FDA issues alert for isoxazoline class of flea, tick productsSeptember 21, 2018The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting veterinarians and pet owners of the potential for neurologic adverse events in dogs and cats when treated with isoxazoline class flea and tick products, including Bravecto, Nexgard, and Simparica. Data received by the agency as part of its routine post-marketing activities indicates that some animals receiving Bravecto, Nexgard, or Simparica have experienced adverse events such as muscle tremors, ataxia, and seizures, said the FDA in a statement. Credelio, another isoxazoline class product, recently received FDA approval. These products are approved for the treatment and prevention of flea infestations, and the treatment and control of tick infestations. The FDA said it is working with manufacturers of isoxazoline products to include new label information to highlight neurologic events, as they were seen consistently across the isoxazoline class of products. These products continue to be safe and effective for the majority of animals, said the FDA, adding that it carefully reviewed studies and other data on Bravecto, Credelio, Nexgard, and Simparica prior to approval. The agency is asking the manufacturers to change product labeling in order to provide veterinarians and pet owners with the information they need to make treatment decisions …
SPONSORED CONTENTOne dose protects for 12 months.One ProHeart® 12 (moxidectin) injection puts compliance in your control. + Get started
KSU veterinary researchers, Anivive license FIP antiviral drugSeptember 20, 2018A collaboration at Kansas State University and Anivive Lifesciences is promoting the commercial development of GC376, an antiviral compound for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), which previously has had no effective treatment or cure. Yunjeong Kim, DVM, PhD, ACVM, and Kyeong-Ok "KC" Chang, DVM, MS, PhD, virologists at KSU's College of Veterinary Medicine, and William Groutas, a medicinal chemist at Wichita State University, have been collaborating since 2006 to develop antiviral drugs for human and animal viruses. The licensing agreement was coordinated by the KSU Institute for Commercialization with Anivive Lifesciences, a California company whose proprietary software accelerates the discovery and development process of new pet medicines. "We have been working on antiviral drugs that inhibit a specific virus protease of some important human and animal viruses, and we were able to make very potent inhibitors of FIP," Dr. Kim said. "Through collaborative work with Niels Pedersen at the University of California, Davis—including a field trial on feline patients—we became increasingly hopeful that antiviral treatment may one day substantially benefit cats with FIP. Licensing our compound to Anivive Lifesciences is a huge step forward in transitioning our research to commercialization to make this treatment available to the …
University of Illinois uses humane facility for feline reproduction researchSeptember 7, 2018Researchers at the University of Illinois have created a unique study environment designed to bridge the gap between the lab and the real world in which resident cats can roam while participating in a study aimed to find alternatives to traditional spay and neuter services. With a large climbing tree in the center, the completely open pole barn contains two levels, furniture, toys, scented objects, and a quarter-acre outdoor enclosure. "Many facilities have come a long way in making research conditions more humane for the animals, but they still involve small enclosures without a lot of enrichment," said Amy Fischer, PhD, of the Department of Animal Sciences at the university and lead investigator of the study. "We wanted to make our cats' environment much more stimulating." The GonaCon study Though spay and neuter services can help reduce feral and free-roaming cats, they are invasive and expensive procedures that require a high level of veterinary training, said researchers. GonaCon, an injectable contraceptive vaccine that has been shown to be effective in several mammals, including deer, horses, and laboratory-raised cats, has been considered as an alternative, but field-testing such a product is complicated, they added. During the study, female cats were allowed …
UC Davis veterinarian discovers rare blood disorder in catAugust 22, 2018Miao Miao, a four-year-old male domestic shorthair cat, was brought to the University of California, Davis veterinary hospital with persistent nosebleeds. Based on previous medical issues, his owners were aware that he had some variation of a blood platelet disorder, but the exact makeup of that was never discovered. Specialists with UC Davis' internal medicine service ran a range of tests to discover the root of his bleeding issue. A complete blood count showed that Miao Miao was not anemic, had no evidence of inflammation, and a normal platelet count. An ultrasound also was performed, which showed that Miao Miao had no evidence of bleeding into any of his other bodily cavities. Miao Miao was hospitalized for a few days to ensure he did not develop significant bleeding, and so that the team could discuss his case with other clinicians and researchers. Through a collaboration of UC Davis emergency, internal medicine, and research specialists, a unique cause to Miao Miao's bleeding was found. Ronald Li, DVM, MVetMed, PhD, DACVECC, a critical care specialist with the UC Davis veterinary hospital's emergency room, operates a platelet physiology laboratory with equipment and capabilities found in only a handful of veterinary centers around …
Survey: Feline MCS assessments a missed opportunity for veterinarians?August 16, 2018A recent survey of 111 veterinarians conducted by Kindred Biosciences Inc. found that the majority were not performing feline muscle condition score (MCS) evaluations during physical exams. Body condition scores (BCS) and MCS evaluations are a key part of a complete nutritional assessment for cats, said Christina Fernandez, DVM, MRCVS, DACVECC, professional services veterinarian with Kindred Biosciences. In the survey, 59 percent of veterinarians said they captured BCS during physical exams, but only 14 percent said they perform MCS assessments. "MCS evaluations are a relatively new practice but are increasingly recognized as a best practice in feline care," Dr. Fernandez said. "BCS has been a standard practice for many practitioners, and there are multiple validated scoring systems. Most veterinarians perform a BCS during regular visits, but BCS only evaluates the animal's body fat. MCS evaluations are easy to incorporate into the physical exam and provide extremely valuable information for trending patient body composition status over time. It helps veterinarians watch for any muscle loss over time to ensure our feline patients maintain a healthy body composition — and maybe even offer early warning signs of disease." Muscle loss can be a result of age, illness, and/or injury; no matter …
