Acute gastroenteritis in cats: symptoms, treatment. Treatment of coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats

Gastroenteritis in most cases has similar reasons with all diseases digestive system. The main group of factors consists of eating disorders:

• Poor nutrition – feeding low-quality food, the presence of spicy, rough and salty foods in the diet, skipping meals. Recently, there has been a trend towards an increase in gastroenteritis in cats that are constantly fed dry food, as well as canned food. Low quality and with the inclusion of harmful additives.
• Binge eating.
• Salt poisoning heavy metals, which can enter the body with food.
• Food allergies.
• The use of medications that irritate the mucous membrane - antibiotics, resorcinol, etc.

The causative agent of the infection is a virus of the Rotavirus genus of the Reoviridae family. It has a round shape and a two-layer protective shell containing RNA.

There are several types of the virus, of which types 1, 4, 8 and 9 are considered dangerous to humans. The rest cause intestinal infections in animals.

In the external environment, the infectious agent can survive up to 12 months. It is found in tap water, soil, and food.

It is relatively resistant to standard disinfectants.

The infectious agent belongs to the genus Rotavirus, family Reoviridae. The virion has a spherical shape, a two-layer capsid shell, a diameter of 70-75 nm, and contains ribonucleic acid.

There are 9 serotypes of rotavirus, of which serotypes 1-4, 8 and 9 are pathogenic for humans; the rest call diarrheal diseases in animals. Rotaviruses remain viable for a long time, from 1 to several months, in the external environment (in feces, tap water, on vegetables, etc.).

d.), are relatively resistant to disinfectants.

Virus carriers and patients with rotavirus gastroenteritis pose an epidemic danger to others: the former can shed the virus for up to several months, the latter are most contagious in the first week of the disease (sometimes up to 20-30 days).

Transmission of infection occurs through the fecal-oral mechanism; food, water, airborne or household contact. Infectious factors in most cases are tap water, milk and dairy products, vegetables and fruits, toys and household items.

Clinical picture of the disease

The incubation period of rotavirus gastroenteritis lasts no more than 48 hours. After this period, pronounced symptoms of the disease appear.

The pathological process begins acutely, a detailed clinical picture is observed at the 12th hour of illness. Indigestion is the main symptom of rotavirus infection.

It manifests itself in the form of diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and pain in the epigastric region. Vomiting is observed only on the first day of the disease, attacks occur no more than 5 times a day.

There are stools 10-15 times a day, with mild flow In case of severe disease, it has a mushy structure; in severe cases, it has a watery, foamy character. The feces acquire a yellow or greenish color and a strong, unpleasant odor.

IN severe cases it becomes cloudy and colorless. Diarrhea is combined with cramps in the epigastric region and increased gas formation.

Symptoms

Symptoms and treatment coronavirus infection depend largely on the type of stamp, since FIPV and FECV cause different diseases.

But coronavirus of any subtype focuses on the abdominal cavity. If treatment is not started promptly, coronavirus gastroenteritis and peritonitis can even lead to fatal outcome.

Infectious peritonitis is considered an incurable disease, which is especially dangerous for a pet.

The onset of the disease occurs without pronounced symptoms. Fatigue, apathy, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and isolated bouts of vomiting are observed. In a number of situations, runny nose and lacrimation are noted. Animals with stable immunity experience recovery.

Weakened cats suffer long-term diarrhea, as a result of which the virus mutates and corona symptoms develop viral peritonitis:

• The state of depression intensifies.
• The cat is losing weight.
• The temperature is rising.
• Vision is impaired.
• Anemia develops, mucous membranes turn pale.
• Ascites and (or) pleurisy are formed.
• Observe symptoms of kidney and liver damage.
• Due to the action of the pathogen on the nervous system, convulsions appear.

There are wet and dry forms of coronavirus infection. The first type is characterized by the development of severe complications. The non-fungal form of coronavirus is characterized by the formation of pyogranulomas, colloquially called “wild meat”.

In addition to the above symptoms, in some situations there is a loss of coordination, a desire to hide in a dark place, a state of panic, and the development of fungal diseases.

In most cases, the disease occurs with a decrease or absence of appetite. The cat is usually weakened, with symptoms of depression present.

Characteristic signs of indigestion:

1. Vomiting – possible presence of blood, bile
2. Diarrhea – blood may also be present ( dark stool), mucus, undigested food, possible steatorrhea (greasy feces).
3. Abdominal pain – the cat characteristically hunches its back and is restless. If you feel your stomach, it will be tense and painful.

The purulent and hemorrhagic form is the most severe. The cat’s temperature rises, its general condition worsens, blood and pus are observed in the stool, characteristic appearance feces resembles raspberry jelly. Behavior changes - the cat is lethargic, apathetic, depressed.

Frequent vomiting and diarrhea lead to dehydration, and the cat experiences congestion eyeballs, severe weight loss, loss of elasticity and skin turgor (captured skin fold does not straighten out immediately).

A change in the color of the mucous membranes is characteristic - they become pale, and if the outflow of bile is disrupted, they take on a yellowish color.

With coronavirus, in addition to gastroenteritis, lesions are observed nervous system– paralysis and paresis, uveitis, ataxia and seizures.

Gastroenteritis occurs quite rapidly. The animal experiences general depression and fever. The cat may completely refuse to eat or drink. There is vomiting and diarrhea, sometimes with blood. A sick cat has decreased muscle tone. There is rapid weight loss. All mucous membranes are hyperemic.

Given the variety of possible causes, it is not surprising that the symptoms of gastroenterocolitis in cats are quite variable. There are a lot of them... The problem is that none directly indicate gastroenterocolitis.

As a rule, it all begins with profuse diarrhea. The cat runs to the litter box very often.

