Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (2001) 3, idoi:10.1053/jfms.2001.0137, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on

Feline Focus

NEWS

An Ideal dealMembers of ESFM now have access to JFMSpapers as soon as they are accepted via the Idealonline library. Members will have free access tothe full text of papers for all preceding issues aswell as current papers. If you subscribe to morethan one Harcourt Health Science Journal you willbe able to view all of them online. Access is onlyavailable to the subscriber of the print version.

All you need is your subscriber number whichis printed on the address label of your ESFMJournal. If you have thrown it away please callHarcourt Customer Services:Tel: +44 (0)20 8308 5700/+1 877 839 7126Fax: +44 (0)20 8309 0807/+1 (0)407 363 9661E-mail: journalcs@harcourt.com

Or contact the ESFM office on:Tel: +44 (0)1747 871872Fax: +44 (0)1747 871873E-mail: esfm.fab@ukonline.co.uk

1 To register please refer to www.ideallibrary.com/registration/individual2 Enter the requested details including the last 6digits of your subscriber number

If you have problems with access contact theHarcourt Technical Support Team on:Tel: +1 877 339 7062 (US Toll Free)/+1 817 820 3712Fax: +1 800 354 1774 (US Toll Free)/+1 817 820 5100E-mail: tscideal@hbtechsupport.com

Clinical Research Abstracts for BSAVACongress 2002ESFM members are invited to present clinicalresearch abstracts for BSAVA congress concern-ing recent or current clinical research activities.Research abstracts will run concurrently with themain BSAVA programme on the 4th, 5th and 6thof April 2002. The author making the short (15minute) presentation is entitled to free regis-tration for the entire Congress. If you would likeinstructions and abstract forms these can beobtained from the ESFM office. Abstracts must bereturned to BSAVA by November 1st, 2001.

1098-612X/01/03000i+08 $35.00/0

FAB PKD Screening Scheme – resultsfrom the first six monthsThe FAB Polycystic Kidney Disease ScreeningScheme has now been running for over sixmonths and the first 200 certificates have beenanalysed. Breeders and owners across thecountry have been having their cats tested – 74%of these were Persians and 19% Exotic Shorthairs– others included Ragdolls, Asians and Birmans.

Results show that 40% of Persians scannedwere positive; 19% of Exotics also tested positive.Within the results for the Persians, theChinchillas/Goldens were looked at separatelyas their GCCF registration policy does not permitmating to other Persians – of these 17% werefound to be positive. Of the other breeds, testednumbers are as yet too few to draw conclusions.

There are now 14 centres in the UK and Irelandand a mobile facility where cats can be scannedby approved ultrasonographers. Where there isno ultrasonographer available within the area,breeders have been working together to arrangefor enough cats to be seen together to makebringing the mobile facility to them a viableoption.

About PKDPolycystic kidney disease (PKD) is an inheriteddisease in Persians and some Persian-relatedbreeds in which a large number of fluid-filledcysts form within the kidneys. The cysts arepresent from birth in affected cats, but initiallythey are very small. They gradually increase insize until eventually they compromise the sur-rounding normal kidney tissue and cause kidneyfailure.

About the SchemeThe FAB PKD Screening Scheme was launched inNovember 2000. Under the Scheme cats arescanned using ultrasound to ascertain whetherthere are any cysts in the kidneys. An FAB-approved certificate is then issued which refers

© 2001 European Society of Feline Medicine

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to the microchipped cat. This enables breeders todevelop a breeding programme in the knowl-edge of which cats are positive and negative andto select accordingly.

Further information on PKD and the list ofqualified ultrasonographers is available from theFAB website – www.fabcats.org. Tel: 01747871872 or fax 01747 871873, e-mail: fab.fab@ukonline.co.uk

FAB would be very interested to hear of otherschemes or people with experience of theproblem in other countries.

Major new UK cat group launchedNine major veterinary and animal welfareorganisations in the UK have united to form TheCat Group, a new association designed to ensurecloser cooperation and exchange of informationbetween those working with cats. The Cat Groupwill also, through the Internet, provide anauthoritative public information resource oncurrent feline health and welfare issues.

