Excellent Methods For Diagnosis Of Infectious Diseases Of Dogs And Cats A Vet’s Guide 2024
Diagnosis of infectious diseases of dogs and cats is done through many methods and it is very important so that the vet can know the correct treatment plan.
Infectious diseases of dogs and cats are caused by several infectious agents like fungi, parasites, bacteria, viruses, and rickettsial diseases.
Diagnosis of infectious disease of dogs and cats is a step-by-step exclusionary procedure that involves different analytical methods for diagnosing the disease.
Diagnostic techniques are different methods used to diagnose a disease.
In this article, we will review methods of diagnosis of infectious diseases of dogs and cats and we will also present some of these diseases and how to diagnose them.
Diagnosis of infectious diseases of dogs and cats in 2024
The first thing a doctor does to diagnose any disease is to ask about the symptoms or clinical signs that have appeared on the pet and how long they have been appearing.
After that, he resorts to conducting some analytical tests through which the nature of the disease the animal is afflicted with is known.
Veterinarians have four options for diagnosis of infectious diseases of dogs and cats which are:
–The first one is to look under a microscope at a pet’s blood or tissue sample looking for the organisms themselves, but this method can be very insensitive.
–The second option is to culture the organisms in a special medium to identify the specific infectious agent.
However, most vector-borne organisms have only been successfully developed in specialized research laboratories.
–The third option is an antibody test or antibody titer.
This test is used for diagnosis of infectious diseases of dogs and cats as it can indicate whether the animal has been exposed to a specific organism.
–The fourth option is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test that detects the antigen or DNA of the infectious agent, both of which confirm active infection in most cases.
The diagnostic advantage of PCR testing, which copies specific parts of an organism’s DNA, over an antibody test(antibody titer) is in diagnosing infectious diseases in the very early stages of infection, before antibodies are developed. PCR testing is generally as specific and sensitive as culture, is much faster, and is more reliable for some organisms.
Here are some infectious diseases of dogs and cats and diagnosis of them
1-Canine parvovirus(CPV)
Canine parvovirus also known as parvo is a highly contagious disease and canine parvovirus type 2 causes it.
This virus can attack the gastrointestinal tract of the dog and his white blood cells, and in some cases can cause damage to the heart muscle.
The symptoms of canine parvovirus in dogs are
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea is severe and bloody
- Loss of appetite
- Lethargy
- Fever
Diagnosis of infectious diseases of dogs and cats such as canine parvovirus is done by
1-Fecal SNAP ELISA tests
-These tests are the most common way for diagnosis of canine parvovirus.
-ELISA test is a short for Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and this test is similar to home pregnancy test.
-In this test antibodies to parvovirus are immobilized on testing chamber surface, a stool sample is added to testing chamber and after adding a color changing chemical and if its color changes, this will be an indication of positive result as this means parvovirus has attracted to the antibodies.
-This test can be completed within 15 minutes by the veterinarian.
-The ELISA test may give false negative or false positive results, so further testing may be needed for diagnosis.
2-PCR(polymerase chain reaction)
-This test is more accurate as canine parvovirus fecal PCR test can detect small pieces of viral DNA which are specific to canine parvovirus in the stool sample of the dog.
-This test needs more time than ELIZA and needs a laboratory that is specialized in performing PCR-based tests.
3-White blood cells count:
White blood cell count can be a way of diagnosis of infectious diseases of dogs and cats such as canine parvovirus as CPV can cause decreased white blood cells count.
2-Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP)
It is also known as feline distemper and it is associated with a viral infection(feline coronavirus infection).
The symptoms of this disease are:
- Abdominal pains
- Diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- High fever
- Depression
Diagnosis of infectious diseases of dogs and cats such as feline infectious peritonitis is done by:
There are no specific clinical signs or blood tests for diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis.
But the vet takes into consideration that the disease may be FIP when:
- Cat showing the FIP clinical signs
- Cat is in higher risk category
- Blood test may include some changes such as:
-Increased numbers of neutrophils(Neutrophilia).
-Decreased numbers of lymphocytes.
-Decreased number of red blood cells(Anemia).
-Increased liver enzymes such as ALT and ALP.
-Elevated bilirubin and globulin concentrations.
PCR tests can be helpful if there is a fluid in the abdomen to look for the virus.
Also fluid sample analysis can help in diagnosis of FIP as this disease leads to high protein content of the fluid.
Diagnosis of infectious diseases of dogs and cats such as FIP can be done by X-ray and ultrasound.
Here are some other tests that can be helpful in diagnosis such as:
- Measuring AGP(protein acid-1-alpha glycoprotein)
- Brain MRI scans
- If the cat shows any neurological signs, the vet can depend on evaluation of a cerebrospinal fluid sample
- If the cat shows any ocular problems, diagnosis can be done by evaluation of eye fluid
- Tissue sample(Biopsies)
- Needle sample of lesions in lymph node and other organs
Serology which means looking for antibodies against FIP virus in a blood sample isn’t effective in diagnosis of the disease and it can’t be used for FIP diagnosis.
Summary
Diagnosis of infectious diseases of dogs and cats is done through many methods, which are determined according to the nature of each disease.
Therefore, when any symptom appears in your pet, you must contact your veterinarian immediately so that he can identify the disease and protect your pet from the deterioration of its condition, which could lead to a threat to his life.
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