Toxoplasmosis is an infectious disease that primarily affects cats but can also be transmitted to humans, which is why it is classified as a zoonosis. Humans are considered intermediate hosts, although clinical symptoms do not usually occur. It only becomes truly dangerous when pregnant women come into contact with toxoplasma for the first time and the pathogen infects the unborn child.
The pathogen that causes toxoplasmosis is a single-celled parasite whose main host is cats. Cats excrete certain stages of the toxoplasma, which can survive in the outside world as resistant spores for up to several years. These can then be ingested either by another cat or by a so-called intermediate host. The pathogen can therefore go through different stages of development.
Due to the many different intermediate hosts and the pathogen's resistance in the environment, there are many other sources of infection for humans besides cats, such as raw and undercooked pork and lamb, unwashed vegetables, unpasteurized goat's milk, contaminated soil, and sandboxes contaminated with cat feces.
Whether the disease breaks out and clinical symptoms appear in cats depends primarily on the type of infection. If cats infect each other, clinical symptoms rarely develop, although infection via an intermediate host almost always leads to the onset of the disease.
Older cats show only mild signs of illness, if any, such as slight diarrhea. Once infected, cats are immune to the pathogen and no longer shed any stages of the disease. However, younger or immunocompromised animals may experience much more severe symptoms. These include diarrhea, swollen lymph nodes, coughing, breathing difficulties, jaundice, eye infections, inflammation of the heart and skeletal muscles, and meningitis. Kittens may also die suddenly.
Chronic toxoplasmosis can only develop in cats with a compromised immune system. It is characterized by gait disorders, convulsions, emaciation, digestive problems, and eye inflammation.
Since most cats show no or very few symptoms of toxoplasmosis infection, they are rarely taken to the vet. The focus is rather on determining whether an otherwise healthy cat is a carrier of toxoplasma in its developmental stages. This can be determined by a stool test, but only during the initial infection, which lasts about three weeks. Young animals are particularly affected, although only about one to two percent of all cats excrete toxoplasma.
In adult cats, treatment is usually not necessary due to the mild symptoms. The infection is often discovered by chance during other examinations. In young or weakened animals with more severe cases, treatment with antiparasitic and antibiotic drugs is necessary.
The best measure to effectively protect your cat from infection with toxoplasma is to feed it only meat that has been heated or frozen for a long time, or ready-made food. This significantly reduces the risk of infection, at least for cats that live indoors. Due to potential contact with rodents, the risk of infection cannot be completely ruled out for cats that go outdoors.
Most horse owners are now familiar with Cushing's syndrome and its symptoms in horses. A disease with very similar symptoms is equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). In its early stages, it is therefore often confused with equine Cushing's syndrome. But what is the difference?
Neoplasms of the mammary gland account for more than half of all cancers in female dogs. These benign or malignant tumors occur primarily in older, unspayed female dogs and initially appear as small, nodular changes along the entire mammary gland, which can later become very large. Different types of mammary tumors can occur.
This infectious disease, medically known as foal septicemia, is often fatal and affects newborn foals up to 4 weeks of age. The pathogens enter the bloodstream in various ways and can spread throughout the entire organism. However, the disease most commonly manifests itself in the joints, which is why it is colloquially known as foal paralysis.
Dogs and cats can go blind for various reasons. However, this does not mean "the end" for our beloved four-legged friends. Dogs and cats in particular, who live together with us humans, are very good at compensating for their loss of sight with other senses and can continue to lead almost normal lives.
The tendons are part of the musculoskeletal system and act as the connecting links between the muscles and the skeleton. They consist of strong, flexible tissue, transfer energy from the muscles to the bones, and thus enable targeted movement. Their special structure, consisting of parallel connective tissue fibers grouped together in bundles, gives them enormous tensile strength and elasticity. The flexor tendons of the front legs are particularly exposed to extreme stress in horses, as more than half of the body weight has to be carried by the forehand. Tendon damage is one of the most common causes of lameness, especially in sport horses. In most cases, the structures affected on the front leg are the superficial flexor tendon, the deep flexor tendon, the suspensory ligament, and the fetlock joint (see diagram). As there are very few nerves and blood vessels in the tendon tissue, healing is very slow.
Myiasis is the medical term for fly maggot infestation in rabbits, which occurs primarily in the warm summer months and in injured or weakened animals. The disease is often underestimated, but can be life-threatening for rabbits.
Sticker's sarcoma is an infectious tumor of the external genital organs of male and female dogs. It is also known as transmissible venereal tumor or venereal sarcomatosis. The disease occurs worldwide, but is primarily found in tropical and subtropical countries (Mediterranean region, Africa, Eastern Europe, South America) where there is a large population of stray dogs.
Botulism is a serious neurological disease caused by the ingestion of botulinum toxin (a poison) from contaminated feed. Even the smallest amounts of this toxin can cause severe poisoning in horses, leading to death.
This term refers to a deforming disease of the spine. It occurs mainly in large dogs and involves spur-like or bridge-shaped bony growths on the underside, side, or, in rare cases, the top of the vertebral body.
The topic of deworming is a recurring discussion among horse owners. For anyone wondering whether it is necessary to deworm their horse, the answer is yes. Anyone who has ever seen how vast numbers of worms can completely block parts of the small or large intestine during colic surgery will no longer ask this question. Without treatment, worm infestation can become life-threatening for horses. Initially, a noticeable increase in tail rubbing may be an indication of this. As the infestation progresses, internal organs can be damaged and colic can occur. The horse loses weight despite being fed adequately. The parasites weaken the horse more and more. Regular deworming is necessary to reduce the infestation to a level that is tolerable for the horse's organism. It is almost impossible to completely rid the horse of worms, as new infections will always occur through the environment. There are two methods of deworming: strategic and selective deworming. You should avoid alternative deworming methods.
Endoscopy is an imaging, minimally invasive procedure in which body cavities and hollow organs can be viewed and examined using an endoscope. Endoscopes are either rigid or flexible and have a light source and a camera at the front that transmits the image directly to a screen.
Imaging diagnostics refers to all diagnostic procedures that use diagnostic devices to generate two- or even three-dimensional images of the inside of the body. These images can be used to detect disease-related changes, among other things.
