The dvm360® endocrinology page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on the latest in veterinary endocrinology. This page consists of videos, interviews, articles, podcasts, and research on the advancements and developments of therapies for endocrinology, and more.
April 19th 2024
Nationwide reveals the most common reason pets sought out veterinary care in 2023
The "RBCs" of anemia in cats (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011Anemia is a common blood work abnormality in many species, including cats. Determining the regenerative nature of the anemia guides the workup of the case. Regenerative anemias suggest blood loss or red cell lysis. Red cell lysis can be due to toxins, infectious agents, neoplasia (as a secondary immune-mediated phenomenon) or primary immune-mediated hemolytic anemia.
Treatment of diabetes (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011There are many different types of insulin that vary with species of origin and with chemical modifications and formulations that affect onset and duration of action. Porcine insulin, which is identical to canine insulin in its amino acid structure, is available for use in dogs in some countries, but, unfortunately, no specific feline insulin formulation is currently available.
Life without lente or the glucose curve (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011These metabolic strategies mean that they are less efficient at "sopping up" post-prandial glucose loads that occur with high carbohydrate meals. Commercial dry diets, by virtue of the processing that must occur to create a dry diet, contain higher quantities of carbohydrates than the comparable canned diet.
Difficult feline medicine cases (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011Hyperaldosteronism is uncommon in dogs, but may be more common in cats than previously thought. Disorders of aldosterone deficiency have been recognized in combination with general adrenocortical insufficiency (Addison's disease), and will not be discussed here.
Managing the hyperthyroid cat with renal disease (Proceedings)
August 1st 2011Recognizing hypertension in cats with hyperthyroidism is not always simple. In normal cats, measurement of blood pressure is fairly reliable, whether using oscillometry or Doppler ultrasonography.1 Both correlate well with intra-arterial measurements.2 The "white coat effect", however, is not always recognized in feline medicine, and this effect may well be more pronounced in cats with hyperthyroidism than in less stressed normal cats.
Have You Heard? Finding the right cosyntropin dose in cats (script)
May 1st 2011When trying to identify mild degrees of adrenocortical insufficiency or critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency, low-dose ACTH stimulation testing is necessary to achieve an accurate diagnosis. But what dose is best in cats?
Feline diabetes: yes, he can be regulated (Proceedings)
May 1st 2011Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the two most common endocrine disorders in cats. While we tend to think of diabetes as a disease entity, we should remember that it really is a heterogeneous group of disorders in which insulin production is reduced or in which tissue cells are resistant to the effects of insulin, resulting in impaired glucose homeostasis.
Endocrine emergencies (Proceedings)
May 1st 2011Endocrine emergencies are clinical presentations in which immediate recognition and treatment of the endocrine disorder is required to decrease patient morbidity and prevent mortality. Endocrine disorders that require this immediate recognition and treatment are adrenal insufficiency, pheochromocytoma, diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar diabetes mellitus, insulinoma, hypoparathyroidism, and myxedema coma in severe hypothyroidism.
Cushing's disease: something new, something blue (Proceedings)
May 1st 2011Hyperadrenocorticism remains one of the most common endocrine disorders diagnosed in the geriatric dog population. It is a disease that is seen in almost every veterinary practice. Unfortunately, the disease tends to be frustrating to deal with, a definitive diagnosis is at times elusive and therapy can have major adverse side effects.
Diabetes mellitus in dogs (Proceedings)
May 1st 2011The endocrine pancreas is comprised of groups of cells (islets of Langerhans) scattered throughout the acinar parenchyma of the gland in a ratio of approximately 90% acinar cells (exocrine function) to 10% of islet cells (endocrine function). The pancreas is a boomerang-shaped organ comprised of two "wings" (duodenal and omental) in the cranial right quadrant of the abdomen.
Developing an index of suspicion for an endocrinopathy (Proceedings)
May 1st 2011In order for a hormone to be measured properly, with valid, repeatable results, the sample must be collected, stored and transported in a manner that is applicable for the hormone being tested. Obviously because various hormones have diverse chemical structures and physical properties, it is imperative that that the laboratory being utilized issue specific instructions and that these instructions be adhered to in order to achieve optimal results.
The endocrine system and how it relates to other organ systems (Proceedings)
May 1st 2011During the past 35 years there has been a dramatic emergence of both experimental and clinically applicable information in the subspecialty of endocrinology. With the development of such invaluable laboratory methodologies as radioimmunoassay (RIA), thinlayer chromatography (TLC), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and equilibrium dialysis (especially valuable in the measurement of free/unbound circulating hormones (ie., FT4).
An update in feline endocrine diseases (Proceedings)
May 1st 2011Hyperthyroidism is the most common endocrine disorder in the cat. Since being first recognized in 1977, the incidence has increased steadily. This is, no doubt partly due to greater awareness and early screening, but certainly also due to a real increase in occurrence of this disease.
Canine and feline pituitary gland diseases (Proceedings)
May 1st 2011The pituitary gland is a small structure that adheres to the base of the diencephalons; just caudal to the optic chiasm. It is comprised of an anterior portion-the adenohypophysis(which is made up of the pars distalis and the pars intermedia) and a posterior portion termed the neurohypophysis (pars nervosa).
Diabetes mellitus in cats (Proceedings)
May 1st 2011Management of the uncomplicated feline diabetic can occasionally be controlled by oral hypoglycemic agents (approximately 25-35%). This is because approximately 90% of the feline diabetic patients are similar to human Type2 diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus-NIDDM). However, by the time the cat is diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, the blood glucose is severely elevated (often>450 mg/dl) and many cats are ketotic, thus insulin is usually required.
Disorders of the thyroid gland (Proceedings)
May 1st 2011The thyroid gland is made up of paired lobes on the ventrolateral surface of the proximal trachea. Felines may have accessory thyroid tissue in the neck and thorax. The size of the thyroid gland varies with the size of the dog; with medium-sized dogs having lobes approximately 5 cm. in length, 1.5 cm. in width, and 0.5 cm in thickness. In the average (4.5 kg) cat each lobe is approximately 2 cm.