Longevity and mortality of cats attending primary care veterinary practices in England

Enhanced knowledge on longevity and mortality in cats should support improved breeding, husbandry, clinical care and disease prevention strategies. The VetCompass research database of primary care veterinary practice data offers an extensive resource of clinical health information on companion animals in the UK. This study aimed to characterise longevity and mortality in cats, and to identify important demographic risk factors for compromised longevity. Crossbred cats were hypothesised to live longer than purebred cats. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise the deceased cats. Multivariable linear regression methods investigated risk factor association with longevity in cats that died at or after 5 years of age. From 118,016 cats attending 90 practices in England, 4009 cats with confirmed deaths were randomly selected for detailed study. Demographic characterisation showed that 3660 (91.7%) were crossbred, 2009 (50.7%) were female and 2599 (64.8%) were neutered. The most frequently attributed causes of mortality in cats of all ages were trauma (12.2%), renal disorder (12.1%), non-specific illness (11.2%), neoplasia (10.8%) and mass lesion disorders (10.2%). Overall, the median longevity was 14.0 years (interquartile range [IQR] 9.0–17.0; range 0.0–26.7). Crossbred cats had a higher median longevity than purebred cats (median [IQR] 14.0 years [9.1–17.0] vs 12.5 years [6.1–16.4]; P \u3c0.001), but individual purebred cat breeds varied substantially in longevity. In cats dying at or after 5 years (n = 3360), being crossbred, having a lower bodyweight, and being neutered and non-insured were associated with increased longevity. This study described longevity in cats and identified important causes of mortality and breed-related associations with compromised longevity

Evaluation of cystatin C for the detection of chronic kidney disease in cats

BackgroundSerum cystatin C (sCysC) and urinary cystatin C (uCysC) are potential biomarkers for early detection of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats. An in-depth clinical validation is required. ObjectivesTo evaluate CysC as a marker for CKD in cats and to compare assay performance of the turbidimetric assay (PETIA) with the previously validated nephelometric assay (PENIA). AnimalsNinety cats were included: 49 CKD and 41 healthy cats. MethodsSerum CysC and uCysC concentrations were prospectively evaluated in cats with CKD and healthy cats. Based on plasma exo-iohexol clearance test (PexICT), sCysC was evaluated to distinguish normal, borderline, and low GFR. Sensitivity and specificity to detect PexICT<1.7mL/min/kg were calculated. Serum CysC results of PENIA and PETIA were correlated with GFR. Statistical analysis was performed using general linear modeling. ResultsCats with CKD had significantly higher meanSD sCysC (1.4 +/- 0.5mg/L) (P<.001) and uCysC/urinary creatinine (uCr) (291 +/- 411mg/mol) (P<.001) compared to healthy cats (sCysC 1.0 +/- 0.3 and uCysC/uCr 0.32 +/- 0.97). UCysC was detected in 35/49 CKD cats. R-2 values between GFR and sCysC or sCr were 0.39 and 0.71, respectively (sCysC or sCr=+GFR+epsilon). Sensitivity and specificity were 22 and 100% for sCysC and 83 and 93% for sCr. Serum CysC could not distinguish healthy from CKD cats, nor normal from borderline or low GFR, in contrast with sCr. ConclusionSerum CysC is not a reliable marker of reduced GFR in cats and uCysC could not be detected in all CKD cats

