Chest deformities in Bengal kittens

To contact us Click HERE
Charlesworth TM, Sturgess CP. Increased incidence of thoracic wall deformities in related Bengal kittens. J Feline Med Surg 2012;14:365-368.



There are several thoracic wall deformities described in kittens, including pectus excavatum (PE), flat-chest defect, scoliosis, lordosis, kyphosis, pectus carinatum, and missing or extra ribs or thoracic vertebrae. In this study, clinical records made during examinations for routine vaccinations were evaluated in populations of domestic shorthair (DSH) kittens and Bengal kittens. The records for 244 Bengal kittens were reviewed and compared to those of 1748 DSH kittens. No thoracic wall abnormalities were recorded in the DSH kittens compared with 12 cases in the Bengal kittens. Among the 12 cases in Bengal kittens, the deformities detected were pectus excavatum (5), unilateral thoracic wall concavity (6), and scoliosis (1). There was a high degree of common ancestry found in analyzing five-generation pedigrees and this indicates a familial cause is likely. The data presented supports the hypothesis that these deformities are more common within the study’s examined population of Bengal kittens than a DSH population. Data also suggests that thoracic wall deformities may be a relatively common familial defect in Bengal kittens. Bengal kittens should have their thoracic wall carefully evaluated during routine clinical evaluation. [VT]

See also: Yoon H, Mann F, Jeong S. Surgical correction of pectus excavatum in two cats. J Vet Sci 2008;9:335-337. [free, full text article]

More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Read the Cat Health News Weekly
Join us on Google+

Pneumothorax in cats

To contact us Click HERE
Mooney ET, Rozanski EA, King RG and Sharp CR. Spontaneous pneumothorax in 35 cats (2001-2010). J Feline Med Surg. 2012; 14: 384-91.
 
Pneumothorax, or free air in the pleural (thoracic) space, is usually the result of trauma but it can appear to be spontaneous. This study reviewed 35 cases of spontaneous pneumothorax (SP) in cats over a 10-year period. The objective was to identify causes, evaluate treatment options, and report the case outcomes. The majority of the cats were male with a median age of 8 years. The most common presenting complaint was acute onset of respiratory distress. In all the cases of cats with an established etiology, SP was associated with lung disease. The underlying associated diseases included inflammatory airway disease (most common), neoplasia, heartworm infection, pulmonary abscess, and lungworm infection. Many of the patients were managed successfully with only observation or needle thoracocentesis to remove air, and specific treatment for their primary lung disease. In contrast to dogs, surgery was associated with a poor outcome in 4 of 5 cats. [VT]

See also: White H, Rozanski E, Tidwell A, Chan D and Rush J. Spontaneous pneumothorax in two cats with small airway disease. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2003; 222: 1573-5.

More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Read the Cat Health News Weekly
Join us on Google+

Examining a cat mummy

To contact us Click HERE
Gnudi G, Volta A, Manfredi S, Ferri F and Conversi R. Radiological investigation of an over 2000-year-old Egyptian mummy of a cat. J Feline Med Surg. 2012; 14: 292-4.

The mummy of a cat was examined radiographically to determine the content and to describe how cats were wrapped and mummified in ancient Egypt. The mummy is part of the Egyptian collection of the National Archaeological Museum in Parma, Italy. From the time of 1350 BC, cats were occasionally buried with their owners. In later dynasties (945-715 BC), many animals were thought to be the embodiment of gods and goddesses. Female cats were believed to represent the goddess Bastet. From approximately 332 to 30 BC, animals were raised near the temples for the specific purpose of being mummified and left at the temple as offerings. This mummy contained the complete skeleton of a 4 to 5-month old cat. Radiology revealed the cat’s body was wrapped to occupy the smallest space possible. This cat mummy was not buried with its owner and most likely it was an offering to the goddess Bastet. It is considered a high quality archeological finding. [VT]

See also: Falke TH, Zweypfenning-Snijders MC, Zweypfenning RC and James AE, Jr. Computed tomography of an ancient Egyptian cat. J Comput Assist Tomogr. 1987; 11: 745-7.

More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Read the Cat Health News Weekly
Join us on Google+

Raw food diets for kittens–final project report

To contact us Click HERE
Final report, Winn grant W09-002
Nutritional adequacy and performance of raw food diets in kittens
Investigators: Beth Hamper, Claudia Kirk, Joe Bartges
University of Tennessee
 
The researchers in this study investigated the effects of raw diets on health and well-being of kittens. While both benefits and costs have been claimed for raw diets, little work has been done on specific effects of the raw diet on cats. In this study, kittens were fed either a commercial processed diet, commercial raw diet, or home-prepared raw diet.