Founding members include Animal HealthTrust, The Blue Cross, British Small Animal Vet-erinary Association, European Society of FelineMedicine, Feline Advisory Bureau, GoverningCouncil of the Cat Fancy, People’s Dispensary forSick Animals, Royal Society for the Prevention ofCruelty to Animals and Universities Federationfor Animal Welfare.

Chairman of The Cat Group is Professor OsJarrett from the University of Glasgow, wellknown for his work on viral diseases in cats.Commenting on the Group’s formation, Profes-sor Jarrett said, ‘It makes sense that organisationconcerned with feline health and welfare pooltheir expertise to address veterinary and welfareissues. The Cat Group will review the latestinformation on matters such as disease testingpolicies and the pros and cons of early neutering,and then publish an overview which will beuseful to vets, pet owners and cat welfareworkers alike’.

The Cat Group’s findings, together with infor-mation about member organisations, will beavailable on an Internet site by the end of2001.

Cat-only clinicsESFM is compiling a list of feline-only practicesacross Europe. The list is growing gradually

DENMARKFelina KatteklinikFalstersvej 92000 FrederiksbergTel: +45 3888 4777Fax: +45 3888 5777e-mail: dr-felina@hotmail.comFirst opinion

FINLANDKissaklinikka FelinaTyomiehenkatu 4C00180 HelsinkiTel: +358 9 686 6560Fax: +358 9 685 2299e-mail: sps@clinivet.fiwww.clinivet.fi/felina.htmFirst opinion and referral

FRANCEDr Chantal Pavageau19 Place de la Revolution44800 Saint HerblaineNantesTel: +33 2 40 58 01 80Fax: +33 2 40 63 29 12

Dr Chantal Bailly Maitre-Pia5 Rue Francais54000 NancyTel: +33 3 83 96 10 74Fax: +33 3 83 98 06 90

Dr Corinne Laruelle16 Rue Edouard Larue76600 Le HavreTel: +33 2 35 21 15 25Fax: +33 2 35 43 62 32

Clinique veterinaire reservee aux chatsDrs Michele Fradin-Ferme & Marie EhrelIbis Rue Parrot75012 ParisTel: +33 1 43 43 63 44Fax: +33 1 43 43 22 30e-mail: CHAT.DE.PARIS@wanadoo.fr

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UKNine Lives Veterinary Practice for Cats2068 Stratford RoadHockley HeathWest Midlands B94 6NTTel: +44 (0)1564 782 307e-mail: nlvets@aol.comwww.vetsforcats.comFirst opinion and referralTom’s Place Veterinary Surgery6 Clifton RoadLondon W9 1SSTel: +44 (0)20 7289 1000e-mail: justine@tomthecatplace.freeserve.co.ukFirst opinionThe Cat Clinic95 Albert RoadSouthseaHants PO5 1RUTel: +44 (0)239 283 1000e-mail: catsmail@thecatclinic.co.ukwww.thecatsclinic.co.ukFirst opinionBradley Viner’s World of Cats103–105 Stanmore HillStanmoreMiddlesex HA7 3DZTel: +44 (0)208 954 0554e-mail bradleyviner@blythwoodvets.co.ukwww.blythwoodvets.comFirst opinionThe Veterinary Cat Clinic38 Blackford AvenueEdinburgh EH9 2PPTel: +44 (0)131 466 7110e-mail: enquiries@catclinic.co.ukwww.catclinic.co.ukFirst opinionThe Feline Clinic258 Derby RoadBramcoteNottinghamNottinghamshire NG9 3JNTel: +44 (0)115 949 1616e-mail: info@ashvet.co.ukwww.ashvet.co.ukFirst opinion and skin referrals

Myra Forster-van Hijfte Feline ReferralsThe Tile HouseDeepdene WoodDorking RH5 4BDTel: +44 (0)130 664 0514e-mail: MFvH@aol.comMyra also sees cats on a referral basis atThe London Cat Clinic11 Belsize TerraceLondon NW3 4AXTel: +44 (0)20 7794 5408Referral only

