In veterinary medicine, ascites is a secondary disease in cats, which is a cluster of blood plasma in the abdominal cavity of an animal. Typically, this disease occurs as a result of a pet-borne infection or the malfunctioning of organs or systems.
The causes of ascites in cats
Factors that provoke the appearance of the disease, conditionally divided into two huge groups:
- Diseases that occur outside the abdominal cavity of the animal, namely: liver cirrhosis and insufficiency of its functioning, chronic heart muscle failure, urolithiasis, pancreatitis and much more.
- Diseases that occur directly in the stomach cavity of the pet. These include: hepatitis, cancer , peritonitis, diabetes, obesity and so on.
Symptoms of ascites in cats
The clearest and most noticeable sign of the presence of the disease is the belly in the animal that is symmetrically increased due to fluid accumulation, which becomes a peculiar capacity for 0.5-2 liters of plasma. Concomitant symptoms of ascites in cats are:
- rapid increase in pet weight;
- severe anorexia;
- lack of mobility and oppression;
- icterus and bloodlessness of the mucous membranes;
- dyspnea;
- ascites of the abdominal cavity in cats can manifest itself in the form of flatulence, abdominal tenderness, edema subsidence and perineum;
- disheveled and dull woolen cover.
Treatment of ascites in cats
After the exact diagnosis has been established in the veterinary clinic, the animal owner should immediately proceed with complex treatment. To start, you need to put the pet on a tough diet - to feed the cat can be salt-free and protein-rich food, restrict access to water.
The next stage will be to provide the cat with all the necessary medicines, and in each case of the disease, their set may change. The effect of medicines is directed to volume regulation
If the disease progresses and is not amenable to cure, operative intervention methods may be used.
As a rule, the predictions of ascites in cats rarely reach a lethal outcome. Often, everything is limited to a favorable outcome of treatment.
Prevention of this disease is the timely treatment of major pathologies that can trigger the occurrence of ascites in cats.