Section: Veterinary Care In-depth
Diagnosis
Evaluation and examination of the aborted kitten is the best way to diagnose the cause of abortion. This will give you and your veterinarian the best chance of finding the cause of the abortion and help avoid future abortions.
If the kitten is not available, some tests can be done on the mother.
Serology is done to determine the presence of feline leukemia, FIV or toxoplasmosis. These can result in abortion.
Complete blood cell count (CBC), biochemistry profile and urinalysis will help determine the overall health of the queen.
Abdominal radiographs (x-ray) or ultrasound can help determine any masses, tumors or abnormalities within the uterus.
Bacterial cultures of the vagina and culture of any vaginal discharge can help diagnosis a bacterial problem.
Testing of blood progesterone levels can help determine ovarian abnormalities.
Treatment
Once abortion has begun, it is nearly impossible to stop. Frequently, you are unaware that abortion has occurred. The goal is to determine the cause of the abortion, treat for any underlying disease and help prevent abortion in future litters.
Some causes of abortion have potential corrective measures:
Feline leukemia. There is no treatment for feline leukemia and these cats should not be bred.
Feline immunodeficiency virus. There is no treatment for FIV and these cats should not be bred.
Feline infectious peritonitis virus. There is no treatment for FIP and these cats should not be bred.
Low progesterone levels. For future litters, progesterone supplements are given throughout the pregnancy to help bring the kittens to term.
Follow Up
Queens that have been diagnosed with abortion in the past may have repeated problems. Even with treatment, these cats may continue to abort some, if not all, of the future litters. You may want to consider removing queens prone to abortion from your breeding program.