A distinctive feature is the “tension” of diarrhea. It often happens that the entire backside of the animal is stained with feces, which end up outside the cat’s litter box.

The animal weakens very quickly and is no longer able to put itself in order. It is especially difficult for long-haired cats, whose entire backside is “decorated” with icicles of fur, thickly stained with feces.

Fortunately, this clinical picture is more typical for a hyperacute course. As a rule, the matter is limited to prolonged diarrhea. In cases where the onset of the disease was provoked by poisoning or exposure to some infectious agent, abundant impurities of mucus and blood are often found in the stool.

It can be very strong, the animal literally “throws you up” on the spot. The attacks are long and painful.

Soon profuse vomiting and diarrhea lead to the development severe dehydration. The cat's eyes become sunken, the visible mucous membranes turn pale and become dry to the touch.

The skin loses its elasticity, the coat becomes ruffled, and individual hairs become stiff and brittle.

Coronavirus infection does not have specific symptoms. The disease manifests itself with clinical signs similar to those of adenovirus, parainfluenza, and rhinovirus infections.

Symptoms of rotavirus gastroenteritis develop after a short incubation period, lasting from 15 hours to 3-5 days (on average 1-2 days). Clinical manifestations manifest acutely and reach maximum severity within 12-24 hours.

The most characteristic syndrome rotavirus gastroenteritis is a digestive disorder: acute diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain. Usually vomiting is repeated no more than 3-4 times and only during the first day.

Bowel movements become more frequent up to 5-15 times a day; with a mild course of rotavirus gastroenteritis, it has a mushy consistency; in severe forms, it becomes watery, foamy, yellow or yellow-green in color, has a sharp sour odor, and does not contain pathological impurities (mucus, blood).

In some cases, the stool becomes cloudy, whitish in color and resembles cholera stool. Diarrhea is accompanied by constant or cramping pain in the epigastric region and in the navel area, and rumbling in the abdomen.

Manifestations of dehydration in infants include decreased body weight and tissue turgor; possible severe weakness, dizziness, convulsions.

Body temperature with rotavirus gastroenteritis rises to subfebrile or febrile values ​​and usually lasts for 3-4 days. In 60-70% of patients, simultaneously with gastrointestinal lesions, respiratory syndrome, characterized by hyperemia of the mucous membrane of the soft palate, rhinitis, sore throat, pharyngitis.

Changes in the kidneys are usually short-lived; may include albuminuria, microhematuria, cylindruria, oliguria. In some cases, decompensated metabolic acidosis and acute renal failure develop.

The total duration of rotavirus gastroenteritis is 7-10 days. Feverish-intoxication syndrome is expressed in the first 2-3 days, the duration of diarrheal syndrome is 3-6 days, vomiting is observed in the first 2 days. In people with immunodeficiencies, including HIV-infected people, rotavirus gastroenteritis can be complicated by hemorrhagic gastroenteritis or necrotizing enterocolitis.

Diagnostics and therapy

Owners of cats of any breed are interested in the question of whether this can be treated complex disease, its manifestation in the form of coronavirus gastroenteritis?

When the first symptoms of the disease appear (diarrhea, vomiting), you need to contact a veterinarian. The specialist will order tests to check for infection.

To do this, you need to bring the feces of a sick cat. The tests will allow you to establish an accurate diagnosis and choose the right treatment regimen. The decision on how to treat your pet largely depends on the type of stamp.

Rhinovirus and coronovirus infections are difficult to determine; enzyme immunoassay and immunochromatographic analysis of blood and serum are often needed. It helps detect antibodies. If there is large damage to the abdominal organs, a biopsy of the affected areas may be performed.

One of the first diagnostic methods is an examination of the oral cavity. It is observed white coating, profuse salivation.

It is also necessary to carry out virological and bacteriological diagnostics. For these purposes, vomit, feces, gastric lavage and duodenal contents are collected.

The diagnosis is made only (!) on the basis of a detailed study of the medical history, as well as multiple tests of feces, urine, and blood. Otherwise, it’s easy to make a mistake and start treating the cat for the wrong thing.

What is the treatment for gastroenterocolitis in cats? It depends on the root cause, but there are general patterns. So, first of all, it is vital to eliminate dehydration and intoxication. To do this, buffer compounds and glucose solutions are injected intravenously. They not only restore the balance of electrolytes in the blood, but also save the animal from starvation.

After that, everything depends on the root cause that caused gastroenterocolitis in cats: antibiotics, other antimicrobial drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If helminths are “to blame” for the development of inflammation, they are destroyed; if it is cancer, chemotherapy is prescribed and surgery is resorted to (when possible).

You should pay attention to the diet: only fresh, low-fat products should be used as food; inclusion in the diet is encouraged vitamin supplements and boiled vegetables.

Of course, in order to correctly diagnose a disease with such complex symptoms, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive and detailed examination of the body, studying abnormalities in each organ. Ultrasound and x-ray performed individual parts and organs. If the animal died, a pathological autopsy is performed.

A laboratory test is also carried out, which requires examining blood, feces, smears and rectal rinses. Also, the wash is taken from the abdominal cavity and chest cavity.

After examining the washings and feces using PCR, the presence of intestinal coronavirus is determined. Blood and effusion are also tested for the presence of pet peritonitis using PCR or ELISA testing.

It is worth understanding that it also happens that the peritonitis virus and intestinal disease often occur simultaneously, and if this form of the disease is not recognized in time, treatment becomes even more difficult, and sometimes even leads to death.

Diagnosis of coronavirus infection is carried out comprehensively, based on laboratory research, ultrasound, x-ray and pathological autopsy (in case of death of the animal).

For laboratory testing, blood, feces, rectal swabs, and free fluid from the abdominal or thoracic cavity (if available) are taken from animals. By examining rectal swabs and feces using the PCR method, we determine the presence of the intestinal form of coronavirus.

