Victoria Rashidovna Khazimulina
veterinarian Petstory
Liver diseases in cats are very dangerous. Cats are true carnivores, and the metabolism of proteins and fats is especially important for them. When the liver becomes inflamed, metabolic processes are disrupted, which disables other body systems. In addition, hepatitis is accompanied by cholecystitis. And due to the special structure of the excretory ducts of the gallbladder and pancreas, the disease can also affect the pancreas and duodenum, which will provoke a disease such as triaditis. In this article we will talk about an inflammatory disease, namely hepatitis in cats.
- Improper feeding
Hepatitis (hepatitis; hepat- + -itis) is inflammation of the liver. That is, liver diseases accompanied by an inflammatory process.
Hepatitis in cats: the main thing
- Hepatitis in cats can be infectious (viral, bacterial), non-infectious (poisoning, autoimmune processes), secondary (against the background of other pathologies);
- Feline hepatitis is not dangerous for humans, but can be dangerous for other pets;
- The main symptoms are lethargy, loss of appetite, yellowness of the mucous membranes, pain in the right hypochondrium;
- Diagnostics includes basic studies: examination, blood tests, ultrasound. Sometimes an x-ray or biopsy is required;
- Treatment for hepatitis in cats depends on the cause of the disease and the severity of symptoms;
- Prevention includes timely vaccination and treatment against parasites, a balanced diet, avoiding your pet’s contact with various chemicals and timely medical examinations with a doctor.
How to protect yourself from hepatitis B?
The only means of protection is vaccination against hepatitis B, which is currently administered to all newborn children and adolescents. Adults with risk factors for infection should also be vaccinated. The hepatitis B vaccine is one of the safest vaccines in the world. Three-time administration of the vaccine according to a special scheme leads to the formation of specific antibodies that prevent the development of hepatitis B disease in 98% of those vaccinated. Immunity lasts for at least 8-10 years, but often remains for life.
Causes of the disease
Improper feeding
Errors in feeding, such as an unbalanced diet, an excess of difficult-to-digest components, the use of products not intended for animal feeding, spoiled foods - all this can cause inflammation of the liver.
Poisoning
A cat can accidentally ingest various toxins and poisons. Baits for rodents and other pests often attract pets. But even if the poisons do not smell like food, a pet can accidentally get dirty with household chemicals at home or on the street, and then, when licking its fur, become poisoned by them.
Infections and infestations
Viruses, bacteria, protozoa and helminths often cause hepatitis. Producing toxins during their vital activity, they poison the body, and the work of neutralization lies mainly with the liver.
Use of certain drugs
Anti-inflammatory drugs (GCS, NSAIDs) should be prescribed in individually selected dosages.
Not only drugs in this group can cause liver inflammation. There are some antibiotics, antiparasitic drugs, and even vitamins that are dangerous for cats under certain conditions. Therefore, before giving your cat medication, be sure to consult your veterinarian.
Autoimmune processes
The body can perceive its own cells and tissues as foreign and fight against them. Such diseases are rare compared to infections and poisonings, but they do occur.
Is it necessary to follow a diet for patients with chronic hepatitis B?
No special diet is required for chronic viral hepatitis, however, you should avoid drinking alcohol even in small doses, since the combined effect of alcohol and the virus on the liver significantly increases the risk of developing cirrhosis and liver cancer. If you are overweight, you should limit your intake of fats and high-calorie foods, since fat deposition in the liver accelerates the development of cirrhosis. Factors that reduce immunity, in particular sun exposure, should be avoided, that is, you should not use a solarium or sunbathe on the beach. It is advisable to quit smoking. You can continue to exercise. Swimming and hardening procedures that support the state of your immunity are useful.
Symptoms of hepatitis in cats
Symptoms of hepatitis in a cat can vary depending on the cause, severity, age and other factors.
The most common manifestations:
- Icterus (yellowness) of the mucous membranes, skin, sclera of the eyes.
- Pain in the right hypochondrium. Because of them, the pet can take unnatural poses, move more carefully, jump from heights with caution, and hunch over when walking. With acute pain and colic, breathing quickens, pupils dilate, cats, as a rule, hide in secluded places and lie there almost motionless.
