home Audience 2 Endometriosis in cats: features of the disease, signs and treatment. Hormonal diseases in cats

Endometriosis in cats: features of the disease, signs and treatment. Hormonal diseases in cats

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Some people believe that a cat’s body is quite primitive compared to a human’s. In fact, a cat also has a complex endocrine system, and sometimes these cute animals can have hormonal imbalances. How to identify them, why are they dangerous, and most importantly, how to treat a cat whose hormones have “revolted”? Unfortunately, just like people, cats have problems with the endocrine system. They need to be identified in a timely manner, diagnosed and given the correct treatment, otherwise the animal’s quality of life will deteriorate significantly. By what signs can you determine that your pet has a hormonal imbalance?

Symptoms of hormonal imbalance in a cat

There are a number of signs that should make a cat owner suspect that his pet has a hormonal imbalance. First of all, this is a sharp increase in the amount of water you drink, and, accordingly, increased urination. The most alarming symptoms that may indicate certain endocrine disorders in the animal’s body are severe obesity or, conversely, sudden weight loss. Often, a cat’s hair begins to fall out, even to the point of complete baldness in some areas of the body – so-called alopecia areata. The most severe consequences of hormonal imbalance in a cat are tumors, both benign and malignant.

Causes of endocrine abnormalities in cats

Diabetes mellitus can be caused by prolonged overfeeding of an animal. Problem No. 1, which leads to deviations in the functioning of the endocrine system of the animal’s body, has been and remains the hormonal drugs that many owners give to their cats during the period of sexual heat. Such drugs cause great harm to the animal and can even lead to cancer. If you do not plan to breed cats, and your pet is not a purebred breeding animal, it is much more humane to sterilize it rather than stuff it with pills and drops.

If the veterinarian has concluded that the cat lacks some natural hormone - a diagnosis of hypothyroidism has been made - then competent replacement therapy will guarantee a long life for your pet. Most often, the cat is prescribed lifelong use of hormonal medications, on which its well-being depends. Otherwise, the animal can be called almost completely healthy.

If a cat has insulin-dependent diabetes, she is prescribed daily insulin injections in a dosage selected by the veterinarian.
If the disease has progressed and the cat has developed tumors - most often they occur on the mammary glands and ovaries - surgical treatment is indicated. Simultaneously with the operation to remove tumors, the animal is sterilized. In most cases, relapse of the endocrinological disease does not occur.

If an animal with some pathology in the endocrine system receives the correct doses of the necessary drugs in a timely manner and is under the supervision of a competent specialist, then it is highly likely to live a long and happy life.

Compared to humans, it is quite primitive. In fact, a cat also has a complex endocrine system, and sometimes these cute animals can have hormonal imbalances. How to identify them, why are they dangerous, and most importantly, how to treat a cat whose hormones have “revolted”?

Unfortunately, just like people, cats have problems with the endocrine system. They need to be identified in a timely manner, diagnosed and given the correct treatment, otherwise the animal’s quality of life will deteriorate significantly. By what signs can you determine that your pet has a hormonal imbalance?

Symptoms of hormonal imbalance in a cat

There are a number of signs that should make a cat owner suspect that his pet has a hormonal imbalance. First of all, this is a sharp increase in the amount of water you drink, and, accordingly, increased urination. The most alarming symptoms that may indicate certain endocrine disorders in the animal’s body are obesity or, conversely, sudden weight loss. Often, a cat’s hair begins to fall out, even to the point of complete baldness in some areas of the body – so-called alopecia areata. The most severe consequences of hormonal imbalance in a cat are tumors, both benign and malignant.

Causes of endocrine abnormalities in cats

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Hormones are chemical messengers that perform many different functions. The activity of hormones causes many different effects in the body of cats. Well-known hormones include, for example, insulin, which plays an important role in the development of diabetes, or estrogen and progesterone, which are involved in the female reproductive cycle.

Endocrine system of the cat consists of a group of organs that supply hormones to the circulatory system, which are then distributed to various parts of the body. Most organs are glands(such as the thyroid gland), which release hormones directly into small blood vessels and surrounding tissues. Some important hormones are not produced by glands, but by organs such as the heart, kidneys and liver. Some hormones affect only a specific organ, while others affect almost every cell in the body. Hormones are present in very small quantities in the blood, so laboratory tests that measure hormone levels must be very sensitive.

Development of diseases of the endocrine system in cats.

The cat's body monitors and regulates hormone levels using a feedback system specific to each hormone. Hormones' functions include, for example, maintaining parameters such as temperature and blood sugar (glucose) levels within certain ranges. Sometimes, to maintain the balance of body functions, hormones that perform opposite tasks work in pairs.

Endocrine system diseases can develop if the body produces too much or not enough hormones, or if the normal way hormones are used or removed is disrupted. Symptoms occur due to problems in the organs that produce hormones or problems in other parts of the body that affect the secretion or action of a particular hormone.

