The birth of offspring is a very pleasant and memorable moment, both for the cat itself and for its owners. It would seem that all the worst is over, the cat has successfully given birth to healthy offspring, and now all attention needs to be switched to newborn kittens. But not everything is so simple, in cats, against the background of the characteristics of the body, a disorder of the nervous system is possible , which is expressed in the appearance of a disease called postpartum eclampsia in cats. In this article we will look at the causes of this disease, symptoms, as well as treatment methods.
Causes
Knowing the causes of postpartum eclampsia in cats is very important. If we talk about eclampsia in cats, it is worth mentioning that the disease occurs in pets only during the postpartum period. The push effect itself is considered a very powerful nervous disorder, which can be caused by three reasons:
- genetic predisposition - some animals are more prone to eclampsia at the genetic level. They may have a weak nervous system, or the code is inherent in natural features;
- metabolism - this factor can depend both on diet and on nervous disorders that can be caused by severe stress;
- factors whose influence comes from the outside - these reasons include difficult or too frequent childbirth. Lack of nutrients, in our case calcium.
Preventive measures
During treatment of the disease, you should strictly follow all the veterinarian’s instructions.
This will effectively eliminate the disease and provide the opportunity to feed the puppies with mother's milk. If you follow all the recommendations, complications from eclampsia will not appear. It is important to pay attention to the animal’s diet. It should be based on dairy products, the amount of meat food should be reduced to a minimum. Milk is the best supplier of calcium and is an excellent addition to medications
Milk is the best supplier of calcium and is an excellent addition to medications.
If the treatment requires regular injections to your dog, you need to create ideal conditions for the procedures. Stress in the animal should be prevented. Otherwise, it will lead to hormonal imbalance and worsen the condition.
The quality of calcium absorption largely depends on vitamin D. In most cases, specialists include drugs containing it in the treatment complex.
It must be remembered that after the first case of eclampsia, the disease can reappear under appropriate conditions. A pregnant bitch who has already been diagnosed with this disease must be monitored extremely carefully throughout the entire period of bearing puppies. You should contact a veterinarian at the slightest suspicion of pathology.
The effectiveness of treatment for eclampsia largely depends on the stage of development of the disease.
It is important for owners to understand that the health of their beloved pet is in their hands. You need to promptly seek help from specialists and not allow the disease to develop.
Authors of the articles: Belanta Clinic team
Symptoms
Like many other diseases, eclampsia is accompanied by a number of symptoms, knowledge of which can greatly make life easier for both the pet and the owner. Understanding the symptoms of a particular disease, the owner has the opportunity to quickly respond and seek help from a veterinarian. It is important to understand that the owner’s task is not to identify the disease, but to quickly react to its manifestation.
- inappropriate behavior of the animal - the cat may seem confused, as if it does not understand what is happening around;
- mood swings - if a moment ago the cat was the sweetest and benevolent creature, then after a couple of minutes this can be replaced by sudden aggression and a fit of rage;
- mastitis - may appear during eclampsia;
- temperature change - the thermometer readings do not increase, but rather become lower. This is one of the signs of the disease;
- coordination - the animal may walk staggering. There is no need to confuse weakness in the limbs and lack of coordination, these are different symptoms;
- pupils - as a rule, they are slightly dilated;
- convulsions - can be observed in different limbs.
Diagnostics
Before prescribing proper treatment, it is necessary to diagnose the body. The fact is that the symptoms that a cat exhibits with eclampsia are very similar to ordinary nervous disorders. And if sometimes an inexperienced specialist can make a mistake in making a diagnosis, there can be no talk of any self-diagnosis methods by untrained people. Our veterinary center offers the services of only highly qualified specialists who know a lot about their business and bear full responsibility for their actions.
It is impossible to say exactly what examinations a doctor may prescribe when detecting eclampsia in cats. But we can say for sure that taking blood tests will be almost necessary . Since this is a basic set of tests that allows you to see the general condition of the body and individual organs.
Diagnosis of postpartum eclampsia
As a rule, the above signs do not appear immediately, but gradually, which makes it possible to identify pathology at an early stage and prevent deterioration of the condition.
- The first stage is usually accompanied by general anxiety, refusal to eat, and sometimes causeless aggression towards the puppies or the owner;
- The second stage already has a more vivid clinical picture: profuse salivation, weakness of the limbs, fearfulness up to convulsions;
- The third stage is already accompanied by high fever, unconsciousness/coma.
Treatment
If the diagnosis is confirmed by a doctor, treatment should begin. Therapeutic measures should begin immediately. Because the slightest delay in providing veterinary care can result in death for your pet.
Treatment methods do not have a wide range and are limited to saturating the animal’s body with calcium. But not everything is as simple as it might seem at first glance . The dosage of the drugs used, no matter what form they are in, tablets or injections, should be determined only by a veterinarian. A lack of calcium can result in an excess, which is not good for your pet. There is no need to look for extremes, you need normal levels of the substance in the body.
The treatment itself most often takes the form of injections to the cat. A solution containing calcium is administered intravenously to a sick cat. Some veterinarians advise using calcium intended for human consumption, this is due to the insufficient absorption of the veterinary product. In order for the solution to be better accepted by the body, it should be heated to the desired temperature - this is slightly above room temperature.
Disease prevention
The main rule for preventing the development of eclampsia is a balanced diet. The paradox is that pathology can develop both with a deficiency and with an excess of calcium obtained from food (an excessive amount of the mineral causes a stop in the production of parathyroid hormone, which is responsible for the absorption of the mineral). Excess phosphorus in the diet is also a problem because it interferes with the normal absorption of calcium.
