Feline Medicine

Hepatic lipidosis is the most common liver disease in cats in North America. In a retrospective study performed at the University of Minnesota evaluating liver biopsy specimens obtained from cats over a 10-year period, hepatic lipidosis accounted for 50% of all cases.

Pancreatitis is being diagnosed more and more frequently in cats. Cats typically have chronic pancreatitis whereas dogs usually suffer acute disease. The difference in presentation between the species as well as a lack of appropriate diagnostic tools led to pancreatitis in cats being widely underdiagnosed.

The nasal cavity is defined as part of the upper respiratory tract that extends from the nares to the choanae. The choanae is the caudal most part of the nasal cavity that communicates with the nasopharynx.

Megacolon occurs more frequently in cats than dogs and is usually seen in middle-aged to geriatric cats. The ascending, transverse, and descending colon are chronically large in diameter and filled with dry stool. A congenital form of the disease has been seen especially in Manx cats with rectal/anal atresia and a sacral spinal deformity.

While less commonly seen than in their canine counterparts, cats can suffer from an excessive production of cortisol by the adrenal glands. 85% of the cases of feline hyperadrenocorticism are due to a pituitary tumor whereas 15% stem from an adrenal tumor. Progesterone-secreting adrenal tumors have been documented a handful of cats.

The fat feline is a problem all practitioners face. Clients often believe that a fat cat is a healthy and happy cat. They are more likely to bring the cat in for an exam due to poor appetite rather than overeating and obesity concerns.

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.

Details on a recently published a set of guidelines for the long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in cats.

Dr. Susan Little addresses this critical component of patient care.

Why you should use prednisolone instead of prednisone in cats.

When should an ionized calcium concentration be performed?

A tip for treating this endocrine disease in cats.

Are we paying enough attention to cats-both young and old?

Dr. David Bruyette answers this reader question.

In cats that are difficult to unblock, we use the soft portion of a 22-ga intravenous catheter and sterile saline solution in a 3-ml Luer lock syringe.

Why feline dental care is important to a pet's overall health, how to effectively encourage cat owners to seek regular veterinary care, and what to focus on to provide the best services possible for your clients and patients.

Treatment of feline intestinal lymphoma requires instituting systemic chemotherapy, with or without surgical resection of focal intestinal lesions.

Study investigates why veterinary client visits fall and animal ownership continues to climb.

This study suggests that testing for FIV infection should be part of the diagnostic evaluation in young or middle-aged cats with CKD.

Watch feline veterinarians describe why each cat should get its own towel and enjoy its own carrier.

Columbus, Ohio -- Almost three out of four cats will tolerate collars, according to multi-institutional veterinary study.

This study's goal was to determine and compare the likelihood of remission in cats with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus when treated with glargine insulin, protamine zinc insulin (PZI), or Lente insulin.

A new awareness program hopes to increase feline visits.

Sinking team morale with negativity is out. Positive support is in.

Monthly flea control products can prevent flea-borne Bartonella species infections in cats and, possibly, subsequent spread to owners.

The recurrence of uroliths in cats is presumptively a common clinical situation; however, until now, no study has examined recurrence rates or the approximate time until recurrence for the main types of calculi found in cats.

A tip to momentarily distract a cat in order to quickly retrieve an item from its cage.

In 2005 Eli Lily announced the discontinuation of the majority of animal derived source insulins in addition to the lente and ultralente lines of product. This changed the landscape of veterinary diabetic management. Ultimately, the best insulin for your patient may be the one you are most familiar with; however, general guidelines will help choose the insulin that will give you the best success with your patients.

The premise of this presentation is that feline medicine is good business. The keys to tapping into this market are several: understanding the significance of the feline market in your practice today and its future potential, understanding the psyche of the feline client and recognizing the different psychographic profile of cat vs. dog owners, using preventative medicine, specifically feline total parasite control, as a tool to practice better feline medicine, and, ultimately, realizing an increased feline average per client charge by practicing a higher quality feline medicine.

It has been estimated that at 25 to 33% of cats are either overweight or grossly obese, with the highest rates seen in middle-aged cats. Yet the 2003 AAHA Compliance Study (The Path to High-Quality Care) found that veterinarians are significantly under diagnosing feline obesity. Owners also may not recognize when their cat is overweight, nor be aware of the associated health risks. Obesity should be the easiest disorder to diagnose, but it is also one of the hardest to treat.