Blood and free fluid (effusion) from the serous cavities of the body are examined for the detection of feline peritonitis virus using the PCR method or antibodies to it using an ELISA test. It must be remembered that both the intestinal form of infection and the peritonitis virus can be detected in one animal at the same time.

Diagnosing coronavirus infection presents certain difficulties. This is due to the absence of a specific symptom complex.

Specialists use the following laboratory diagnostic methods:

• Serology - staging the complement binding reaction, neutralization reaction, indirect hemagglutination reaction, enzyme immunoassay.

If symptoms of coronavirus infection appear, you should consult a doctor. Treatment of children should be taken with particular seriousness.

Regime and diet

Nutrition for coronavirus patients lung infection. Usually a fortified dairy-vegetable diet is prescribed. Difficult to digest foods should be excluded from the diet: sausages, smoked meats, fatty and fried foods. Adults are advised to limit their intake to fruit juices and purees. Drinking plenty of fluids will help cope with ARVI. Patients should drink a lot and often of dried fruit compote, raspberry tea, and herbal teas.

It is necessary to maintain freshness and coolness in the room and observe bed rest. Regular wet cleaning and ventilation of the room is extremely necessary when developing respiratory infection. If the disease is carried “on your feet,” severe complications may develop - diseases of the internal organs and systems.

Drug treatment

All medications intended to treat coronavirus infection must destroy only viruses and not cause negative influence on organs and systems of the body. Medicines must be effective and quickly defeat the disease. They should relieve patients from unpleasant symptoms.

Physiotherapeutic procedures prescribed to patients after the exacerbation subsides: UHF therapy, electrophoresis, quartz.

Folk remedies

Often used to treat coronavirus infection various means traditional medicine: decoctions of berries, infusions of medicinal herbs, essential oils, alcohol tinctures.

The diagnosis of rotavirus gastroenteritis can be confirmed by a combination of epidemiological, clinical and laboratory data. Viral diarrhea is supported by family or collective outbreaks, winter-spring seasonality, rapid development of symptoms (abundant watery stool, paroxysmal abdominal pain, imperative urge to defecate, short-term fever, etc.).

Diagnostic sigmoidoscopy does not reveal any specific changes, except for mild hyperemia and swelling of the intestinal mucosa. The criterion for laboratory diagnosis of rotavirus gastroenteritis is the detection of the pathogen antigen in feces using PCR or RLA. A fourfold increase in the titer of antibodies to rotavirus, detected by ELISA, RSK and RTGA, makes it possible to verify the correct diagnosis only after 2 weeks.

Lack of finds bacteriological research feces on the intestinal group is the basis for excluding salmonellosis, dysentery, escherichiosis and other intestinal infections. It is also necessary to carry out differential diagnosis with food poisoning, enterovirus infection, yersiniosis, giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, balantidiasis, cholera.

How the disease is transmitted

If contact with an infected cat is not dangerous for a person, then for other felines such contact is dangerous.

The virus is transmitted through the feces of a sick individual, and you can become infected not only on the tray.

Treatment

To restore vitality, anti-inflammatory drugs and immunocorrectors are used:

• active tablet drug Glycopene is produced from bacterial cells and is used to inhibit the activity of harmful microorganisms;
• with the help of antibodies contained in the drug, canine Globcan-5 actively fights the infectious agent;
• actively expresses his bactericidal effect drug Lykopid;
• restores the immune system, destroys pathogenic and viral microorganisms in the body, reduces the manifestations of stress with the drug Roncoleukin;
• To restore the hemoglobin level, the iron-containing glycoprotein Polypherin A is used.

When infection is first detected, kittens are prescribed immunomodulatory drugs and antibiotics. Pets are fed dietary products, exclude semi-finished products and by-products. Multivitamin complexes are recommended, but they are used in short courses as prescribed and under the supervision of a doctor.

Making an accurate diagnosis without laboratory tests is impossible. The most informative is PCR - polymerase chain reaction. A specific therapy for coronavirus infection has not been developed. Immunomodulators do not give the desired result. Antibiotic therapy can temporarily alleviate the condition, but the return of painful symptoms cannot be ruled out.

Therapeutic measures are limited to combating complications. Pumping out the peritoneal contents alleviates the condition of the body, but does not cure it completely: the disease becomes a dry form.

A positive effect is observed when using anti-inflammatory medications and immunocorrectors:

• Poliferrina-A. It is an iron-containing glycoprotein isolated from colostrum. Stimulates the body's immune responses. Has an anti-inflammatory effect. Inhibits the development of pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi. Available in the form of an injectable medication.
• Ronkoleikina. The drug is isolated from baker's yeast. It has an immunostimulating effect, relieves stress, and successfully resists viruses, pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Designed for intravenous or hypodermal injections.
• Glycopene. The active substance is obtained from bacterial cells. The drug in tablet form is used to suppress pathogenic viruses and bacteria.
• Lykopida - tablets that stimulate the synthesis of interleukins. The drug has a bactericidal effect.
• Canine Globcan-5, which contains an antibody against the causative agent of canine coronavirus enteritis, eases the course of the disease.

The duration of treatment is determined by a veterinarian. The cat's diet should consist of ready-made dietary food. By-products and leftovers are excluded.

One of the first methods in treating a disease is to eliminate its underlying cause. Feeding should be adjusted - special dietary nutrition is prescribed.

In the first two days it is prescribed therapeutic fasting, then introduce decoctions of herbs - chamomile, St. John's wort, sage, oak bark, flaxseed. Fat-free beef broths are also added to the diet.

Then you can feed lactic acid products, cereals with milk, and vegetable soups.

From day 10 you can return to your usual diet.

In case of dehydration, a drip infusion of saline, glucose solution or rheopolyglucin is prescribed. You can carry out subcutaneous injections into the withers area of ​​50-100 ml.

