Lightning-Strike Pet Loss Support Forum > Cytauxzoonosis

Full Version: Cytauxzoonosis - Fast And Deadly

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AlleysMama

Jan 4 2007, 04:35 PM

My girl Alley died on December 9, 2006 and before then I had never heard of this terrible disease. Until recent years it had been quite rare but is now becoming more common. As far as I know, it is mostly in the southern and southeastern states in the US, but it IS spreading.

Cytauxzoonis is a blood parasite, who's natural host is the bobcat. Ticks feeding on the bobcats, spread the parasite and give it to domestic cats. There is no vaccine. There is no cure. At least 95% of cats who get this, die within weeks.

The parasite attacks and kills the cat's red blood cells. Vets attempting experimental treatments must often give the cat a blood transfusion before medication can even be tried.

Alley was an indoor/outdoor cat who loved to roam the woods. She always wore a flea collar and got regular treatments for fleas and ticks but nothing is foolproof.

She weighed 13 pounds. They noticed that she started losing weight and called me about a week later because she was really getting skinny. I got her a vet appt. for 2 days later. She was still eating, drinking, going outside, etc. Weight loss was her only obvious sign. I was not able to be there, or I really think I would have noticed more, and sooner, not that it would have saved her.

When she went in to the vet on December 7th, she weighed 5 1/2 pounds and was so severely anemic that her mouth and gums were white. The vet said that her red blood count was so low that they didn't think a blood transfusion would even help and the treatments would be extrememly painful for her. He also said, it would only prolong her suffering because it wasn't a cure. My mom took her home, thinking to let her end her days quietly in the comfort of her own home. Then I read an article that said it was "a horrible death for a cat" and "extremely painful". NO WAY was I going to let that happen to my baby. She was put down on Saturday, December 9th. That moring, her illness was finally catching up to her. She wouldn't get up and couldn't jump to the food bowl. I know I did the right thing. If they had waited, she would have died a painful death, likely that very day.

She went from a fat healthy cat, to death, in two weeks. There is no warning, there is no time to act, there is no cure. By the time you know anything is wrong, they are already gone.

Please please protect your kitties from this horrible incurable disease. The only way to prevent it totally, is to keep them inside. If they must be out, make sure they are treated regularly with vet quality tick and flea killer. I had never heard of this disease a month ago. Now I will never forget it. I just wanted to share this, so that you could all learn from my heartache.

Here are some links that discuss the disease and possible symptoms.

http://www.vet.uga.edu/vpp/clerk/dailey/index.php

http://www.catclinicofstillwater.com/Cytauxzoonosis.htm

http://www.moggies.co.uk/articles/tick_disease.html

http://www.projecthelios.org/

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.js...tm/bc/10404.htm

Paula

RIP Alley

mbrammer

Feb 9 2007, 07:42 PM

That is so tragic, my heart goes out to you. I have never heard of "cytauzoonosis". Alley was lucky to have you. Thank you for the information. Serson's mom.

AlleysMama

Feb 10 2007, 09:29 PM

Serson's mom

Thank you for reading this. I had never heard of this either until my Alley got it. I hope I never hear of another kitty getting it again.

I truly hope that posting about it here can help save even one little kitty.

AlleysMama

Mar 6 2007, 11:20 AM

Just an update.

I contacted a Dr. James Meinkoth of the Oklahoma State University Vet College (the location leading the research for this) and received a discouraging response from him. Here is the text of his reply.

QUOTE

Paula

****(edited for privacy) wrote me and told me about your cat. I am very sorry for your loss. Yes, it is distressing that this would happen in December (happen at all, but particularly not in 'tick season'). Cytauxzoon has been very common in Oklahoma for about 30 years now. When it first occured there were intense efforts looking at what animals (cats and wild cats--it is a problem in zoo populations) it affected and tyring to find a treatment (but nothing worked). It does seem to be increasing in frequency and range (there are states that have not reported it before seeing it now).

As far as research, it is very frustrating. The organism cannot be grown artificially, as in cell culture which is very limiting. The only way is to transmit is through cats which is of course very unpleasant. We had seen many cases of a 'non-fatal' strain of hte organism that infected cats but did not cause marked illness typical of the disease. The turned out to be very hard to transmit, which is surprising because it seems to happen easily in nature. What that tells us is that we just do not know enough about it--particularly what is happening in the tick. That is why our previous effort did not fair well--to make a vaccine you have to be able to propagate the organism. We do have a couple DVMs here looking at alternative, new drugs for treatment. They had some success last year (I think 3 of 10 cases at the clinic lived, which is better than before) and are going to try a different protocol this summer.

Funding for diseases that do not affect humans or food animals is very limited and this disease is considered geographically limited, making if more difficult. We have been writing and lecturing about this disease quite a bit actually and most DVMs in affected areas are familiar with it--unfortunately there is just not much to do other than try to prevent. The only way to do that is to keep an animal strictly indoors.Tick control is always recommended but we have seen the disease often in cats that regularly get Frontiline and Ihave even heard of a case in a strictly indoor cat. In Oklahoma, it is just very hard to completely avoid ticks.

Again, I am sorry for your loss. It is unfortunately something we go through many times each year here in Stillwater, as well and it always hard on us as well as the owners.

Sincerely
Jim Meinkoth

So basically, this research is "dead in the water" pardon the expression. Due to funding, and the fact that only live cats can be used for research they are unable to develop a vaccine, and have limited their study to testing possible treatments.

It breaks my heart to know that many more kitties out there will suffer and die of this parasite like my dear Alley. Even using Frontilne, like I did, wont' prevent this, because for those treatments to work, the tick has to bite the cat, then the Frontline in its blood, kills the tick, but with Cytauxzoon, the parasite is spread during the bite, so it doesn't help.

It's all very discouraging to think that there seems nothing really to be done. And the fact that 3 out of 10 cats survived the last treatment test was GOOD news, is the most heartbreaking of all.

Just wanted to share this with everyone.

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