Rise in feline pancytopenia

There has been a sudden and unexpected rise in cases of feline pancytopenia, a usually rare condition that can make cats very ill.  As a result, the authorities are advising cat owners, who have fed their cat certain foods from; Pets at home, Sainsburys or Applaws to stop feeding that food and monitor their cats for symptoms. 

Our head vet, Alun is urging clients to check the list of affected cat foods below.  Then, if their cat has any of the symptoms, also detailed below, you should contact the Clent Hills Vets team without delay. 

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Affected Products from Sainsburys, Pets at home & Applaws 

The outbreak has potentially been linked to a number of cat foods.  The three manufacturers and retailers of the affected foods have issued voluntary recalls as follows. 

1. Pets at home own brand, AVA, cat food  
2. Sainsbury’s hypoallergenic recipe cat food 
3. Applaws cat foods 

[List of affected cat foods]

You should check the list, stop feeding your cat these foods and contact us is you feel your cat is displaying any of the symptoms above. 

Symptoms of Feline Pancytopenia  

You should check your cat for the following symptoms (especially if you have fed your cat any affected products) and contact us if you need help. 

• Sluggishness & weakness 
• Pale gums  
• Bruising  
• Increased heart rate 
• Fever 
• Bleeding from the mouth or nose  
• Blood in the urine (known as hematuria) 
• Spitting up of blood (known as hemoptysis) 
• Black, tarry stools (known as melena) 

Further information on feline pancytopenia 

Pancytopenia is a very rare condition where the number of blood cells your cat has rapidly decreases. This means their blood won’t clot as easily, it reduces the ability of the blood to carry oxygen to the tissues and it also introduces a high risk of secondary infections.   

Once an owner alerts our vets to the symptoms above, we diagnose pancytopenia with a simple blood test. Unfortunately, there are several other diseases that have similar symptoms to the new pancytopenia condition. So, to confirm our suspicions, all the other diseases need to be ruled out. To do this we’ll undertake further tests.  As there is no specific treatment available yet we’ll treat your cat with antibiotics, intravenous fluids and anti-inflammatory drugs. Most cats require at least one blood transfusion. 

If you have any questions or are worried about the condition of your cat, please contact us without delay. 

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