Cats and Leukemia Virus Infection (FeLV)

Sunday July 31st, 2011

This article courtesy of PetMD.com.

Feline Leukemia Virus Infection (FeLV) in Cats

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a disease that impairs the cat's immune system and causes certain types of cancer. This virus is responsible for a majority of deaths in household cats, affecting all breeds. Males are more likely to contract the infection than females, and it is usually seen between the ages of one to six years old.

Symptoms and Types

Signs depend on the type of infection: FeLV-A, FeLV-B, or FeLV-C. Cats found with the virus can be infected with one, two, or all three types.

FeLV-A:

Occurs in all cats infected with FeLV. It severely weakens the immune system (immunosuppression).

FeLV-B:

Occurs in about 50 percent of FeLV-infected cats, and causes tumors and other abnormal tissue growths.

FeLV-C:

The least common type, occurring in about 1 percent of FeLV-infected cats. It causes severe anemia.

Of these types, some of the more common symptoms include:

Anemia
Lethargy
Weight loss
Abscesses
Enlarged lymph nodes
Persistent diarrhea
Infections of the external ear and skin
Fever (seen in about 50 percent of cases)
Wobbly, uncoordinated or drunken-appearing gait or movement
Inflammation of the nose, the cornea, or the moist tissues of the eye
Inflammation of the gums and/or mouth tissues
Lymphoma (the most common FeLV-associated cancer)
Fibrosarcomas (cancer that develops from fibrous tissue)

Causes

FeLV is usually contracted from cat-to-cat transmission (e.g., bites, close contact, grooming, and sharing dishes or litter pans). It can also be transmitted to a kitten at birth or through the mother's milk. Kittens are much more susceptible to the virus, as are males and cats which are allowed to go outside.

Diagnosis

Your veterinarian will first rule out other infections such as bacterial, parasitic, viral, or fungal. In addition, nonviral cancers need to be ruled out.

A complete blood count is done to determine if the cat has anemia or other blood disorders. Diagnosis may also be determined by conducting a urinalysis, or through a bone marrow biopsy or bone marrow aspiration (removing a small amount of marrow fluid for study).

Treatment

Your veterinarian will prescribe medication to treat the symptoms and causes for FeLV. After that, a yearly vaccination for respiratory and intestinal viruses is recommended. Your cat will not be hospitalized unless it has severe secondary infections, low red-blood cell count or extreme weight loss with muscle loss. In these cases, it will be kept under hospital care until its condition stabilizes. Emergency treatment, such as blood transfusions, is sometimes needed.

Opportunistic infections are another concern. These are infections that occur indirectly because of the animal's weakened immune system (due to the FeLV). Supportive therapy, such as fluids or nutritional supplements, are helpful in these cases.

Diarrhea, kidney disease, or long-term (chronic) muscle loss may require a special diet. Also, infected teeth or gums must be cleaned; teeth extraction is necessary in severe cases.

Living and Management

You will need to monitor your cat for symptoms of infection and keep in touch with the veterinarian regarding follow-up treatment and testing. More than 50 percent of cats that persistently have FeLV in their blood (known as FeLV viremic cats) succumb to related diseases within two to three years after infection.

Keep FeLV-infected cats indoors and separated from healthy cats to prevent the spread of the disease. Good nutrition is important, as is controlling any secondary bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections.

Prevention

Keeping infected cats separated (and quarantining them) is the only way to prevent FeLV in healthy cats. There are several commercial vaccines for the disease available. However, test the cat before initial vaccination, as it may already be infected.

This article originally appeared here on PetMD.com.

Tags Health Cat Health

DogTime newsletter

Recent conversations on these topics

K9 Advantix Side Effects?
Today I used K9 Advantix topical flea prevention on my 40lb dog. After I put it on her, she began pacing around the house and has been completely uninterested in anybody all day, she just wants to curl up in any strange corner she can find. Why is she acting this way? Is she having an allergic reaction to this product? She acted a little strange last time but I didnt think anything of it, this time...i'm not so sure. Should I stop using this product? Any suggestions are appreciated, thanks.
osteochondritis dissecans
Hi, does anyone have experience with a puppy with osteochondritis dissecans? My puppy showed intermittent front leg limping at about 4-5 months. X-rays showed osteochondritis dissecans (actually in both shoulders - although no symptoms on the other side). The vet recommended restricted activity to give it a chance to heal. 2 months later, the limping was only intermittent, and a repeat x-ray suggested the the lesion may have gotten bigger. The vet recommended let her run to see if the flap would break lose. It's since been 2 more months, and she is limping worse over the last couple days. How long is reasonable for allowing it to heal on its own? Isn't my pup at risk for arthritis if I let it go any longer? Is surgery usually successful? Any one have any experience either with conservative treatment or surgery and how did your dog do several years after?
Toe Pads "fused" - what to do?
The two center toe pads on BOTH of our puppy's front feet are fused/connected. (she is a female Akita) There is no involvement of the bones of the toe - they are separate. Its just that the the pad on these two toes is connected. I'm not referring to "webbed feet" which I'm familiar with - the toe pads are actually connected. This is obviously a congenital issues and I've never seen anything like it before (and I've "Googled" ever imaginable search term for this and keep coming up empty). Has anyone seen this before? I'm wondering if we should just leave it "as is" or surgically correct the issue. She seems to manage fine with the issue however she does get a little sensitive when touching her feet / paws. Additionally, i've noticed that she does NOT like walking up steps which obviously puts pressure on her paw pads (and the center toes don't really separate which I imagine is uncomfortable since there is essentially no "give"). We just had her spayed and the vet mentioned that she hasn't really seen this issue before however it should (theoretically) be easily corrected by simply surgically cutting/tearing the skin between the fused pads which would free them up and give her better range of motion, balance?, etc. Has anyone seen or experienced this? I'd be curious to hear from others since i'd like to make a determination now while she is still a puppy if we should just leave it as is OR have the issue corrected before she reaches full maturity (she's 6 months old now). Thoughts?
Canine Myasthenia-Gravis
I have done much research on this desease, but have yet to find a reasonable explanation as to HOW a dog aquires this deadly illness. I had a 10 year old, spayed female mixed breed dog...as far as I knew, she was German Shepard/Dobie or Rott...always in good health, and as a youn dog, extremely athletic. Gypsy was my soul mate, my co-pilot in life, and I know I'll miss her for the rest of my life...she was simply an incredible dog. Canine Myasthenia-Gravis killed her...this was last Oct. The symptoms came on very fast, after 2 days of her being lathargic and not eating, I took her to my vet...he diagnosed her right away, and we started the usual treaments for this illness...Gypsy didn't not respond, and although we did everything for her to save her life, just 4 days later, we put her to sleep...this on the morning after she spent the night throwing up dark, thick blood, full of stomach bile (and yes, we fed and gave her water elevated)...it just came on so fast and hard, even my vet was surprised. So....that brings me to why I am posting this...HOW does a dog aquire such a desease...I know what the desease is, and it obviuosly was the 'aquired' type...maybe it's closure I need, and maybe it's because I pray I never have another dog aquire this thing...HOW does a dog get it...there has to be a reason, a cause. Thank you.

see all conversations or start your own →