Urinary active transforming growth factor ß in feline chronic kidney disease

The cytokine transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) has been widely implicated in the development and progression of renal fibrosis in chronic kidney disease (CKD) in humans and in experimental models. The aims of this study were to assess the association between urinary active TGF-β1 and (a) development of CKD in a cross-sectional study, (b) deterioration of renal function over 1 year in a longitudinal study, and (c) renal histopathological parameters in cats. A human active TGF-β1 ELISA was validated for use in feline urine. Cross-sectional analysis revealed no significant difference in urinary active TGF-β1:creatinine ratio (aTGF-β1:UCr) between groups with differing renal function. Longitudinally, non-azotaemic cats that developed CKD demonstrated a significant (P = 0.028) increase in aTGF-β1:UCr approximately 6 months before the development of azotaemia, which remained elevated (P = 0.046) at diagnosis (approximately 12 months prior, 8.4 pg/mg; approximately 6 months prior, 22.2 pg/mg; at CKD diagnosis, 24.6 pg/mg). In the histopathology study, aTGF-β1:UCr was significantly higher in cats with moderate (P = 0.02) and diffuse (P = 0.005) renal fibrosis than in cats without fibrosis. Cats with moderate renal inflammation had significantly higher urinary active aTGF-β1 concentrations than cats with mild (P = 0.035) or no inflammatory change (P = 0.004). The parameter aTGF-β1:UCr was independently associated with Log urine protein:creatinine ratio in a multivariable analysis of clinicopathological parameters and interstitial fibrosis score in a multivariable analysis of histopathological features. These results suggest that urinary aTGF-β1 reflects the severity of renal pathology. Increases in urinary aTGF-β1 followed longitudinally in individual cats may indicate the development of CKD

Risk Factors for Development of Chronic Kidney Disease in Cats

BACKGROUND: Identification of risk factors for development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats may aid in its earlier detection. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of clinical and questionnaire data will identify risk factors for development of azotemic CKD in cats. ANIMALS: One hundred and forty‐eight client‐owned geriatric (>9 years) cats. METHODS: Cats were recruited into the study and followed longitudinally for a variable time. Owners were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their pet at enrollment. Additional data regarding dental disease were obtained when available by development of a dental categorization system. Variables were explored in univariable and multivariable Cox regression models. RESULTS: In the final multivariable Cox regression model, annual/frequent vaccination (P value, .003; hazard ratio, 5.68; 95% confidence interval, 1.83–17.64), moderate dental disease (P value, .008; hazard ratio, 13.83; 95% confidence interval, 2.01–94.99), and severe dental disease (P value, .001; hazard ratio, 35.35; 95% confidence interval, 4.31–289.73) predicted development of azotemic CKD. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests independent associations between both vaccination frequency and severity of dental disease and development of CKD. Further studies to explore the pathophysiological mechanism of renal injury for these risk factors are warranted

Composition of lower urinary tract stones in canines in Mexico City

11th International symposium on urolithiasis, Nice, France, 2–5 September 2008 Urological Research (2008) 36:157–232. doi:10.1007/s00240-008-0145-5. http://www.springerlink.com/ content/x263655772684210/fulltext.pdf.Effective long-term management of urolithiasis depends on identification and manipulation of factors contributing to initial stone formation; identification of these factors depends on accurate identification of the mineral composition of the urolith involved. The purpose of this study was to determine the chemical composition of uroliths obtained from the low urinary tract of dogs in Mexico City. One hundred and five cases of urolithiasis were studied in which stones were surgically obtained from the low urinary tracts of dogs treated in different hospitals. The chemical composition of the uroliths was quantita- tively and qualitatively determined by stereoscopic microscopy, IR-spectroscopy, scanning electron micros- copy and X-ray microanalysis. Age of animals ranged from 4 months to 14 years, with a median of 5 years. Compo- sition and distribution of the uroliths were struvite 38.1%,calcium oxalate 26.7%, silica 13.3%, urate 7.6%, mixed 11.4%, compounds 1.9%, and cystine 1%. Most uroliths were found in pure breed dogs (75.2%); 23 different breeds were identified, and more than half of the submissions were from breeds of small size. In our study, the frequency of struvite, calcium oxalate, cystine, urates, mixed and com- pounds stones are in agreement with papers that report on dog populations in America and Europe, but a higher fre- quency of silica uroliths was observed in Mexico City dogs.This work has been partially supported by a project of Waltham Foundation in Mexico