These tests are used extra-label because they allow rapid, inexpensive, in-house detection of the virus.) Some cats will have completed the shedding period by the time the test is run, leading to false-negative results. Electron microscopy, virus isolation and seroconversion can also be used to document active or recent infection. Leukopenia on a complete blood count (nadir 50–3,000 WBC/μL) supports a diagnosis of FPLV. In an unvaccinated cat, the presence of antibodies against FPV indicates that the cat either has the disease or has had the disease in the past. Elevated IgM titers (1:10 or greater) indicate active infection and if clinical signs are obvious (diarrhea, panleukopenia) the prognosis is poor. Elevated IgG titers (1:100 or greater) in a cat with clinical signs indicates a better prognosis.Differential diagnoses include salmonellosis, enteric toxins, feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), feline leukemia virus (FeLV), cryptosporidiosis, pancreatitis, septicaemia with acute endotoxemia, toxoplasmosis, peritonitis, and lymphoma. Treatment
To contain the virus, cats with suspected or diagnosed FPLV should be kept in isolation.It requires immediate, aggressive treatment if the cat is to survive, as it can be fatal in less than 24 hours. Several articles and publications provide guidance for rescuers and veterinarians for optimizing outcomes.Treatment involves:
anti-emetics
IV antibiotics
intravenous fluids with electrolytes
injections of vitamin B
plasma or whole blood transfusionFeeding should be continued as long as possible. A highly digestible diet is preferred, but the individual animals preferences may dictate giving whatever it will eat.
"A survival rate of about 50% has been reported with supportive therapies. Cats with FPLV that survive the first 5 days of treatment usually recover, however the decrease in the cats white blood cells compromises its immune system, leaving it vulnerable to secondary infection.Lifelong immunity is thought to follow recovery from disease, and a carrier state of the disease has never been identified. Preventing transmission from infected cats
Quarantine/isolation
Cats with suspected or diagnosed FPLV should be kept in isolation. This non-enveloped virus is very resistant to environmental conditions and many disinfectants, is highly contagious, and rapidly accumulates in the environment due to high shedding of virus from affected animals. Strict protocols for containment – with isolation, minimal handling, and disinfection of all potential sources of fomites – is warranted. Recovered cats can still shed the virus for up to 6 weeks and can carry it on their body for prolonged periods. Vaccination
The practice of recommending and giving vaccines on a fixed schedule with annual boosters has been widely discarded. Current recommendations are based on the philosophy of vaccinating each cat no more frequently than necessary.