| Credentials Statement Special Interest Facility Location Newsletter EMail Main Page |
| Leahy Animal Hospital |
|
Newsletter
Issue 5 A Commentary on Feline Preventative Medicine and Viral Disease Prevention of disease is probably the single most important aspect of health care for a pet owner to be concerned with. Although we cannot claim to have eliminated the impact of infectious diseases in the cat, we certainly can limit them. The three major headline virus diseases in the cat are caused by the Feline Leukemia oncornavirus, Feline Aids lente virus and Feline Infectious Peritonitis coronavirus. These diseases have been addressed in our 1998 newsletters. Our recommendations on prevention and availability of vaccination may reviewed at this site in those four issues. Probably the most common diseases in both pet and feral cats are viral in origin. Upper respiratory diseases or "cold" like symptoms in kittens caused by herpes virus and chlamydia organisms are the bane of all adoption agencies. The exposure rate is very high and infection may cause severe illness, with pneumonia and death possible. It also accounts for a majority of the chronic recurring nasal, ocular and pulmonary problems in the young and middle aged cat. Panleukopenia or Feline Distemper, a parvovirus infection, can cause either a severe flu like disease with diarrhea, vomiting and wasting or a mild "cold" like syndrome followed by chronic gastrointestinal disease with low grade intermittant diarrhea. Secondary bacterial intestinal infection and pneumonia may lead to death in the young unvaccinated cat or kitten. A more recently recognized concern, feline enteric coronavirus infection may cause either acute "flu or cold" like symptoms or chronic diarrhea and respiratory problems. The problem is that the kittens have little natural immunity passed on to them by the mother, if the queen has not had a series of routine vaccinations with intermittent scheduled boosters for these diseases. Although we initiate appropriate vaccinations in these kittens to prevent the occurrence of severe life threatening illness, the lack of natural immunity at birth can be a cause of chronic latent infection which may be controlled but not eliminated. The kitten should be examined by eight weeks of age and a vaccination series initiated. Booster vaccinations are given at four week intervals with rabies vaccination administered at 16 weeks of age in most cases. Rabies vaccination is required by New York State law and is of great public health importance. We have had human exposure from cats diagnosed with rabies. Rabies vaccination boosters are given one year after the initial dose and then repeated at three year intervals if an appropriate three year vaccine is used. One year licensed vaccines are available and are used in certain areas of New York as well as other states. The upper respiratory and panleukopenia booseter vaccination schedule is generally yearly. This is the "four in one, distemper" vaccine. For those cats at risk (see our previous newsletters) Feline Leukemia vaccination is given at 12 and 16 weeks of age with yearly boosters indicated. We do have some concerns on appropriate vaccination schedules in the adult cat with regards to either overvaccination or the infrequent occurrence of tumors at the site of certain vaccinations. (again see our previous newsletters). Three year adult vaccination programs are being evaluated at several teaching institutions and have been advocated by the American Association of Feline Practitioners. It is not the accepted schedule by the American Veterinary Medical Association. The problems of making a universally accepted recommendation come from the need to evaluate all of the varied commercially available vaccines in a natural exposure situation. Currently we recommend yearly booster vaccinations for the upper respiratory viruses, parvovirus and feline leukemia virus in those cats at risk for exposure and are otherwise healthy. Modifications are made for geriatric cats and those with minimal potential exposure. |