Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are among the most common infectious diseases of cats. Although vaccines are available for both viruses, identification and segregation of infected cats form the cornerstone for preventing new infections. Guidelines in this report have been developed for diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and management of FeLV and FIV infections. All cats should be tested for FeLV and FIV infections at appropriate intervals based on individual risk assessments. This includes testing at the time of acquisition, following exposure to an infected cat or a cat of unknown infection status, prior to vaccination against FeLV or FIV, prior to entering group housing, and when cats become sick. No test is 100% accurate at all times under all conditions; results should be interpreted along with the patient's health and risk factors. Retroviral tests can diagnose only infection, not clinical disease, and cats infected with FeLV or FIV may live for many years. A decision for euthanasia should never be based solely on whether or not the cat is infected. Vaccination against FeLV is highly recommended in kittens. In adult cats, antiretroviral vaccines are considered non-core and should be administered only if a risk assessment indicates they are appropriate. Few large controlled studies have been performed using antiviral or immunomodulating drugs for the treatment of naturally infected cats. More research is needed to identify best practices to improve long-term outcomes following retroviral infections in cats.

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2008 American Association of Feline Practitioners' feline retrovirus management guidelines

Background The number of pet cats is increasing in most countries, often outnumbering pet dogs, yet cats receive less veterinary care than their canine counterparts.1 Clients state the difficulty o...

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1016/j.jfms.2011.03.012

AAFP and ISFM feline-friendly handling guidelines.

To assess clinical signs and relevance of osteoarthritis (OA) in cats, the radiographic prevalence of OA in the appendicular skeleton of 100 client-owned cats (≥ 6 years old) was assessed. Possible associations between radiographic OA, clinical locomotor system examination, and owner-perceived behavioural changes were evaluated. OA was most prevalent in the shoulders, elbows, hips and tarsal joints with 61% of cats having OA in at least one joint and 48% in more than one joint. Overall, clinical examination of the larger peripheral joints had the highest sensitivity and specificity for radiographic OA. Regression analysis showed age to be related to OA (P = 0.002), as were decreased mobility and grooming (P = 0.008), although there was a correlation with age. Finally, increased inappropriate elimination was associated with OA (P = 0.046). It was concluded that the prevalence of OA in cats is strikingly high and increases with age. OA in cats seems to be associated with behavioural changes.

Cross-sectional study of the prevalence and clinical features of osteoarthritis in 100 cats.

As efforts to reduce the overpopulation and euthanasia of unwanted and unowned dogs and cats have increased, greater attention has been focused on spay-neuter programs throughout the United States. Because of the wide range of geographic and demographic needs, a wide variety of programs have been developed to increase delivery of spay-neuter services to targeted populations of animals, including stationary and mobile clinics, MASH-style operations, shelter services, feral cat programs, and services provided through private practitioners. In an effort to ensure a consistent level of care, the Association of Shelter Veterinarians convened a task force of veterinarians to develop veterinary medical care guidelines for spay-neuter programs. The guidelines consist of recommendations for preoperative care (eg, patient transport and housing, patient selection, client communication, record keeping, and medical considerations), anesthetic management (eg, equipment, monitoring, perioperative considerations, anesthetic protocols, and emergency preparedness), surgical care (eg, operating-area environment; surgical-pack preparation; patient preparation; surgeon preparation; surgical procedures for pediatric, juvenile, and adult patients; and identification of neutered animals), and postoperative care (eg, analgesia, recovery, and release). These guidelines are based on current principles of anesthesiology, critical care medicine, microbiology, and surgical practice, as determined from published evidence and expert opinion. They represent acceptable practices that are attainable in spay-neuter programs.

/pdf/the-association-of-shelter-veterinarians-veterinary-medical-a1ixfh1wsc.pdf

The Association of Shelter Veterinarians veterinary medical care guidelines for spay-neuter programs

Objectives: Quality-of-life (QOL) assessment is a novel field in veterinary medicine. It shares similarities with the more established fields of human QOL assessment and animal welfare science and could prove similarly useful.



Methods: This paper draws on existing literature on human QOL assessment, animal welfare, philosophy and animal QOL assessment.



Results: It provides practical recommendations for QOL assessment in veterinary practice and in veterinary research on what should be assessed, how it should be assessed and who should assess it.



Clinical Significance: These should assist veterinarians intending to develop their use QOL assessment.

Assessment of companion animal quality of life in veterinary practice and research.

Rationale: The robust advances in pain management for companion animals underlie the decision of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) to expand on the information provided in the 2007 AAHA/AAFP Pain Management Guidelines. The 2015 Guidelines summarize and offer a discriminating review of much of this new knowledge. Relevance: Pain management is central to veterinary practice, alleviating pain, improving patient outcomes, and enhancing both quality of life and the veterinarian‐client‐patient relationship. These Guidelines support veterinarians in incorporating pain management into practice, improving patient care. Approaches: The management of pain requires a continuum of care that includes anticipation, early intervention, and evaluation of response on an individual patient basis. A team-oriented approach, including the owner, is essential for maximizing the recognition, prevention and treatment of pain in animals. Evidence base: The Guidelines include both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic modalities to manage pain; they are evidence-based insofar as possible and otherwise represent a consensus of expert opinion. Behavioral changes are currently the principal indicator of pain and its course of improvement or progression, and the basis for recently validated pain scores. Post-surgical pain is eminently predictable but a strong body of evidence exists supporting strategies to mitigate adaptive as well as maladaptive forms. Chronic pain is dominated by degenerative joint disease (DJD), which is one of the most significant and under-diagnosed diseases of cats and dogs. DJD is ubiquitous, found in pets of all ages, and inevitably progresses over time; evidence-based strategies for management are established in dogs, and emerging in cats.

