Coronavirus In Cats Treatment
With so much unknown prevention is key.
Coronavirus in cats treatment. Being a viral disease there is no treatment. Feline enteric coronavirus FECV is an enveloped single-stranded RNA virus that is highly prevalent worldwide in domestic cats. Coronavirus that causes diarrhea is simply treated symptomatically using medications and supplements to firm up the stool but coronavirus that causes FIP is not able to be treated as easily.
You should consult your veterinarian to help you decide which treatment option is best for your cat. It is a coronavirus of the species Alphacoronavirus 1 which includes canine coronavirus and porcine transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus. Testing is only recommended for pets that have symptoms and have been exposed to a person with COVID-19.
It has two different forms. There is no specific antiviral therapy. This information is according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications.
In the field setting cats have shown clinical signs of disease including respiratory and gastro-intestinal signs. Cats domestic and large cats mink and dogs have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the field setting following contact with humans known or suspected to be infected with SARS-CoV-2. Corticosteroids like prednisolone and dexamethasone as used in people with severe COVID-19 can improve clinical signs and prolong life in some cases but most affected cats die within weeks or months of showing clinical signs.
Treatment if required is symptomatic and supportive ie fluid therapy oral electrolyte solutions antiemetics. Most people try treating the symptoms and hoping for a response in the cats immune system. A drug used to treat deadly coronavirus infections in cats could potentially be an effective treatment against SARS-CoV-2.
Feline interferon ω has been shown to reduce viral excretion of feline coronavirus in retrovirus infected cats Gil et al. Preliminary studies suggest that two drugs that can treat an almost always fatal coronavirus disease in cats might also be effective against the human coronavirus responsible for the pandemic. Suggested that a combination of probiotics and interferon may have reduced feline coronavirus shedding in two cats in the same study.