Abstract
ESFM affiliates to WSAVA
ESFM was accepted as an affiliated member of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) at their assembly meeting held in Amsterdam on April 25, 2000. ESFM is also affiliated to BSAVA.
Editor's move
Dr Andrew Sparkes, JFMS editor has moved from his post of FAB Lecturer in Feline Medicine at Bristol Veterinary School to that of Head of the Feline Unit at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, UK. Dr Sparkes will develop the feline internal medicine referral service at the AHT which will integrate with their existing small animal referral services in neurology, ophthalmology, dermatology, oncology and diagnostic imaging. He will also be furthering areas of clinical research.
Change to ESFM website address
The ESFM website can now be found at: www.esfm.org
ESFM study days 2001
ESFM will be holding its pre-congress study day on April 4 at Austin Court in Birmingham. The society will also take part in WSAVA in Vancouver in August 2000. Other meetings are also currently being orgainised and will be publicised in the next issue.
New Italian cat group
A new Italian feline society has been established, which has about 100 members. Named SIMEF (Società Italiana di Medicina Felina), the Society has the following objectives:
To promote and improve continuing education about feline medicine.
To organise specialist meetings, seminars, courses and round tables.
To promote publications about feline medicine. To provide a forum for the diffusion of information and knowledge in feline medicine through the publication of a quarterly journal. To exhange points of view, opinions from practitioners and scientists to inform about new development in clinical approach, diagnosis and therapy of feline diseases with the help of the journal.
Forthcoming meetings include:
May 2001 in Cremona. Subject: Feline anaesthesia and critical care.
September 2001. ESFM meeting in Perugia.
For further information about the Society contact Dr Stefano Bo, Ambulatorio Merlo-Bo, Via Provana 3, 10123-Torino, Italy. Tel +39 01181 77291, fax +39 01181 58377, e-mail
ESFM BOARD OF REPRESENTATIVES
(Treasurer) Tierklinik Leonding Mayrhansenstrase 21A A-4060 Leonding, AUSTRIA
186 rue de l'Eglise 1640 — Rhode Sainte Genese, BELGIUM
Small Animal Clinic Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Veterinary and Pharmacological Science Palackeho 1/3, 61242 Brno CZECH REPUBLIC e-mail:
Falstersvej 9
DK 2000 Frederiksberg DENMARK Tel: +388 84777 Fax: +388 85777
Kissaklinikka Felina Tyomiehenkatu 4C 00180 Helsinki, FINLAND Tel: 358 09 6852288 Fax: 358 09 6852299
85 ter Bd Soult 75012 Paris, FRANCE Tel: 33 1 43436344 Fax: 33 1 43473791 e-mail:
Medizinische Tierklinik Veterinasse 13 8000 Munchen 40, GERMANY Tel: 49 89 21802697 Fax: 49 89 21806240, e-mail:
Universitat Leipzig Inst fur Vet Pathologie Margarete-Blank Str 4 04103 Leipzig, GERMANY Tel: 49 341 9738271 Fax: 49 341 9738299
Biogdanfy u 7B/22 H-1117 Budapest, HUNGARY
University College Dublin Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Dept. of Small Animal Clinic Studies Veterinary College Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, IRELAND Tel: 353 1 66 87988 Fax: 353 1 66 75401 e-mail:
Dipartimento di Clinica Veterinaria Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, ITALY Tel: 39 050 570.308/542331 Fax: 39 050 542892 e-mail:
Dipartimento di Patologia Animale Universita di Torino Via Nizza 52, 10126 Torino, ITALY Tel: 390 11 6688769 Fax: 390 11 8174325 e-mail:
Associate Professor Virology Unit, Veterinary Faculty Utrecht University, de Uithof Androclusgebouw Yalelaan 1, 3584 CL Utrecht THE NETHERLANDS Tel: 31 302532487 Fax: 31302536723 e-mail:
Dept Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals Veterinary Faculty Utrecht University, de Uithof Yalelaan 8, 3584 CM Utrecht THE NETHERLANDS Tel: 31 30 2531681 or 1589 Fax: 31 30 2518126 e-mail:
Eidskog Dyreklinikk A/S 2230 Skotterud NORWAY Tel: 47 62 835666 Fax: 47 62 836665 e-mail:
