Cat Toxoplasmosis Treatment With Clindamycin

Cat toxoplasmosis is a bacterium that lives inside the cells of any mammal. Cats can rarely contract clinical toxoplasmosis, but it is more common for the parasite to lay dormant in cats and spread to other animals without creating any symptoms of illness in the cat itself. Cats can come into contact with toxoplasmosis by eating raw meat, drinking unpasteurized milk, or eating insects. Filthy, unsanitary environments are also breeding grounds for the toxoplasmosis bacteria, so cats can also come into contact with it through dirty litter boxes or cat feces outside.

Young cats often contract the disease, but rarely show any signs of the infection, so it is easy for them to spread the disease to other animals or even humans. This is particularly alarming in the case of pregnant women who have a pet cat, because toxoplasmosis can cause blindness or other brain damage in unborn infants.

Clinical Toxoplasmosis in Cats

Usually, toxoplasmosis can live in a cat's body without causing many health problems, but if a cat has a compromised immune system, it can develop a much more harmful form of the disease, called clinical toxoplasmosis. Symptoms of clinical toxoplasmosis in cats include fatigue, weight loss, fever, diarrha, and vomiting. Other signs that your cat may have clinical toxoplasmosis are discharge from the eyes, or respiratory and neurological debilitation. Pregnant cats with toxoplasmosis tend to be at less risk than their unborn offspring, who often die shortly before or after birth. Very young kittens that contract clinical toxoplasmosis postnatally can exhibit respiratory problems, as well as diarrhea and vomiting.

Treatment with Clindamycin

If your cat suffers from clinical toxoplasmosis, you can usually get a prescription from your veterinarian for clindamycin. The dosage the vet prescribes may vary from twenty-five to fifty milligrams per kilogram the cat weighs, and this will most likely be divided between two doses each day. Clinical toxoplasmosis treatment with clindamycin should continue for about fourteen days after the symptoms of clinical toxoplasmosis have dissipated. Prednisone is usually used in conjunction with clindamycin, in the form of eye drops. This is to prevent excessive ocular discharge.

How Clindamycin Works

Clindamycin is an antibacterial agent, which means that it works by killing bacteria. Specifically, clindamycin inhibits anaerobic bacteria from producing certain proteins that they need to survive and grow, which slows bacterial growth, giving the cat's immune system time to absorb and destroy the bacteria themselves.

Side Effects

In uncommon cases, clindamycin can cause diarrhea in cats. If there is blood in your cat's diarrhea, contact your veterinarian. Do not attempt to medicate diarrhea in your cat if it is a side effect of clindamycin.

Toxoplasmosis is not a very dangerous disease most of the time, but in some cases, such as cats with compromised immune systems or pregnant cats, it can be a serious problem. Clindamycin is a good way to rid your cat of the disease, and prevent it from spreading to you.

 

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