- Decreased appetite or refusal to eat. The symptom may vary in severity. It can all start with a slight decrease in appetite.
- Lethargy, apathy, refusal to play. Does your pet sleep more? Does he react sluggishly to his favorite toy or not react to it at all? Started hiding under the bed or behind the bathtub? Do not ignore this behavior; it may be the first sign of illness, along with a decrease in appetite.
- Fever. Increase in body temperature above 39.3 *C.
- Vomiting or nausea. It can be periodic, 1-2 times a week, or it can be acute, throughout the day every few hours. In any case, vomiting more than 1-2 times a month is not normal and requires immediate examination.
- Diarrhea or constipation. The liver is not only an organ of detoxification (neutralizing toxins), it forms important digestive enzymes that are produced with bile. Depending on the type of inflammation, there may be either diarrhea or constipation.
- Change in stool color to white or green. Stool is brown due to the pigment stercobilin, which is part of bile. If the flow of bile is impaired for some reason or bile is not produced in sufficient quantities, the stool will be partially or completely white.
Green stools may, on the contrary, indicate excessive secretion of bile, which is also not the norm.
Hidden disease
As with hepatitis C, the acute phase of the infection often occurs without jaundice. In the vast majority of cases, patients with acute hepatitis B recover and acquire lifelong immunity to re-infection (protective antibodies to viral proteins are detected in their blood serum). After infection, some people become carriers of the HBsAg virus protein, also called the “Australian antigen.” Carriage most often occurs when infected in childhood. In a small proportion of patients, acute hepatitis drags on and becomes chronic. Chronic hepatitis B, like chronic hepatitis C, often occurs latently and unnoticed for a long time. For many years, a person can feel absolutely healthy, and the first symptoms of the disease appear only at the late stage of liver cirrhosis, when the disease is more difficult to treat and the overall prognosis is unfavorable.
Diagnostics
Diagnostics must be comprehensive. Hepatitis cannot be diagnosed from a blood test or ultrasound alone.
At the appointment, the doctor will collect a detailed medical history - history of preventive measures, diet, maintenance, etc. Afterwards, he will conduct a thorough examination and, depending on the data obtained, prescribe the necessary studies.
Typically, the following tests are used in the diagnosis of liver diseases:
- Clinical blood test, with manual calculation of the leukocyte formula;
- Blood chemistry. Particular attention should be paid to the following indicators: bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, proteins (albumin, globulin), ALT, AST, GGT, ammonia, urea;
- Bile acid analysis. As a rule, two tests are taken, the first on an empty stomach, the second after feeding;
- Ultrasonography;
- X-ray;
- Liver/gallbladder biopsy. It can be performed openly (during surgery) or closed (under ultrasound control, special biopsy needles or forceps). A bile sample can be taken using the same methods. Afterwards, the material is sent for histology/cytology/culture. The biopsy is always performed under general anesthesia, under the supervision of an anesthesiologist;
- Tests for infections using PCR, ELISA, and ICA may be required.
What is important to know about the forms of hepatitis B virus infection?
Chronic infection can occur in two main forms:
The first form is inactive carriage of HBsAg. It is characterized by the absence of viral particles in the blood serum or their detection in a low titer, the absence of inflammation in the liver and, as a rule, a non-progressive course. With a decrease in immunity, inactive carriage of HBsAg can turn into the active form of hepatitis B.
The second form is chronic active hepatitis B. It is characterized by the presence of a large number of viral particles in the blood, the presence of inflammation in the liver, which is reflected in changes in the so-called liver tests (or enzymes), and a progressive course with the risk of developing cirrhosis and liver cancer. In recent years, it has been found that the higher the concentration of virus in the blood, or “viral load,” the higher the risk of developing cirrhosis and liver cancer.
It is impossible to distinguish between these two forms based on the patient’s well-being and only clinical signs of the disease (which, as with inactive carriage, may be completely absent in a patient with chronic hepatitis B).
Treatment of feline hepatitis
How to treat hepatitis in cats? This will depend on the cause, severity of the disease, and associated complications.
The following groups of drugs and treatment methods can be used:
- Hepatoprotectors;
- Specialized diet;
- Antibiotics;
- Antihelminthic;
- Antiprotozoal;
- Painkillers and antispasmodics;
- Drip infusions;
- Anti-inflammatory drugs (steroidal and non-steroidal).
