Feline Leukemia Virus Diagnosis

Diagnosis of Feline Leukemia (FeLV)

• tear tests
• saliva tests
• blood tests
• bone marrow tests, and
• X-rays.

Diagnosing is difficult because occasionally tests are difficult to interpret or the results are different when cats are retested in a few months.

The saliva test is simple to do, but is less accurate than blood tests. Tests of blood, saliva or tears can look for specific FeLV proteins. Finding the FeLV proteins does not mean the cat will become ill with FeLV. Some of these cats clear the virus from their bodies completely and never become ill. Because cats can clear an infection, any cat with a positive test is retested in 3 months to determine whether the cat is infected or has cleared the virus.

It’s also possible to diagnose Feline Leukemia with a blood test that measures the total number of white blood cells. The number of WBCs in a healthy cat ranges from 5,500 – 20,000 WBC per mm3 blood. When a cat has FeLV, the number of WBCs can increase or can plummet. While these results suggest FeLV, there are other conditions that cause WBCs to increase (infection) or plummet (kidney disease).

Diagnosis of FeLV is further complicated because many cats with FeLV are simultaneously infected with multiple diseases. For example, many cats with FeLV also have feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). When multiple diseases affect blood and bone marrow, it is more difficult to determine what is causing the pet’s illness. Often the diagnosis of FeLV requires waiting and retesting, which is emotionally draining for the family.

Read more information about Feline Leukemia.

The articles here were answered by a variety of pharmacists and veterinarians   Date Category Topic 06/30/11  Other  Losing Weight, Won't Eat 04/15/11  Other  Cost 03/07/11  Allergy  Distemper Or Allergy 08/25/10  Digestive Care  Excessive Smelly Gas 08/21/09  Pain/Inflammation  Inflammed Testicles And Odor 03/14/09  Seizure Disorder  Seizure During Sleep 09/18/08  Other  Stomach Pains 03/01/08  Other  Feline Leukemia 12/31/07  Vaccines  Injections 10/29/07  Dental Care  Tongue Ulcer 07/20/07  Vaccines  Re: Cat With Feline Leukemia 01/20/07  Vaccines  Feline Leukemia 12/31/06  Other  Not Sure 09/18/06  Other  Felv 08/28/06  Pain/Inflammation  Unusual Behavior In A Kitten 1 2 »»

 

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