Parasite Induced Anemia in Cats
[dropcap]C[/dropcap]ats, especially kittens, often become anemic, and if not treated in time, the myth about nine lives is shown to be nothing more than a myth only too easily.The underlying cause, as always, must be investigated. Parasite induced anemia is, perhaps, the commonest form of anemia found in kittens (and puppies). Kidney failure will also cause anemia and wheat grass juice can help you with that.[pullquote-right]In case of black cats, looking under the paws will not help. Pull the eyes back and look at the colour[/pullquote-right]
In order to determine whether your pet is anemic, you need only look at the gums, paw-pads and inside of the eyes. In a healthy cat the colour is always pink. It the colour is pale or white,it is time to take action. In case of black cats, looking under the paws will not help. Pull the eyes back and look at the colour. Get them to open their mouth wide enough so that you can look at the inside of the mouth and specifically check out the gums (which aren’t usually all black even if the cat is).
The other method is to pass your hand lightly over the kitty’s back. If you feel the midriff is too prominent, then he is losing weight.
Diarrhea in cats is another symptom of parasitic infection although that is not always the sole reason.
In any case you should be deworming your pet regularly. However, for people with a hectic schedule and a large number of furry family members that is easier said than done. You might want to log into this website and set reminders for yourself.
If you do not know what is making your cat anemic, deworming is a safe way to begin. Problem is, although you can spot fleas, it is not easy to know what kind of worms your pet may be infected with. Not all deworming agents will kill Tapeworm. I had treated Helencha with Ivermectin because back then, I did not know any better. We were lucky that he obviously did not have Tapeworm: Ivermectin, though a life saver, does not have any effect on Tapeworms. The simplest solution is to choose a broad spectrum deworming agent like Drontal.
For fleas, I have personally found Fipronil Spray extremely usefuL. It is very important to control fleas because they begin the cycle that causes Tapeworm infestation. Controlling fleas is important because they begin the process of Tapeworm infestation in cats Click To Tweet
To rule out unknown infections, it may be advisable to dose the patient with Oxytetracycline Oral Capsules. It is a gentle antibiotic and one that works well on both cats and dogs.
Dr. Subir Bhattacharya, for some reason, could not understand how a number of our kittens were dying one after another. He and his assistant even declared some of them healthy with no serious problem before they succumbed mere hours later.
Once we started visiting Dr. Sourav Banerjee, we did not find it difficult to diagnose parasitic infestations on our own and treat the patients as well. Previously, Dr. Banerjee would prescribe Drontal for both cats and dogs. In recent years, he refuses to do so since the formula for Drontal (unless it is Drontal for Cats) is for dogs and puppies. He insists on using dewormers made specifically for cats. Where we live, it is not always possible to find such dewormers. Most people keep dogs for pets and the pet supply stores stock only dewormers meant to be used on dogs.
I have had to use Drontal occasionally on cats even after Dr. Banerjee had expressly warned me against doing so. Thankfully, there were no complications. I do not mean to say that you should not heed your doctor’s advice. What I am saying is that in a pinch, it is best to use your own judgment especially when the patient has nothing to lose. Personally, I have found it easier to bear the guilt of knowing that I had misjudged a situation and taken a wrong decision than to bear the regret of facing disastrous consequences of having followed someone else’s advice against my own judgement.
Additional Information
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n kittens and even in grown cats, you may notice convulsions and seizures. You would have to see it to believe the severity of it. The whole cat turns into one bundle and thrashes about uncontrollably. To the best of my knowledge, this particular kind of seizure can only happen due to parasitic infection. [pullquote-left]The whole cat turns into one bundle and thrashes about uncontrollably[/pullquote-left]
An effective remedy to stop the seizure (not cure the patient) is to prescribe Gardenal, usually 1/4 of 10mg tab for a full grown cat weighing at around 5 kg, one to four times a day depending upon the severity of the condition.
Also, raw fish will aggravate, so while he is under treatment, keep him on cooked food, you can even look at these cat food reviews: top 10 best brands.
The complete treatment is too complex to describe here, and in any case, with too many variables involved, it is not possible or safe for a non medical person to treat a cat thus infected. If you are unfortunate enough to face a seizure, I would advise you to use Gardenal (which is actually a prescription drug) to control the seizure and then take him to a doctor, fast.
For kittens, you are not likely to have a lot of time in which to act. Also to be noted: Gardenal, may be used in cases of toxicity where poisoning is suspected but the exact agent is unknown. This, again, would act merely as a first aid.
Once you have eliminated the root of the problem, it is time to make sure the patient recovers fast. The following are good for bringing up the red blood cell count.
NATRUM MURITICUM
Use one drop in 5ml water and induce orally first thing in the morning. Continue for at least three days.
This is one of our best remedies in anaemic conditions. There is paleness, and, in spite of the fact that the patient eats well, there is emaciation. There are attacks of throbbing headache and dyspnoea, especially on going up stairs, constipation ands depression of spirits, and consolation aggravates. With these symptoms there is much palpitation, fluttering and intermittent action of the heart. The hypochondriasis in these cases is marked. Scanty menstruation is frequently an indicating symptom. Kali carbonicum is one of the most important remedies in anaemia, weak heart, sweats backache, especially with female complaints.
Read more about this at the Source Website
Update March 2018: The site is down, it seems, but I have retained the info since it is valid.
MECOBALAMIN / METHYLCOBALAMINE
Methylcobalamin is a coenzyme form of Vitamin B12 which is biologically active. This means that your body can use it as is and does not require any metabolic steps to make it bio-available. The product comes as a sublingual tablet (something that dissolves when placed under your tongue) because stomach acids would modify the molecule. The sublingual method allows the vitamin to directly enter your bloodstream providing rapid benefits.
