How Veterinarians Diagnose Feline Leukemia

The symptoms of Feline Leukemia can quite easily be attributed to a number of other diseases. In most cases, too, even at the most advanced stages, a cat may show only vague symptoms. The common symptoms that a cat may be infected with FeLV are poor appetite, lethargy, unexplained weight loss that can be gradual at first but progressing steadily, dull fur or coat, soft stools, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, pale gums, seizures, neurological disorders and other persistent infections.

It is better to err in the side of caution and have a cat tested for the disease if it falls under any of the following high-risk categories:

• 1. Kittens below 8 months old.
• 2. Stays outdoors frequently.
• 3. An adopted cat, even if you know the cat’s history.
• 4. If in multi-cat households, one of the cats has already been diagnosed with the disease.

There are two types of tests that a veterinarian can perform to find out if the cat has been exposed to FeLV. Note that just because the cat that has been exposed to the virus does not become infected with Feline Leukemia, it does not mean that it will not infect other cats. The tests are both “blood” tests, which will seek to detect the presence of a certain protein component within the cat’s blood.

The first is called ELISA (Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay). This is a test that can be done in the veterinarian’s office, or even at home. It will be able to detect the virus in both the first and second stage of the Viremia or viral infection because it will be looking for the antigen. An antigen is the “antibody generator”, or the substance that tells the body to produce antibodies to fight off an infection.

The test is accurate, but not infallible. There are instances that a false-positive result may come out or a false-negative, thus a professional’s help is always prudent. The good thing about this test is that it may be administered at any time, and can be repeated easily in case of doubt. FeLV also takes 1-3 months to develop, and testing every thirty days for high-risk cases should be done.

The other test is called the IFA (Indirect Immunoflourescent Antibody Assay), which is the same principle as the ELISA test, only this time instead of looking for the antigen, it will look for the antibody or the immune system’s response to the infection. This test needs to be done in a diagnostic laboratory, and can detect only secondary Viremia. Either tests can be done singly, but it is better to do both at the same time to make sure that the results are accurate.

The disease is incurable at present, but it is manageable through various treatments. The earlier a cat can be diagnosed successfully, the better its chances are for long-term survival, have a better quality of life, and precautions can be taken so that other cats will not be infected with the disease.