The Feline CentreUniversity of Bristol Veterinary SchoolLangford HouseLangfordBristol BS40 5DUTel: +44 (0)117 928 9558Fax: +44 (0)117 928 9559www.bris.ac.ukReferral only

The Feline UnitThe Animal Health TrustLanwades ParkKentfordNewmarketSuffolk CB8 7UUTel: +44 (0)1638 552700Fax: +44 (0)1368 555600e-mail: smallanimal.centre@aht.org.ukwww.aht.org.ukReferral only

The Feline ClinicRoyal (Dick) School of Veterinary StudiesUniversity of Edinburgh Hospital for SmallAnimalsEaster Bush Veterinary CentreRoslinMidlothian EH25 9RGTel: +44 (0)131 650 6182Fax: +44 (0)131 650 7652Referral only

Please send information on cat-only clinics toESFM, Taeselbury, High Street, Tisbury, WiltshireSP3 6LD, UK or e-mail to esfm@ukonline.co.uk

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DIARY

If you are holding a feline meeting and would like to publicise it further, please send details to: Claire Bessant,JFMS, Taeselbury, High Street, Tisbury Wiltshire SP3 6LD, UK. Fax: +44 (0)1747 871873. E-mail:efsm.fab@ukonline.co.uk

SCIVAC/ESFM Conference onFeline Medicine28–30 September, 2001, Perugia, Italy

Speakers include: Marco Bernardini, Andrea Boari,Alessandro Bonioli, Tomaso Furlanello, DeborahGreco, Michael Lappin, Stefano Romagnolim,Giorgio Romanelli, Roberto Santilli, FabiaScarampella, Andrew Sparkes and Frank Verstraete.

Topics include: fever of unknown origin, seizures incats, uveitis, feline dentistry, vaccination protocols,emerging infectious diseases of cats, radiology,chronic renal failure, diabetes, emergingendocrinopathies, hyperthyroidism, dermatology,oestrus control, mammary hyperplasia and more.

For further information contact SCIVAC at PalazzoTrecchi, Via Trecchi, 26100 Cremona, Italy. Tel: (0372)460440; Fax: (0372) 457091; Website: www.scivac.it;e-mail: info@scivac.it

FAB Annual Conference6 October, 2001, Ringway Hotel, Basingstoke, UK

The Older Cat

Sponsored by Pedigree Masterfoods

Considering the older cat — what makes them sospecialDanielle Gunn-Moore, University of EdinburghCase report — diabetic catMaud van de Stadt, FAB Resident,University of BristolDoes my cat have high blood pressure?Sarah Caney, FAB Lecturer, University of BristolBehaviour in the older cat — the art of traininghumansVicky HallsChronic renal failure — long term managementPenney Barber, FAB Lecturer,University of EdinburghLymphoma — is it time to call it a day?Andrew Sparkes, Animal Health Trust

Cost: £35 for members, £45 for non-members.Payment by cheque or credit card to FAB atTaeselbury, High Street, Tisbury, Wilts SP3 6LD.Tel: 01747 871872; Fax: 01747 871873; e-mail:fab.fab@ukonline.co.uk

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BOOK REVIEWS

Ear Diseases of the Dog and Cat

R G Harvey, J Harari & A J Delauche

This valuable and timely book is written by threewell-known authors including a dermatologist, asurgeon and a neurologist.

It is intended for veterinary students and clinicians.Despite ear disease being a common problem for thesmall animal clinician there are no comprehensivetexts devoted to this topic. Consequently, this bookfills a significant gap in the market.

The book is organised partly with a problem-orientated approach: There are chapters on thenormal ear (structure and function, microbiology),diagnostic procedures, the aetiopathogenesis andclassification of otitis externa, disease of the pinna,otitis media and otitis interna, para-aural abscess,medical management of ear disease, ototoxicityand other side-effects of otic medication, cleaningthe external ear canal, aural haematoma and otherpinnal surgery, surgical resection, aural ablation andbulla osteotomy, and perioperative analgesia andmanagement.