Read more about this at the Source Website.
Further information:
PDF (right click and save) Update March 2018 – Link currently not working.
HealthyLibrary.Epnet.Com
FERRUM PHOS 3X
Ferrum Phosphoricum 3x increases haemoglobin in pale, anaemic subjects, with violent local congestions. Hemorrhages, bright from any orifice.
Read more about this at the Source Website.
Use this three to four times daily. The tablets are soluble in water. Force feed with a 2ml syringe (with the needle off). Feed from the side of the mouth in drops so that the patient swallows on his own. One tablet per dose is usually enough for a cat of any size.
SPIRULINA
Empty a capusle, store the dust, use one tenth of it in water. However, some cats tend to cough a lot when force fed with spirulina. You don’t want to distress your pet further, so make sure the dilution suits the patient. A little bit of it is enough to give the patient all necessary nutrients.
Read more about this here.
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CASE STUDY
[dropcap]H[/dropcap]elencha is the name of the place where I go to work.
I saw this little kitty walking in confidently through a collapsible gate in my workplace (three and half hours of very rough bus ride from my home). His hind legs hardly worked. He was dragging them along but moving very quickly too. All skin and bones and fluffy white fur, he looked very impressive indeed, and completely fearless.
That was a Friday. One of my students, Suparna, agreed to adopt him. I told her I would take him home for treatment and then return him to her. She put him in the basket of her bicycle and went home to bring him back the next day which was a Saturday, a half-workday for us.
The next day I took a perforated cardboard box and requested a colleague to accompany me on our way home. Roopleena has always been a friend, and even though it would inconvenience her to not take her usual train-route, she readily agreed.
On Saturday, October 06, 2007, we anesthetized Helencha with a low dose Ketamin injection and put him in the box and prepared ourselves for the long journey home and we definitely had to cease cat spraying. He woke up midway and decided to have a look around. The conductor of the bus, the other passengers, none of them objected to his presence and did not show excessive curiosity either. I am thankful to all of them for that.
When Helencha finally arrived in our home he was as curious as all kitties are. We dewormed him but even after gaining weight he continued to look like a cute white mouse.
We took him to a vet who said that lack of mother’s milk had temporarily crippled him: he would heal soon. Well, that did not happen, but Helencha could run as swiftly as any of the other kitty. He is a grown up tomcat now – I grew too fond of him to return him to his birthplace.
It was only later that we found out, after an X-Ray was done, that his backbone had fractures. Dr. Sourav Banerjee told us he would be able to live with a slight deformity, and that an operation might be hazardous. By God’s grace he is doing fine so far.
In March 2008, I found him pale and sickly. I admit that with my schedule I cannot pay as much attention to the little ones as I would like to. I must have missed the period when the sickness had materialized. By the time I noticed, he was very weak and pale.
Conditions in young cats usually deteriorate extremely rapidly. Members of my human family were either out of station or down with viral fever. I could barely walk myself being infected with the flu myself. The family Homeopath Dr. B. K. Roy seemed a good choice since I did not want to put Helencha through the stress of a journey to where Dr. Banerjee held his chamber and in any case, he was out of station at the time. I talked to Rana Ganguly of Moitri and after listening to the symptoms he told me that at this point and given the size of the patient, conventional medicine would not be of much use.
Dr. Roy’s medicine worked. Helencha was better for a day. He even ate on his own. The next day his condition deteriorated rapidly. I kept him on my lap as I scoured the Internet and all the books on alternative medicine that I have. He was pale, barely breathing, not moving at all, and looking at me with those large green eyes. At times I wasn’t sure if he was alive anymore. His nose, lips, tongue, and paw-pads were all deathly pale. He hardly had any blood left in him at all. The instant improvement that I noticed upon administering the medicine I dismissed as my imagination Click To Tweet
When I stumbled upon the medicine and administered it, I thought I saw an instant improvement. Of course I dismissed it as my imagination. The next day he was asking for food. In three days time he was well enough to walk around on his own, though still a little wobbly. In seven days he was back to his normal self. Natrum Muriticum 200 had worked like magic – as homeopathic remedies do when they are selected right.
Okay, that was the story I could not help telling. Here are the useful details in a cut and dried manner.
Appearence:
Weak, bones can be seen standing out along the spine, very pale all over: lips, mouth, tongue, paw-pads, nose – all look almost white; has appetite, but is too weak to eat.
Diagnosis:
Acute anemia through parasitic infestation.
Mode of treatment:
- Eliminate worms first since they are eating him inside out.
- Eliminate fleas without applying strong medicinal powder: we don’t want him poisoned in this fragile state.
- Take care of his anemic state.
Medicines prescribed:
- 0.1ml Ivermectin injected subcutaneously.
- Teucrium m. Q one drop immediately after being found sick (Click here for a full list of Homeopathic remedies for worms).
- China 6 for two days by Dr. Roy, our family Homeopath – not my choice of drug.
- Natrum Muriticum 200, one drop
- followed by Ferrum Phosphoricum 3x for two weeks, two tablets four times a day ( I overdosed him knowing there would be no adverse side effects).
- Vitamin B12 (Mecobalamin) 1500 mcg per day (which may have been an overdose as well but Mecobalamin that is not absorbed by the body harmlessly passes out with urine).
- Drops from an immunity boosting food supplement for cats (I used Immusafe which, unfortunately, has since been discontinued for some reason).
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WARNING:
[highlight]This is a success story I am happy to recount but please do not forget to consult your doctor no matter how good you may be at treating with alternative medicines.[/highlight]
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Originally published sometime in 2008 in kapush.net
Helencha passed away in 2011. I was going through an especially bad time in every respect and the fur babies paid the price. I just hope he knew how much he was loved.
