Feline Panleukopenia - Diagnosis

Diagnosis

Generally, a clinical diagnosis of feline panleukopenia can be made based on characteristic gastroenteric illness and severe pancytopenia in a susceptible cat, but fecal analysis and blood culture is typically performed as well to rule out other illnesses. Differential diagnoses for FPL include salmonellosis, enteric toxosis, FIV, feline leukemia, cryptosporidiosis, pancreatitis, septicaemia with acute endotoxemia, toxoplasmosis, peritonitis, and lymphoma. In an unvaccinated cat, the presence of antibodies against FPLV indicate that the cat either has the disease or has had the disease in the past, but in many cases subclinical disease occurs so this test is unreliable.