Tumors or other abnormalities in the endocrine glands often lead to increased production of the corresponding hormones. The names of diseases caused by excessive hormone production often begin with the prefix hyper. For example, hyperthyroidism is a disease in which the thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone. When the endocrine glands are damaged, hormone production becomes insufficient. Diseases caused by the absence or deficiency of hormones often have names starting with the prefix hypo. For example, hypothyroidism, in which the cat’s thyroid gland produces an insufficient amount of thyroid hormones.

In many cases, disorders in the glands do not actually lead to overproduction of hormones, but interfere with the normal response of the glands to the body's response signals. This can cause hormones to be released in situations that would normally require their production to be reduced. Sometimes overproduction is caused by stimulation of glands from other parts of the cat's body. In some cases, tumors in organs outside the endocrine system can produce substances similar to hormones, causing the body to react in a similar way to the hormone.

Diseases that lead to insufficient secretion of hormones can also occur for a variety of reasons. The organs of a cat's endocrine system can be damaged by autoimmune processes when the body incorrectly identifies some tissues of its own body as foreign and begins to destroy their cells. In the early stages, the body compensates for cell loss by producing additional hormones from the remaining cells. In such cases, signs of the disease may not be observed until the organ is largely destroyed.

Disorders that may result in signs of decreased endocrine activity may also develop because the disorder affects tissues distant from the source of the hormones. This can occur when the functions of one hormone stimulate the production of a second hormone. For example, the pituitary gland secretes a hormone that stimulates the secretion of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland. If the thyroid-stimulating hormone levels of the pituitary gland are insufficient, thyroid hormone levels will also be low, even if the thyroid gland is healthy. Another potential cause of decreased endocrine function may be tissue loss caused by tumors that do not produce hormones themselves but compress or destroy nearby endocrine glands.

Endocrine diseases and related disorders can also develop as a result of changes that occur in response to hormones. A striking example is type 2 diabetes, in which the body produces insulin, but the cells do not respond to it. This disease is often accompanied by obesity.

Treatment of endocrine system diseases in cats.

Hormonal diseases caused by overproduction of hormones can be treated surgical methods(for example, removal of tumors), radiotherapy(for example, using radioactive iodine to destroy an overactive thyroid gland) and medicines. Hormone deficiency syndromes can often be cured by replacing the lack of hormones (for example, with insulin injections for diabetes). Medications containing steroid and thyroid hormones can be given orally to the cat.

Cats undergoing hormonal replacement treatment should be closely monitored for side effects and periodically reviewed to assess treatment results and adjust drug dosage. In some cases, such as surgical removal of endocrine tumors, glandular dysfunction stops and hormonal therapy becomes unnecessary. However, in most cases, the cat requires lifelong treatment.

The endocrine system is an important part of the cat's body. When it works correctly, the animal adapts to its external environment, it affects the processes of reproduction and the functioning of the body in a certain mode. Hormonal imbalance in cats leads to the development of many diseases.

The endocrine system of cats is complex and consists of the following components::

A cat, like a person, can have hormonal imbalances; no living creature is protected from this; a number of diseases can result from this. The reasons may be different, sometimes due to improper behavior of the owner. So, overfeeding or food that is not suitable for a cat can cause obesity and diabetes. Taking hormonal drugs is also at risk. Sometimes, against the background of previous diseases, such as mastitis (and it can occur in a cat, as well as in a woman after childbirth), diseases of the nervous system can also affect hormonal disruption of the endocrine system.

Symptoms

It is important to notice in time that something is wrong with your pet and identify the symptoms of hormonal imbalance:

the cat is constantly thirsty;
change in body weight, its sharp decrease or increase;
the cat constantly becomes sleepy, its activity is lost;
impairment of vision and smell may occur;
the coat often suffers, it becomes dull and hangs in clumps, and in some places complete baldness can occur;
the consequence of a hormonal disorder can be the most terrible symptom - the formation of a tumor, both benign and malignant.

Treatment

It is important to diagnose the disease in time, only then can proper treatment be prescribed. Hormonal disorders need to be treated depending on their type and nature. For example, if it is a tumor, the doctor will suggest surgically removing it to save the cat. In some cases, radiotherapy is used, using radioactive iodine.

But most often, cats have to be treated through the use of medications and hormonal drugs, these can be thyroid hormones, steroids, and insulin. Even if the cat does not want to take the medicine, it must be forced to do so. You need to be prepared for the fact that the treatment will be lengthy due to some kind of hormonal imbalance in the body. Some animals need therapy for the rest of their lives. Periodically, the cat will need to be shown to a veterinarian to monitor the situation and adjust the prescription of medications.

Diabetes

Perhaps this disease can be called the most common among endocrine diseases in animals. What causes hormonal imbalance? The cat's body stops producing glucose and continues to exist without it. The consequence is an increase in sugar, which can be diagnosed by passing urine for testing. Pathology occurs in the improper functioning of the pancreas, while the production of the main hormone insulin occurs in insufficient quantities for the normal functioning of the cat’s body.

In severe cases, the production of this hormone completely stops. With a constant feeling of hunger, the cat begins to lose weight. When prescribing treatment, a corrective diet is required. Sugar and bread are excluded, vitamins are prescribed, and the water will need to be alkalized using regular soda. It is better to boil meat and vegetables. Before feeding, the cat is prescribed insulin in certain doses.