Vet suggested cat has leukopenia, is this the same as panleukopenia?

boris89

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He has suggested this once the blood results came back indicating low white blood cell count as well as very low platelets.

He got all his shots when he has younger so I'm kinda confused about that

I originally took him to the vet because of frequent trips to the litter box while producing very little urine, as well as vomiting.

They treated him with an antibiotic and attributed the symptoms to a UTI.

The second time I took him in was because I noticed he was straining while trying to defecate, and threw up the night before.

They found he had a fever, so they ordered a blood culture and suggested I switch his dry food for a prescription brand, fearing he may have some problem related to his urinary tract, maybe in his kidneys since during the examinations they didn't find his bladder to be inflamed and his urethra looked healthy.

As it stands, he does not have a fever, is no longer vomiting, he is not lethargic, bladder and urethra are in good condition, there's been no blood in his urine (at least none that I can detect) and frequent trips to the litter box have stopped. However, I've noticed he isn't eating as much as he regularly does and I'm not entirely sure if he having bowel movements, I could be wrong since there's more than one cat/cat box in the house so he may just be using the other one, although I've just checked it and the stool isn't loose and looks perfectly regular.

He received a shot today to boost his immune system and I'll be taking him back for additional shots to induce hunger as well as be treated with an anti anemic.

I have so many questions, I haven even been able to organize my thoughts appropriately, I'm calling the vet back so he can explain his reasons behind the diagnosis but I need to wrap my head around all this first. Is it correct to diagnosis him with leukopenia based solely on blood results?  And if his condition is related to the parvo virus, is the other cat at risk? She's not mine so I have no idea what her vaccine situation is. For now, I've separated them and cleaned their water dishes and food bowls.

I'm sure I could be leaving a lot of information out, this has been an extremely stressful situation and I've no idea what I'm doing anymore. I don't know when to trust in the experience of my veterinarian or in what respects I should question it.
 

di and bob

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From what I understand, leukopenia (low white blood cell count) is the result of a disease, such as panleukopenia (distemper). I had several cats and kittens die from distemper last year (feral)  and it is heartbreaking how much they suffer.  Distemper causes them to quit eating entirely, sit by the water but never drink, and just basically starve to death despite force feeding and forcing water. I would say your cat just has the low cell count, and though sick, will most likely recover with care. If he is eating and drinking at all, he should get better. I'll pray for you both, all the luck!
 

denice

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I remember when my daughter was little she had a particularly nasty virus and the doctor did complete blood work.  Her white cell count was extremely low.  The doctor told me that a reduced white cell count usually goes along with a virus.  Since she had a particularly nasty virus her's was very low.  That is probably a major reason why we are more vulnerable to infection when we have a virus.
 
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