Feline Panleukopenia (distemper) HELP!

[natskys]

Hi..I am new to this group..I was directed here by Hissy who was so nice to send me here..I hope someone can help. I adopted a new kitten two weeks ago, she is approx 6-7 weeks. Last weekend her health began to deteriate EXTREMELY fast. Loss of appetite, diahrhea, vomiting ect..On monday I brought her to the vet where she said she has Distemper . They didn't expect her to live thru the night..she was sneezing blood. By wednesday she was a totaly different cat, her eyes were perky and she was purring and meowing. She has done a complete turnaround..but now her nose has turned from light pink to WHITE, she is still just as active and perky as before..I am just hoping someone can give me some personal experience on what to expect. I've read so many articles on the odds, And they all say if they survive the worst of the disease they make a quick and uncomplicated recovery....She is back to eating on her own..and apparently ALOT..Am I out of the woods? Or will I have another shoe that's going to fall..I've been going out of my mind and this nose thing is worrying me..The symptoms for anemia say that she should be weak..but she is not...?? Any info would be appreciated..

Thanks is advance...
Natalie

[Traci]

Natalie.....I would simply suggest a recheck on the CBC early next week if you can, call and discuss this with your vet.

Once the initial crisis is over, it is rare for complications. Complications that could yet develop are secondary bacterial infections or an upper respiratory infection such as rhinotracheitis, herpesvirus or calicivirus, simply because her immune response is lowered at this point. I would mention this to your vet and ask if he already determined an associated URI that might have been evident of the sneezing epidodes during treatment of the distemper.

Chances are, as she improves each day, is active, energetic, eating, drinking and not suffering dehydration, vomiting or diarrhea, she will be making a full recovery. As for her mucous membranes, expect this to continue for a couple more weeks, maybe longer. It can take some time for her cell counts to rise again to a safe level, but it sounds like the initial crisis is over and responded effectively to treatment. It could also take several weeks for her to gain and maintain her weight and optimal body condition, but each day of improvement, good appetite, attitude, etc is good news.

If she isn't suffering neurological symptoms, she has probably passed the crisis and may not ever develop signs of cerebellar hypoplasia, which can be common in kittens who suffer panleukopenia early in life, or in vitro. The condition is life-long, but symptoms usually improve allowing a normal life, some kittens may retain CH damage regarding navigation, stance, head tilting, balance deficits, etc. It doesn't sound like your kitten suffered these effects, but do keep a close eye on her for the next few weeks, and contact your vet immediately should she show any signs of illness, no matter how slight. Regardless, call your vet tomorrow and ask about a recheck on the CBC, if the white blood cell count is well above 2000, the crisis is probably over.

Thank you for recognizing the crisis and getting her treated promptly, you undoubtedly saved her life!

[Guest]

HI Traci! Thank yo SO Much...I really needed to hear that ..The only thing that has kept us going is the fact that her spirits perked, her eyes brightened (she had a "death glaze that I recongnised from one of our cats that went into liver faliure..alas, we couldn't save him..) and that she started eating on her own...we couldn't give up on her. We have gone thru alot with our pets..both feline and canine..I sometimes think we have been chosen to take care of these animals that most people would throw away I guess...And we do it without second thot. They are ours the minute we take them. I am calling the vet as soons as she opens..I know I have been a pest to them...I go there daily to spend time with her and call them 5-6 times a day..But she is mine and unless I can be with her all the time, I want reports..! I will keep you all posted on her condition..we are hoping the worst is over. Altho her nose is white..her attitude hasn't changed..which makes me think it's not a big worry..

Thanks again..!!! SO MUCH!!!!!

Natalie

[MA]

Natalie-

Glad to see you made it, see I told you this board is great! I have one cat that also went through a major illness awhile back. When he was over it, his nose turned from dark to white. The vet told me this was related to the stress the body underwent to fight the infection off.

I hope your kitten makes it!

