Coronavirus in cats

In our country there are more Bole new kennels, where rare breeds of cats from all over the world get. Together with them, we get rare and previously unfamiliar diseases, which we have not encountered before. One of them is a serious coronavirus infection. What is this disease , and how can we fight such a formidable alien?

Coronavirus in cats - symptoms

This virus is a spherical smallest particle, with a diameter of only about one ten thousandth of a millimeter. It causes feline infectious peritonitis and coronavirus enteritis. Fortunately, for us they are harmless, but for pets can be deadly.

  1. Feline enteritis. Often such a form of coronavirus can be found in a kitten, small animals are most susceptible to the disease. It all starts with vomiting , which is accompanied by diarrhea. This is due to the fact that the disease affects the intestinal mucosa. For a long time even the recovered creatures remain carriers of infection. After 2-4 days usually, if the animal is not too weak, recovery comes.
  2. Feline Infectious Peritonitis. The incubation period of coronavirus can last about 2-3 weeks. This disease begins suddenly and very often leads to death. The virus has the ability to destroy white blood cells, which opens the way to other infections. The body temperature rises, the stomach is swollen, the animal loses its appetite, becomes sluggish, loses weight. There are two forms of infectious peritonitis - dry and wet. With a wet form, fluid accumulates in the abdominal or thoracic cavity. When dry - the liquid is not collected, but the kidneys, lymph nodes, liver, pancreas, eyes, brain or spinal cord are affected. Symptoms of the disease may coincide with jaundice. Almost always increases the spleen. Perhaps the appearance of coughing, hoarseness, dyspnea. When the infection affects the brain, there is paralysis, convulsions, behavior changes. Sometimes in animals no visible clinical signs are observed when the disease passes in a latent form.

Coronavirus in cats - treatment

Unfortunately, at present no good treatment has been found against such a dangerous disease. Short-term improvement results in aspiration (excretion) of ascites fluid and the use of prednisolone. Antiviral drugs (ribavirin) or immunomodulators have shown their effectiveness for prevention, but in the process of treatment they are not so effective. Usually remove the liquid, use diuretics. Apply lasix, triampur, hypothiazide, ammonium chloride, veroshpiron, hexamethylenetetramine. In rare cases, the animals recover themselves, but this does not mean that they completely got rid of the presence of the virus in the body.

Coronavirus prophylaxis

This virus is not resistant to high temperatures or soap. On a dry surface, it can be in a normal state and retain the ability to infect about 2-3 days. A possible source of infection can also be dogs. All cats that have contacted sick animals should be under constant supervision. Do the following:

Any prevention consists of complying with a set of hygiene measures and full feeding of their cats. The vaccine against coronavirus in cats called Primucel FIP was manufactured and licensed in the USA and Europe. In most cases, the drug protects against infection, but in some cases it sometimes leads to heavier disease. Constant attempts to create a quality and safe drug in our country and in the West do not stop.