Cats Abortion, Spontaneous (Early Pregancy Loss) Flashcards
Definition of Abortion
Loss of pregnancy at any time prior to the fetus ability to survive out of utreas.
Definition of early pregancy loss
Loss of pregancy and death of a conceptus within three first half of gestation
Definition of conceptus
theembryoin theuterus, especially during the early stages of pregnancy.
Pathophysiology
Non-infectious causes are more common
Infectious causes such as direct infection of the embryo, uterus, placenta or fetus or indirectly by systemic infection.
Systems affected
Reproductive
Endocrine
Other systems resulting in debilitating illness
Definition of Debilitating
making someone very weak andinfirm.
Genetics
Higher incidence in purebred or closed
research catteries with closely related
individuals; heritability of susceptibility to
feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV)
suspected to be high.
INCIDENCE/PREVALENCE
Difficult to determine, as pregnancy may not
be diagnosed early. Loss or resorption of one
or two conceptus within a litter is not
uncommon
SIGNALMENT
Increased incidence in queens >5 years old;
increased risk in purebred cats with high
inbreeding.
SIGNS General Comments
Frequently no clinical symptoms other than
lack of pregnancy or reduced litter size.
Signs historical finding
Failure to deliver kittens at expected due date,
return to estrus sooner than expected
(approximately 45 days), discovery of fetal
tissues or placenta, behavior change, systemic
illness.
Signs Physical Examination Findings
Signs range from normal to dehydration,
fever, abdominal straining, and discomfort to
presence of purulent, mucoid, watery, or
sanguineous vaginal discharge.
CAUSES
Infectious
• Bacterial—organisms implicated in causing
abortion via ascending infection through the
vaginal vault and cervix include E. coli,
Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp.,
Chlamydia spp., Pasteurella spp., Klebsiella spp.,
Pseudomonas spp., Salmonella spp., Mycoplasma
spp., and Ureaplasma spp. • Protozoal—
Toxoplasma gondii. • Viral— feline leukemia
virus (FeLV), feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV-1),
FIP, feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV),
feline panleukopenia virus (FPLV)
Non infectious cause
• To rule out anovulatory cycle, confirm
progesterone >2ng/mL one week following
mating. • Hypoluteoidism—serum
progesterone level <1.0ng/mL prior to
abortion indicates luteal failure. • Disorder of
sexual development—evaluate external
genitalia, karyotype, and histopathology of
reproductive tract and gonads
Imaging
Abdominal ultrasound—most specific;
pregnancy confirmed after 25 days.
Re-ultrasound every 1–2 weeks for high-risk
queens. Confirm fetal heart rates and assess
fetal fluids and placenta in late gestation
(normal fetal heart rates >200bpm).
Visualization of fetal kidney and intestinal
peristalsis indicates fetal maturity.
• Abdominal radiographs—after 45 days, can
evaluate fetal number, relative size, and
position; also assess fetal death (gas pockets)
or fetal malformation.
DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES
Submit aborted, stillborn, mummified
fetuses and fetal membranes (fresh or
refrigerated on ice) for gross necropsy,
histopathology, cultures, and viral isolation.
Submit culture of reproductive tract or entire
tract if removed (uterus, ovaries, oviducts).
Submit samples from aborted and stillborn
fetus for karyotyping. • Pedigree analysis—
evaluate COI. • Evaluate cattery management
for vaccination protocols, feeding regime,
sanitation procedures, and quarantine
procedures. • Nutrition—nutritional analysis
of diet: of particular importance when queen
is fed homemade and/or raw diet.
PATHOLOGIC FINDINGS
Variable with etiology.
TREATMENT
APPROPRIATE HEALTH CARE
None, for noninfectious, stable queens;
primary hypoluteoidism—managed on
outpatient basis.
Treatment NURSING CARE
Inpatient management if systemically ill,
debilitated, severely dehydrated, or for
medical management of ongoing fetal loss or
pyometra.
Treatment activity
ACTIVITY
• Isolation for queens with infectious disease.
• No activity restrictions for most; restrict
activity as indicated if due to trauma.
Diet treatment
DIET
• Feed commercially available diet labeled for
use in pregnancy. • Correct diets with
inappropriate taurine or vitamin A concentrations. • Avoid feeding raw meats or
allowing queens to hunt during pregnancy to
reduce risk for ingestion of pathogenic
bacteria and T. gondii
Client educational treatment
Infectious diseases—verify vaccination
status (vaccinate prior to pregnancy) and
disease surveillance measures; ensure use of
quarantine facilities for pregnant queens and
new arrivals. • Breeding management—keep
detailed records of reproductive performance,
pedigree analysis, and social behavior of
queens (including when not receptive to male).
• Nutrition—advise feeding commercial cat
food during pregnancy. • Genetic disease—
discuss COI and value of introducing new
genetics. • Discuss risk of zoonotic disease
from T. gondii.
Treatment SURGICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Ovariohysterectomy (OHE) may be
considered if queen is systemically ill from
uterine infection or deceased fetuses. If
valuable breeding animal, Cesarean section
can be performed to remove deceased fetuses.