Pet Health Library
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Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) is a potentially life threatening viral infection of cats. Fortunately because of attempts to control transmission and with the availability of good vaccines to protect against FeLV, the disease is much less common. As its name implies, FeLV is able to cause neoplasia (cancer) of the white blood cells (leukaemia), but in addition the virus may also cause the development of solid tumours (lymphomas) at various sites in the body. There is currently no specific treatment for FeLV infected cats (i.e., no treatment that is able to eliminate the virus from the body).
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Feline miliary dermatitis is a general term to describe a skin condition that usually involves an allergic response. It is a very itchy skin problem and affected cats may lick, bite, and scratch at the affected skin. The priority in investigation of miliary dermatitis is to rule out the possible involvement of fleas. The key to successful treatment is identifying the underlying cause and dealing with this. Treatment will be directed initially at preventing fleas, even if no evidence of flea infestation is found.
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Ultrasound consists of very high-pitched sound waves. Humans hear up to 20 thousand hertz (vibrations/second), whereas the ultrasound frequencies that we use in cats are usually around 7-10 million hertz.
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Adrenal disease describes tumours or hypertrophy (excess growth) of the adrenal gland(s). Tumours may be benign (adenoma) or malignant (adenocarcinoma).
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Gastrointestinal disease in ferrets is all too frequent - from dental disease, through gastric foreign bodies to persistent diarrhoea. Some are readily prevented while others require considerable diagnostic investigation and long term treatment.
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The main reproductive disease in ferrets is actually one associated with failure to reproduce! That is to say a female ferret which is not mated fails to ovulate and consequently suffers the effects of a persistently high blood level of oestrogen.
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The main skin diseases in ferrets are associated with parasites - fleas, mites and ticks - with bacterial skin disease and tumours such as mast cell tumours.
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As with any animal ferrets can suffer from a wide range of tumours from benign cancers of the skin to aggressive malignant tumours of internal organs.
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Fits (seizures) or "funny turns" (so-called absences) can be due to many causes. As with any veterinary problem a thorough history and physical examination is the first step.
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Dogs can be irritated by fleas in two ways: Flea dermatitis and flea allergy dermatitis (FAD).