To correct digestive disorders it is prescribed digestive enzymes– pepsin 300 units/kg, trypsin 0.2 mg/kg, pancreatin 0.5 mg/kg and mezim forte 2 tablets 3 times a day. good medicinal properties have festal, essentiale and panzinorm.

If the disease causes poisoning, then laxatives are used - phenolphthalein, Castor oil or magnesium sulfate.

To relieve pain, belladonna preparations are used in the form of a tincture, 3 drops per dose, besalol or belastezin, 1 tablet 3 times a day.

In acute cases, it is necessary to use antibiotics - levomecitin 0.5 tablets per day, imodium 1 capsule 2 times or tsifran 500 mg/kg 2 times a day.

If the cause of gastroenteritis is a viral infection, it should be administered course treatment immunostimulants - immunoglobulin, interferon, etc.

It is imperative to prescribe long-term (at least a month) vitamin therapy - vitamin U, A, D, B.

In parallel, antiallergic drugs are used to exclude possible or existing allergic reactions– diphenhydramine (half a tablet 3 times a day), you can also use tavegil, suprastin, diazolin.

At hemorrhagic form it is possible to prescribe a transfusion of blood or its components.

The animal must be provided with rest and prescribed a diet. The diet should contain mucous decoctions of rice or oatmeal, with the addition of benzophthalate.

Use raw eggs has a beneficial effect on the intestines. It is recommended to drink plenty of fluids with the addition of baking soda.

The cat should be given emetics and laxatives to clear the gastrointestinal tract as quickly as possible. If an animal has secondary gastroenteritis, it is necessary to accurately determine the etiology of the disease.

Among the medications, the veterinarian can prescribe: antibiotics (phthalazole, biovetin, biseptol, enteroseptol) and sulfonamides. Adsorbents and a 10% calcium hydrochloride solution should be administered intravenously. The veterinarian must prescribe a course of vitamins to maintain health.

Painful symptoms should be relieved with heating pads or analgin injection.

Mild and moderate forms of the disease can be treated on an outpatient basis under the supervision of a therapist or infectious disease specialist. Hospitalization is indicated when viral gastroenteritis is detected in children under 3 years of age and persons with severe immunodeficiency.

Enzyme preparations should be taken with every meal. In addition, it is necessary to use enterosorbents and probiotics.

Rehydration therapy for mild forms of the disease is carried out orally, for severe forms - parenterally.

Antibiotics are not used in the treatment of rotavirus gastroenteritis. Most effective antiviral drugs Anaferon and Arbidol are considered.

The disease almost always has favorable prognosis. Deaths observed among children early age and persons with severe immunodeficiency.

Prevention of the spread of infection consists of timely detection and isolation of infected people, and compliance with personal hygiene rules.

If diagnosed coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats - treatment may maintain quality of life, but will not bring a complete cure. The life expectancy of an animal depends on what kind of infection has struck the body; those with the intestinal form of coronavirus gastroenteritis can live well all their lives, even without assistance from a veterinary specialist.

But if an animal is infected with the infectious peritonitis virus, then life expectancy (from the moment the infection manifests) usually does not exceed several months. Veterinary assistance for sick animals, aimed at providing relief general condition and is symptomatic.

The course of treatment is prescribed strictly individually and depends on which organ systems are most affected.

How to protect an animal from illness?

In mild and moderate cases, treatment of rotavirus gastroenteritis is carried out on an outpatient basis under the supervision of a local pediatrician or infectious disease specialist; Young children and people with severe exicosis will be hospitalized. In the acute period of rotavirus gastroenteritis, patients are prescribed rest, a diet excluding dairy products, limiting carbohydrates and increasing the amount of protein.

Reception shown enzyme preparations(pancreatin), enterosorbents, probiotics. Rehydration and detoxification therapy in mild cases is carried out orally; in severe cases - parenterally in accordance with the volume of fluid lost.

It is recommended to drink tea, fruit drinks, mineral water; intravenous administration solutions of sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, glucose, etc. Antibacterial drugs for rotavirus gastroenteritis are not indicated; Umifenovir and alpha interferon are prescribed as etiotropic therapy.

The prognosis for rotavirus gastroenteritis is almost always favorable. Extremely rarely, mainly in infants, deaths caused by cardiovascular failure, acute renal failure or the addition of a bacterial infection.

Preventive measures consist of early identification and isolation of the patient, compliance with the sanitary and hygienic regime in the preschool educational institution, and carrying out final disinfection. For children in the first year of life, rotavirus gastroenteritis is prevented by breastfeeding.

In the older age group, additional vaccination against rotavirus infection is offered.

Complications

The prognosis of the disease is favorable. In advanced cases, weakened and exhausted patients develop severe complications:

1. Pneumonia is the most dangerous complication of coronavirus infection. Patients develop fever, cough and other symptoms infectious lesion lungs.
2. Bronchitis is a bacterial inflammation of the bronchi, manifested by a dry or wet cough.
3. Sinusitis develops as a result of a bacterial infection. Patients constantly have a stuffy nose, headaches, body temperature rises, and nasal discharge becomes purulent.

Less common, but no less severe, complications include: otitis media, myocarditis, meningoencephalitis.

Atypical pneumonia is the most common and dangerous complication of coronavirus infection. The disease has an acute onset. The main symptoms of the disease are: fever, chills, headache, myalgia, general weakness, dizziness. Intoxication syndrome is the main clinical sign of pneumonia. Wherein catarrhal symptoms fade into the background.

During examination, patients are found to have pale skin, cyanosis of lips and nails, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure. If left untreated, atypical coronavirus pneumonia can lead to the development of acute respiratory failure and thromboembolism pulmonary artery, spontaneous pneumothorax, pulmonary heart failure, toxic myocarditis, cardiac arrhythmia.

