Until recently, feline infectious peritonitis was an invariably fatal disease that occurs when a ubiquitous enteric coronavirus mutates. This enables it to replicate effectively within macrophages, resulting in immune-mediated phlebitis and serositis. While our understanding of the aetiopathogenesis of feline infectious peritonitis remains unchanged, with the recent availability of legalised antiviral drugs, successful treatment is now a possibility, albeit at a cost. As we approach a new dawn of research into the diagnosis and treatment of this disease, this review summarises current therapeutic options. Please note, some protocols are still being optimised.
BackgroundDysautonomia is a disease characterised by degeneration of autonomic neurons.MethodsThe aim of this study was to perform a retrospective multicentre review of clinical data relating to cats and dogs diagnosed with dysautonomia and to evaluate their outcome.ResultsCats (n=34) and dogs (n=19) with clinical signs consistent with dysautonomia were considered for this retrospective study. Reported clinical findings included oesophageal and gastrointestinal dysmotility and distension, urinary retention, reduced or absent tear production, third eyelid protrusion and inappropriate mydriasis. Treatment was supportive and included gastrointestinal prokinetics, feeding tube placement (oesophageal and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes) and medications to treat urinary retention. The survival to discharge was 29 per cent in cats and 47 per cent in dogs. The overall survival in cats was 21 per cent and that in dogs was 32 per cent. Survival of greater than 2 years was seen in six cats and in three dogs.ConclusionThis paper illustrates that some animals are able to survive this disease and can have a good long-term prognosis, which is an infrequently reported finding for this disease.
Objectives The objectives of this study were to generate a robust evidence base on the prevalence of common disorders in cats and develop a deeper understanding of disorder associations with sex and age that could offer important opportunities for targeted veterinary care to improve feline health and welfare. Methods A random sample of 18,249 cats was obtained from 1,255,130 cats under primary care during 2019 within VetCompass, an epidemiological research programme based on anonymised primary care veterinary clinical records. All disorders recorded during 2019 were extracted and reported, and associations with sex and age were examined. Results The most prevalent disorders were periodontal disease (n = 2780 [15.2%], 95% confidence interval [CI] 14.72–15.76), obesity (n = 2114 [11.6%], 95% CI 11.12–12.06) and dental disease (n = 1502 [8.2%], 95% CI 7.84–8.64). Compared with male cats, females had an increased prevalence of poor quality of life, postoperative complications and hyperthyroidism, among others. Male cats had a higher prevalence of periodontal disease, road traffic accident (RTA) and obesity. Younger cats (<8 years) had an increased prevalence of cat bite abscess, flea infestation and RTA, while older cats (⩾8 years) had increased prevalence of lameness, cystitis and dental disease, among others. Conclusions and relevance These findings suggest that the veterinary profession needs to engage more effectively in informing owners on common preventable disorders (ie, obesity and dental disease). This new information can contribute to more targeted health surveillance and more effective veterinary interventions to promote improved health and welfare in pet cats. Large-scale collection and analysis of anonymised veterinary clinical records offer an important clinical resource for research.
Background: Vomiting is a common presenting complaint in feline medicine, and given the multitude of possible differentials, it is essential that clinicians are able to formulate a rationale diagnostic and treatment plan for each individual patient.Aim of the article: This article aims to help practitioners understand the common underlying aetiologies of chronic vomiting in cats and how to formulate a logical diagnostic plan. It focuses on some of the common causes of chronic vomiting in cats and discusses diagnostic and treatment options for these conditions.
Case series summary Cats with non-erosive immune-mediated polyarthritis (IMPA) were identified from seven referral hospitals between 2009 and 2020 for a multicentre retrospective case series. Data were obtained from hospital records and referring veterinarians were contacted for follow-up. Twenty cases were identified: 12 castrated males (60%), one entire male (5%) and seven spayed females (35%). Common clinical signs included lameness (n = 20/20) and pyrexia (n = 10/18). Three cats presented with and two cats developed ligament laxity during treatment. Thirteen cats (65%) were diagnosed with non-associative IMPA and seven (35%) with associative IMPA. Comorbidities identified included chronic enteropathy (n = x/7), feline immunodeficiency virus (n = x/7) feline herpesvirus (n = x/7), bronchopneumonia (n = x/7) and discospondylitis (n = x/7). Sampling of the tarsal joints most frequently identified an increased proportion of neutrophils, consistent with IMPA. Eighteen cats (90%) received immunosuppressants. Eleven cats were started on prednisolone; eight had a poor response resulting in the addition of a second agent, euthanasia or acceptance of the persisting signs. One cat received ciclosporin and required an alternative second agent owing to adverse effects. Five cats were started on prednisolone and ciclosporin; three had a poor response and required an alternative second agent. One cat received prednisolone and chlorambucil and had a good response. Two cats (10%) received meloxicam and had a good response, although the clinical signs recurred when medication was tapered. A good outcome was achieved in 14/20 cats (70%) with IMPA. In the cats with a poor outcome 4/6 were euthanased and 2/6 had chronic lameness. Relevance and novel information Prognosis for feline IMPA can be good. Multimodal immunosuppression was often required. IMPA should be considered in lame cats, with or without pyrexia, when there is no evidence of trauma or infection. The tarsal joints should be included in the multiple joints chosen for sampling. Ligament laxity can occur in non-erosive feline IMPA.
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