/pdf/2015-aaha-aafp-pain-management-guidelines-for-dogs-and-cats-52ov3lm2de.pdf

2015 AAHA/AAFP Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats*

The robust advances in pain management for companion animals underlie the decision of AAHA and AAFP to expand on the information provided in the 2007 AAHA/AAFP Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats . The 2015 guidelines summarize and offer a discriminating review of much of this new knowledge. Pain management is central to veterinary practice, alleviating pain, improving patient outcomes, and enhancing both quality of life and the veterinarian-client-patient relationship. The management of pain requires a continuum of care that includes anticipation, early intervention, and evaluation of response on an individual-patient basis. The guidelines include both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic modalities to manage pain; they are evidence-based insofar as possible and otherwise represent a consensus of expert opinion. Behavioral changes are currently the principal indicator of pain and its course of improvement or progression, and the basis for recently validated pain scores. A team-oriented approach, including the owner, is essential for maximizing the recognition, prevention, and treatment of pain in animals. Postsurgical pain is eminently predictable but a strong body of evidence exists supporting strategies to mitigate adaptive as well as maladaptive forms. Degenerative joint disease is one of the most significant and under-diagnosed diseases of cats and dogs. Degenerative joint disease is ubiquitous, found in pets of all ages, and inevitably progresses over time; evidence-based strategies for management are established in dogs, and emerging in cats. These guidelines support veterinarians in incorporating pain management into practice, improving patient care.

2015 AAHA/AAFP Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats.

Aim:The overarching purpose of the AAFP Anesthesia Guidelines (hereafter referred to as the ‘Guidelines’) is to make anesthesia and sedation safer for the feline patient.Scope and accessibility:It ...

AAFP Feline Anesthesia Guidelines.

The objective of this study was to provide preliminary data describing the safety and effect of cannabidiol (CBD) for symptom relief of canine osteoarthritis-associated pain in a clinical setting using objective outcome measures. Twenty-three client-owned dogs with naturally occurring osteoarthritis of appendicular joints completed this prospective, double-blinded, crossover, placebo-controlled study. Baseline data were acquired for 4 wk, followed by random allocation to either placebo or CBD treatment for 6 wk, followed by 6 wk with the opposite treatment. Outcome measures included objective gait analysis, activity counts (via accelerometry) and clinical metrology instruments. There were no differences noted between groups at any time point for any of the recorded outcome measures. Adverse events associated with CBD administration included elevation in liver enzymes (n = 14) and vomiting (n = 2).

Evaluation of the Effect of Cannabidiol on Naturally Occurring Osteoarthritis-Associated Pain: A Pilot Study in Dogs.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate effects of Toll-like and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor (TLR, NLR) ligand stimulation of equine mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) on antibacterial and immunomodulatory properties in vitro. STUDY DESIGN Controlled laboratory study. SAMPLE POPULATION Equine bone-marrow-derived MSCs (three horses). METHODS MSCs were stimulated with TLR (polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid [pIC] and lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) and NLR agonists (γ-d-Glu-mDAP [IE-DAP]) for 2 h, and plated at 1 × 105 cells/well 24 h. MSC-conditioned media (MSC-CM) were collected and assessed for antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin/LL-37 production, bactericidal action against multidrug-resistant planktonic and biofilm Staphylococcus aureus and neutrophil phagocytosis. Bacterial growth was measured by plating bacteria and counting viable colonies, reading culture absorbance, and live-dead staining with confocal microscopy imaging. Following initial comparison of activating stimuli, TLR3-agonist pIC protocols (cell density during activation and plating, culture time, %serum) were further optimized for bactericidal activity and secretion of interleukin-8 (IL-8), monocyte-chemoattractant-protein (MCP-1), and cathelicidin/LL37. RESULTS MSCs stimulation with pIC (p = .004) and IE-DAP (p = .03) promoted increased bactericidal activity, evidenced by reduced viable planktonic colony counts. PIC stimulation (2 × 106 cells/ml, 2 h, 10 μg/ml) further suppressed biofilm formation (p = .001), enhanced neutrophil bacterial phagocytosis (p = .009), increased MCP-1 secretion (p < .0001), and enhanced cathelicidin/LL-37 production, which was apparent when serum concentration in media was reduced to 1% (p = .01) and 2.5% (p = .05). CONCLUSION TLR-3 pIC MSCs activation was most effective to enhance antibacterial and cytokine responses, which were affected by serum reduction. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE In vitro TLR-3 activation of equine MSCs tested here may be a strategy to improve antibacterial properties of MSCs to treat antibiotic-resistant infections.

Gregg M. Griffenhagen

Papers

2015 AAHA/AAFP Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats*

2015 AAHA/AAFP Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats.

AAFP Feline Anesthesia Guidelines.

Evaluation of the Effect of Cannabidiol on Naturally Occurring Osteoarthritis-Associated Pain: A Pilot Study in Dogs.

Toll-like receptor activation of equine mesenchymal stromal cells to enhance antibacterial activity and immunomodulatory cytokine secretion.