Federal officials say that approximately 800 of the animals were kept in a building hidden from inspectors for years. Veterinary exams after the rescue revealed a range of ailments.
Police say Prashant Pandya, 45, never held a Tennessee veterinary license but presented himself as a DVM at an East Nashville clinic where pet owners reported problems following procedures.
Surgeons rehearsed on feline cadavers and used a custom 3D-printed template to remove the growth hormone-secreting mass in a 10-year-old cat. IGF-1 normalized within a week.
A small French study found the inflammation marker helped separate some causes of breathing trouble in cats. A larger German study found it could not clearly tell respiratory conditions apart.