Short Takes

Cornell University Veterinary Specialists (CUVS) welcomed its first patients in January, 2011. The satellite referral and 24-hour emergency care hospital located at 880 Canal Street in Stamford, CT, leverages the resources of the nations leading veterinary college, Cornell Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine, with those that the best of specialty private practice can offer for the benefit of pets, owners and the veterinary profession.

Multiple endocrine glandular failure is recognized in humans, yet it is an uncommonly recognized phenomenon in veterinary medicine. This retrospective study ("Multiple endocrine diseases in cats: 15 cases [1997-2008]," Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery, 2010) included a population of cats from a university veterinary teaching hospital diagnosed with multiple endocrine disorders.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common endocrine diseases found in cats, and insulin therapy has become the most effective means to achieve blood glucose control. Clinical remission is not an uncommon finding in cats with well-controlled diabetes, though few studies have explored predictors of remission. In this study ("Predictors of clinical remission in cats with diabetes mellitus," Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2010), data was retrieved from the medical records of 90 cats with newly-diagnosed diabetes. The data collected included history, signalment, physical examination findings, hematology, biochemical profile and the occurrence and duration of remission. Remission was defined as normoglycemia without insulin longer than four consecutive weeks.

Researchers developed a questionnaire for evaluation of cat owners perception of and knowledge about vaccination of cats, with owners asked to fill out a separate questionnaire for each cat they owned. A total of 3,163 questionnaires were evaluated ("Use of a web-based questionnaire to explore cat owners attitudes towards vaccination in cats," Veterinary Record, 2010). Vaccination as a kitten was the strongest predictor of up-to-date vaccination status, followed closely by plans to take the cat to a boarding cattery or cat show in the coming year. Owners who ranked the severity of infectious diseases or veterinary advice as very important were more likely to vaccinate their cats than owners who perceived these factors as less important.

There is a growing understanding of osteoarthritis (OA) - also called degenerative joint disease - in cats that has led to investigation of the clinical signs, radiographic findings and also treatments. Cats are very good at compensating for orthopedic diseases, and therefore the clinical signs of arthritis are more difficult to detect and are different than those seen in dogs.

Feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are both serious pathogens of cats that often result in lifelong infection. Routine testing - as well as testing of clinically ill cats - is recommended, and is usually performed by using in-clinic test kits. For FeLV, these assays detect a viral protein, whereas a virus-specific antibody is detected for FIV. A new test system, Anigen Rapid FIV Ab/FeLV Ag test kit is now available on the European market. These investigators examined the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of this new test kit on 300 samples using western blot as the gold standard for FIV infection, and polymerase chain reaction for FeLV infection; in addition, results were compared to those attained using the most commonly-used kit made by IDEXX (SNAP Combo).

Ringworm (dermatophytosis) is a superficial - yet highly contagious - fungal skin infection that affects many animals, as well as humans. In healthy cats, it is generally self-curing, and should resolve over the course of several months. However, treatment will shorten the course and help to prevent it from spreading, including to humans. This is particularly important in a shelter environment where infection can negatively impact adoptions, and is a risk for staff and visitors.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common endocrine disease in cats, and it is becoming a model for DM in humans because cats develop a form of the disease that is similar to the human type-2 diabetes mellitus. Amylin is a normal secretory product of pancreatic beta cells, and it plays an important role in controlling nutrient fluctuations. Amylin has become an established therapy along with insulin in human diabetics because it reduces post-prandial glucagon secretion and slows gastric emptying. This study ("Amylin reduces plasma glucagon concentration in cats," The Veterinary Journal, 2010) was the first to investigate if amylin reduces plasma glucagon levels in cats.

Pet owners may not realize that retention of the tablets or capsules of certain drugs (e.g., doxycycline and clindamycin) in the esophagus of the cat can cause inflammation and stricture formation. Experts currently recommend that cats should never be given medication "dry" - instead, any pill or capsule should be followed with a food treat or a bolus of water. This study ("A comparative study evaluating the esophageal transit time of eight healthy cats when pilled with the FlavoRx pill glide versus pill delivery treats" in the Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery, 2010) was designed to evaluate the esophageal transit time of tablets and capsules when administered with either the FlavoRx pill glide or Greenies Pill Pockets.

A questionnaire-based tool was used in this study ("A Study of Owner Observed Behavioral and Lifestyle Changes in Cats with Musculoskeletal Disease Before and After Analgesic Therapy" in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2009) to identify behavioral and lifestyle changes that are associated with chronic pain in cats. The changes were grouped into four behavior categories (mobility, activity, grooming and temperament).

Ingestion of foreign bodies - including string-like objects - is a common problem seen in feline veterinary medicine. Foreign bodies may cause partial or complete gastrointestinal (GI) obstruction, which results in disturbances of fluid and electrolyte balance as well as dehydration. Damage to the intestinal tract can also occur. This study ("Gastrointestinal foreign bodies in dogs and cats: a retrospective study of 208 cases" in the Journal of Small Animal Practice, 2009) reviewed the records of 208 cases of GI foreign bodies in dogs and cats that were brought in to the RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital in the UK from June 2003 to May 2007.

Primary septic peritonitis is an abdominal infection without a primary focus, such as a perforated bowel. The most common cause in cats is feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). Unfortunately, little is known about primary bacterial septic peritonitis in cats. The investigators (" Primary bacterial septic peritonitis in cats" in the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, Nov-Dec 2009) examined the medical records of twelve cats diagnosed with primary bacterial septic peritonitis and identified significant characteristics associated with this condition.