[Traci]

Natalie....I'm sorry, I had assumed she was at home with you now. In any event, panleukopenia usually is a 5-7 day acute illness, in which if the cat survives the crisis, recovery begins soon after. You said last weekend, so I am assuming tomorrow possibly is day 7. The good news is that she is wanting to eat, (food must be withheld during initial treatment due to vomiting), and holding it down, and is not lethargic, weak. It also sounds like you have a great vet team who treated aggressively, thank goodness.

If you have other cats at home, you need to thoroughly disinfect the premises. All porous surfaces (tile, floors, counters, food dishes, bedding, etc that can withstand bleach) should be disinfected with a solution of 1:32 bleach and water. The virus can live in the environment for several months, so proper disinfection is imperative. If you have other cats, make certain they are current on their FVRCP vaccinations, regardless of the protocol you've chosen for them (i.e., annually vs every three years). In your case, if they haven't recieved a FVRCP in the last year, I would definately opt for it now. Older cats who have been prior vaccinated and are in good health may only suffer mild effects of distemper if exposed to it, but any kitty who may be immunocompromised, unvaccinated, or suffering any other health condition is at more risk after exposure. Talk to your vet and review your other kitty's health records for dates on their last vaccinations.

Hang in there, it sounds like your baby is on the road to a full recovery.

[natskys]

Well...I have heard from the vet...they performed a blood test yesterday and her white blood cell count is back to normal.. I am SOOOO extremely pleased!! She is bright and eating like a pig..and now is drinking on her own also..I am extatic to say the least!! BUT her red blood cell count is very low..now the vet suspect Leukemia..But when we asked her if we brought her in today to her looking the way she does..would she suspect leukemia..she said NO..so we proceeded to say WHY then..she responded because of how she was on MONDAY...I am so angry and frustrated I could scream..!!! She looks normal again..aprt from her nose not being as pink it's no longer white...she is acting better than when we first adopted her..I don't get it!! Does this make any sense?? How can she have Leukemia if she is acting normal..not lethargic or not eating or drinking...??? or ANY of the syptoms associated with it?? Now we must wait until Tuesday to hear the results of her blood test that will be done this coming Monday..Needless to say I want to scream...SHe looks AMAZING..absolutely AMAZING...I simply think like it was mentioned before that her tiny body has gone thru SO much in less than a week, that it is just a by-product of what she has been thru..

I will keep you all posted..Please...if anyone has any opinion on this..I urge you to share it...I have done so much reading about this..and to me she is on her way to recovery..! I think my Marble will be just fine..! Keeping fingers crossed!!

Our other cats ages 4 1/2 and 2 1/2 haven't been vaccinated inthe past year the vet told us to see if the show any signs..which they haven't so far. She doesn't want them vaccinated right away of fear of overwhelming their bodies..I have disinfected all areas the kitten was..thankfully she was mainly isolated due to us having 3 big dogs and not wanted to scare the heck out of her at first..!

Thanks again for ALL the advice and kind thots...!!! This has helped SO Much over the past few days..THANK YOU!!!!

Natalie

[Traci]

Actually, your vet may be thinking regenerative anemia, rather than leukemia. The causes of anemia are numerous (especially in young kittens) and may not even be significant at this point. Try not to jump to conclusions until you get the test results back. Assuming she sent an FELV specific ELISA to an outside lab? The low RBC could simply be due to a stressed immune function, due to recovery.....it would be wise of course to keep an eagle eye on her and watch for any other signs of illness, in which further blood profiling would be necessary. Your vet can keep an eye on her platelets and PCV there at the clinic as long as your kitten is still being hospitalized.

If she was mentioning leukemia, and due to your kitten's age, she may be thinking it is unrelated to the panleukopenia, in that transmission could have occured in vitro through the mother and your kitten doesn't yet have her immunity. Accurate testing actually is not sufficient until kitten is at least 10 weeks of age, but a serology (specific ELISA, or an antibody titer) may show more, have to wait for the results.

