Cynthia Stubbs, DVM, DACVIM

Is the feline diabetic patient every veterinarian's nightmare? Since diabetes mellitus is one of the most common endocrinopathies in cats, it is likely you will face this disease many times in your veterinary career.

Infectious diseases can often be insidious in their clinical presentation. Case studies will be used to highlight some interesting infectious diseases that can affect the feline patient.

Endoscopy is a wonderful diagnostic tool that allows exploration and biopsies of areas without invasive surgery. Given the option, many clients may prefer endoscopy instead of surgery. What types of cases are suited to endoscopy? How do you prepare a cat for endoscopy?

Cats handle drugs in a different fashion than dogs. While this is not a surprise, there are some drugs that every practitioner should be aware of that work really well for their feline patients. The focus of this discussion will be to highlight these drugs and their uses, showing why they deserve to be in the feline medicine cabinet.

Cats with fevers (103? F-106? F) are a common occurrence in everyday practice. Most cases respond to antibiotic therapy or are self-limiting (abscesses, viral infections, post-surgical fevers). However, the most frustrating case is one in which a routine course of antibiotics does not improve the clinical condition of the cat, routine diagnostics do not identify the cause and the fever is ongoing.

Cats who cannot breathe are the most fragile patients we treat each day. Cats tend to be more compromised on presentation as they hide their breathing issues better from their owners. It is important to balance diagnostic procedures with therapeutic intervention so that these cats can be quickly stabilized and effectively treated.