Cent Of Cats Research Articles

The use of hydrolysed diets for vomiting and/or diarrhoea in cats in primary veterinary practice.

To describe responses of cats prescribed a hydrolysed diet with or without concurrent medication for chronic vomiting and/or diarrhoea of undetermined aetiology. Anonymised records of 512,213 cats under UK veterinary care in 2016 from the VetCompass database were searched using relevant terms for hydrolysed diets. The records of 5000 (90%) of 5569 cats with evidence of receiving a hydrolysed diet were randomly reviewed for gastrointestinal indication, prior and concurrent medication and response after hydrolysed dietary intervention. A poor response was defined as evidence of receiving antibiotic or glucocorticoid treatment for vomiting/diarrhoea at visits after the onset of the diet or death from gastrointestinal signs for at least 6months follow-up. Of 977 cats prescribed a hydrolysed diet for chronic vomiting/diarrhoea, 697 (71%) were first prescribed the diet without concurrent antibiotics or glucocorticoids while 280 (29%) first received the diet with these medications. Thirty-four per cent of cats in the former group and 61% in the latter had a poor response. Cats older than 6 years and cats prescribed antibiotic and/or glucocorticoid for vomiting/diarrhoea before and concurrently with the diet had higher odds of poor response. Although variations in our observations may reflect severity of signs or prescribing habits of primary-care veterinary surgeons, our study suggests there is merit in trialling a hydrolysed diet first as a sole therapy in cats with chronic vomiting/diarrhoea when diagnostic investigations do not reveal a cause, before resorting to antibiotic and/or glucocorticoid therapy for cases that respond poorly.

Intervertebral disc disease and aortic thromboembolism are the most common causes of acute paralysis in dogs and cats presenting to an emergency clinic

BackgroundAcute paralysis is a common presentation in small animal emergency clinics, but the aetiological prevalence has not been reported. Knowledge of diagnosis frequency aids prioritisation of differential diagnoses, facilitates resource...

Dysautonomia in 53 cats and dogs: retrospective review of clinical data and outcome

Dysautonomia is a disease characterised by degeneration of autonomic neurons. The aim of this study was to perform a retrospective multicentre review of clinical data relating to cats and dogs diagnosed with dysautonomia and to evaluate their outcome. Cats (n=34) and dogs (n=19) with clinical signs consistent with dysautonomia were considered for this retrospective study. Reported clinical findings included oesophageal and gastrointestinal dysmotility and distension, urinary retention, reduced or absent tear production, third eyelid protrusion and inappropriate mydriasis. Treatment was supportive and included gastrointestinal prokinetics, feeding tube placement (oesophageal and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes) and medications to treat urinary retention. The survival to discharge was 29 per cent in cats and 47 per cent in dogs. The overall survival in cats was 21 per cent and that in dogs was 32 per cent. Survival of greater than 2 years was seen in six cats and in three dogs. This paper illustrates that some animals are able to survive this disease and can have a good long-term prognosis, which is an infrequently reported finding for this disease.

Anti-nerve growth factor monoclonal antibody: a prospective new therapy for canine and feline osteoarthritis.

It can be argued that chronic pain is the most ubiquitous disease process in all of medicine. All animals, should they live long enough, will probably experience it. And of all chronic pain syndromes, osteoarthritis (OA) remains the most predictable cause in both dogs and cats. Indeed, in dogs the pathophysiology of OA is commonly heritable and conformational, meaning that the disease process begins at a very young age and is lifelong, with at least 30 to 40 per cent of dogs affected clinically.1 In cats, the aetiopathophysiology is less certain but equally prevalent clinically, and more than 90 per cent of cats over the age of 12 years have radiographic changes consistent with degenerative joint disease.2,3 It follows that the hunt for novel therapy targets to address chronic pain in general and OA in particular needs to remain robust. One of those targets, nerve growth factor (NGF) and its binding to tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA) receptor, is at the forefront of this hunt. NGF, produced and utilised by many cell types (including epithelium, endothelium, immunoreactive cells and CNS glia), is found in abundance during neonatal and infant development, and gradually downregulates over time.4 However, it upregulates once again with chronic inflammation, among other circumstances, and becomes an integral component of central sensitisation (wind up), spinal cord plasticity and maladaptive pain signalling. This inevitably results in hyperalgesia: lowered thresholds and exaggerated scope, character, duration and field of pain. Therefore, several anti-NGF/TrkA signalling strategies have been investigated for their pain-modifying capabilities and safety. Chief among these …