These pathologies often end in the sudden death of patients.

Prevention

Despite the complexity of the disease, there are effective measures, which are able to protect against it in most cases.

First of all, this is a vaccine against coronavirus. But it is also necessary to provide the animal with complete and fortified nutrition, proper care so that his immunity is able to fight the most complex diseases.

If coronavirus appears in the house, the infected cat must be isolated from healthy pets. This should be done as quickly as possible. It is dangerous to allow your pet to come into contact with yard cats; many of them can be carriers of a dangerous infection.

• Correct and complete diet, with alternating dry and wet premium or super premium food.
• You should not give your cat salty, spicy or smoked foods, as well as food that is not typical for carnivores - sweets, too fatty or smoked.
• Buying high-quality food, avoiding spoiled or contaminated foods in the diet.
• Feeding 2 to 4 times a day.
• When changing food, the new one should be introduced gradually, starting with a small amount of the new type of food per day.
• Do not mix industrial and natural feed.
• Regular use of vitamins (courses every six months)
• Preventive deworming – for domestic cats once a year, for those with access to the street – 2 times a year.

Vaccination

Over the course of long-term research, many attempts have been made to develop an effective vaccine to protect cats from infection with the coronavirus, but only a few have achieved successful results. The intranasal vaccine Primucell, Pfizer, is recognized for use.

The drug is made using a temperature-dependent strain that is capable of dislocating and multiplying only in the mouth or pharynx. This property allows him to produce a small amount of antibodies and form immunity local significance at the site of entry of the virus.

This vaccine preparation is effective against the causative agent of coronovirus and is safe, but no convincing results have been obtained regarding the protection of the animal’s body from infectious peritonitis. The recommended age for starting vaccination is 16 weeks, but by this time the kittens have already had contact with the coronavirus from the mother’s body, which makes vaccination an unnecessary procedure.

For every cat owner, the illness of his pets is not a pleasant event. The first thing to do in such cases is to immediately contact a veterinarian for timely and correct setting diagnosis and subsequent effective treatment. Coronavirus in cats is considered one of the most mysterious diseases, which can kill several dozen purring cats every year. And although unvaccinated cats suffer from this disease more often, vaccination cannot 100% guarantee that your furry friend will not get sick. Therefore, it is advisable for caring owners to know as much as possible about coronavirus in cats. This way they will be able not to miss the manifestation of the first symptoms, when the animal can still be helped.

Coronaviruses - viruses from the order Nidovirales are quite large (from 80 to 130 millimeters in diameter) pleiomorphic microorganisms with a lipoprotein shell and club-shaped glycoprotein processes.

Feline coronavirus was first described in 1963. To Russia this infection came only in the 90s, nevertheless becoming a real punishment for cat nurseries and their owners. For this reason, every loving owner is simply obliged to “make friends” with vaccination, especially if your purr has free access to the street and contact with other relatives.

Who is most often affected by the coronavirus?

Researchers of this infection have noticed that often a very tiny kitten can suffer from coronavirus. Moreover, in 90% of cases, the disease ends, unfortunately, in death. In addition, this disease is found either in a cat under two years old, or already in eleven to twelve year old individuals.

There are three reasons that determine whether a cat gets coronavirus or not.

1. Age and health status of the cat.
2. Form of infection.
3. The degree of damage to the animal's body by infection.

The state of health plays a primary role here, because a sufficiently good immune system will help the body immediately fight the penetration and reproduction of viruses. In this case the probability fatal outcome can be excluded, and the disease will manifest itself only in mild form. Conversely, a cat’s body with a weak immune system will have a much more difficult time resisting the mutation of the virus.

This feline disease cannot be transmitted to pet owners, so worries about your own health are unfounded.

There are several cases where the coronavirus is not able to infect an animal’s body for a reason that has not yet been clarified. There is a version about the influence of genetics capable of developing protective barriers against the pathogens of this virus.

Symptoms of coronavirus

Coronavirus infection in cats has a variety of symptoms, which should be recognized as early as possible.

1. The purr develops a runny nose, mild diarrhea with blood, and apathy. The animal eats less.
2. Short-term vomiting and diarrhea, which subsequently disappear on their own.
3. Soon the cat may experience constant lacrimation. Increased episodes of vomiting and diarrhea.
4. Purr gets tired quickly. He drinks a lot, but has no appetite.
5. The animal has watery, rather unpleasant-smelling feces of a brown-green color. At first there may not be blood in them, but as the disease develops, it appears.
6. Signs of dehydration clearly appear: the coat becomes dry and brittle, and the skin loses its elasticity. Neurological seizures may occur if death from peritonitis does not occur by then.

Subsequently inner fabrics will become widely available to intestinal microflora. This causes deep erosions and ulcerations. If the cat is not properly treated, then perforation will soon occur, threatening to develop into diffuse peritonitis. In most cases, at this stage the purr is euthanized, since there is practically no chance of recovery.

Several variants of the course of the disease

Depending on the condition of the body, age and vaccination, the coronavirus is transmitted by cats differently. In general, there are four variants of the course of the disease.

1. In half of the cases, the infected animal becomes ill, having severe diarrhea. Subsequently, clinical recovery occurs. Nevertheless, the virus can be excreted in feces for another two months, and in case of a severely weakened body – for nine months.
2. A tenth of infected purrs are doomed to be euthanized, since in this case a relatively harmless virus mutates into an incurable form of infectious coronovirus enteritis.
3. Chronic course of the disease. There are cases when the coronavirus infection of cats, although it enters the body, nevertheless, the immune system actively resists it, although it is not able to completely defeat the virus. The cat remains healthy. He will only be bothered by chronic diarrhea, which the owners will eliminate with varying degrees of success exclusively using improvised means. But such purrs will spread infection throughout their lives.
4. Not all cats become infected with coronavirus infection. Some individuals are quite resistant to this disease. To date, scientists have not yet identified this resistance gene.