Again, based on her recovery and improvement, I'd feel encouraged rather than jump the gun here. Keep in contact with your vet about the blood results, kitten's improvement, and of course, visit her every chance you get until you can bring her home.

[natskys]

HI Traci...wow I am impressed with all you know thank you SO Much for taking the time to type all this out....I am picking up bits and pieces on the net ..and it doens't sound like it's leukemia because her white blood cells are back to normal..and to me she looks fantastic..apart from her nose being paler..I call my vet 5-6 times a day..and I visit at least once a day..twice today..(I honestly don't care if they think I am a pest..I know she is happy to see me when I come in the door..)Tomorow I won't get to see her...because they are closed...but you can be assured on monday I will be there as soon as they open to check on how her nose looks and her attitude..As far as I know she won't be coming home until AT least Tuesday..when we get the next results..we told her to wait until monday morning to take more blood (she wanted to use yesterday's sample)..to give her a chance to eat and drink more over the weekend and show a more accurate result of how she is feeling..I will keep you posted..and again I really appreciate all this info...!!! I am going out of my mind with all this..I wish she was here, but I know she is in good hands..!

Thanks again!
Natalie

[Traci]

Well, bloodwork, such as the CBC (which gives you the cell count, both red and white, as well as hydration status, bacterial infection status, hematocrit) would give your vet some indication of possible anemia. It won't tell anything specific about leukemia, but it can tell your vet about anemia and if there is cause for concern and potential treatment. Also, outside of the CBC, frequent testing of the platelets/packed cell volume (PCV), are also good blood markers for monitoring anemia and for determining potential agressive treatment. These can be done in a matter of minutes right there in the lab, and may need to be done now if your vet suspects any type of anemia or blood loss. Blood loss also occurs with distemper, so am thinking that her pale mucous membranes could simply be residual and may take some time to recover. If the pallor is the only sign of direct illness, this can't be a reliable method of diagnosing a problem, it is the bloodwork that is necessary to monitor for other causes.

Not knowing what treatment and medications she currently has your kitten on, I hesitate to say much more at this point. I would assume she is on a short course of antibiotics, possible sub-q fluids maintenance until her appetite is secure, and nutritional support. If the blood counts decrease at any point again from this point onward, then your vet will need to do further and more advanced bloodwork, and possibly add stronger antibiotics or tetracyclines to the treatment approach. I don't know exactly what she's telling you, or if she even has other suspicions, but as long as your kitten is showing recovery and improvement with each day, I'd say that's a good sign.

Hang in there.....post an update when you can. Although the clinic is closed, I assume there is an attendant or vet on call to check on her tomorrow?

[natskys]

HI Traci! She did do a CBC and she said her red blood count was low and also her platelettes..but everything else has returned to normal..She is no longer on anti-biotics or fluids..right now they are just keeping her to see if she continues eating and drinking on her own (they are feeding her some kind of mushy food). Which so far she has gobbled up! There is an attending there today, but they don't answer the phones or the door..they are simply there to feed and look over the animals there, I know the vet is on call if there shoudl arrise a problems.. Her nose did get pinker yesterday, so I am assuming that if she keeps eating the way she is, that will boost her count..or am I thinking wrong? All the symptoms for leukemia that I have found are similar to distemper..which apart from anemia she shows no other ones...But again, I won't know until Monday how she is doing..which is driving me nuts..!!! I don't know if I am expecting to much from my vet, I would just assume with what she has been thru that it would be important to keep us posted. I will post as soon as I hear how she is doing tomorow..which will be first thing in the morning.. and I will be there to see her bright an early. Hopefully we will have her home later this week. (after our other cats are vaccinated..we are nearing the end of the incubation period..)

Again Traci, Thank you SO Much for all the info..I wish I knew more about the meds..but our vet doesn't seem to go into technical terms very much.. I just know that she is off fluids and meds now..which should be a good sign...??

Natalie