Anaplasmosis in Cats: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments and Prevention
Anaplasmosis is rare in cats whose organism is quite resistant to this bacterial infection. How does it manifest and what is the cause? Fortunately, anaplasmosis can be treated quite easily, but that does not prevent us from playing the prevention card. Let’s do a check in.
Anaplasmosis in cats: cause and symptoms
This vector-borne bacterial infection called anaplasmosis is transmitted to the cat by the tick. This mite attaches itself to the animal’s skin and feeds on its blood. But it is through its saliva that the tick transmits various diseases to animals as well as to humans, by means of a micro-parasite, a virus or even a bacterium. The seriousness of certain pathologies transmitted by ticks no longer needs to be demonstrated.
THE symptoms of anaplasmosis in cats are:
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- high body temperature,
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- Extremely pale mucous membranes,
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- moderate anemia,
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- Small haemorrhages more or less frequent in some cats which can, for example, bleed from the nose or emit more or less bloody stools and/or urine.
In the slightest doubt, it is necessary to take the cat to the veterinarian.
Anaplasmosis: diagnosis and treatment
A blood test shows a low level of granulocytes. It is a hematological disorder called neutropenia. To confirm the diagnosis of anaplasmosis, the veterinarian also looks for the presence of antibodies (anti-anaplasma) during a serological test.
Once the diagnosis is confirmed, the veterinarian prescribes a treatment made of doxycycline which turns out to be extremely effective from the first 48 hours since we can see the beginning of healing in cats in this very short period of time. However, the treatment lasts between two and four weeks and it is very important to respect the duration and dosage prescribed.
How to prevent anaplasmosis?
To prevent anaplasmosis like all diseases that can be transmitted by ticks, it is very important to fight against vectorized pathogens. The tick being a so-called reservoir species, it is very useful to prevent it from attaching itself to the skin of the small feline when it frolics in nature. The cat (whose immune system is relatively fragile) is less frequently contaminated than humans or even dogs by ticks, but you still have to be careful.
Preventive solutions exist. They are administered orally, tablets or through a pipette. Other products act both as preventive and curative. In this category, we find for example the pest control pipettes or even the tick collar for cat. Do not hesitate to seek advice from your veterinarian or pharmacist.
Using preventive solutions does not dispense with check her cat when he comes home. If you notice the presence of ticks, just use a tick hook to eliminate them completely. These mites are repugnant to many people who prefer to take their cat to the veterinarian so that he can remove the ticks himself. This is a good solution and it allows you to take advantage of this consultation so that a small health check is carried out.
