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Feline Leukemia signs & symptoms · Feline Leukemia diagnosis · Feline Leukemia treatment · Feline Leukemia related articles
Feline Leukemia Medical terms: Haemobartonella,
Leukemia,
Lymphoblast,
Lymphocytes,
Lymphopenia,
Neutropenia,
Monocytes,
Neutrophils,
Basophiles,
Eosinophils,
Fibrosarcoma.
Leukemia means white blood cells (leukocytes) within the blood (emia).
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With Feline Leukemia (FeLV), the number of white blood cells is drastically abnormal—either higher or lower than normal. This leads to tumors and overwhelming infections.
Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) is a contagious disease that causes two potentially fatal problems:
- immune system failure, and/or
- tumor development.
FeLV usually infects kittens less than 4 months old. Some infected kittens are able to clear the virus from their bodies and never become ill. Other kittens will be permanently infected but will not show any sign of disease for several years. These kittens usually become infected by their mothers who transmit the virus in their saliva or milk. Healthy older cats are normally immune to FeLV.
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Cat leukocytes or White Blood Cells (WBCs)
The medical term for White Blood Cell (WBC) is leukocyte (leuko=white and cyte=cell). WBCs are essential for fighting infections that all pets are constantly exposed to through their skin, digestive system, and lungs. To maintain protection, WBCs are produced in many areas: bone marrow, spleen, thymus, lymph nodes, and tonsils.
Some WBCs live only a few days and others live for months and years. Cats typically have 5,500 – 20,000 WBC per mm3 blood, which may seem like a lot, but it is not. In comparison, cats have 5,500,000 to 8,500,000 red blood cells per mm3 of blood. It’s possible to distinguish 5 different types of white blood cells (WBCs): lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, basophiles and eosinophils. Distinguishing types is helpful for diagnosing diseases. With leukemia, the lymphocytes or neutrophils are usually affected.
Most WBCs are found in the blood or in the lymph nodes, but some WBCs will be found in all areas of the body. The role of WBCs is to protect cats from infections. They do this in two ways:
- engulfing and eating the infectious material (phagocytosis), or
- producing antibodies to travel through the blood attacking viruses and bacteria wherever they find them.
When a cat is sick with FeLV, its WBCs do not act normally and cannot control invading viruses and bacteria. The immune system functions poorly and the cats are infected by everything they come in contact with. Some cats have low numbers of WBCs and others have abnormally high numbers of WBCs.
All cats are susceptible to FeLV but few develop the disease, so that only 1-2 cats in 100 have feline leukemia. Kittens less than 4 months old are susceptible to FeLV, but healthy mature cats appear to be immune. However, mature cats that have poorly functioning immune systems, are highly stressed and over-crowded, or already have a serious illness can be infected. Highly inbred cats are more susceptible than crossbred cats. Cats given transfusions of infected blood or injected with a needle used to inject a FeLV-positive cat can be infected. Transient contact with an infected cat does not spread the disease. Cats living for years in a household with an infected cat will sometimes become infected and other times they will not.
Kittens are infected several ways by mothers (queens) who are FeLV-positive:
- through the placenta before they are born,
- through the milk,
- through the mother's saliva, and
- through contact with other infected cats.
About 1-2% of the general cat population has FeLV. Male cats that roam outdoors are more inclined to have FeLV than are female cats or male cats that stay indoors. Once infected, some cats quickly begin showing symptoms of illness and die within months, but others live 2-3 years. Some cats infected with the virus do not become ill because they are able to clear the virus from their body.
Read more information about Feline Leukemia.
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The articles here were answered by a variety of pharmacists and veterinarians
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Fever
Weight loss
Swollen lymph nodes
Anemia
Upper respiratory infections
Persistent diarrhea
Sore gums & mouth
Recurring skin & ear infections
Nervous system problems
Low numbers of white blood cells
Low numbers of clotting cells
Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia
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Kittens less than 4 months old are susceptible to FeLV, but healthy older cats are resistant to infection
Of all cats that die of cancer, about 1/3 will die of FeLV-caused tumors
After a cat is infected with FeLV, 3 things can happen: the cat can clear the virus, can develop a latent infection, or can develop an overwhelming persistent infection
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Kittens less than 4 months old
Mature cats with extraordinarily weak immune systems
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Doxycycline
Prednisone
Oxytetracycline
Liquamycin
Interferon
IV ImmunoRegulin (propionibacterium acnes)
Acemannan
immunomodulator staphylococcal protein
Cyclophosphamide
Vincristine
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