Feline Leukemia- Finally a Cat Post!

This is for all the Cat Lovers out there!!  Feline Leukemia is one of the most common cat infections.

Leukemia is a virus that causes a permanent infection.  This can eventually lead to suppression of the cats immune system, problems with the bone marrow(where the red blood cells and white blood cells are made), or the big "C" (cancer).  You notice I put 'eventually' in bold that's because cats can live with the virus for years and have no symptoms.  I often have owners decline testing for leukemia because the cat seems 'fine', just because the cat feels fine doesn't mean it isn't carrying the virus. 

This virus can just 'hang-out' in the blood and bone marrow.  The picture I get in my mind of this virus, is a little kid sitting on a fence just swinging their legs waiting for something to happen.  And that is what this virus does it just 'swings its legs' until the cat gets stressed or sick from something else then it jumps down and starts causing problems!

What to look for:

The symptoms of Feline Leukemia are often very vague.  The symptoms can be fever, lethargy, enlarged lymph nodes, and/or weakness.  Some cats can have stomach and intestinal problems such as weight loss and diarrhea.   They can also develop cancer of the lymph nodes or bone marrow. 

Testing:
I encourage all new cat owners to have a simple blood test performed to rule out feline leukemia.   This will make sure that the new cat isn't a carrier of the virus and therefore spreading the disease to other cats in the household.  If you cat tests negative, it can be vaccinated against feline leukemia.  I only vaccinate 'at risk' cats, this includes any cat that goes outside or lives with other cats that go outside.  If your cat comes up Leukemia positive, this doesn't mean the cat has to be euthanized.  It just means the cat needs to be strictly indoors and isolated from other non-infected cats (I usually recommend a single cat household- dogs are fine).



Feline Leukemia Test



Treatment:
There is not a treatment to get rid of the virus.  If your cat develops symptoms of feline leukemia, supportive care or chemotherapy are the treatment options.  The prognosis is usually very poor once the cat starts developing symptoms.  Your veterinarian can help decide what treatment is needed.  
The vaccine is only helpful in preventing the disease; it has no benefit for positive cats.

Prevention:
The first way to prevent feline leukemia is by keeping cats indoors and away from other cats that may carry the virus.  The second way is to vaccinate at risk cats, your veterinarian can advise you on a vaccine schedule.   

Dr. Mason's Tidbit
-Feline Leukemia used to be a disease that we saw very frequently, but with aggressive testing and vaccination we have been able to really decrease the incidence.  Any new cat or kitten needs to be tested and all at risk cats need to be vaccinated.  I hope one day Feline Leukemia will just be something we read about in textbooks…. 

Links:
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/felv.html
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1482