Abstract
AAFP
Position statements – updated and streamlined
The AAFP is going through the process of updating its position statements to reflect the most current research and opinions on topics affecting feline health and welfare.
This issue of JFMS contains three updated position statements: ‘meeting the physical and emotional needs of owned indoor cats’, ‘respectful handling of cats to minimize fear and pain at the veterinary visit’ and ‘microchip identification of cats’. These have been streamlined so the AAFP’s position is clear and to provide access to the most current, pertinent and relevant resources.
In addition, attached online to this issue of JFMS (journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1098612X19857520) is the position statement ‘ownership of non-domestic felids’ (see right), which has had only its references updated.
Diabetes Educational Toolkit – a new digital resource to address the complex needs of diabetic cats
This user-friendly Toolkit is a digital resource that puts the most relevant diagnostic and treatment information into the hands of veterinary professionals who are working with clients to make the best decisions for their diabetic cat. The educational Toolkit is intended to be an on-the-ground implementation tool to help veterinary professionals access and gather information quickly. With a PDF version of each page, the entire Toolkit can be downloaded and printed, making the content easy to access in the practice. Navigation on the website is simple, with tabs linking directly to information focusing on diagnosis, treatment, remission strategy, troubleshooting, frequently asked questions and client resources.
Effective treatment of the diabetic cat is based on a combination of patient goals, implementation of the treatment plan and the patient’s response. A strong partnership between the veterinarian and the cat caregiver is key to achieving optimal results. It is also very important to establish goals at the initiation of treatment and to maintain a frequent, open dialogue.
Dr Apryl Steele, President, AAFP Board of Directors, comments: ‘We are excited to release this digital resource to the veterinary community in the hope that we can help veterinary professionals in the diagnosis and treatment of their diabetic feline patients through providing easy-to-access information that can be implemented for each cat. The purpose is to create more informed veterinary teams as well as cat caregivers.’
AAFP and Winn announce 2019 joint scholarship winners
The AAFP believes in a future where the advancement of feline medicine is commonplace across veterinary practices. Toward that vision, the AAFP supports veterinary students who focus on feline clinical practice and research science, both of which are vital to feline health and welfare. It is for this reason the Winn Feline Foundation (Winn) and the AAFP are proud to announce the two recipients of the 2019 joint scholarships for clinical research scientist and clinical practice.
Both recipients show exceptional promise: Laurel Krause, a junior at Colorado State University (CSU), USA, was awarded the clinical research scientist scholarship; Summer Marsh, a senior also at CSU, was awarded the clinical practice scholarship.
Laurel Krause, recipient of the 2019 clinical research scientist scholarship, and her kitten Rasputin
Laurel is planning to complete a small animal rotating internship in Southern California, USA, and intends to specialize in small animal internal medicine with a particular focus on geriatric feline medicine and endoscopy.
After graduation, Summer will work for a small animal veterinarian at Firgrove Veterinary Hospital in Puyallup, WA, USA, where she will continue her passion of advocating for cats.
Recipients of the $2500 scholarships are selected based on individual academic achievement, strong leadership and deep dedication to the study of feline medicine, health and welfare.
Summer Marsh, recipient of the 2019 clinical practice scholarship
Call for cases
‘Eating seizures’ in cats
Neurologists and International Cat Care are seeking cases of suspected ‘eating seizures’ in cats for the purposes of phenotypic characterisation. They write:
In order to help with the future management and understanding of the interesting but complex disorder of ‘eating seizures’, we are seeking from colleagues cases of epileptic seizures triggered by eating in cats for phenotypic characterisation.
Eating is defined by the act of putting food into the mouth followed by chewing and swallowing. In addition to eating, other specific food-related stimuli like mastication, the thought or sight of food, and drinking can also trigger eating seizures.1-3 They occur in approximately only one per 1000–2000 human epileptic patients, 1 can be of variable semiology 4 and have never been reported in cats.
In humans, eating seizures are frequently classified as a reflex seizure, which is defined as one consistently precipitated by environmental or internal stimuli and is differentiated from spontaneous epileptic seizures in which precipitating factors cannot be identified. 5 Some authors consider reflex seizures those in which all seizures are precipitated by sensory stimuli, 5 but others have suggested that only the majority need to be precipitated by sensory stimuli to constitute a reflex epilepsy syndrome. 6 A recent and large human study included cases in which more than 50% of the seizures were triggered by eating. 4
If colleagues have a case of suspected eating seizures in a cat, or would like further information, they should contact Josep Brocal at
