Description
This webinar will be case-based to show the variety of clinical presentations seen in cases of diarrhoea in kittens. Diarrhoea is common in kittens, being most commonly caused by dietary changes at weaning, dietary indiscretion, intestinal foreign bodies, or gastrointestinal infections e.g. Feline Panleukopenia Virus, Feline Coronavirus, Giardia spp., Salmonella spp., Tritrichomonas foetus, Campylobacter spp., Clostridium spp., Isospora felis, Cryptosporidium parum, Toxocara cati and Toxascaris leonine. However, it can occasionally occur due to systemic infections (e.g. Feline leukaemia virus, Feline Coronavirus or Toxoplasma gondii), intoxications or result from the administration of certain drugs e.g. antibiotics. While diarrhoea associated with dietary change is often self-resolving, or will resolve when the kitten is treated with a probiotic, young kittens can become dehydrated and decompensate very quickly, so it is important to assess these cases fully so that sick kittens can be treated promptly and appropriately. While many infectious agents are found commonly in kitten faeces, they are not always the cause of the kitten’s diarrhoea, so interpreting the results of faecal panels, especially PCR panels, can be challenging. Treating kittens with diarrhoea can involve combinations of a limited period of ‘gut rest’, micro-enteral nutrition and/or feeding a simple easily-digested diet, probiotics, antibiotics (only when a particular infection is strongly suspected or proven), rehydration (which in very young kittens may need to be given intraosseously), anti-emetics, and good nursing care. Cats with parvo viral infection may also benefit from the administration of serum from a vaccinated cat and/or interferon omega. Since infected kittens can shed high numbers of infectious agents, especially when they have diarrhoea, good hygiene is essential to prevent nosocomial and/or zoonotic spread, and/or the spread of infection to other pets within the home household.
