Doenças em gatos de abrigos na região central do Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

Animal shelters are private households that house abandoned cats, which are kept there for indefinite periods of time. Such places are considered intensive rearing systems, where exposure, susceptibility and infectious diseases transmission end up being amplified. Among the diseases observed in shelter cats, those which affect the oral cavity, such as periodontal disease (PD) and feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS), may me cited. Periodontal disease (PD) and feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCG) present multifactorial etiology, and it is believed that retroviruses may be involved in the progression and severity of these diseases. The first study aimed at identifying the chief inflammatory oral affections in sheltered cats and verifying the results of the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) tests. Forty-three felines from private shelters in the Central Region of Rio Grande do Sul which presented clinically evident oral lesions, regardless of age, race, sex and reproductive status, were the subjects of this investigation. Serological tests for FIV and FeLV were performed in all the cats, and data regarding the rearing system were obtained. Sixteen cats (37.2%) were reared in a free system, while 27 (62.8%) were kept in a restrict system. Of the 43 cats with oral lesions, 29 (67.44%) presented one type of lesion only, characterized as periodontitis (n=22) (51.16%), followed by gingivitis (n=06) (13.95%) and stomatitis (n=01) (2.32%). Concomitant stomatitis and periodontitis lesions were found in the 14 remaining cats (100%). With respect to the retroviruses test results, nine (20.93%) of the 43 felines were positive for FIV only. Co-infection with both viruses was observed in seven cats (16.28%). No cat was seropositive for FeLV only. None of the six cats which presented gingivitis was positive for FIV and FeLV; one cat which had stomatitis was positive for FIV and FeLV; of the 22 cats with periodontitis, six (27.27%) were FIV positive and two (9.09%) were FIV/FeLV positive; and of the 14 cats which presented stomatitis and periodontitis, three (21.43%) were FIV positive and four (28.57%) were FIV/FeLV positive. As for the diagnosis, 28 cats (65.1%) presented PD only, one cat (2.32%) had FCG only, and 14 (32.5%) had both PD and FCG. In view of the results attained, it may be concluded that the main oral lesions found in sheltered cats from the Central Region of RS were gingivitis, stomatitis and periodontitis; the latter, in association or not with stomatitis, was the most frequent oral lesion in FIV and/or FeLV-positive cats. The second study which integrates this thesis refers to a report about acquired skin fragility syndrome, which is considered a rare dermatological disease in cats. A 7 year-old male mixed breed feline, which had been adopted from a cat shelter, was admitted to the University Veterinary Hospital of an Institution with a history of polyphagia, polyuria and polydipsia, and skin ulcers on the trunk and in the cervical region about 2 months after onset and difficult to heal. The fasting plasma glucose level, the dexamethasone suppression test and the bilateral adrenal gland enlargement, visualized by ultrasonography, revealed diabetes mellitus and spontaneous hyperadrenocorticism, respectively. Histology evidenced markedly thin epidermis and moderate dermal atrophy, with thin and disorganized collagen fibers, suggestive of skin fragility syndrome. There was skin lesions relapse despite the hyperadrenocorticism therapy, and improvement was observed only after 5 months of treatment with trilostane.