OBJECTIVE To evaluate outcomes for cats treated with orally administered famciclovir 3 times/d for clinical signs attributed to naturally occurring feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) infection and to assess variables related to owner satisfaction with the treatment. DESIGN Retrospective case series. ANIMALS 59 client-owned cats. PROCEDURES Medical records were reviewed to identify cats treated for presumed FHV-1 infection from 2006 through 2013 with ≥ 1 follow-up visit. Signalment, duration of clinical signs, prior treatment, examination findings, diagnostic test results, concurrent treatments, and outcome data were recorded. Owners were asked to complete a survey regarding patient- and treatment-related variables. Data were compared between cats that received low (approx 40 mg/kg [18 mg/lb]) and high (approx 90 mg/kg [41 mg/lb]) doses of famciclovir, PO, 3 times/d. RESULTS Patient age ranged from 0.03 to 16 years. Conjunctivitis (51/59 [86%]), keratitis (51 [86%]), blepharitis (19 [32%]), nasal discharge or sneezing (10 [17%]), and dermatitis (4 [7%]) were common findings. Clinical improvement was subjectively graded as marked in 30 (51%) cats, mild in 20 (34%), and nonapparent in 9 (15%). Median time to improvement was significantly shorter, and degree of improvement was significantly greater in the highdose group than in the low-dose group. Adverse effects potentially attributable to famciclovir administration were reported for 10 cats. On the basis of survey responses, most (29/32 [91%]) owners were satisfied with their cat's treatment. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Famciclovir at the prescribed dosages was associated with improved clinical signs in cats with presumed FHV-1 infection, and few adverse effects were attributed to the treatment. Further studies are needed to assess whether a famciclovir dosage of 90 versus 40 mg/kg, PO, 3 times/d would result in increased efficacy and shorter treatment time.

GSHPs and GWHPs with CED exhibit marked differences in corneal morphology when compared with age-matched control dogs. These 2 CED-affected breeds represent spontaneous, large animal models for human Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy.

Several ultrasonic and Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) pachymeters are used to measure corneal thickness in canine patients and research subjects. This study assessed the reliability of and consistency between two ultrasonic pachymetry (USP) devices, Pachette 3 and Accupach VI, as well as automated and manual measurements obtained using FD-OCT in dogs with and without corneal disease. Corneal thickness measurements were compiled from 108 dogs and analyzed using mixed effects linear regression, with Bonferonni adjustments for post-hoc comparisons, to determine the effects of age, weight and disease state. Data are presented as predicted mean ± standard error. Canine corneal disease can result in marked increases in thickness that frequently exceed the upper limits of measurement of some pachymetry devices developed for human use. In this study, the corneas of dogs with endothelial disease or injury frequently exceeded the upper limits of quantitation of 999 and 800 μm for the Accupach VI and automated FD-OCT pachymeters, respectively. Using values <800 μm, the Pachette 3 generated significantly greater values for central corneal thickness (CCT) than the Accupach VI, manual FD-OCT and automated FD-OCT at 625 ± 7.0, 615 ± 7.2, 613 ± 7.2, and 606 ± 7.4 μm respectively (P < 0.001). Of the two devices where measurements >1000 μm were obtained, manual FD-OCT demonstrated less variability than the Pachette 3. Corneal thickness increased linearly with age and weight with an increase of 6.9 ± 1.8 μm/year and 1.6 ± 0.8 μm/kg body weight (P < 0.005 and P = 0.038, respectively).

No abstract

No abstract