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January 22, 2017 By Jonas Amdahl Leave a Comment

Most Common Abyssinian Health Problems

Most Common Abyssinian Health Problems

Even though Abyssinians are considered to be generally healthy, there are some common feline health issues and a few serious hereditary problems that are common for this breed. The list below is meant to summarize the diseases, symptoms, possible treatments, and advice to help prevent them from affecting your Aby in the first place.

1. Periodontal Disease

Prevention

Regular brushing and cleaning the cat’s mouth and gums are highly advisable.

Symptoms

Early symptoms are usually inflamed teeth, which can pose more serious issues if not treated correctly or in time.

Treatment

Based on the level of advancement, there are numerous possible ways to treat the disease. In early stages, plaque control is the most common method, which can be achieved by more frequent brushing. In cases when the disease is already in a more severe stage, an antibiotic gel can be applied, or in more serious situations bone replacement and other procedures might be needed.

2. Progressive Retinal Atrophy

Prevention

As this inherited disease is based on genetic degeneration, there is no known method for prevention. Early recognition might be key in fighting the disease, which can produce the first symptoms at about seven months of age.

Symptoms

After the first symptoms at about seven months of age (which can be detected by an ERG exam), the progress of the vision loss slows down, taking 3-5 years to produce full blindness.

Treatment

There is no known treatment for this progressive degeneration.

3. Luxating patella

Prevention

There are currently no known preventive measuers.

Symptoms

Luxating patella or dislocated kneecap can be identified when hindlimb movements, occasional skippings or sudden lameness is present.

Treatment

Even though there are treatments for kneecap dislocation, these only provide very little or no effectiveness. Surgical treatment is advised for severe cases.

4. Pyruvate kinase deficiency or PKD

Prevention

As this disease is a genetically inherited one, there are no known preventive measures that can lower the chances of occurrence.

Symptoms

Weakness, inability to perform usual exercises, anemia, elevated heart rate.

Treatment

The only treatment option for PKD is bone marrow transplantation.

5. Kidney failure

Prevention

There are currently no known methods that can help to prevent kidney diseases.

Symptoms

Vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, weight loss, increased thirst, blindness seizures, blood in the urine. These symptoms can occur gradually over an extended period, also they can vary based on the severeness of the case.

Treatment

There are various steps that can help to minimize the symptoms, as there is no cure for chronic kidney failure: fluid therapy, kidney diet, vitamin D supplements and much more.

Filed Under: Health and Grooming Tagged With: aby, abyssinian, health, prevention

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