Anaemia & fleas

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Swub

Anaemia & fleas

Post by Swub »

I have just spoken to my brother last night who has told me that after aquiring a new kitten his house is over run with fleas.

The problem is he already had a cat who is quite ill with an illness the vet has been unable to diagnose, one symptom of which is anaemia. He told me she has been sleeping almost constantly recently and he's worried about her. It seesms to me that already having anaemia, the fleas won't have helped and that she could be in serious trouble!

My brother's rather short on money so I've said that when I visit next weekend I'll take some flea stuff from the vet and he's going to try to get his cat out of the house in the meantime. He's going to struggle to afford another vet bill (he's just spent a fortune on tests) so does anybody know how he can help to increase her red blood cell count?
jason
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Re: Anaemia & fleas

Post by jason »

i'd agree, the fleas certainly wont offer much help to this anaemic kitty. is she taking antibiotics for this?

what kind of tests have been performed? what are the results?

this new kitty, was it a stray?
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Traci
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Re: Anaemia & fleas

Post by Traci »

Could you please clear something up.....what is wrong with the female kitty, and is she being hospitalized? What has the vet told your brother, and what tests have been done??? How old is she and has she been tested for FELV/FIV? Is she also an outdoor kitty? If the vet cannot diagnose the problem, your brother needs to get kitty seen by another vet ASAP....anemia can be life-threatening and the underlying cause needs to be determined in order to treat most effectively.

As for the kitten, without knowing his age, health status, etc, I strongly advise NOT to apply any flea medication to him until he is thoroughly checked by a vet. Until he can be properly examined, use a flea comb only. You can dip the comb in a dish of warm water with a drop or two of dawn dishwashing liquid, comb through kitten's fur, dip again, comb again, and repeat until there is no evidence of fleas. Be sure kitten is kept dry and warm....do NOT immerse him in water or dish soap water!

Kitten also needs to be tested for FELV/FIV, dewormed and vaccinated accordingly, based on what the vet exam determines, per his health status.
..........Traci
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