Take Your Cat to the Vet Day gains celebrity supportAugust 8, 2018Veterinarians across the U.S. might see more cats in their clinics in coming weeks, thanks in part to a campaign launched by Royal Canin that is being promoted by actor Ian Somerhalder. Take Your Cat to the Vet Day aims to improve the healthcare of cats across the country by encouraging owners to schedule regular veterinary checkups for their feline companions. The initiative, supported by the American Association of Feline Practitioners, the International Cat Association, CATalyst Council, and the Cat Fanciers' Association, hopes to increase visibility of cats in veterinary clinic by dispelling widespread assumptions about feline health. Research from Royal Canin found 53 percent of owners whose cats have not seen their veterinarian in the past 12 months said they did not take their pet to the clinic because they "did not think it was necessary." However, annual veterinary checkups are vital for early identification and treatment of illness and disease. "Regular feline veterinary care is crucial for the health and happiness of your cat," said Catherine Lenox, DVM, DACVN, Royal Canin scientific affairs manager. "Just like dogs, cats need to see the veterinarian on a regular basis for wellness exams, not only when there's a serious medical need." …
Purdue vets perform total hip replacement on Bengal catJuly 25, 2018 The orthopedic team at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine had high hopes for Fridgey, a two-year-old Bengal cat brought in by his owner in 2017 for left hip issues. The orthopedic team performed a femoral head ostectomy (FHO), but Fridgey's problems then shifted to his right hip, and his owner again brought him to Purdue. This time, Mark Rochat, DVM, MS, DAVCS, clinical professor of small animal orthopedic surgery, department of veterinary clinical sciences, and Sarah Malek, DVM, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery, performed a total hip replacement. The procedure had never been performed on a feline patient at Purdue. Hip replacements have been performed on larger dogs for almost 40 years, but smaller dogs and cats had to hold off until the last 10 to 15 years, waiting for the technology to catch up, according to Dr. Rochat. "The technology has been around for years; it's just that the availability of the systems and training for the people performing the procedures weren't as commonplace in the past," Dr. Malek said. "Now it's much more commercially available and technically feasible." The first human hip replacement was inspired …
American Association of Feline Practitioners releases new anesthesia guidelinesJuly 11, 2018The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) released the first feline-specific anesthesia guidelines to the veterinary community, which are published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. General anesthesia is an essential component of feline practice, without which surgery and certain other treatment modalities and diagnostic procedures would be impossible, the AAFP stated. Due to their unique physiology and small size, cats undergoing anesthesia are at a relatively greater risk of complications and mortality than many other species; empirical evidence shows that cats undergoing anesthesia have a higher mortality rate compared with dogs.1,2 The new guidelines address specific causes of disparities and ways of avoiding perioperative complications associated with monitoring, airway management, fluid therapy, recovery, perianesthetic anxiety and stress, perianesthetic monitoring by physical and electronic means, the role of underlying diseases such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the correct use of anesthesia equipment, and total injectable anesthesia. An associated client brochure provides cat caregivers with digestible information that enables them to understand anesthesia, what to expect, properly prepare their cat for a procedure, and care for them during recovery (catfriendly.com/anesthesia). "By proactively developing an individualized anesthetic plan that considers the uniqueness of each feline patient and recognizing …
MyCatDNA analysis aims to breed healthier catsJune 21, 2018MyCatDNA test, a new feline DNA test from Wisdom Health, a division of Mars Petcare, is designed to help veterinarians and breeders maintain the health and wellness of cats from a genetic level. MyCatDNA test, also known as the Optimal Selection Feline test in North America, provides insight into an individual cat's unique genetic makeup, allowing breeders to make more informed breeding decisions and subsequently lessen the chance of passing down inherent diseases to future generations. "New insights based on genetics, such as mutations linked to health conditions and traits, can transform the lives of cats and their offspring," said Leslie Lyons Ph.D., a professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri–Columbia. "Having these discoveries and many other tools readily available to cat owners and breeders on a global scale can only improve the health care of cats and our breeding decisions." The MyCatDNA test develops a comprehensive view of a cat's unique genome, including inherited characteristics. The analysis is able to identify more than 40 genetic mutations that cause inherited feline diseases, as well as traits such as blood type, coat color/length, and body type. Owners can then access online health profiles for their …
College of Veterinarians of British Columbia bans onychectomyJune 14, 2018The College of Veterinarians of British Columbia (CVBC) has banned the practice of partial digital amputation, also known as onychectomy or declawing, of domestic cats, effective immediately. The province is the second in Canada to ban declawing, following the procedure's condemnation from the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA). "Elective and nontherapeutic declawing is ethically problematic and not an appropriate means of dealing with feline behavior issues," reads CVBC's statement. The college acknowledges there are medical conditions that may necessitate partial or full digital amputation as an appropriate medical therapy, such as biopsy for diagnosis, severe trauma, or medical conditions affecting the health of the nail (i.e. onychodystrophy, paronychia, neoplasia of the nail bed/phalanges), but adds there is no medical condition or environmental circumstance of the cat's owner that would justify declawing. Declawing has already been banned in the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and several cities in California. Earlier this year, Nova Scotia became the first Canadian province to ban the procedure, with the Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association amending its code of ethics to declare the practice, when performed electively, "ethically unacceptable." While CVMA does not regulate veterinarians in Canada and cannot enforce a nationwide ban, the association announced …
