Feline Leukemia Treatment
Feline Leukemia Treatment - Treating Leukemia in Cats
Avoiding contact with feline leukemia virus by housing cats indoors is the best form of prevention. Potential fomites such as water bowls and litter pans should not be shared between seropositive and seronegative cats. Testing and removal of seropositive cats can result in virus-free catteries and multiple-cats househoulds.
A number of antiviral agents have been proposed for the treatment of feline leukemia virus; the reverse transcriptase inhibitor, 3'-azido-3'-deoxythimidine (AZT) has been studied the most. Unfortunately, administration of AZT to presistently viremic cats does not appear to clear feline leukemia virus in most cats, and it had minimal benefits for clinically ill cats in a recent study. Immunotherapy with drugs such as a-interferon, Staphyloccocus protein A, Propionibacterium acnes, or acemannan improves clinical signs of disease in some cats.
Chemotherapy should be administered to cats with feline leukemia virus associated with neoplasia. Opportunistic agents should be managed as indicated; the upper dose range and duration od antibiotic therapy are generally required. Administration of supportive therapies such as hematinic agents, vitamin B12, folic acid, anabolic steroids, and erythropoietin generally has been successful in the management of nonregenerative anemia. Cats with autoagglutinating hemolytic anemia require immunosuppressive therapy, but this may activate virus replication. The prognosis of persistently viremic cats is guarded; the majority die within 2 to 3 years.
Avoiding contact with feline leukemia virus by housing cats indoors is the best form of prevention. Potential fomites such as water bowls and litter pans should not be shared between seropositive and seronegative cats. Testing and removal of seropositive cats can result in virus-free catteries and multiple-cats househoulds.
A number of antiviral agents have been proposed for the treatment of feline leukemia virus; the reverse transcriptase inhibitor, 3'-azido-3'-deoxythimidine (AZT) has been studied the most. Unfortunately, administration of AZT to presistently viremic cats does not appear to clear feline leukemia virus in most cats, and it had minimal benefits for clinically ill cats in a recent study. Immunotherapy with drugs such as a-interferon, Staphyloccocus protein A, Propionibacterium acnes, or acemannan improves clinical signs of disease in some cats.
Chemotherapy should be administered to cats with feline leukemia virus associated with neoplasia. Opportunistic agents should be managed as indicated; the upper dose range and duration od antibiotic therapy are generally required. Administration of supportive therapies such as hematinic agents, vitamin B12, folic acid, anabolic steroids, and erythropoietin generally has been successful in the management of nonregenerative anemia. Cats with autoagglutinating hemolytic anemia require immunosuppressive therapy, but this may activate virus replication. The prognosis of persistently viremic cats is guarded; the majority die within 2 to 3 years.