Transmission of coronavirus in cats

Most often, cats become infected with coronavirus through the fecal-oral route when kept in groups or in nurseries. Kittens become infected primarily from their mother at five to seven weeks of age.

Feline coronavirus is shed in the feces of infected individuals. Purrs become infected by ingesting or inhaling this virus.

Once in the external environment, the coronavirus remains viable for up to 7 weeks.

Coronavirus infection in cats practically cannot be transmitted through the hands of owners, other pets or clothing if they are not contaminated with the feces of an infected cat.

Diagnosis of feline coronavirus

Since most felines are asymptomatic carriers of the coronavirus, diagnosing it is quite difficult.

This virus can be excreted in feces and only from time to time, so a single negative test result cannot be a guarantee of a pet’s health. To establish the fact of elimination of the coronavirus, feces are analyzed by PCR five times at monthly intervals. Moreover, all five studies should give negative results, and the antibody titer level should be below ten.

Vaccination

Scientists have made many attempts to create an effective and safe vaccine, most of which were unsuccessful. Now in veterinary pharmacies You can buy the intranasal vaccine Primucell, Pfizer.

This vaccine is very effective against feline coronavirus. It is manufactured in accordance with all requirements for the safety of medical supplies. However, no compelling evidence has been obtained regarding the effectiveness of this vaccine against infectious peritonitis. In addition, it is recommended to vaccinate cats for the first time only at four months of age, when most purrs could already be in contact with coronavirus infection, which means there is no point in vaccinating them.

Prevention and treatment of coronavirus infection

If a cat is diagnosed with coronavirus gastroenteritis, treatment will consist of maintaining quality of life. It cannot bring a complete cure. The lifespan of a purr will depend on what kind of harmful microbe has infected the animal’s body. An animal can survive with coronavirus gastroenteritis, especially its intestinal form, without veterinary care. But with infectious peritonitis, a cat will rarely live even six months. Medical care for sick cats will be aimed primarily at alleviating their general condition. The course of treatment prescribed by your veterinarian may include various immunomodulators and antibiotics, depending on which organs the coronavirus has affected more in the cat.

How to protect your furry pet from illness

• Avoid contact of the cat with large groups of relatives, for example, in transport or at exhibitions. Let him outside less often. Do not leave temporarily in the nursery.
• Keep your pet clean.
• Make sure your cat is less likely to overheat or become hypothermic.
• Make sure the partner chosen for mating is healthy.
• If you have several purrs, be sure to isolate all individuals under 4 months of age, because if a kitten becomes infected with coronavirus gastroenteritis, it is unlikely that it will be able to survive.

This is how nurseries fight the spread of coronavirus and other infections.

• Newly arriving cats are quarantined for a certain time, during which the pets are tested for coronavirus.
• Seropositive individuals are not allowed into the group.
• Kittens are removed from the infected mother to rid the entire group of the virus.

Coronavirus gastroenteritis of cats, coronavirus infection, viral peritonitis, FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis)- these are all names for the same thing viral disease caused by feline coronavirus.

Coronavirus infection is widespread in domestic cat populations around the world. This disease also causes a lot of trouble for owners of large pedigree catteries. The disease has a wide range of clinical manifestations - from diarrhea to classic effusion peritonitis. However, the disease can be completely asymptomatic for a long time.

Feline coronaviruses are usually divided into two groups according to the degree of pathogenicity of the strains.

Primary, after the virus enters the cat’s body (orally or nasally), its development (replication) occurs in the nasopharynx and in the intestinal epithelium. Under unfavorable circumstances, the infection can become systemic and develop into feline viral peritonitis. It is caused by one of the strains of coronaviruses and manifests itself as chronic or acute gastroenteritis.

Feline enteric coronavirus (FECV) is a low-pathogenic (potential to cause an infectious process is low) RNA virus, with a characteristic high contagiousness (possibility of infection through contact is high). Animals become infected through contact with each other or with the feces of sick animals. Moreover, the further scenario for the development of the disease largely depends on the condition immune system animal, in particular from tension cellular immunity. If the cat is healthy and the cellular immune response to the invasion of the virus is sufficiently active, then the virus can be completely eliminated (removed) from the body, and the animal does not get sick at all. Or its population can be maintained at an extremely low level, with the sick cat becoming an asymptomatic carrier of the virus. If the animal is weakened or experiencing stress, then clinical manifestations may be in the form of diarrhea of ​​varying intensity, sometimes lethargy and vomiting. If circumstances are favorable, the symptoms may go away on their own after some time. Intestinal coronavirus in cats with reduced immunity often accompanies chronic diarrhea with blood and mucus.

Clinically, feline infectious peritonitis is divided into two forms: dry and effusion (wet). The form of viral peritonitis in a particular cat depends on the strength of the immune response, in particular cellular immunity. The dry form develops in animals with a satisfactory cellular response; the disease progresses slowly. In this case, granulomatous formations appear in the abdominal cavity, lymph nodes enlarge, anterior uveitis with keratic precipitates often occurs, and damage to the central nervous system is possible.

The wet or effusion form of viral peritonitis develops in animals with pronounced defects in cellular immunity; development occurs rapidly with a pronounced accumulation of effusion both in the abdominal cavity and in the pleural cavity.

Clinical signs of the disease

If we are talking about a non-pathogenic intestinal form of coronavirus infection, then it often occurs without any severe symptoms, rarely causing transient digestive upset that may result in diarrhea. The main symptom of the disease is inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. After infection, a lifelong carrier of the virus is possible.