Department of Internal Diseases Veterinary Faculty Agricultural University of Warsaw Grochowska 272 03849 Warsaw, POLAND Tel/fax: 48 22 810 2142 e-mail:
All Russian State Research Institute for Control, Standardization & Certification 5 Zvenigorodskove Shosse 123022 Moscow, RUSSIA Tel: 7 095 2593546 Fax: 7 095 2531491
State Diagnostics & Prevention Centre for Human and Animal Diseases 42 Timiryazevskaya Street 125422 Moscow, RUSSIA Tel/Fax: 7 095 2075474
Centro Veterinario Calle Los Naranjos s/n Pueblo Lopez 29640 Fuengirola Malaga, SPAIN Tel: 34 5 462688
Skree 8003 S-45593 Munkedal, SWEDEN e-mail:
Veterinarnedizinisches Labor der Universitat Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 260 CH-8057 Zurich, SWITZERLAND Tel: 4 11 16358312 Fax: 4 11 16358906 e-mail:
Tierarzt, Zürcherstrasse 3 Niederglatt 8172, SWITZERLAND Tel: 4 11 8518070 Fax: 4 11 8548071 e-mail:
(Secretary ESFM) The Animal Health Trust Centre for Small Animal Studies Lanwades Park, Kentford Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 7UU, UK Tel: 44 1638 552700 Fax: 44 1638 555600 e-mail:
(SECRETARY/JFMS EDITOR)
The Tile House Deepdene Wood Dorking RH5 4BD Tel: 01306 640515 Fax: 01306 640514 e-mail:
Director Institute of Veterinary Research Utrecht University, de Uithof Practicumgebouw, Yalelaan 1 3584, Utrecht THE NETHERLANDS Tel: 31 30 253 2485 Fax: 31 30 253 6723 e-mail:
ESFM EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Dipartimento di Clinica Veterinaria, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy Tel: 39 050 570.308/542331, Fax: 39 050542892 E-mail:
CONTACTING ESFM
Please send letters/articles/comments for JFMS to Claire Bessant, ESFM/FAB, Taeselbury, High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6LD, England. Tel: 44 1747 871872, Fax: 44 1747 871873 Membership details may also be obtained from this address.
Recommendations for FeLV and FIV Testing in the Rescue Setting, and the Results of the FAB Survey
Introduction
This paper is a brief synopsis of a presentation made by Dr Andrew Sparkes at the Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB) Rescue Conference late last year. Results of a large survey conducted by FAB were presented along with certain recommendations, based on these findings, for testing policies in the rescue setting.
FeLV and FIV infection in the rescue cattery
The Feline Advisory Bureau recently undertook a large survey of rescue organisations to look into current policies on FeLV and FIV testing in this situation in the UK, and to look at results of those tests undertaken.
Results were obtained from 82 rescue centres, almost exclusively in the UK, and information was obtained from these centres for the calendar year of 1998. During this 12-month period, these 82 centres rescued a total of 28,884 cats, of which 78% (22611) were re-homed. Details of the accommodation available and the testing policies undertaken by the centres are shown in Table 1.
Nature of accommodation available and FeLV/FIV testing policy in 82 rescue centres
Information available for 68 centres.
Information available for 82 centres.
From this, it can be seen that the type of accommodation the cats are kept in varies considerably, both between different centres and within the same centre, although perhaps a surprisingly high proportion of the centres (83%) had at least some individual accommodation available. All of the centres did some FeLV and FIV testing, and for just over two-thirds of them this was a selective testing policy. The reasons why individual cats were tested varied between centres, and whilst all tested sick cats or cats recommended to be tested on veterinary advice, some centres undertook testing of certain other categories of cats perceived as being at higher risk of being infected with either FeLV or FIV. The results of the FeLV and FIV testing undertaken at these 82 cat rescue centres during 1998 are shown in Table 2.
