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| My old cat has anemia |
Seven types of feline anemia are commonly dealt with by veterinarians:
- Aplastic pancytopenia - the bone marrow fails to produce enough new cells to replenish blood cells;
- Hemolytic anemia - Heinz body - an item of denatured hemoglobin is enclosed in the red blood cell. It is caused by the consumption of paracetamol that poisons the cat.
- Immune mediated anemia - affects dogs more that cats. Auto-immune system goes wrong and attacks red blood cells.
- Iron deficiency anemia - caused by a diet deficient in iron and/or iron loss due to e.g. intestinal bleeding.
- Megalobastic anemia - caused by the infectious disease feline leukemia.
- Anemia caused by chronic kidney disease. My old cat (20) is dying and she has feline anemia caused in part by chronic kidney disease.
- Metabolic anemia - occurs with fatty liver syndrome in cats.
See
feline anemia for more.
Kittens are especially prone to death when it comes to anemia. As kittens have a smaller amount of blood volume compared to adult cats, they cannot tolerate very much blood loss. The signs and symptoms of anemia can look like so many other medical conditions: increased heart rate, failure to void, weakness, and pale skin.
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