18/06/2021
To all our clients,
You may have seen public information regarding rising cases of a disease in cats called pancytopenia. Voo Vets have been diagnosing and treating this spike of cases in the last few months.
Cats with pancytopenia get very sick due to a low level of platelets and white blood cells. Common signs include lethargy and loss of appetite, although in some cases there are signs of spontaneous bleeding or bruising.
It doesn’t appear to be treatable and recently there has been a product recall of several foods which may be linked to the cause, these include; AVA, Applaws and a Sainsbury’s range. Further details can be found here: https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/alert/fsa-prin-36-2021
From our vet and company director, here is some advice for cat owners regarding this outbreak;
1. Please don’t panic. If your cat is well then stop feeding the recalled diet immediately and monitor for signs of this illness. Remember it has not been definitively established that these diets are the cause.
2. If your cat is developing signs of this illness or your cat has eaten one of these foods and you are worried, please come to your nearest Voo clinic for us to perform an examination and haematology blood test (if we feel it is necessary). This is a quick and simple test to check levels of red and white blood cells and platelet count.
3. If your cat does show changes in haematology this does not confirm a diagnosis of pancytopenia. There are many treatable conditions that can cause these changes so we would proceed with further testing to rule out these conditions first.
4. All our team members have been briefed with the latest information regarding diagnosis and treatment of this condition. We will continue to update them with any new information or veterinary guidance that comes to light, so that we can be as effective as possible.
Voo Vets Team