Results of FeLV/FIV testing in 82 rescue centres during 1998
The results from this survey are very interesting and very valuable, given the very large numbers of cats involved. Results were available from between 4000 and 5000 cats that were routinely tested (ie regardless of their health status, sex or background). Results form these cats showed a 1.1% prevalence of FeLV infection and a 4.7% prevalence of FIV infection. For comparison, a study was published in 1989 from the Glasgow Veterinary School, reporting the prevalence of FeLV and FIV infection in over 1000 healthy pet cats from the UK (Hosie M et al [1989] Veterinary Record
Where centres attempted to identify cats that were more likely to be FeLV- or FIV-infected (either on the basis of sex, background/origin, or the presence of clinical signs), and selectively tested cats on this basis, there were clearly a higher proportion of cats that tested positive (4.2% for FeLV and 8.5% for FIV). However even here, where specifically high-risk cats were selected for testing, the overall positive rate was relatively low for both viruses.
Conclusions and recommendations
The results from this study have been very helpful, and perhaps somewhat surprising. Certainly there is no evidence that FeLV or FIV are major problems in the rescue cat setting.
One of the recommendations of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) is that, ideally, the FeLV and FIV status of every cat should be known. This is a sensible and rational goal. Most people would want to know if their cats were infected with these viruses both from the point of view of likely disease development in the cat (and how to prevent this occurring), and also to take steps to prevent the virus spreading to other cats. If funds were unlimited, it would therefore be good to recommend testing of all cats that pass through a rescue centre for both of these viruses and to separate infected and uninfected cats. This of course raises the additional question of what to do with cats that test positive. False positive test results can occur with the routine tests for both FeLV and FIV, and some cats with FeLV are only transiently infected. Depending on their background and other factors, it may therefore be ideal policy to retest at least some healthy cats that initially test positive, perhaps by sending a blood sample to a reference diagnostic laboratory for a confirmatory test. In the survey carried out by FAB, 68 of the rescue centres volunteered information on how they dealt with FeLV or FIV positive cats. Sixty-one of the centres (90%) reported that in some cases these cats were euthanased, 10 (15%) of the centres reported that they kept some of these cats themselves in isolation, and 27 (40%) reported that they re-homed some of these cats. Re-homing a healthy positive cat is certainly a viable proposition, so long as the new owner is aware of the situation, and is prepared to take the appropriate measures to ensure other cats do not become infected (this usually means confining the infected cat on its own, or with other similarly infected cats).
Whilst testing all the cats going through a rescue centre may be regarded as the ideal situation, this clearly does involve the centre in considerable expense, and this cost should be weighed against other health-care measures. It should be recognised that, from the results of our study, rescue cats per se do not appear to be at a significantly increased risk of either FeLV or FIV infection (although ‘pockets’ of infection may exist, and in certain localities the infection rate may be much higher). The cost involved in detecting this small number of infected cats therefore needs to be considered carefully and difficult choices may have to be made. For example, if routine testing were not undertaken, could the money saved by this be spent more productively on other health-care measures? (For example, providing isolation and quarantine facilities for sick cats, provision of individual cages rather than large group pens to reduce the risk of transmission of common diseases such as cat 'flu etc.)
For most centres, selective testing of cats for FeLV and FIV can therefore be strongly recommended, and the priorities would probably be firstly to test sick cats with signs compatible with FeLV or FIV. Other categories of cats that may then be worth testing, depending on financial resources, in descending order of priority would be: entire male cats, aggressive cats, stray and feral cats, and finally cats that are not going to be housed individually.
Realistically, because infection with these viruses (particularly in healthy cats) is relatively low, testing all cats is impractical for most centres and certainly not cost-effective. Nevertheless, the principle that the FeLV and FIV status of all cats should, ideally, be known is still a good general rule and perhaps the most appropriate emphasis for most rescue centres is good education of prospective owners of re-homed cats. Informing and educating prospective new owners is important in many respects, but over this issue in particular, good printed information is readily available from organisations like the FAB itself, providing accurate information on FeLV and FIV infection that can be passed on to new owners. The importance of having a cat tested can be emphasised, and owners can be encouraged to undertake testing of their new cat either before it is re-homed (and the rescue centre may be able to negotiate a reasonable cost for routinely testing cats with their local veterinary practice, with the cost then being passed on to the new owner) or soon after the cat is re-homed. By informing and encouraging the owners to get involved in this way, the rescue centre will ultimately be encouraging responsible pet ownership, which is something we all want to see.