It is difficult to calculate the diet of a pregnant and postpartum cat yourself. It is worth taking the animal to the clinic, where the veterinarian will examine it and conduct a series of tests. Based on the patient’s well-being, her weight, the number of kittens being carried or fed, the doctor will draw up a nutrition plan with the right amount of minerals and vitamins, and select the appropriate food.
Another important preventive measure that will prevent the occurrence of cat health problems is monitoring the animal throughout the entire period of bearing and feeding kittens, even in the absence of alarming symptoms. This will allow you to identify any even minor deviations and take timely action.
Eclampsia is a dangerous pathology associated with a lack of calcium in the animal’s body. May occur in pregnant and postpartum cats. Requires immediate hospitalization and emergency measures. With timely assistance and further nutritional adjustments, complications do not arise. If treatment is not carried out within 10–12 hours after the onset of attacks, then with a high degree of probability the animal will die.
Eclampsia in cats after birth: first aid at home
Before the veterinarian arrives, you can provide your cat with assistance that will alleviate its condition or prevent complications of eclampsia in cats after birth. But first aid should not be confused with self-medication . Only a doctor should treat an animal. Otherwise, you will only cause him harm, which can lead to death. Below are basic guidelines for providing first aid to a cat :
- isolation of the animal from its offspring - to avoid harm;
- rest - the animal should be at rest and avoid stressful situations;
- atmosphere - in the room where the isolated pet is located there should be dim light and clean air.
- to avoid the consequences of seizures - to do this, you need to cover the animal on all sides with soft blankets or pillows.
Clinical forms
There are 3 main forms of eclampsia in pregnancy, each of which is characterized by specific symptoms.
There are the following types of this deviation:
- typical. Significant swelling of the skin tissue and internal organs is observed, intracranial pressure increases, and hypertension develops;
- atypical. Occurs most often in cases of prolonged labor. The characteristic clinical picture in this case is cerebral edema, increased intracranial pressure;
- uremic form. This type of eclampsia is based on nephritis, from which the woman suffered before conceiving a child or which developed already during pregnancy. In this case, there is no swelling, but fluid can accumulate in excess quantities in the chest and abdominal cavities.
Any type of this deviation threatens the health and life of the mother and unborn child.
Prevention of eclampsia in cats
Better than any treatment is the absence of disease. Preventive measures will help prevent the onset of illness in your pet. They consist of certain actions aimed at improving the health of the animal and its conditions of detention. All recommendations are created by leading veterinarians. In the case of eclampsia, strong attention needs to be paid to the cat during pregnancy. Below are some of them:
- nutrition - when an animal carries offspring in its tummy, it should be remembered that it shares all the nutrients it receives with the future kittens. That is why it is necessary to fully saturate the body with all the necessary microelements;
- emotional state - during pregnancy you should avoid various stresses that can have a detrimental effect on both the health of the fetus and the health of the cat itself;
- Other diseases - diseases suffered by animals during pregnancy will in any case leave a mark on the general condition.
How doctors will treat a cat
Treatment should be comprehensive - eliminating life-threatening symptoms and restoring normal calcium levels in the blood. The standard set of drugs that veterinarians give to animals with attacks of eclampsia:
- Ca Gluconicum dropper (10% solution at a dosage of 15 mg per kilogram of cat weight) - for 30–40 minutes. It is carried out only in a clinical setting, since simultaneous ECG monitoring is required.
- Barbiturates intravenously to eliminate dangerous overexcitation of the central nervous system.
- Diazepam for anticonvulsant and muscle relaxant effects is administered intravenously at a dose of 0.1 mg per kilogram of the patient’s weight.
- Antipyretics to eliminate signs of hyperthermia.
Once the cat is brought out of critical condition, it can be taken home. Within a week, the owner will have to inject the animal with calcium borogluconate in the dosage prescribed by the veterinarian. It is recommended to separate cats with eclampsia from their kittens; the female will have to artificially feed the cubs during the period of treatment.
Pathophysiology
It is believed that the main factor contributing to the development of pathology is the loss of free calcium in milk. Severe hypocalcemia and hypophosphatemia typically develop within the first three weeks after birth. This is likely the result of an imbalance between the decreasing amount of free calcium and the body's inability to quickly make up for its deficiency.
All this leads to the fact that the membranes of muscle cells become excessively permeable and excitable. The result is tetanic muscle contractions and cramps. In severe cases, they are so strong and severe that the dog dies from suffocation, as he is physically unable to inhale air. Another danger of eclampsia is the far from theoretical possibility of muscle tissue dying, which subsequently (if the pet remains alive) leads to disability.
Remember that excessive calcium supplementation or foods excessively rich in this element do not help reduce the risk of eclampsia: on the contrary, such “prevention” significantly increases it. The problem is that the body of an animal that receives too much calcium begins to absorb it worse (this is a protective measure - this is how it is saved from the negative effects that occur when there is an excess of this element).
The problem is that at the same time the production of hormones that promote both the absorption and deposition of calcium in the bones decreases. Thus, if there is a sudden decrease in the amount of this element in the feed, or if it is necessary to increase its output (in milk, for example), the body may not be able to cope with this task.
Risk group
Cats of different ages and genders can be susceptible to the disease.
Animals at risk include:
- primiparous;
- with multiple pregnancy;
- having calcium deficiency during previous births;
- those receiving an unbalanced diet or medications that reduce calcium levels in the blood;
- aged.