Growth performance was similar on all three diets. Nutritionally, there was neither an advantage nor disadvantage among any of the diets, as all three were nutritionally adequate. The raw food diets were associated with higher digestibility and decreased fecal matter, although a direct health benefit of this difference was not observed. Overgrowth of fecal bacteria was noted in cats fed both control and raw foods. Salmonella spp. was definitively isolated from the feces of one kitten fed the homemade raw diet and undetermined in another instance. Exposure to pathogenic bacteria from raw foods and contaminated commercial diets have been reported in other studies Future research on methods to reduce pathogen load while minimizing processing of animal tissue proteins is recommended. [MK]

Read the interim project report from March 2012

More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Read the Cat Health News Weekly
Join us on Google+

Let's immune system help

To contact us Click HERE

Imatinib potentiates antitumor T cell responses in gastrointestinal stromal tumor through the inhibition of Ido, 
Vinod P Balachandran, et al. Nature Medicine17 (2011) 


I would like to hilight this paper to our readership, as many of your are involved in the design of clinical trials and selection of potential biomarkers. This report is one of a handful of high impact papers that report the coperative role that inflammatory infiltrate and non cell autonomous effectors play in modulating response to established agents. This study demonstrates an interesting immunological mechanism of Imatininb  that contributes to the antitumor effect in a Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) mouse model. Inflammatory infiltrate is a known finding in GIST specimens (including intratumoral CD8+ Tcells, Treg cells and macrophages). Acording to the authors, Imatinib activates CD8+ T cells and induces Treg cells apoptosis within the tumor. Imatinib is therefore able to reduce the expression of 2,3-dioxygenase (Ido) of tumor cells. Ido enzyme is involved in the catayzation of immunosuppressive metabolites from tryptophan and therefore mediates downstream immunological response. Interestingly Imatininb resistant tumors, generally as a result of a second KIT mutation, restore the overexpression of IDO and combination of Imatinib with CTLA-4 blockade (a well established immunotherapeutic strategy) act synergistically. This insight provides some hints on something we have been suspecting for a long time. It is easy to predict consequences for rational design of combination therapies and strategies to overcome resistance in Imatinib resistant tumors.TweetShare

Treatment of feline upper respiratory tract disease

To contact us Click HERE
Litster AL, Wu CC and Constable PD. Comparison of the efficacy of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefovecin, and doxycycline in the treatment of upper respiratory tract disease in cats housed in an animal shelter. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2012; 241: 218-26.
 
Upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) is one of the most common causes of disease in cats and also among the most common causes of euthanasia in animal shelters. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefovecin, and doxycycline in shelter-housed cats with clinical signs of URTD. Cats were randomly assigned to 3 treatment groups of 16 cats each. Conjunctival and nasal swab specimens were obtained for culture and susceptibility testing. Different parameters - oculonasal discharge, sneezing, coughing, dyspnea, demeanor, and food intake - were scored twice daily for 14 days. 

The most common bacterial isolates found were Mycoplasma spp. (n=22) and Bordetella bronchiseptica (n=9). The cats treated with amoxicillin-clavulanic acid or doxycycline had significantly increased body weight by the end of the study. The cats receiving doxycycline had significantly lower oculonasal discharge scores than the ones treated with amoxicillin-clavulanic acid or cefovecin. Those treated with amoxicillin-clavulanic acid or doxycycline had significantly lower sneezing scores than the cats receiving cefovecin. All of the Bordetella isolates in this study were resistant to cefovecin in vitro. Oral administration of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid or doxycycline appeared to be more effective than a single subcutaneous injection of cefovecin in treating shelter cats with signs of URTD. [VT]

See also: Tanaka A, Wagner DC, Kass PH and Hurley KF. Associations among weight loss, stress, and upper respiratory tract infection in shelter cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2012; 240: 570-6.

More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Read the Cat Health News Weekly
Join us on Google+

Contraceptive implants for cats

To contact us Click HERE
Ackermann CL, Volpato R, Destro FC, et al. Ovarian activity reversibility after the use of deslorelin acetate as a short-term contraceptive in domestic queens. Theriogenology. 2012; 78: 817-22.
 
Deslorelin is a drug classed as a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue. It has been used in various species, usually as a long-lasting implant, to control fertility. The drug is currently not licensed for this use in dogs or cats in Canada or the United States. However, several studies have evaluated the use of deslorelin implants to control fertility in domestic queens. Estrus behavior and estrogen secretion can be suppressed for more than 1 year after the implant is placed.

The goal of this study was to determine if the effect of the drug on ovarian activity is truly reversible, thereby allowing for only temporary suppression of reproduction when desired. Ten mature queens were given deslorelin implants and monitored with vaginal cytology for 90 days, after which the implants were removed. Ten days later, the queens were treated to induce estrus and ovulation and then spayed. As has been documented previously, some queens went into estrus shortly after the implant was placed but then estrus was suppressed in all queens. Following implant removal, all queens responded to treatment to induce estrus and ovulation and oocytes were recovered from the ovaries at surgery. The researchers conclude that deslorelin implants can be used as reversible, short-term contraception in queens. [SL]

See also: Toydemir TSF, Kılıçarslan MR and Olgaç V. Effects of the GnRH analogue deslorelin implants on reproduction in female domestic cats. Theriogenology. 2012; 77: 662-74.

More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Read the Cat Health News Weekly
Join us on Google+