Abstracts
S A Robertson, P M Taylor, M J Dixon, J W Sear, M Ruprah and C Waters
Department of Clinical Vererinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK
Presented at the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists Conference, March 2000, Cambridge, UK
There is little specific information on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of opioids in cats. Dosing schedules for cats are extrapolated from other species, despite evidence that they handle drugs uniquely (Pascoe PJ and others (1993), Journal of Veterinary Anaesthesia
The terminal half-lives ranged between 75.7 and 137.5 min following morphine, and 135.2 and 509.6 min after buprenorphine (P<0.05). Buprenorphine median (range) CMAX and TMAX were 8.7 (3.6–11.8) ng/ml and 3 (2–15) min; after morphine CMAX and TMAX were 120 (75–218) ng/ml and 5 (1–45) min.
There was no significant change in thermal threshold after saline. Thermal thresholds were significantly increased at 2 and 6 h (5.6 and 5.8% respectively) after buprenorphine and at 4 h (11.4%) after morphine.
This study shows that significant increases in thermal thresholds are slow to develop in cats following opioid administration and occur when plasma levels are low.
A H Sparkes, C Bessant, D Gunn-Moore, T J Gruffydd-Jones and J May
Research abstract presented at the 10th annual European Society of Veterinary Internal Medicine Congress, Neuchatel, Switzerland, September 14–16 2000
The aim of this study was to collect information on gestation, parturition and litters of kittens born to pedigree cats in the UK and to collate objective date and evaluate potential breed differences.
Information was sought from pedigree cat breeders by means of a standard questionnaire to evaluate a variety of aspects of breeding. Each questionnaire related to an individual queen and her litter. Individual breeds were analysed only if there were 20 or more questionnaires returned for that particular breed.
Data for analysis was available from 1044 different queens from 14 breeds (Asian, Abyssinian, Birman, British Shorthair, Burmese, Devon Rex, Exotic Shorthair, Korat, Maine Coon, Oriental Shorthair, Persian, Siamese, Somali and Tonkinese). Initial analysis of the data revealed are shown in the table above.
Comparison of results between queens having their first, second, third and fourth (or more) litter showed no significant difference in their gestation length or litter size. Furthermore, the queen's age was not significantly correlated to either the gestation length or litter size. Analysis also showed no significant correlation between litter size and litter weight, gestation length or percentage of kittens born alive.
Examination of data from litters where a Caesarean section was not required revealed that the interval between the onset of contractions and the birth of the first kitten was ≤ 1 h in 48.4% of the litters and ≤4 h in 93.4%. The interval between the birth of the first and last kitten was <6h in 82.6%, <12 h in 94.2%, but >48 h in 0.8%.
C Zimmer, A Horauf and C Reusch (2000) Ultrasonographic examination of the adrenal gland and evaluation of the hypophyseal-adrenal axis in 20 cats. Journal of Small Animal Practice
The adrenal glands of 20 unsedated cats were visualised and assessed ultrasonographically They were hypoechoic and varied in length from 0.45 to 1.37 cm and in width from 0.29 to 0.53 cm. There were no differences between the glands of male and female cats and in individual cats the dimensions could be reproduced reliably. The cats' basal serum concentration of cortisol ranged from 2.0 to 79 μg/l, and 30 and 60 min after the administration of 0.125 mg ACTH intramuscularly it ranged from 36 to 126 μg/l. Their basal concentration of aldosterone ranged from 4 to 618 pg/ml and after ACTH it ranged from 100 to 832 pg/ml. The administration of 0.1mg/kg dexamethasone intravenously consistently reduced the cats' concentration of cortisol below 2 μg/l.
Book Reviews
P R Fox, D Sisson and N S Moíse
Before embarking upon a review of this book I would have to say that I am unable to write this review from an impartial standpoint. For many years the first edition of Canine and Feline Cardiology was my favourite cardiology text. To be asked to review the second edition is like asking a child to review their favourite sweetshop.
