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kitkat01
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| Joined: | Tue May 22nd, 2007 |
| Location: | Texas USA |
| Posts: | 205 |
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Posted: Thu Aug 30th, 2007 04:31 am |
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Okay, so I bought an exotic cat, paid a good $3500 for him. Love him to death, but I started introducing him to my other kitten and they got into a fight and I guess my other cat bit his back leg. We took baby Oliver to the vet because he was limping like crazy and I felt really bad. We got him there about an hour after it happened and he saw the vet about 3 hours after it happened. The vet walks in and he is so very calm and I told her that he isn't normally that calm around other people, so she got suspicious (plus he had a 103 fever). She drew some blood and did a few tests.
Okay, so I get a call today asking me to come to the vet's office to discuss his blood results...not good in my mind. My kitten that i've had 2 weeks is VERY anemic, his RBCs were critical and he is now lethargic and running a 104 temp. The vet decides to do a blood smear and take some x-rays to make sure his leg isn't broken and his spleen isn't enlarged (negative on both). On the smear, she says the RBCs look like there might be something hanging on them. If that is the case, how do I prove that he got this at the breeder's house? I can't find anything on the internet talking about lifespan of the parasite or anything. I just know it's transmitted through fleas...which I don't have and she has said she has had a problem with. I am just so frustrated because I can't find anything helpful on it. I don't even know if it's curable, if not I do expect a refund...he does come with a 3 year health guarantee. I don't want to give him back and I definitely don't want to have him put to sleep, I just worry about how it endangers my other kitten.
Last edited on Thu Aug 30th, 2007 04:32 am by kitkat01
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madmex1966
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 3rd, 2004 |
| Location: | Bada Bing! |
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Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 03:07 am |
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I found this...
Q.
What is Hemobartinella and how does it affect a cat's FeLV+ status?
A.
Hemobart (Feline Hemobatonellosis or Feline Infectious Anemia) is caused by a microscopic parasite (Ricksettia or Hemobartonella Telis). This parasite likes red blood cells and attaches to them. The animal's system realizes the red blood cells have been altered and sends them to the spleen to be destroyed causing anemia which further compromises a FeLV+ cat's system. This organism has a tendency to come and go in the bloodstream. Therefore, several blood tests may be necessary to get a confirmed diagnosis.
Symptoms include pallor, depression, weight loss, decrease in appetite, anemia, and possible jaundice (also symptoms of Feline Leukemia). This is a contagious disease that is probably transmitted by blood sucking insects such as fleas, ticks, or mosquitoes (therefore, it is very important to control them) or from a mother cat to her kittens during pregnancy. It is also transmitted from bite wounds and blood transfusions.
1/3 of the cats infected will die from the infection. Cats that "recover" are ususally infected for life but the parasite is suppressed by the cat's immune system (a problem for immune-system compromised animals). Immune compromise, such as from feline leukemia, stress, or administration of corticosteroids can cause a recurrence of the infection.
The infected cat can be treated with Tetracycline. If that doesn't work, Doxycycline (also of the Tetracycline family) may work well, and if that still doesn't work, add Baytril to the Doxycycline. Even though it can also cause problems, moderate doses of Prednisone can also be used to arrest the destruction of red blood cells.
Even treated cats should be considered carriers of the disease and may experience recurrences since treatment does not completely eliminate the parasites.
I wouldn't doubt that your cat got it from the breeder.
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kitkat01
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| Joined: | Tue May 22nd, 2007 |
| Location: | Texas USA |
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Posted: Sat Sep 8th, 2007 03:19 am |
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| Thanks, it's been so hectic! We ended up taking the kitten to Texas A&M small vet emergency clinic and he doesn't have hemobartonella at all. He has a mild lung disease and an enlarged heart. The breeder won't talk refund with me until I take him to a cardiologist and find out what his prognosis is. The appointment with the cardiologist isn't until the 18th. If it's bad, I am going to ask for half of the vet bills and a refund. She said she thought he had a congenital defect because he was always small, so she shouldn't have sold him!
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Chickiedo
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| Joined: | Wed Sep 12th, 2007 |
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Posted: Wed Sep 12th, 2007 11:30 am |
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If Oliver has got a 3 year health guarantee, surely you have a contract with the breeder addressing how the breeder will handle the health issues or Vet bills or the fact that your kitten is not in good genetic health.
When Oliver first showed signs of possibly having a serious health issue and not just some ordinary kitten sickness, what did the breeder suggest?
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kitkat01
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| Joined: | Tue May 22nd, 2007 |
| Location: | Texas USA |
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Posted: Fri Sep 14th, 2007 05:17 am |
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When we told her that we were chasing a diagnosis, she offered a new kitten and told us that she wouldn't vet Oliver. She would just give him the antibiotics that he was on and hope for the best, but that was before we spent the $300 to take him to Texas A&M, which is where we got the cardiomegaly diagnosis.
The contract says that they will offer a refund or replacement kitten if we opt to do that if he is found in unsound health. Now she's trying to say that because he is part Serval and they are 4x bigger than their domestic counterparts that he may have inherited a Serval heart. It's complete BS because I have talked to breeders and looked it up and have found nothing stating that Savannahs are known to have cardiomegaly. The only thing I could find talked about cardiomegaly secondary to some sort of disease processes. In 2 weeks, he couldn't have had a freakish disease that enlarged his heart that much.
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Yoopergal88
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Posted: Thu Aug 20th, 2009 03:20 am |
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| My veterinarian says that it is not so that cats are still carriers after being fully treated for Hemobart. Who do I trust? My 14-year-old cat is currently being treated for it. He's been on treatment for about a month now.
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JP
Member/DJ
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Posted: Thu Aug 20th, 2009 10:23 am |
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Yoopergal88 wrote: My veterinarian says that it is not so that cats are still carriers after being fully treated for Hemobart. Who do I trust? My 14-year-old cat is currently being treated for it. He's been on treatment for about a month now.
Just a 2nd opinion: Even treated cats should be considered carriers of the disease and may experience recurrences since treatment does not guarantee completely eliminating these parasites.
Kind regards..
Joe
PS: If your interested, we have a special topic that covers our four footed friends: click this link:
http://perspectives.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=164916&forum_id=63
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