prevent the spread of these diseases to your already negative cats!


I know I have only briefly gone over the two diseases and if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact your veterinarian. I hope you were able to learn something!


Thanks again for reading!!!


Doc E!