The book is well referenced with most of the recentarticles on this subject. There are a few omissions suchas a limited discussion of the treatment options forfeline squamous cell carcinoma with no mention ofthe use of photodynamic therapy, laser surgery andintralesional chemotherapy.

The reviewer found very little to criticise. Thedescription of the nerves involved in Horner’s syn-drome could have been improved with a line diagramof the structures involved. Some of the tables are alittle hard to read because a small font size hasbeen used against a yellow background. There is nomention of the use of milbemycin therapy for demo-dicosis. There are occasional spelling mistakes, forexample, according to Ackerman’s histopathologytext, Tzank should be spelt Tzanck. The referencenumber 14 on page 208 should read Walker not Waker.On page 79 reference is given to Cole et al 2000 butthis is not mentioned in the text.

There are 406 (colour) illustrations, mainly of a widevariety of clinical cases with some line diagrams,microscopic views and photographs of anatomicalstructures and imaging techniques, and the vastmajority are of excellent quality. Some of the caseswith ophthalmic/neurological diseases are a little outof focus. The book is well produced and shouldsurvive frequent handling.

The text and illustrations are excellent and cover asignificant amount of material. The book should bevery useful for students and practitioners dealingwith canine and feline dermatological problems re-lated to the ear. This book ought to be on the shelf ofall small animal vets.

A P FosterManson Publishing/The Veterinary Press, 2001.£49.95. ISBN: 1-84076-003-6

Small Animal Oncology

J Morris & J Dobson

This softcover book is divided into 71 chapters. In thefirst three chapters some general items are discussed.Chapter 1 covers pathogenesis and tumour biology,Chapter 2 diagnosis and staging, and Chapter 3 treat-ment options. The other 14 chapters provide informa-tion on epidemiology, aetiology, pathology, clinicalpresentation, staging, management and prognosis fortumours occurring in the different body systems. Thereadability of the book is good and the layout of thebook is nice. There are many black and white pictures,however, not all of them of high quality. In addition,there are eight pages with colour plates. The book hasa good index.

According to the text on the back cover the purposeof this book is to provide a basic clinical approach tothe diagnosis and treatment of the more commontumours in dogs and cats for the practising veterinarysurgeon, undergraduate student and veterinary nurse.As a consequence the information of most tumours iskept concise and easily accessible. For more detailedinformation, especially on epidemiology and aeti-ology, the reader is referred to other articles andtextbooks. Recent literature, up to 1999, has beenincorporated into the text.

On some items the authors balance between pre-senting basic information and trying to be complete.Chemotherapy is one of these items. Several detailedchemotherapy protocols are listed throughout thedifferent chapters. For the treatment of malignantlymphoma even rescue chemotherapy protocols arelisted. One can debate if this is considered to beof interest for the general veterinary surgeon. Inaddition, despite the fact that one and a half pagescover the safety of handling cytostatic drugs, one canquestion the administration of chemotherapy outsidespecialised clinics.

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The oncology of both dogs and cats is discussed inthis book, with an emphasis on the dog. As moreliterature exists on canine oncology this is under-standable. However, some specific topics in felineoncology could have been discussed in more detail.For example, only 25 sentences describe the vaccine-induced fibrosarcomas. No information on treatmentresults and prognosis of this disease is given. Fibro-adenomatous hyperplasia of the mammary gland isonly mentioned once, without any further informationat all.

Despite these few minor criticisms, Small AnimalOncology gives the reader what has been promised ‘acore of basic, easily accessible and clinically relevantinformation on several items in veterinary oncology’.

