What kind of autoimmune disease does a cat have?
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in Cats. Autoimmune diseases are the result of an immune system that has become hyper-defensive, attacking the cells, tissues, and organs of its own body as if they are diseases that need to be destroyed.
What to do if your cat has autoimmune skin disease?
Depending on what type of autoimmune skin disease your cat has, the treatment may vary slightly. However, it is likely that your cat will be prescribed an immunosuppressant medication, which stops the immune system from fighting the cat’s own body.
How does AIHA affect the immune system in cats?
Primary AIHA is uncommon in cats. With secondary AIHA, the surface of the red blood cells becomes altered by an underlying disease process or a toxin. The cat’s immune system then recognizes the altered red blood cells as ‘foreign’ invaders that must be destroyed.
What causes autoimmune hemolytic anemia in cats?
In cats with AIHA, red blood cells are still being manufactured in the bone marrow, but once released into the circulation, they have a shorter-than-normal life span. This disease may also be called immune-mediated hemolytic anemia or IMHA. What causes autoimmune hemolytic anemia? AIHA may be primary (idiopathic) or it may be secondary.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in Cats. Autoimmune diseases are the result of an immune system that has become hyper-defensive, attacking the cells, tissues, and organs of its own body as if they are diseases that need to be destroyed.
What makes the immune system go haywire in cats?
Viruses, bacteria and periodontal disease are all thought to contribute to the disease, but scientists don’t know what makes affected cats’ immune systems go haywire in response to plaque and bacteria. According to dvm360, some studies suggest a link between stomatitis and calicivirus, a virus that causes upper respiratory disease in cats.
What kind of skin disease does a cat have?
This is the most common autoimmune skin disease of cats. With PM, the patient develops crusts (scabs) and ulcers around the eyes, ears, footpads, groin, and bridge of the nose. In cats, lesions also develop at the toenail beds creating crusty sore feet.
Primary AIHA is uncommon in cats. With secondary AIHA, the surface of the red blood cells becomes altered by an underlying disease process or a toxin. The cat’s immune system then recognizes the altered red blood cells as ‘foreign’ invaders that must be destroyed.