mačke

Izkušnje, stališča in napovedniki uporabe kanabinoidov pri psih in mačkah

lukam — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 12:45:02 +0000

Experience, attitudes and predictors of cannabinoid use in dogs and cats lukam Tue, 03/22/2022 - 13:52 Klinika za male živali kanabidiol kanabinoidi psi mačke anketa postmoderne zdravstvene vrednote Research

The aim of the study was to assess the personal experience and attitudes of Slovenian dog and cat owners regarding the use of cannabinoids (CBDs) and to determine the predictors of first-time use and reuse of CBDs in dogs and cats.

We hypothesized that positive attitudes toward CBDs, postmodern health values (natural remedies, anti-science sentiment, holism, rejection of authority, individual responsibility, consumerism), and personal experience would be significant predictors of CBDs use in animals. An open online survey targeted Slovenian dog and cat owners, regardless of their experience with CBDs. Questions addressed demographic data and personal experiences with CBDs, information about the participant's animal, experiences with CBDs, attitudes toward CBDs or reasons for not using CBDs in their pet, and postmodern health values. A total of 408 completed questionnaires were included in the statistical analysis. A substantial proportion (38.5%) of owners had already used CBDs to treat their pet. A positive attitude and previous personal experience were significant predictors of first-time use and reuse of CBDs in pets, whereas postmodern health values were not. In conclusion, the decision to use CBDs is based on acquired information and personal experience. Due to the increasing use of CBDs to treat and alleviate some disease symptoms, veterinarians should be informed and familiar with CBDs as a treatment option. However, further research is imperative to establish the use of CBDs in veterinary medicine.

Authors: Katerina Tomsič (Univerza v Ljubljani, Veterinarska fakulteta), Kristina Rakinić (Univerza v Ljubljani, Fakulteta za družbene vede), Alenka Seliškar (Univerza v Ljubljani, Veterinarska fakulteta)

Full article was published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.796673/full

Odnos slovenskih veterinarjev do bolečine pri psih in mačkah

lukam — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 07:20:09 +0000

The attitudes of Slovenian veterinarians towards pain in dogs and cats lukam Mon, 03/29/2021 - 09:26 Small Animal Clinic Analgezija mačke psi anketa Dobrobit Research

A survey study on the recognition and treatment of pain in dogs and cats by Slovenian veterinarians.

The aim of the study was to obtain information on pain management in dogs and cats by Slovenian veterinarians, and to compare it with reports from other countries. An online survey was created and questions pertained to demographic data, self-evaluation of acquired and current knowledge, attitudes toward pain and evaluation of actual knowledge, assessment of chronic and acute pain and pain due to surgery or medical conditions, and the use of analgesics.

The response rate was 11%. From 680 registered members of the Veterinary Chamber of Slovenia, 73 veterinarians completed the survey. Most of the respondents were women (71.2%) working in small (60.3%) or mixed (21.9%) animal practices. A more recent year of graduation was positively correlated to the self-reporting of knowledge acquired during undergraduate studies and to current knowledge about the topic. Cats were assigned higher scores for signs of acute pain compared to dogs. Female respondents assigned higher scores compared to male respondents for chronic pain in dogs. Dogs were assigned higher pain scores for surgical procedures or medical conditions than cats. The most frequently used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in dogs and cats were meloxicam and carprofen, and butorphanol was the most commonly used opioid. The choice of NSAID was influenced by perceived effectiveness, experience with use and anti-inflammatory effect. Opioid use was influenced by experience with use and perceived effectiveness. In conclusion, Slovenian veterinarians acknowledged the importance of pain management as reported for other European countries. However, the use of multimodal analgesia is limited, and inadequacies remain in the pain management of cats.

The authors thank students Lana Jurman, Anja Kalin, Matic Mrzdovnik, Lara Ravnik, Eva Regoršek, Laura Vlaj and Anja Zidar who provided help in designing the questionnaire. We also thank Sara Belak Bučar from Genera SI, a member of Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC group for help in designing the questionnaire and Anita Kermavnar from Veterinary Chamber of Slovenia for allowing the use of the National Veterinary Register and helping with the survey distribution.