Concurrent endocrine neoplasias in dogs and cats: a retrospective study (2004–2014)

Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) is a well-known syndrome in human medicine, whereas only a few cases of concurrent endocrine neoplasias have been reported in dogs and cats. The aim of...

Survival in 76 cats with epilepsy of unknown cause: a retrospective study

Survival of cats with epilepsy of unknown cause (EUC) has not been reported. Seizure semiology and its relationship to treatment outcome and survival was studied in a population of 76...

Characterisation of antimicrobial usage in cats and dogs attending UK primary care companion animal veterinary practices

There is scant evidence describing antimicrobial (AM) usage in companion animal primary care veterinary practices in the UK. The use of AMs in dogs and cats was quantified using data...

Evaluation of hair loss in cats occurring after treatment with a topical flea control product

A formulation containing 39.6% spinetoram resulted in a higher than anticipated number of reports of alopecia at the site of application in the first months following commercial product launch. To determine the cause of the alopecia using histopathology, including assessment for inflammation, follicular findings of physical trauma (plucking/pulling behaviour) and changes in follicular cycling. Twenty-four flea-free, male and female adult domestic short hair cats within a private research colony. Cats were treated with a single application of 39.6% spinetoram on day 0; personnel were not blinded. Observations of the skin and hair coat began immediately and were repeated at 30 min and 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 12 h post-application and then on subsequent days at the same time as initial dosing and at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 h after that time, until day 5. If hair thinning or loss was observed, a skin biopsy sample was collected. Two cats not exhibiting abnormalities were biopsied on day 6. Thirty-eight per cent of cats (nine of 24) developed hair thinning and alopecia of sufficient severity within 78 h post-application of the product to warrant skin biopsy. Abnormalities in the skin were limited to the application site and were consistent with physical trauma (pulling or plucking) to the hair. Microscopic changes in the hair follicles of affected cats were consistent with self-induced trauma or barbering behaviour. All changes were reversible and paralleled findings associated with well-established, topical flea control products.

How prevalent is the overweight cat?

FOR many years we have known that being overweight or obese presents a health risk for cats, particularly for the development of non-insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus (Nelson and...

Diagnosis of feline polycystic kidney disease by a combination of ultrasonographic examination and PKD1 gene analysis

Persian-related and non-Persian-related cats were examined by ultrasonography and/or molecular testing to determine the prevalence of feline polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and the presence of a PKD1 gene mutation. PCR...

Gastrointestinal foreign bodies in dogs and cats: a retrospective study of 208 cases

To establish predilection sites of obstruction and to investigate clinical factors associated with a poor outcome. A retrospective study of 208 consecutive cases over a 48-month period from first-opinion practice. Overall, 91 per cent of cases recovered with higher survival rates from discrete foreign bodies (94 per cent in dogs and 100 per cent in cats) as opposed to linear foreign bodies (80 per cent in dogs and 63 per cent in cats). English bull terriers, springer spaniels, Staffordshire bull terriers, Border collies and Jack Russell terriers were over-represented. In dogs, 63 per cent of obstructions occurred in the jejunum but foreign objects were encountered at all points along the gastrointestinal tract. A longer duration of clinical signs, the presence of a linear foreign body and multiple intestinal procedures were associated with significantly increased mortality. Neither the degree of obstruction (partial or complete) nor the location of the foreign body was shown to have a significant influence on survival. Prompt presentation, diagnosis and surgical intervention improve the outcome of gastrointestinal obstruction by foreign bodies. At surgery, the minimal number of intestinal procedures should be performed to restore the integrity of the alimentary tract.

