Well, I just found out that my two kitties have tested positive for Bartonella. Apparently, this is a very widespread disease that is spread through the bite of a flea. Obviously, most cats encounter fleas in their lifetimes. The disease is mostly seen among young kittens who are strays or come from shelters. They call it Cat Scratch Fever because when a young kitten scratches a person that person can become infected with the disease and show various symptoms from rashes on skin to conjunctivities. The people who are at high risk of being affected are children, older people or people with compromised immune systems. My vet saw the early stages of gingivitis on Pico's front gums and commented that he was quite young to have this here. He recommended the FeBart test for Bartonella and low and behold, the kitty was positive. I had Merlynn tested just in case and she turned out to be positive as well.
This is NOT BAD. It's definitely not the end of the world and not the most expensive thing to treat. The test does run about $50-$60. I'm not quite sure how much I paid for the medication.
The vet prescribed a 3 week treatment for the kitties and after this, I am to take them back after 6 months to have titers checked to see if the disease was eliminated.
So I'm getting to Week 1 with Pico and will start Merlynn's medication on Saturday after I pick it up.
A really great site to learn about this disease is:http://www.natvetlab.com/html/bartonella.htm
"Recent studies have demonstrated 20-35 percent of cats carry the bacteria. At a nearby clinical investigation site in Falls Church owners were asked about risk factors for Bartonella exposure (history of fleas, spends time outside, came from a shelter). Even in the group of cats declared to have no risk factors by their owners, one in four cats tested positive for the bacteria. In at risk patients, 37 percent were positive. If there was any evidence of chronic inflammation, including gingivitis, cats had a 42 percent chance of testing positive for Bartonella." This quote was taken from the following site:
http://www.starexponent.com/servlet/...path=!features
So, like I said, it's not the end of world, but many cat owners and even vets are not aware of this disease nor of its prevalence.
If anyone has anymore info on this, I'd love to hear it. Hopefully, my kitties will be rid of this disease after the treatment.
I look forward to your comments! Thanks!
This is NOT BAD. It's definitely not the end of the world and not the most expensive thing to treat. The test does run about $50-$60. I'm not quite sure how much I paid for the medication.
The vet prescribed a 3 week treatment for the kitties and after this, I am to take them back after 6 months to have titers checked to see if the disease was eliminated.
So I'm getting to Week 1 with Pico and will start Merlynn's medication on Saturday after I pick it up.
A really great site to learn about this disease is:http://www.natvetlab.com/html/bartonella.htm
"Recent studies have demonstrated 20-35 percent of cats carry the bacteria. At a nearby clinical investigation site in Falls Church owners were asked about risk factors for Bartonella exposure (history of fleas, spends time outside, came from a shelter). Even in the group of cats declared to have no risk factors by their owners, one in four cats tested positive for the bacteria. In at risk patients, 37 percent were positive. If there was any evidence of chronic inflammation, including gingivitis, cats had a 42 percent chance of testing positive for Bartonella." This quote was taken from the following site:
http://www.starexponent.com/servlet/...path=!features
So, like I said, it's not the end of world, but many cat owners and even vets are not aware of this disease nor of its prevalence.
If anyone has anymore info on this, I'd love to hear it. Hopefully, my kitties will be rid of this disease after the treatment.
I look forward to your comments! Thanks!