Infectious peritonitis can have different clinical signs, depending on the form of the course. TO common features Corona virus peritonitis can be attributed to intermittent fever (there is no positive response when antibiotics are prescribed), even against the background of severe leukocytosis, the temperature can sometimes be lowered, loss of appetite, anorexia, weight loss, if it is a kitten, then it is very much behind its peers in growth, There may be severe dehydration if the predominant clinical signs are vomiting and/or diarrhea. Often general decline animal activity.

Actually, the effusion “wet” form is characterized by the accumulation of fluid in the chest (hydrothorax) and abdominal (ascites or dropsy) cavities, peritonitis (inflammation of the serous membrane of the abdominal cavity), pleurisy (inflammation of the serous membrane of the chest cavity). In the presence of a large volume of effusion fluid, a sick animal often has severe respiratory failure, less often heart failure, shortness of breath, cyanotic (blue) mucous membranes oral cavity, tongue, vagina, forced situation body (sitting with elbows apart, with an outstretched neck and lowered head), the inability to remain in a lying position for a long time. The wet form occurs very quickly, the animal dies within a few days or weeks.

Most characteristic features The “dry” form of infectious peritonitis is the formation of granulomas (foci of productive inflammation) in the peritoneal cavity, severe enlargement of the mesenteric lymph nodes, damage to the nervous system, anterior uveitis with keratic precipitates. The dry form of infectious peritonitis in cats can last much longer than the wet form, sometimes up to several months.

Regardless of the form of the course, very diverse clinical symptoms can be added to the clinical picture, depending on the involvement of a particular organ in the process and the degree of its damage.

Diagnosis of the disease

At laboratory diagnostics For coronavirus infection, a comprehensive examination of blood, feces and effusion from the abdominal or thoracic cavity is used, the final diagnosis is made pathologically (posthumously).

Blood is examined biochemically, clinically and serologically. Biochemical and general clinical blood tests show the general condition of the animal’s body; there are no changes in specific indicators in the blood for coronovirus. The most common changes are a slight increase in leukocytes and neutrophils, a slight decrease in lymphocytes. Anemia may occur with chronic course diseases, increased levels of immunoglobulins and total protein, increased liver enzymes by terminal stage diseases.

Detection of antibodies to coronavirus infection is also not very informative, because Using serodiagnosis, it is not possible to differentiate pathogenic strains of viral peritonitis from non-pathogenic intestinal coronoviruses.

The main method for diagnosing the disease is the detection of antigen in the feces of a sick animal using polymerase chain reaction. Express diagnostics for the presence of virus in callus masses using the ICA method is also possible. The detection of intestinal coronavirus is not a sign of the presence of infectious peritonitis virus, while the detection of infectious peritonitis often accompanies the presence of intestinal strains of the virus.

When examining effusions from the abdominal and chest cavity with FIP, the fluid (exudate) is straw-yellow in color, rich in protein, may contain blood, and there are signs of pyogranulomatous inflammation.

Ultrasound diagnostics in animals with suspected FIP reveal swollen intestines, free fluid in the abdominal cavity, enlarged lymph nodes, changes in the kidneys, liver and spleen. X-rays may reveal fluid in the chest and abdomen.

Treatment of coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats

If coronavirus gastroenteritis is detected in cats, treatment will not lead to complete recovery from the disease. Viral gastroenteritis in cats (in any form) is an incurable disease, regardless of the strain and pathogenicity. Only the life expectancy of animals varies; if a cat with an intestinal form of coronovirus can live its entire life without showing serious clinical signs, then viral peritonitis leads to the death of the animal in quite a long time. short time(weeks - months).

Treatment must be carried out under the supervision of a veterinarian; in any case, it comes down to: symptomatic therapy aimed at improving the quality of life of the animal. The course of treatment is selected strictly individually, it all depends on the form of infection and individual characteristics the reaction of the cat’s body to it.

Prevention

Factors that increase the risk of FIP include:

• Crowded keeping of animals (kennels with a large number of animals, shelters)
• Young age (up to 4 months) or old age after 7 years
• Violation of sanitary and hygienic standards for keeping animals, unsanitary conditions
• Increased level of stress in animals (psychological overload, food stress, hypothermia, overheating, transportation, etc.)
• Exchange between nurseries of animals not tested for coronavirus
• Matings with dubious producers
• Contacts at exhibitions
• Genetic predisposition (presence of defects in cellular immunity in an animal)

Based on all of the above, the following measures are taken to prevent cats from contracting coronavirus infection:

Strict adherence to animal hygiene rules, regular change of trays

• Try to avoid mass housing of animals in a limited area
• All newly arrived animals must be tested for latent carriage of coronavirus
• Matings should only be carried out with trusted producers.
• Avoid any contact with unsafe nurseries
• Isolation of kittens with their mother from adult cats up to 3 months

If several animals are kept together, then periodically they need to be examined and seen by a veterinarian. You should also carry out routine disinfection and monitor the cleanliness of the premises where cats are kept.

Coronavirus gastroenteritis is a disease of cats that has infectious origin, caused by a special virus that enters the animal’s body through the nose or mouth (nasal or oral), where the initial development of the virus occurs. If the gastrointestinal tract served as the gateway for viral infections, then already at the very first stage infectious process the intestinal epithelium is covered; if the infection occurs when sniffing infected objects, then the primary infection occurs in epithelial tissue upper respiratory tract.

Viral peritonitis of cats, coronavirus infection and coronavirus gastroenteritis of cats, these are all names of the same disease of the cat family, it affects not only our domestic cats, but also all representatives of wild cats, the English abbreviation of this disease FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis).

After a cat is infected with coronavirus gastroenteritis, the animal long time may be an asymptomatic carrier of the infection, have periodic or persistent diarrhea. Only a mutation of the virus of such gastroenteritis leads to manifestation systemic violations and the actual viral peritonitis of cats begins, which is invariably fatal.

