Devon rex: character, care and predisposition to diseases

Devon rex

Breed cats Devon rex they are very talkative cats.

They come from England, from Devonshire, where an individual carrying the "rex" gene was first observed.

• What the Devon Rex looks like: a description of the breed
• Devon rex character
• Devon rex grooming
• Predilection to defects and diseases
  • Cleft palate
  • Umbilical hernia
• Diseases characteristic of the Devon Rex breed
  • Vitamin K-dependent haemophilia
  • Myopathy
  • Congenital hereditary deafness
  • Hypotrichosis
  • Medial dislocation of the patella and hip dysplasia
  • Skin changes
• Characteristics of the Devon Rex breed
• Is it worth choosing a Devonian rex??

What the Devon Rex looks like: a description of the breed

What does devon rex look like?

Adult Devonian rex reach a body weight of approx 2.5-4 kg.

They are characterized by a head in the shape of a short, modified wedge with a distinct fracture.

Cheekbones strongly pronounced, rounded, ears set low, with a fairy-tale appearance.

Large oval and widely spaced eyes of any color.

The tail is long but thin, the limbs are quite solid, long and straight.

The coat can be of any color because the gene whose mutation causes a change in the hair structure is not linked to the gene responsible for coloration.

The underside of the body may be fluffy with a reduced coat density, but is still silky to the touch.

Hair loss is allowed on the temples and inside the ears.

The hair is very short (1-1.5cm), soft and thin. The covers on the limbs, head and abdomen are less twisted and shorter.

During development, the coat sheds and sometimes growing cats are clearly less hairy, because the final coat just grows back and its development ends after reaching sexual maturity.

Devon rex character

Devon rex character

Although Devon is talkative cat, it has a fairly low voice.

Playful, loves to climb high and requires the right ones climbing items, to keep fit.

Devonian Rex likes warm places and very much well suited for living in an apartment.

He likes to Apparate and is an active cat.

Devon rexy they love the company of people, they are very happy to be on the guardian's lap and require a lot of attention.

Devon rex grooming

Devonian Rex - care

Devonian rexes moul to a small extent and they do not have high maintenance requirements.

If necessary, you can rub the hair with your hand.

The degree of greasing in the coat can be controlled with a chamois, but is also recommended periodic baths.

These cats naturally produce more waxy secretions in their ears, so it's imperative cleaning the ears more often than in other cats.

Predilection to defects and diseases

What do Devonian rexes suffer from??

Cleft palate

It is a genetic defect cleft palate in devon rex.

It manifests itself as a fissured connection between the oral and nasal cavities.

This defect may accompany cleft lip.

Kittens with this disadvantage do problem with food intake, they sneeze, and milk comes out of their noses.

This anomaly leads to aspiration pneumonia.

The only way to treat a cleft palate is surgical correction of the defect.

Umbilical hernia

It can also occur after childbirth umbilical hernia occurring in 2-3% of Devonian rex.

It consists of an ungrown ring after the umbilical cord, through which the fat, net or organs of the abdominal cavity are extracted.

Such a hernia tends to overgrow spontaneously as the kitten grows.

In the case of its enlargement it is necessary surgical intervention.

Diseases characteristic of the Devon Rex breed

Two diseases so far characteristic only for the Devonian rex are Vitamin K-dependent hemophilia and Myopathy, called by breeders spasticity.

Vitamin K-dependent haemophilia

In the case of a dependent deficiency of the blood-dependent coagulation factors vitamin K, clinical cases ran from:

• the presence of petechiae,
• conjunctival haemorrhages,
• postoperative bleeding,
• sudden garbage.

The research that confirms this condition is a term prothrombin time and koalin-kephalin time, which they are extended.

Unfortunately there is no developed treatment for the disease, it is recommended to reduce the risk of cuts.

Myopathy

Whereas hereditary myopathy of Devonian rex, is a neuromuscular disorder leading to muscle weakness.

Revealed:

• improper cocks walking (lifting limbs very high),
• ventral flexion of the neck,
• shaking your head,
• abnormal chewing,
• giant esophagus,
• motor incoherence.

The first symptoms appear at different ages, but usually become apparent at an age 4-7 weeks.

Typically, the condition of the cat suffering from myopathy worsens, and the owners decide to euthanize the animal.

Congenital hereditary deafness

Sometimes u Devonian white rears those who have a gene that determines the white color of their hair can be observed congenital hereditary deafness.

A test is performed to confirm the disease BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response) which in Poland is available in 4 reference centers.

Hypotrichosis

Despite the low hair, the cats breed devon rex may fall on hypotrichosis.

It is a hair loss up to complete baldness, which occurs around 2 weeks of age.

At 6-9 weeks of age, the hair may regrow, but it will fall out again when the cat reaches puberty.

This trait is inherited autosomal recessively.

Medial dislocation of the patella and hip dysplasia

Medial dislocation of the patella and hip dysplasia does not always show clinical symptoms.

Clinical lameness was not observed in most of the animals, but the diagnostic imaging confirmed the presence of pathological changes.

Devonian Rexes they had more severe lesions and were ill more often than cats of other breeds.

A medial patellar dislocation is considered hereditary and may affect one or both of the knee joints.

At the same time, it was observed that in animals with patellar dislocation it occurred 3 times greater likelihood of hip dysplasia.

Treatment consists in surgical correction of the anatomical defect.

Skin changes

Skin lesions are common in cats of this breed.

It is most often observed seborrhea in skin folds and interdigital gaps.

It is sometimes referred to as whitlow.

Such seborrheic dermatitis, is caused by Malassezia pachydermatis.

It is observed unpleasant skin odor, which is scaly, flushed and oily. They also accompany them skin irritations and also her discoloration.

Recognition is by execution skin swab and mycological research.

Treatment consists of anti-fungal baths and general therapy terbinafine, ketoconazole or itraconazole.

Characteristics of the Devon Rex breed

• They are not resistant to extreme conditions.
• Kittens have been feeding their young milk for longer than most cats.
• Excessive earwax.
• 43% of cats have blood type B.
• No hypersensitivity to drugs.

Always before elective surgery or blood transfusion and in animals intended for breeding, it is recommended to perform blood group markings and coagulogram.

Additionally, in order to reduce the incidence of orthopedic defects, a follow-up is recommended orthopedic examinations and x-rays.

Affected individuals should be excluded from breeding.

Is it worth choosing a Devonian rex??

Is it worth choosing a devon rex?

Devonian Rexes are friendly and sociable animals, who love warm climates and cozy apartments.

Be sure to provide them lots of traffic and the possibility of climbing.

Considering the overall breed, Devon Rex does not belong to an extremely sickly breed, and the frequency of birth defects is low.

If you want to know more about these cats, add a comment under the article, I will answer your questions as soon as possible.

Sources used >>