Eleven years after the publication of the first edition of Canine and Feline Cardiology we are finally able to read the second edition. The intervening 11 years have seen veterinary cardiology change dramatically; in part due to more rigorous research into the aetiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of heart disease and also in part due to the more widespread use of ultrasound. The knowledge base of veterinary cardiology has expanded considerably and this is reflected by a significant expansion of this textbook. The second edition is a weighty 955 pages long. An unfortunate consequence of the expansion and greater detail of the second edition of this textbook is that it has lost the readability of the first edition. The book has become a text which can be referred to with ease but not feasibly read from cover to cover.
The second edition of Canine and Feline Cardiology is a remarkable book. It represents a comprehensive and detailed text set out over eight sections and 39 chapters covering all aspects of small animal cardiology. The sections cover the following areas: normal structure and function of the heart and circulation; physical examination; diagnostic methods; abnormal cardiovascular function and principles of therapy; diseases of the cardiovascular system; systemic diseases affecting the cardiovascular system; cardiovascular pathology; and cardiovascular surgery.
The book is a multi-author text with predominantly US contributors. The three main editors are all recognised experts in their fields, each with a different clinical and research expertise. The list of individual authors reads like a Who's Who of US veterinary cardiology. In every area a recognised expert has been selected to write the appropriate chapter. Each chapter of the book is detailed, up to date and exhaustively referenced (the chapter on feline cardiomyopathies cites 444 references!). Many chapters contain a great deal of comparative information from the forefront of the appropriate field of human cardiology.
Reviewing the book from a feline perspective it is perhaps inevitable that in a book on canine and feline cardiology many of the chapters should have a predominantly canine emphasis. By way of an example, in the entire chapter on radiology only one set of feline radiographs appear. Having made this point it would be unfair to describe this as a limitation of the book; it simply reflects the fact that more is known about many aspects of canine cardiology than the comparable areas of feline cardiology. There are three solely feline chapters on arrhythmias, cardiomyopathies and feline heartworm. There are also specific chapters on hyperthyroidism and hypertension with an obviously feline bias. Since no stand alone feline cardiology text exists, what we have here is, in my opinion, the best that there is on offer at present from both a canine and feline perspective.
For anyone needing a comprehensive, up-to-date cardiology reference text I would wholeheartedly recommend this book.
A Boswood
W B Saunders, Philadelphia 955 pages, £66.00 ISBN: 0–7216–4044–3
M D Willard, H Tventen, G H Turnwald
The revised 3rd edition contains 18 chapters (two more than the 2nd edition) and three appendices (one more than the 2nd edition). The first chapter deals with general laboratory concepts (eg, quality control, reference values, profiles v. individual tests) and includes useful information on the evaluation of a new blood gas and electrolyte analyser (IRMA) for ‘in-practice’ use. The subsequent four chapters are devoted to clinical haematology and the investigation of erythrocyte, leukocyte and haemostatic disorders. Each of the following 11 chapters extensively covers the employment of laboratory tests and techniques for the investigation of a specific system, eg, endocrine, respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital, central nervous system etc. Common indications, analytical methods, artefacts, effects of drugs, causes of increased or decreased values and interpretation of the tests employed are presented in these chapters. In addition to the text, tables, figures, flow-charts and colour plates are used to help readers find specific information at a glance. The last two chapters are new additions and deal with the laboratory diagnosis of common toxicants (sources, sample collection, analysis, clinical findings) and therapeutic monitoring of commonly administered drugs. The book ends with three appendices concerning reference values, a list of referral laboratories in the USA and a summary of the laboratory findings of selected diseases.
My only criticism is the lack of detailed information on the advantages, disadvantages and performance of commonly employed biochemistry analysers for ‘in-house’ use. Even so, this book will be of great value to undergraduate veterinary students, nurses and practitioners interested in small animal clinical pathology. It is with out a doubt, highly recommended.
Kostas Papasouliotis DVM PhD MRCVS
3rd Edition, W B Saunders Company 1999 Softcover, 395 pages, £30.00 ISBN: 0–7216–7160–8