Feline gastroenteritis can take two forms:
Spicy.
Chronic.

Strains and symptoms of coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats

Coronavirus gastroenteritis itself differs according to groups of virus strains:

Intestinal strains or intestinal coronavirus of cats, in the English literature this strain has the designation Feline Enteric Coronavirus or FECV . This strain is highly contagious to all felines (highly contagious), but has a very low likelihood of causing feline viral peritonitis (lowly pathogenic). After entering the body one way or another, the virus can begin to reproduce or be completely removed from the body. This depends entirely on the immunological status of the animal. If the outcome is favorable, all viral particles are recognized and removed by cells of the immune system; if the outcome is not favorable, the animal is a carrier of feline coronavirus gastroenteritis. If the carrier of the infection is in a state constant stress or transfers accompanying illnesses, then coronavirus infection can manifest itself as diarrhea varying degrees severity or admixtures of blood and mucus in the stool of a healthy cat.

Symptoms:

inflammation digestive tract;

diarrhea;

blood and mucus in the stool;

vomits A.

Strains that cause feline infectious peritonitis or feline infectious peritonitis virus in the English literature - Feline Infectious Peritonitis Virus (FIPV). FIPV as opposed to FECV has a high degree of pathogenicity (a sick animal has almost 100% mortality), but at the same time extremely low contagiousness. This means that an animal infected with the feline peritonitis virus will most likely die, but other members of the feline family are unlikely to become infected through contact with it. Enteric coronavirus and feline infectious peritonitis virus are two strains of the same virus, closely related to each other.

FIPV - this is a product of a mutation of a strain of intestinal coronavirus, but if the intestinal coronavirus is tropic to the intestinal epithelium (reproduces and feeds only in the cells of the intestinal epithelium), then after the mutation the feline peritonitis virus affects macrophages (cells of the immune system, whose function is the absorption of foreign cells and particles) and spreads throughout the body, thus infectious peritonitis affects all organs and systems to one degree or another.

Depending on the intensity of cellular immunity in a sick animal, feline viral peritonitis has two clinical forms currents: dry and exudate. The dry form develops quite slowly, while the effusion form is more transient. The symptoms of infectious peritonitis are not very specific and in the initial stages can have very diverse manifestations, depending on the degree of damage to a particular organ system and tissue.

Clinical signs

Intestinal coronavirus infection, as a rule, does not cause cats great concern and is manifested by periodic bouts of diarrhea of ​​varying severity or by mucus and/or blood in the stool (a sign of destruction of the intestinal mucosa and inflammation of the intestines). After a single infection, animals become lifelong carriers of the infection. In general, cats infected with coronavirus gastroenteritis feel normal unless the intestinal form of the virus mutates into feline peritonitis virus.

Animals infected with feline viral peritonitis have a very diverse clinical picture, which depends both on the form of the clinical course and on which of the organ systems suffered the most from the viral invasion. Most often, if a cat is sick with viral peritonitis, we can observe a fever or, on the contrary, a pronounced decrease in body temperature, general exhaustion, refusal to feed, and lethargy. If we talk about kittens, sick animals are severely stunted in growth and generally have a very unkempt appearance. Severe dehydration is observed against a background of persistent vomiting and diarrhea.

The dry form of feline infectious peritonitis is characterized by the detection of granulomatous formations in the abdominal cavity during ultrasound examination, enlarged lymph nodes, and symptoms of damage to the central nervous system are often present. The dry form of feline infectious peritonitis can last up to several months. Mortality 100%.

Symptoms of the dry form of peritonitis:

• elevated temperature;
• loss of appetite;
• weight loss;
• dehydration due to frequent vomiting;
• diarrhea;
• low apet activity.

In the effusion form of viral peritonitis in sick cats, exudative inflammation in the chest and abdominal cavities, and as a result, accumulation of fluid in the chest and/or abdominal cavities, which provokes the development of symptoms of respiratory failure.

Symptoms of the wet form of peritonitis:

fever;

loss of appetite;

diarrhea;

low activity pet.

increase in abdominal volume (with ascites)

cardiac and respiratory failure(with hydrothorax);
animalcannot lie down due to fluid accumulation in the abdominal or chest cavity.

Diagnosis of coronavirus gastroenteritis in cats

Diagnosis of coronavirus infection is carried out comprehensively, based on laboratory tests, ultrasound, x-rays and a pathological autopsy (in case of death of the animal).

For laboratory testing, blood, feces, rectal swabs, and free fluid from the abdominal or thoracic cavity (if available) are taken from animals. By examining rectal swabs and feces using the PCR method, we determine the presence of the intestinal form of coronavirus. Blood and free fluid (effusion) from the serous cavities of the body are examined for the detection of feline peritonitis virus using the PCR method or antibodies to it using an ELISA test. It must be remembered that both the intestinal form of infection and the peritonitis virus can be detected in one animal at the same time.

Characteristic ultrasound signs of the disease are inflammation of the intestines, detection of free fluid, altered structure of the kidneys, liver and spleen, in the dry form, fibrinous deposits on the serous membranes of the chest and abdominal cavity, enlargement of all mesenteric lymph nodes.

Prevention and treatment of coronavirus gastroenteritis

If coronavirus gastroenteritis is diagnosed in cats, treatment can maintain quality of life, but will not bring a complete cure. The life expectancy of an animal depends on what kind of infection has struck the body; those with the intestinal form of coronavirus gastroenteritis can live well all their lives, even without assistance from a veterinary specialist. But if an animal is infected with the infectious peritonitis virus, then life expectancy (from the moment the infection manifests) usually does not exceed several months. Veterinary care for sick animals is aimed at alleviating the general condition and is symptomatic. The course of treatment is prescribed strictly individually and depends on which organ systems are most affected.

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