Animal & Bird Medical Center of Palm Harbor
Medical Database

Infectious Disease

Feline Leukemia Virus Infection: Care of the Infected Cat

Animals Affected – Cat

General Information
The feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and its associated diseases is the foremost infectious cause of illness and death in cats. About 80% of persistently infected cats die within 3 years of becoming infected. Although some infected cats may live a normal lifespan, nearly all are plagued with recurring illness.

Currently, there are no drugs available that uniformly destroy the virus in infected cats; therefore, treatment is directed at relieving clinical signs, promoting a sense of well-being, and preventing spread of the virus to other cats.

Although various methods to rid the FeLV-infected cat of virus have been tried, none has been highly successful. Approaches to therapy have included anti-viral drugs, interferon, biological response modifiers, antibody therapy, and even bone marrow transplants. Your doctor will discuss the types of treatment available for your cat and the expected results.

Important Points in Treatment
1. Medication: Give all medication as directed. Call the doctor if you are unable to administer the medication as directed.
2. Blood tests: Periodic monitoring of your pet is necessary to assess your pet’s health status and evaluate the response to treatment.

An Important Update From Animal & Bird Medical Center On COVID-19

We are committed to offering a safe and healthy environment for our clients, pets and hospital team here at Animal and Bird Medical Center. The best way to avoid becoming ill is to avoid exposure to the virus. Taking typical preventive actions is key.

In being cautious and mindful of everyone’s safety, we are actively working to minimize your exposure to crowded exam rooms and long waits in the lobby.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made some changes to our protocols in-hospital for the time-being…

In order to limit exposure while still providing quality care for your pet, we will be implementing special protocols to keep you safe.

We will have our veterinary technicians get a history of the patient’s symptoms and owner’s concerns via phone prior to coming into the clinic.

Our goal is for you to be able to bring your pet in for medical care but have no risk for you or our dedicated staff of transmitting the COVID-19 virus.

The Doctors and staff are dedicated to making sure your pet’s medical needs are taken care of during this national crisis.

We can still fill prescriptions for pick up, however, for those who prefer, non-narcotic and non-urgent prescriptions can be mailed to your home.

As always, careful hand-washing and other infection control practices can greatly reduce the chance of spreading any disease.