The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and European Union from European Social Fund within the programme Creative path to knowledge 2017 – 2020 and Slovenian Research Agency, programme group P4-0053.

Authors: Katerina Tomsič, Kristina Rakinić, Cvetka Sokolov, Alenka Seliškar.

Full article was published in Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia.

Zdravljenje tumorjev ustne votline psov in mačk z metodami elektroporacije

lukam — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 08:47:28 +0000

Electroporation-based treatments for canine and feline oral tumors lukam Fri, 10/23/2020 - 10:52 Small Animal Clinic electroporation electrochemotherapy gene electrotransfer oral tumors dogs cats Research

Electroporation-Based Treatments in Small Animal Veterinary Oral and Maxillofacial Oncology.

Canine and, unfortunatelly less, feline oral tumors are curable if diagnosed early and aggressively treated. In most cases, the best outcome is still achieved with aggressive surgical treatment. If the tumor is large or cannot be completely excised due to its location, surgery can be combined with other treatment types, including electrochemotherapy or gene electrotransfer.

Electroporation is a method in which electrical pulses are used to increase the permeability of the cell membrane. This allows the entry of molecules of interest through the membrane; electrochemotherapy is used to introduce chemotherapeutic drugs inside the tumor cells, whereas gene electrotransfer is used for insertion of plasmid DNA encoding a specific therapeutic gene into cells. Both methods have been proven safe and effective in the treatment of selected cutaneous and subcutaneous tumors in cats and dogs, and are increasingly used in the treatment of oral tumors. They are currently mostly recommended for the treatment of tumors for which clients have declined aggressive surgery and/or radiotherapy, as the treatment results in a good local response, prolongation of survival time and improvement in the quality of life. In the following article, we reviewed all the currently available research describing the use of electroporation-based treatments of canine and feline oral tumors.

At the Small Animal Clinic of the Veterinary Faculty we have been offering electroporation-based treatments for several years as a part of multimodal approach to treatments of tumors. We are committed to the best possible care of your animal while contributing to the development of these treatment methods worldwide. Please, do not hesitate to contact us if your animal was diagnosed with cancer to discuss the possibility of the treatment with electroporation-based methods. In the frame of the new research project “Monitoring of the clinical and immune response to improve the outcome of combined electrochemotherapy and IL-12 gene therapy in dogs with spontaneous peripheral tumours” we are improving these treatment methods further to best serve our patients.

The full article is published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

Authors

doc. dr. Ana Nemec¹, Nina Milevoj¹, dr. Urša Lampreht Tratar², prof. dr. Gregor Serša², prof. dr. Maja Čemažar², prof. dr. Nataša Tozon¹

¹ Klinika za male živali, Veterinarska fakulteta
² Oddelek za eksperimentalno onkologijo, Onkološki inštitut Ljubljana

Priporočila za diagnostiko in terapijo najpogostejših bolezni psov in mačk

lukam — Sun, 03 Feb 2019 20:01:19 +0000

Recommendations for diagnosis and therapy of the most common cat and dog diseases lukam Thu, 04/02/2020 - 07:34 Small Animal Clinic Clinics

The most common disease states by individual organ systems, diagnosis of these diseases, and the right decision for treatment.

This poster created by the working group within the Federation of Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (FECAVA) is intended more for veterinarians than dog and cat owners. The overview table summarises the most common medical conditions by individual organ systems, the diagnosis of these diseases and the correct decision regarding treatment. To the extent that the patient's medical condition allows, topical treatment, disinfection, surgical intervention, or other treatment is proposed to reduce the use of antibiotics. In cases where the use of antibiotics is necessary, the table provides guidance on diagnostics, which helps users choose the most appropriate antibiotic, thereby reducing the development of resistance.

