Page 414 - Problem-Based Feline Medicine

406 PART 7 SICK CAT WITH SPECIFIC SIGNS

Strict isolation and barrier nursing procedures must
ORAL CAVITY DISEASES*
be followed.
● Treat in an isolation area using isolation gowns,
Classical signs
high-density filter masks and gloves.
● Clean and decontaminate all surfaces with usual ● Oral lesions typical of the primary disease.
hospital disinfectants. ● ± Mild to moderate mandibular
● Lance and irrigate abscessed lymph nodes. lymphadenopathy.
● Place all contaminated material in double-layer bio-
hazard bags and incinerate. See The Cat With Bad Breath or Oral Lesions. (page 602)
Notify public health officials; veterinary personnel
Clinical signs
should contact a physician.
Mild to moderate mandibular lymphadenopathy
may be present with lymphocytic-plasmacytic stomati-
tis/gingivitis, periodontal disease, and oral neoplasia,
Prognosis
but it is not the salient feature of the disorders.
Mortality of plague is 50% in untreated cats.
Diagnosis
There are a number of reports of successful treatment
of cats with bubonic plague. Work-up of the primary disease will usually identify
the reason for the lymphadenopathy. Biopsy of lesions
Cats with septicemic and pneumonic plague have the
may be necessary.
worst prognosis.
Lymph node biopsy is recommended if lym-
phadenopathy is present, and bilateral lymph node
biopsy should always be performed in the staging of
Transmission
oral cancer.
Cats become infected by ingesting, or being bitten by
Biopsy reveals hyperplasia with or without metastasis
fleas from infected rodents or other wild animals.
with neoplastic disorders.
The disease is highly zoonotic.
● Humans may be infected by flea-bites and con- Differential diagnosis
tact with infected animals or their tissues.
Differential diagnoses for mandibular lymphadenopathy
● There is a high risk for developing primary pneu-
include hyperplasia due to regional skin disorders,
monic plague following inhalation of Y. pestis-
FeLV/FIV infection, lymphoma, metastatic lymph-
infected droplets expelled from cats with secondary
adenopathy and atypical hyperplasia.
pneumonic plague.
Treatment
Treat the primary disease.
Prevention
Minimize cat contact with rodents and fleas in endemic CUTANEOUS/SUBCUTANEOUS FOREIGN
areas. BODY REACTION*
● Eliminate rodents indoors; control rodent habitats
near domestic dwellings (e.g. garbage piles). Classical signs
● Keep cats indoors; neuter outdoor cats to reduce
● Lymphadenopathy in local node draining
roaming and hunting.
from foreign body region.
● Flea control.
Use post-exposure prophylaxis for other cats: tetracy- See main reference on page 1073 (The Cat With Skin
cline or doxycycline at standard doses for 7 days. Lumps and Bumps.