A retrospective study of the clinical presentation of 140 dogs and 39 cats with bacteraemia

To evaluate retrospective data from 140 dogs and 39 cats with positive blood cultures that were presented to the Clinic for Small Animal Medicine in Munich from 1995 to 2004. The identity of bacteria isolated from blood cultures of dogs and cats with bacteraemia was determined, and clinical and laboratory findings and outcome of animals with Gram-negative versus Gram-positive bacteraemia were compared. Sepsis was diagnosed in 81.7 per cent of dogs and 59.5 per cent of cats with bacteraemia. Escherichia coli was isolated in one third of the animals. Dogs with bacteraemia more often showed monocytosis and increased alkaline phosphatase activity, while in cats, hyperglycaemia was found more commonly. Dogs with Gram-negative bacteraemia had hypoalbuminaemia significantly more often than dogs with Gram-positive bacteraemia, while among the remaining parameters, there were no statistically significant differences. Not all dogs and cats with a positive blood culture met the criteria for sepsis. Bacteraemia caused by Gram-positive versus Gram-negative bacteria cannot be distinguished based on clinical or laboratory parameters, and bacterial culture and susceptibility testing have to be performed for the right choice of antibiotic treatment.

Indications, outcomes and complications following lateral thoracotomy in dogs and cats

Lateral thoracotomy is widely used for surgical management of thoracic diseases in small animals. The purpose of this paper is to describe the indications for lateral thoracotomy in dogs and cats and the associated outcomes and complications. Medical records of animals undergoing lateral thoracotomy were reviewed and owners contacted regarding complications and survival. Relationships between signalment and treatment variables and outcome variables were investigated. Seventy dogs and 13 cats underwent lateral thoracotomy. Sixty-two per cent of cats and 91 per cent of dogs survived to discharge. Survival to discharge was significantly lower in cats than dogs, for neoplastic than non-neoplastic disease and in older animals. Survival to discharge was higher in animals undergoing patent ductus arteriosus ligation than in those undergoing lung lobectomy or oesophageal surgery. Survival to discharge was not related to surgeon experience. The incidence of complications was not related to species, age, disease, duration of surgery, surgeon experience or duration of thoracostomy tube placement. A low complication rate (5 per cent) was associated with thoracostomy tubes. The approach of lateral thoracotomy has a minimal complication rate and animals with a disease requiring this approach have a high survival rate.

Advances in the management of diaphyseal fractures

FRACTURES are frequently encountered in small animal practice and comprise 13 per cent of orthopaedic cases in dogs and nearly 40 per cent in cats (Ness and others 1996); diaphyseal...

Considering older cats

Considering older cats

Anaesthesia and analgesia for dogs and cats in South Africa undergoing sterilisation and with osteoarthritis - an update from 2000 : report

A survey was conducted in 2000 into the use of analgesic drugs by veterinarians in South Africa. This survey was repeated in 2005 to establish whether the use of analgesic drugs has increased and which analgesic drugs are being used for acute pain and osteoarthritis. The number of sterilisations performed and the number of new cases of osteoarthritis in dogs and cats was estimated. It is estimated that approximately 260000 cats are operated on each year in South Africa and that 150000 cats are sterilised. Five hundred thousand dogs undergo surgery, of which 242000 are sterilised. It appears that the number of surgical procedures performed in South Africa has decreased. The estimated death rate following anaesthesia has remained unchanged at 1:1004. Overall, the use of analgesics by South African veterinarians has increased significantly. Fifty-six per cent of cats and 74% of dogs were given peri-operative analgesics but this increased to 94% and 84% after including pre-anaesthetic medications with analgesic properties. The use of opioids (morphine and buprenorphine) and propofol has increased significantly. Approximately 253000 dogs and 33000 cats with osteoarthritis are seen by veterinarians in South Africa annually. The recognition by veterinarians of osteoarthritis in cats appears to be poor and is in need of attention. Carprofen and glucosamine/chondroitin are the most commonly used agents for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Details of the drugs used by veterinarians are given. Knowledge of analgesic drugs has increased significantly over the last 5 years. Continuing education is thought to have played an important role in the changes reported in this study.