It is important to understand that the treatment of hepatitis is individual in each case, because there are several causes of the disease, as well as types of progression. In any case, therapy should be developed by a veterinarian.
The hepatitis B virus is 100 times more contagious than HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).
Despite the widespread introduction of vaccination against hepatitis B, the prevalence of the disease remains high. In different regions of Russia, the prevalence of carriage of the virus ranges from 1.5% to 11.5%. As with hepatitis C, the source of infection is the blood of an infected person. The routes of infection are similar: the use of non-sterile needles, instruments for various medical and non-medical (piercing, tattoos, manicure/pedicure) manipulations, the use of personal hygiene items of an infected person in everyday life (razor, scissors, toothbrush, etc.), unprotected sexual contact, transmission of the virus from an infected mother to her child. The hepatitis B virus is more stable in the external environment and more contagious than the hepatitis C viruses and human immunodeficiency viruses. Therefore, the natural routes of transmission of the B virus (sexual transmission and mother-to-child transmission) are more significant for this virus.
Prevention
As you know, the best treatment is prevention. Be sure to vaccinate your cat against hepatitis - do not wait until your pet becomes infected. In addition, the following rules for preventing this disease will help you:
- Vaccinate your animal on time. This will allow the immune system to develop and resist various pathogens. The stronger the immune system, the less the liver participates in protecting the body.
- Drive worms according to the schedule (quarterly).
- Do not feed raw fish or meat to your pet. This can lead to an infectious or parasitic disease (for example, opisthorchiasis).
- Do not feed spoiled food (sour, moldy).
- Don't feed fatty foods.
- Do not self-medicate. Or follow the dosage and frequency of administration of the drugs prescribed by your veterinarian.
- Do not keep your pet in poorly ventilated areas (especially if the house is being renovated). Keep all potential poisons (household chemicals, paints, fuels, solvents, pesticides, herbicides, etc.) out of reach of your pet.
- If you are treating the mustache for skin parasites or washing it, then be careful. Do not exceed the dosage of the drug. And wash off cosmetics thoroughly.
- Do not allow your cat to come into contact with homeless or suspicious animals. Such communication is potentially dangerous (there is a risk of contracting infectious or parasitic diseases).
We hope the article helped you! If you have any questions about hepatitis in cats, write in the comments!
How does cancer occur?
A malignant tumor can develop from just one cell, which has acquired the ability to multiply uncontrollably, but has lost the ability to undergo apoptosis (planned death). Such disturbances in a cell are caused by changes in its genetic material. That is, the reason for the appearance of a tumor is always the same - mutation.
Therefore, the short answer to the question “how can you get cancer” is absolutely not. Oncological diseases do not spread in the same ways as infectious pathologies. Even if you take malignant cells and transplant them into another person, the maximum that threatens him is a temporary focus of inflammation at the site of implantation.
Is it possible to get cancer from a sick person through blood or saliva? Also no. This is confirmed by a statistical study conducted by Swedish doctors in 2007. They analyzed 350 thousand cases of blood transfusion and found that 3% of donors at that time already had an undiagnosed cancer. However, none of those who received this blood transfusion developed cancer that could be linked to the procedure.
One important nuance remains here: among the factors that can provoke cellular mutations, infectious diseases occupy a prominent place. According to the latest data from the World Health Organization, 16.1% of all malignant tumors are somehow associated with infection. But pathogenic microorganisms can be quite successfully transmitted from person to person. But here you should remember that receiving an infection from another person does not mean that you will definitely develop cancer.
Complications of toxic hepatitis
In case of mild poisoning, timely treatment of toxic hepatitis leads to complete relief from the disease. In more severe cases, massive liver damage can lead to serious complications.
Liver failure
– a complex of symptoms, including weight loss, swelling of the face and legs, jaundice, accumulation of ascitic fluid, subcutaneous hemorrhages, mental and neuromuscular disorders.
Cirrhosis of the liver
– replacement of hepatocytes with fibrous connective tissue.
Hepatic coma
– a progressive disruption of the organ and central nervous system, which can lead to death.
