Feline Medicine

The real reasons behind one of the veterinary industry's biggest problems.

National Report - Nearly one-third of the veterinary professionals surveyed don't typically bring their own cat in for an annual wellness examination.

Does the obesity paradox in people occur in cats as well?

When 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?

One of the scariest tick-borne pathogens is Cytauxzoon felis.

Dr. Daniel Carmichael helps a reader address this frustrating condition.

What/who is a cat? What characteristics make this species different from us or from dogs? By understanding our feline patients better, we can provide a better experience and environment for them. The basis of working cooperatively with cats is empathy based on an understanding of their nature and behaviours and trying to imagine what their experience is like.

Constipation is defined as the infrequent or difficult evacuation of stool. It is a common problem in cats that may be acute or chronic and does not inherently imply a loss of colonic function. Often the underlying cause is dehydration and is readily managed by supportive hydration, by oral, nutritional or parenteral means.

It is the rare adult who does not have an emotional response to thoughts of dying. We are all inherently aware of our mortality and to that of those around us. No different from our clients, we fear the pain and suffering of friends and companions, human or non-human.

Permethrin, a synthetic type I pyrethroid, is found in many flea and tick shampoos, dips, foggers, spot-ons, and sprays as well as many household and yard insecticide formulations. While permethrins have a relatively wide margin of safety in dogs, cats appear to be more sensitive to the toxicity of concentrated permethrins.

Constipation is a frequent complaint middle aged to older cats. In some cases the disease becomes refractory enough to treatment that either subtotal colectomy or euthanasia have to be considered. The problem is thought to be caused by underlying metabolic problems in some patients such as kidney disease or other issues that generally result in dehydration.

Ovariohysterectomy and castration are the surgeries most commonly performed by small animal practitioners in the United States. Exhaustive reviews of the benefits and detriments of gonadectomy at various ages have been published. This is a brief review of the literature to inform decisions regarding best age at which to perform castration or ovariohysterectomy in dogs or cats.

Diabetes 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.

For years, feline pancreatitis has been assumed to be a similar disease to that in dogs. As with so many other disorders, this group of disorders is different in the cat.

Cats (Felis catus) live outdoors on every continent except Antarctica and on islands of every size, either as natural or introduced species. Because cats are loosely domesticated, with freedom to roam considered acceptable by cat owners in many countries, it is difficult to classify cat populations as owned, stray, or feral.

Vomiting is among the most common reasons that dogs and cats are presented for evaluation. Because there are a multitude of causes of vomiting, ranging from simple to complex, this can be a challenging problem for clinicians to accurately diagnose and manage.

Giardia, Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin, and Cryptosporidium are important causes of diarrhea in dogs and cats. Tritrichomonas foetus is an important problem in cats. These disorders should be investigated early in the course of diarrhea, whether it is persistent or intermittent, along with evaluation for dietary causes of GI signs, nematode parasites, bacterial and viral causes, and acute idiopathic colitis.

Many veterinarians graduate with no formal education in feline reproduction; cats were not identified as one of the "major" species in which theriogenology training was required at most schools surveyed. In a study in which practitioners across the United States were asked to rank which procedures in theriogenology they performed most commonly by species, dystocia management and treatment of reproductive tract disease were those listed most commonly for the cat.

Assisted reproductive technologies in small animals are not a 21st century invention; the first artificial insemination in dogs was performed in 1780 and the first description of an oocyte at the microscopic level was that of a canine oocyte, in 1827.

Feline bronchial disease goes under a multitude of names reflecting the considerable heterogeneity in anatomic locations as well as etiologies that may be involved.

Keeping cats indoors has become common veterinary advice to reduce the risk of exposure to infectious diseases and injury from vehicles or other animals. This advice may not be completely beneficial for cats, however. As early as 1925, Kirk suggested that "too close confinement to the house" increased the risk of lower urinary tract signs (LUTS). Results of subsequent epidemiological studies have confirmed his observations.

The human genome is composed of about 3 billion base pairs, of which only about 2% forms coding DNA (genes); the rest is non-coding and serves various functions, such as gene regulation. Humans have about 20-25,000 genes, although the function of 50% of them is unknown.

There is no question that feline medicine has grown steadily in popularity since the 1970s when the first feline-only practices were established.

Tragically, in North America, tens of thousands of cats are euthanized or surrendered to shelters each year for behavior problems. Of these cats, between 40% and 75% of all cats presented for behavior problems have an elimination disorder involving urination or defecation.

Fractious cats are an inevitable part of small animal practice. A client's decision to return to your hospital for future veterinary services may hinge on how the doctor and staff deal with these patients. In fact, your level of achievement in the "art of practice" is seen vividly in your ability to deal with these difficult patients.