Eric TeskeBlackwell Science Ltd, 304 pages, £39.50. ISBN: 06320528 21

Comparative Veterinary Histology with ClinicalCorrelates

E Aughey & F L Frye with H Johnston

In their preface, Elizabeth Aughey and Fredric Fryewrite that ‘the objective of this atlas is to stimulate inveterinary undergraduates, an appreciation of therelationship between structure and function which isessential in the context of understanding all biology’.Without a thorough knowledge of the appearance ofhealthy cells and tissues, the abnormal cannot berecognised. Thus the book sets out to provide a firmbasis of understanding of normal tissue architecturefor the veterinary undergraduate, from which he orshe can then go on to discern histological changesassociated with the disease process. The book is also avaluable resource for other students of biologicalscience and for post-graduates who are finding itnecessary to incorporate histology in their studies.Aspiring histopathologists may also find the largenumber of colour plates helpful as they familiarisethemselves with normal tissue architecture, particu-larly dealing with unfamiliar species.

The text begins with an introductory chapter cover-ing basic principles of histological preparation, stain-ing techniques, types of microscopy and examples ofsome common artefacts; the section on artefacts couldhave been expanded, as artefactual change can be

a significant problem to the student learning todiscriminate between the normal and the abnormal.

The second chapter describes the structure of thecell, types of epithelium and glands and chapters 3–5cover connective tissue, blood and muscle respect-ively. The text is illustrated throughout with mostlygood, clear colour plates, as well as some electron-micrographs and diagrams to assist appreciation oftissue structure. Occasional photomicrographs are notcompletely focused or slightly too dark, but consider-ing the huge number of plates and the reasonableprice of the book, this is a minor criticism. Thephotomicrographs not only display haemotoxylin andeosin staining, but also illustrate a range of beautifulhistochemical stains that enhance various parts of thetissue structure and assist their identification bythe student. Immunohistochemical staining is notillustrated but would require a separate chapter(perhaps applicable to a second edition).

Chapters 6–16 deal with the different organsystems, and a very interesting aspect of the book isthe breadth of comparative veterinary histology that isprovided, not only between different mammalianspecies but also covering avian, reptile, amphibianand fish species. Many fascinating differences inorgan systems are illustrated eg, reproductive tract(including types of placentation), special senses andskin.

In distinction from standard histology books, at theend of each chapter, the authors give examples ofhistopathological lesions (sometimes also illustratedby gross anatomical photographs) which provide acorrelation with clinical disease, linking the knowl-edge of normal histological patterns with lesionrecognition. This should underpin the value of thehistology discipline to the undergraduate and theauthors should be congratulated in encouraging thismental bridge between pre-clinical and clinical years.

In summary the book presents excellent value at acost of £39.95; it is clearly and concisely written and isalso beautifully illustrated. It is recommended as avaluable resource. particularly for the undergraduateveterinary student and other students of biologyinterested in comparative veterinary histology.

Tony BlundenLondon: Manson Publishing, 2001. 296 pages, hard-back, £39.95.

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ABSTRACTS

Ultrasonography of the normal feline pancreas and associ-ated anatomic landmarks: a prospective study of 20 catsEtue SM, Penninck DG, Labato MA, Pearson S, Tidwell A(2001) Vet Radiol Ultrasound 42(4), 330–6

The sonographic appearance of the feline pancreas andassociated anatomic landmarks including the pancreaticduct, duodenum, duodenal papilla, portal vein, and gastriclymph node were evaluated in 20 healthy, awake cats. Thepancreas appeared nearly isoechoic to surroundingmesenteric tissues, isoechoic to slightly hyperechoic to adja-cent liver lobes, and hypoechoic to the spleen. The meanthickness measurements for the right pancreatic lobe, body,and left pancreatic lobe were 4·5 mm (range 2·8–5·9), 6·6 mm(range 4·7–9·5), and 5·4 mm (range 3·4–9·0), respectively. Thepancreatic duct was consistently visualized in the leftpancreatic lobe and had a mean thickness of 0·8 mm (range0·5–1·3). It could be differentiated from the pancreatic vessel,by its central location, and the duct’s lack of Doppler flowsignal. The duodenum was used as a landmark to identifythe right lobe of the pancreas. The mean duodenal wallthickness measurement was 2·8 mm (range 2·1–3·8) insagittal section, and 3·0 mm (range 2·2–4·4) in transversesection. The duodenal papilla was identified in 4 of 20 cats.It ranged in size from 2·9 to 5·5 mm in width, and had amaximum height of 4·0 mm in transverse section. The portalvein was used as a consistent anatomic landmark foridentification of the left lobe and body of the pancreas. Themean diameter of the portal vein at the level where thepancreatic body joins the left pancreatic lobe was 4·3 mm(range 2·7–5·9) when viewed in sagittal section, and 4·5 mm(range 3·6–6·1) in transverse section. The gastric lymph nodewas identified cranial and ventromedial to the pyloroduo-denal angle in 6 of 20 cats. It had an asymmetrical shapewith a larger caudal pole in five of the six cats. The largestdimensions of the gastric lymph node were 10 mm in length,and 6 mm in width for the larger caudal pole, and 5·1 mm inwidth for the smaller cranial pole.

