Pet Care Corner
 

A new cat adopted Mrs. Jones a few weeks ago. She called us initially to ask some basic questions about her new companion. Mrs. Jones has a big heart and finds it difficult to turn a homeless pet away. She was setting up an appointment for vaccines, deworming and a general "lookover." She also mentioned that "Johnny" was sneezing a little bit. It was recommended to bring "Johnny" in right away but her schedule was impossible to alter with the grandchildren and errands etc. We would see her in two days.
 

Mrs. Jones arrived for the appointment. She scrunched up her nose and said," Now my ten other cats are sneezing, too! What do you think this is?" Truthfully, this woman takes excellent care of her pets and she felt they were vaccinated for everything under the sun. However, there are a few organisms which we do not have inoculations for and until recently Kennel Cough was one of them.
 

Kennel Cough is a bacterium called Bordetella bronchiseptica. It is common in swine, dogs and rodents. When there are numerous animals together the bacteria spreads rapidly through the air and causes an upper respiratory infection. In dogs the result is a harsh honking cough and the infection can last several weeks. In cats the infections start with sneezing and then leads to a nasal discharge, fever and possibly pneumonia. Cats look and feel very sick. From beginning to end the infection in cats lasts about two weeks unless pneumonia occurs. Medication is very helpful especially to reduce progression of the infection. However, cats will be carriers until the infection is gone.
 

In the case of Mrs. Jones her new cat "Johnny was carrying the bacteria and in just 48 hours had infected all of the cats. Any time a new pet is introduced it is possible to expose the pets to new organisms. Other infections could include Feline Leukemia Virus, Feline "Aids" and Feline Infectious Peritonitis. All of Mrs. Jones cats were treated and then vaccinated at a later date. In this case the infection was mild. Mrs. Jones became very apt with the pill gun.
 

The vaccine is very effective and can be given to all ages. Another good point is the vaccine is not an injection but rather drops into the nostrils. When vaccinating the very first time you will need a booster in one month later. If your cat is exposed to other cats you will want to vaccinate. If you are planning on adding to your cat household, you will want to vaccinate. In the case of Mrs. Jones she was not really planning for more cats but when you have a big heart . . .
 
 
 
 
 

Dr. Becky Marks