Abstract
A key focus is complex disease management. When faced with an elderly patient in poor body condition with minimal diagnostic changes, one may be tempted to stop looking. The guidelines encourage further evaluation.
In this issue of JFMS ‘clinical practice’ we are excited to publish the American Association of Feline Practitioners’ Senior Care Guidelines. You will find the guidelines on pages 763–778 (doi:10.1016/j.jfms.2009.07.011). They are also available at www.catvets.com, along with a summary version for quick reference. They offer an update to the initial guidelines of 1998, coauthored and inspired by our late friend and feline expert, James R Richards, who loved to say: ‘Cats are masters at hiding illness.’
The guidelines were developed to help veterinarians extend and improve the quality of life of senior cats. As such, they address wellness, behavior, pre-emptive testing and, as might be expected, clinical details on a host of disease issues relevant to geriatric cats. Readers will, for example, find condensed information about IRIS staging of chronic kidney disease and updated hypertension guidelines. A discussion of nutrition and weight management will help differentiate the nutritional needs of the ‘mature’ senior, which is likely to be overweight, from the ‘geriatric’ senior, where cachexia is more common. Osteoarthritis, a common condition in cats that has been overlooked in the past, is addressed and a valuable mobility and cognitive dysfunction questionnaire included to help clients further assess their cat's mobility and function at home.
A key focus in the Senior Guidelines is complex disease management. When faced with an elderly patient in poor body condition with minimal diagnostic changes, one may be tempted to stop looking. The guidelines encourage further evaluation. The flip side of this dilemma are cats with multiple disease entities, some of which may be euthanized because of the uncertainty of how best to approach the Gordian knot. We hope this document helps our colleagues work with these special patients to untangle the problems and treat the most critical issues without unbalancing the other ones.
Panel members
Jeanne Pittari DVM DABVP (Feline), Co-Chair
Ilona Rodan DVM DABVP (Feline), Co-Chair
Gerard Beekman DVM
Danielle Gunn-Moore BVM&S PhD MACVSc MRCVS RCVS Specialist in Feline Medicine
David Polzin DVM PhD DACVIM-SAIM
Joseph Taboada DVM DACVIM-SAIM
Helen Tuzio DVM DABVP (Feline)
Debra Zoran DVM PhD DACVIM-SAIM
Looking beyond the minimum database can make a huge impact on a senior cat's life. Courtesy of Deb Givin
The AAFP is grateful to Nestlé Purina, Merial, IDEXX Laboratories, Nutramax Laboratories and Abbott Laboratories for their sponsorship of these guidelines and their commitment to helping the association develop projects that will improve the lives of cats. The AAFP continues to work to promote excellence in feline medicine and to provide veterinarians with tools and strategies to provide the best care.