Evaluation of plasma clearance of inulin in clinicallynormal and partially nephrectomized catsMiyamoto K (2001) Am J Vet Res 62(8), 1332–5

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate accuracy of measuring plasmaclearance of inulin as an alternative renal function test forestimation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in cats.ANIMALS: 10 cats, first studied with intact kidneys andsubsequently studied following partial nephrectomy.PROCEDURE: Clearance studies were performed in 10 clini-cally normal cats; those same cats then underwent partialnephrectomy, and clearance studies were performed again.Plasma concentration of inulin was determined after

administration at 50 mg/kg of body weight to cats whilerenally intact and 45 mg/kg after the partial nephrectomy.Plasma clearance of inulin (PCin) was determined bydividing the dose by the area under the plasma inulinconcentration versus time curve. Results for PCin werecompared with values obtained simultaneously for urinaryclearance of exogenously administered creatinine (Ccr), awidely accepted method for measurement of GFR in catswith intact kidneys and cats with reduced renal mass.RESULTS: Results of PCin were strongly correlated(r2=0·912, P<0·001) with Ccr. Repeatability of determinationof PCin was similar to that of Ccr. Sensitivity and specificityof PCin were superior and equivalent to that of Ccr, respect-ively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:Determination of PCin provides a reliable estimate of GFRin cats and is a promising alternative to determining Ccr incats.

Effects of dexamethasone on emesis in cats sedated withxylazine hydrochlorideHo CM, Ho ST, Wang JJ, Lee TY, Chai CY (2001) Am J Vet Res62(8), 1218–21

OBJECTIVE: To determine antiemetic efficacy of prophy-lactic administration of dexamethasone and its influence onsedation in cats sedated with xylazine hydrochloride.ANIMALS: 6 healthy adult cats (3 males and 3 females).PROCEDURE: The prophylactic antiemetic effect of 4 dosesof dexamethasone (1, 2, 4, and 8 mg/kg of body weight, IM)or saline (0·9 percent; NaCl) solution (0·066 ml/kg, IM)administered 1 hour before administration of xylazine(0·66 mg/kg, IM) was evaluated. Cats initially were givensaline treatment (day 0) and were given sequentiallyincreasing doses of xylazine on days 7, 14, 21, and 28. Afterxylazine injection, all cats were observed for 30 minutes toallow assessment of frequency of emesis and time until onsetof the first emetic episode.The influence of dexamethasoneon xylazine-induced sedation in these cats also wasevaluated. RESULTS: Prior treatment with 4 or 8 mg/kgof dexamethasone significantly reduced the frequency ofemetic episodes and also significantly prolonged the timeuntil onset of the first emetic episode after xylazine injection.Time until onset of the first emetic episode also was signifi-cantly prolonged for dexamethasone at a dose of 2 mg/kg.Time until onset of sedation after administration of xylazinewas not altered by administration of dexamethasone.CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dexa-methasone (4 or 8 mg/kg, IM) significantly decreased thefrequency of emetic episodes induced by xylazine withoutcompromising sedative effects in cats. Dexamethasone maybe used prophylactically as an antiemetic in cats treated withxylazine.

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