Feline exocrine pancreatic insufficiency : a retrospective study of 150 cases

BACKGROUND : Little information is available about the clinical presentation and response to treatment of cats with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). OBJECTIVES : To describe the signalment, clinical signs, concurrent diseases, and response to treatment of cats with EPI. ANIMALS : One hundred and fifty cats with EPI. METHODS : Retrospective case series. RESULTS : Questionnaires were sent to 261 veterinarians, and 150 (57%) were returned with data suitable for statistical analysis. The median age of the cats with EPI was 7.7 years. The median body condition score was 3 of 9. Ninety-two of 119 cats (77%) had hypocobalaminemia, and 56 of 119 cats (47%) had increased and 6 of 119 cats (5%) had decreased serum folate concentrations. Clinical signs included weight loss (91%), unformed feces (62%), poor hair coat (50%), anorexia (45%), increased appetite (42%), lethargy (40%), watery diarrhea (28%), and vomiting (19%). Eighty-seven cats (58%) had concurrent diseases. Treatment response was reported to be good in 60%, partial in 27%, and poor in 13% of 121 cats. Trypsin-like immunoreactivity <4 lg/L was associated with a positive response to treatment (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.5–7.0; P = .004). Also, cobalamin supplementation improved the response to treatment (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.4–6.6; P = .006). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE : Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in cats often has a different clinical presentation than in dogs. The age range for EPI in cats is wide, and many cats can be ≤5 years of age. Most cats respond well to appropriate treatment for EPI, and cobalamin supplementation appears to be necessary for a good response.Some of the results of this study were presented at the 2012 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum, New Orleans, LA.http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/0891-6640/am2017Production Animal Studie

Evaluation and optimisation of a targetcontrolled infusion system for administering propofol to dogs as part of a total intravenous anaesthetic technique during dental surgery

The performance of a modified target-controlled infusion system was investigated in 16 dogs undergoing routine dental work, by comparing the predicted concentrations of propofol in venous blood samples with direct measurements; the optimum targets for the induction and maintenance of anaesthesia were also identified. The performance of a target-controlled infusion system is considered clinically acceptable when the median prediction error, a measure of bias, is not greater than +/-10 to 20 per cent, and the median absolute performance error, a measure of the accuracy, is not greater than 20 to 30 per cent. The results fell within these limits indicating that the system performed adequately. The optimal induction target was 3 microg/ml, and anaesthesia of adequate depth and satisfactory quality was achieved with maintenance targets of between 2.5 and 4.7 microg/ml propofol. The system was easy to use and the quality of anaesthesia was adequate for dental work