My cat has an enlarged spleen. Could it be feline infectious anemia?

Hi there. The spleen is a lymphatic organ, somewhat similar to lymphnodes. It can enlarge with many different types of problems such as feline leukemia virus, FIV, FIP, and even cancers like lymphoma. If blood work has not been done yet then I would recommend blood work and an ultrasound of the abdomen. I would encourage you to discuss doing an ultrasound guided needle aspirate of the spleen with your veterinarian. This may help determine what the underlying problem is. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

The spleen can enlarge with certain infections (especially blood borne infections or tick borne disease), splenic torsions, or certain types of cancer. It can also be normal for some dogs to have a larger spleen, and certain drugs used for sedation or anesthesia can cause the spleen to enlarge. Your veterinarian might want to perform blood work to look for changes that could suggest an infection or may want to perform an ultrasound to examine the spleen as a next step. Some of these causes are very treatable and others are not.

I'm sorry that Sylvester is anemic! It is very concerning that his belly is bloated, as this can be a sign of internal bleeding or accumulation of fluid. I recommend having him seen by a vet immediately, or as soon as possible to determine what the cause is. Your vet can perform an ultrasound of the belly and remove some of the fluid. I hope all is well!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Liver enlargement means that the liver is bigger than it should be. It could be because of liver inflammation due to infection (bacterial or viral) or toxins ingestion. In young cats like Arya liver tumors are very uncommon, but enlargement of one liver lobe could be caused by a liver abscess or a cyst. The best way to assess liver size is ultrasound scan and/or x-ray. Blood test tells about liver function. In other words, it tells if the liver, ,despite being enlarged or diseased, is still able to maintain its function. Blood test also can assess the extent of liver damage. It is hard to say anything about the prognosis without knowing why the liver is enlarged and what are the blood results. In general, liver have huge capacity to recover from any insult, but again it really depends what has happened.

If it was feline infectious anemia, she may be contagious for quite some time and 3negative blood tests would be recommended before you introduce any new cats. Rigorous flea prevention will also reduce the risk of spread. Confirm with your vets office the definitive diagnosis

Enlarged spleens can occur for many reasons including immune mediated disease, infections and tumours and the treatment for each is quite different. Blood tests to rule out infections and removal and biopsy of the spleen are often used to investigate. There is no single treatment which would be expected to be curative but a well balanced diet is recommended

A serious hookworm infection could lead to anemia, but your vet could have checked his feces for signs of hookworms if they felt that was the cause of his symptoms. You can ask the vet to do this for Sonny. but I would also be concerned if they may have found a small mass in his abdomen. You can do further tests such as an ultrasound, x-rays, or an abdominal exploratory surgery. See if the vet has other options for him. I'm very sorry he's so sick.