Page 385 - Problem-Based Feline Medicine

19 – THE PYREXIC CAT 377

● Transplacentally, if first-time exposure to the organ- ● Cats tend to have intermittent bouts of chronic
ism occurs during pregnancy. pancreatitis.
● Diagnostic tests for pancreatitis are not as reliable
Only cats host the sexual replication that results in
in cats.
oocysts in the feces.
● There is poor correlation of biochemical parameters
● Oocysts are shed for 1–2 weeks.
with pancreatitis in the cat.
● Most seropositive cats do not shed oocysts on
repeat exposure. Lethargy and anorexia is variable depending on
chronicity.
Oocysts must sporulate to be infectious:
● Sporulation occurs 1–5 days after environmental Vomiting only occurred in 35% of cases in one study.
exposure, thus handling individual cats rarely
Dehydration occurred in 50% of cases in the same
results in infection of humans.
study.
Transplacental transmission occurs in cats and people
Abdominal pain is quite variable.
after primary exposure.
Fever is variably present, and generally mild. In
Prevention severe acute pancreatitis it may progress to hypother-
mia, which is a poor prognostic sign.
Discourage cats from going outdoors and hunting
behavior.
Do not feed cats undercooked meat.
Diagnosis
To prevent human infection:
Diagnosis is unreliable based on a biochemistry panel.
● Cook meat at 80˚C (176˚F) for 15 minutes.
Lipase may be increased or normal in pancreatitis.
● Use gloves when gardening or changing the litter-
● Hyperbilirubinemia and elevated liver enzymes
box, and wash hands well.
may be present.
● Change litterboxes daily. Use litterbox liners or
● Hypocalcemia occurs in 40% (total serum cal-
clean with scalding water.
cium) or 60% (plasma ionized calcium concentra-
tion) of cats due to soponification of fat. Cats with
PANCREATITIS** a plasma ionized calcium concentration < 1.00
mmol/L (< 4.00 mg/dl) have a grave prognosis
Classical signs (77% mortality) and aggressive medical treatment
is indicated.
● Lethargy and anorexia.
● Fever. Pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity is probably a
● Vomiting. more sensitive diagnostic tool for confirming pancre-
● Dehydration. atitis in cats than measurement of plasma lipase
● Tachycardia. concentration or trypsin like immunoreactivity.
● Hypothermia. A feline-specific assay must be used.
● Abdominal pain.
Abdominal ultrasound to visualize an enlarged
pancreas or heterogeneous echogenicity in the area
See main reference on page 272 for details (The Cat
of the pancreas is considered by many to be most
With Depression, Anorexia or Dehydration).
sensitive.
Demonstration of higher lipase levels in abdominal
Clinical signs
fluid compared to those of the serum is suggestive.
The classical signs are not as well-defined for cats as Diagnostic peritoneal lavage may be necessary to
for dogs for the following reasons: obtain a fluid sample.