Retrospective study of indications for and outcome of perineal urethrostomy in cats

To evaluate indications for and outcome of perineal urethrostomy in cats. The medical records of 59 cats that had undergone perineal urethrostomy were evaluated. Short-term follow up information (for a period of four weeks following surgery) was available for all of the cats. Long-term follow up information (for a period of at least four months) was available for 39 cats. Early complications occurred in 25.4 per cent of cats and late complications were observed in 28.2 per cent of cats. The most frequent late complication was recurring bacterial urinary tract Infection. Despite frequent complications and recurring signs of lower urinary tract disease, 32.2 per cent of the cats had a disease-free long-term outcome (mean four years, median 3.9 years), and 88.6 per cent of clients interviewed thought that their cats had a good quality of life after surgery.

A rapid screening technique for feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions

The feline odontoclastic resorptive lesion (FORL) status (presence or absence of odontoclastic resorptive lesions) of 423 clinically healthy cats was determined based on radiographic findings in a series of full mouth radiographs (eight views). This status was compared with the FORL status based on evaluation of only two views, namely the right and left mandibular premolar and molar views. Using the FORL status of the right and left third mandibular premolars (307 and 407) alone correctly predicted overall FORL status in 93.4 per cent of cats. The sensitivity of the new technique (FORL cases correctly diagnosed as positive by the test) was 78.5 per cent, while the negative predictive value (negative FORL cases correctly diagnosed by the test) was 91.3 per cent. Overall FORL status can therefore be confidently diagnosed in nine out of 10 cats by assessing FORL status in just two teeth (307 and 407) using two films, which has benefits for the cat (less anaesthetic time and reduced exposure to radiation) and the owner (reduced cost of screening).

Clinical study of cats injured and killed in road traffic accidents in Cambridgeshire.

Data were collected on the injuries, treatment and outcome of 128 cats involved in road accidents and seen as first-opinion cases in veterinary practices in Cambridgeshire. Sixteen cats were dead on arrival; the mortality rate for the remaining cats was 16 per cent. Half of the cats were aged between seven months and two years, with more males than females affected. Most cats had moderate injuries; strays had more severe injuries than owned cats. Areas of the body most often injured were the extremities, head and neck, pelvis and thorax. Skeletal injuries were present in 67 cats and neurological signs in 29. Diagnostic procedures and medical treatment were necessary for the majority of cats; surgery was required in 51 cases. Most cats were hospitalised for between two and seven days and some required up to one month of treatment. The cost of treatment was less than 400 pounds sterling for 84 per cent of cats.

Feline pemphigus foliaceus: a retrospective analysis of 57 cases.

Fifty-seven cases of feline pemphigus foliaceus were identified from biopsy specimens submitted to University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's Laboratory of Pathology and Toxicology by veterinary dermatologists from 1991 to 2002. Age at onset ranged from less than 1 year to 17 years; median 5 years. Eighty per cent of cats were reported to have been pruritic. At the time of biopsy, the distribution of lesions varied, but included some combination of face/head, paws, dorsum or ventrum and consisted of crusts, erosions, scale and alopecia. The histological features of 208 biopsy specimens were reviewed and included the following. Acantholytic cells were found in large numbers in both intact and degenerating pustules in most cases. Mast cells were found in the dermal infiltrate more often than reported previously. Seventeen cases were receiving corticosteroids at the time of biopsy; reducing the percentage of diagnostic biopsies per case. Forty-four cases were followed for 1-54 months (median 9 months). Triamcinolone was more successful at inducing remission without significant adverse effects than prednisone or prednisone in combination with chlorambucil. Only 4/44 cats died from their disease or therapy during the study period.