The appearance of kittens is a joyful event.If these kittens are not just purchased, but are born from your own cat, it's just a holiday! It would seem, then, when all the babies curled up in the basket, you can breathe peacefully. But it was not there. Now it is necessary to keep a close eye on the new mother, as pregnancy could lead to a dangerous disease called eclampsia. A cat that has just given birth has no chance of coping with the disease without your help.
This acute nervous disorder, manifested inrecently given birth and nursing animals. Eclampsia in cats after childbirth is caused most often by a lack of calcium in the body. This leads to a disruption of metabolism, which leads to the appearance of seizures, and often the death of a pet. Clinical signs of the disease are similar to manifestations of epilepsy. Most often, this pathology overtakes young cats in the first week after the appearance of offspring. In addition, the disease can occur against the background of teething, poor nutrition, infectious diseases. Whatever the causes of the pathology, it is necessary to immediately start treatment.
According to observations, postpartum eclampsia incats occur most often for three reasons. It can be a genetic predisposition, a disturbed metabolism or external causes. The latter is understood as too frequent delivery, mastitis, a large number of young in one litter, a lack of nutrients.
Eclampsia in a cat has well-definedsymptoms, but sometimes they can be confused with signs of nervous disorders. That's why you can not independently prescribe an animal treatment, it should be done by a specialist after a series of tests and tests. Especially important is a blood test, which will show the concentration of calcium in the blood.
After birth, it is necessary to watch the animal very carefully, in time to see that it develops eclampsia. In cats, the symptoms of this disease can be as follows:
- the pet behaves inadequately, it looks like lost;
- mastitis appeared;
- the mood of a cat changes dramatically from horror to happiness;
- the temperature is lowered;
- coordination is broken;
- dilated pupils;
- convulsions.
Just yesterday, a friendly cat can start todayhide from everything and everyone, including your own kittens. Immediately she can rush to the offspring, drag the young one after another, transferring them to other places. Eclampsia in a cat can manifest itself in the fact that it begins to bite itself, to bite kittens, to remain in fear all the time. Sometimes this behavior ends even when she eats her offspring.
Approximately 8-12 hours after the appearance of the firstsigns of muscle disease lose elasticity, become stiff. For this reason, the cat can take strange poses, bend, trying to eliminate this inconvenience.
Treatment should be started immediately.It is in the saturation of the body with calcium. However, it must be remembered that its excess is just as bad as the defect. Therefore, prescribe drugs and recommend a dose only a doctor.
So, noticing the signs of the disease, it is necessaryimmediately go to the veterinarian. Before you can enter one and a half cubes of calcium gluconate and 3 cubes of "Gamavita". If it is noticed that the cat licks, drags, bites kittens, for about a day they need to be divided.
In severe disease, the animal will be left inclinic for several days. Eclampsia in cats, whose treatment is started in the early stages, passes quite soon. The animal is administered a calcium solution intravenously. If you make injections at home, it's worth remembering a few simple rules:
- at home, the drug is administered only intramuscularly;
- get better "human" calcium, it is absorbed by cats much better than veterinary;
- the introduction must be done in different places, each time changing limbs;
- Calcium should be heated to a temperature higher than the room temperature, so a syringe should be held in hands for a few minutes before insertion.
Postpartum eclampsia in cats whose treatmentstarted in a timely manner, has quite favorable forecasts. Just a few injections of the drug, and the cat does not even remember the disease. However, only a few days without treatment, and assistance to the animal is no longer required at all.
It is for this reason that it is necessary to give maximum attention to the giving birth to the cat, noticing any, even minor, deviations from its usual behavior.
In order to avoid such a dangerous ailment,as an eclampsia in a cat, it is necessary to carry out prophylaxis. In this case, prevention is proper nutrition. And not only during pregnancy and lactation, but before that. An optimal amount of calcium should be present in the diet of the animal.
If for some reason the cat losesthis macro-element, it is necessary to give her calcium preparations, which will compensate for his deficiency in the body. However, we must not forget that its overabundance is no less harmful. Therefore, if the cat receives calcium from medicines, their dosage should be calculated by the veterinarian.
Only an attentive attitude to the pet and a timely appeal to a specialist in case of suspicion of eclampsia manifestation guarantee the preservation of the health and life of the cat and its young.