Adopting From An Agency Or Shelter...Is There A Health Guarantee?

The answer to this is no.  There is never a health guarantee even if you go to a breeder.  There is absolutely no way to guarantee the health of any animal unless there is genetic testing and even then it's impossible to tell whether or not a recessive gene will rear it's ugly head and bring out the disease or illness.

Take Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) for example.  This is an ultimately deadly disease most common in the Maine Coon, American Shorthair, Devon Rex, Ragdoll, and British Shorthair breeds.  It is basically the heart not properly functioning and its inability to pump blood effectively.  The walls of the heart will also thicken as the disease progresses so symptoms will get progressively worse.  There is no cure but there are medications that your pet can take to potentially prolong their life.  HCM is a genetic disease and can be detected through genetic testing however, your vet may tell you that your pet has a heart murmur.  If you have any of the above mentioned breeds you will want to pursue this further with more testing to make sure it is only a heart murmur and not HCM.

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/cliented/hcm.aspx

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/Pages/06_Meurs_final.pdf

Another disease that is not able to be tested for is Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP).  This too is a deadly disease that can come on very quickly and will take your cat's life.  FIP is caused by a coronavirus very common in cats but doesn't often result in FIP.  This is found often times in multi-cat homes, catteries and shelters.  This does not mean that people should have only one cat at a time or not adopt from shelters or rescue organizations or seek breeding options. 

This cat is exhibiting the sign of enlarged belly consistent with FIP

Is there a vaccine?  Yes, but it's safety and effectiveness aren't able to be verified so I personally would not risk it out of my own paranoia.  FIP is not common and if your pets are healthy then there is no real reason to worry about it but it is worth knowing about.

If your cat all of a sudden stops eating, is very lethargic but his/her belly continues to grow it is time to go to the vet quickly.  Again, THERE IS NO DEFINITIVE TEST FOR FIP.  I personally know of one vet who was set on a FIP diagnosis for a cat and was set on euthanasia but decided to do one more test.  This test found it was NOT FIP and that cat is alive today because of this $140 test.

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/fip.html

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/Pages/FIP_Web_2010.pdf

I do not write about these two specific diseases to scare anyone but to bring up the fact that there are no guarantees when you either adopt or buy a pet.  You, as their parent, have to be diligent in their health care and not just keeping them healthy and providing the appropriate care needed but being your pet's advocate.  You are their voice.  Nobody can tell you about genetic disorders if you are adopting and potentially even purchasing from a breeder.  Just due diligence on you and your vet's part will help keep your pet healthy.  It is unfair but it is a fact.  Appliances come with guarantees, not animals.

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