The last poster of this working group will be intended for cat and dog cat owners, as they can also significantly help the proper use of antimicrobials by properly administering medicines and following the instructions of a veterinarian

Poster: Recommendations for Appropriate Antimicrobial Therapy (PDF)

Author: Assist. Dr. Urška Ravnik Verbič, DVM

Triaditis – bolezen, ki prizadene mačke

lukam — Thu, 16 May 2019 08:19:36 +0000

Triaditis - A Disease That Affects Cats lukam Fri, 03/06/2020 - 12:24 Small Animal Clinic Clinics

Feline triaditis is a disease that manifests at the same time as inflammation in two or three organs, namely the liver, pancreas and the first part of the small intestine (duodenum). When the disease is confirmed in one organ, we always suggest that the other two organs are also examined. It is very important to control vomiting in cats, as it can lead to a worsening of the condition.

Concurrent inflammation in these organs occurs because in cats they are anatomically interconnected in the duodenum, as the bile duct and pancreas open into the duodenum through the same orifice. In addition, cats typically have 100x more bacteria than dogs in the first part of the small intestine. The exact cause of the disease is not completely clear. There are several theories for its emergence. In the theory of bacterial formation, it is believed that pancreatic inflammation develops due to the spread of inflammation from the biliary system.

During vomiting, a reflux of intestinal juice may occur, which is rich in bacteria, through the common orifice into both ducts, which causes the bacteria to reach the liver and pancreas where they cause inflammation. If inflammation first occurs in the small intestine, bacteria can be transmitted to the pancreas and liver via the gut or bloodstream due to damage to the intestinal wall. Chronic vomiting is common in cats with triaditis, and signs of disease of the small intestine bowel are also common in inflammatory bowel disease.

Another theory is that the disease is immune-conditioned. According to this theory, inflammation of the pancreas and liver is due to an immune response when inflammation is already present in the intestine. The immune response, which can respond to bacteria or directly to the body’s own tissues, primarily causes damage to the bile duct and to the pancreas. If a cat develops intestinal inflammation that does not improve after diet and antibiotic therapy, it can be concluded that it is immune-conditioned inflammation. Improvement is achieved by using drugs that inhibit the over-powerful response of the immune system.

Cholangiohepatitis

Acute or chronic inflammation of the liver and bile ducts can occur in the liver, which is called cholangiohepatitis. Some of the changes in livers in feline triaditis include fatty liver, also known as liver lipidosis, although this is not an inflammatory disease. Fatty liver occurs in cats with chronic pancreatic inflammation following a prolonged period of starvation. Acute or ulcerous inflammation in the liver is caused by bacterial infections. A pathohistological examination is required to make a correct diagnosis as changes occur in the bile duct epithelium. Treatment lasts for 2-3 months using two antibiotics - metronidazole and ampicillin. Treatment using immunosuppressive drugs may also be required. As support cats should receive urso-teichoic acid and SAMe (s-adenosyl methionine). Chronic inflammation in the liver is characterised by a bacterial infection and autoimmune destruction of the bile duct epithelium. Chronic cholangiohepatitis should be distinguished from lymphocytic portal hepatitis, which is characterised by the accumulation of lymphocytes around the bile ducts and does not need to be treated. A pathohistological examination is needed to diagnose chronic cholangiohepatitis. Chronic inflammation is treated over a long period using corticosteroids and antibiotics.

Pancreatitis

Inflammation of the pancreas is called pancreatitis. There is a distinction between acute and chronic pancreatic inflammation. Acute inflammation is rare in cats and has a different clinical picture than in dogs. Vomiting occurs in only half of cats with the condition, and laboratory tests can help to detect decreased levels of inflammatory cells and calcium in the blood. Pancreatic inflammation can be diagnosed using a special blood test. If cats with the condition vomit, they are not fed for a short period of time, fluid therapy is initiated, plasma transfusions may be given, anti-vomiting agents (antiemetic) are administered and calcium is added. Care should be taken to ensure that cats do not starve for too long, as this can lead to a fatty liver. In the majority (90%) of cats there is chronic inflammation of the pancreas, which can also result from acute inflammation. Cats with this condition show non-specific clinical signs, are apathetic, dehydrated and do not have an appetite - vomiting only occurs in one-third of affected cats. Anti-vomiting and fluid therapy, including corticosteroids, can be used as a form of treatment.

Inflammmatory Bowel Disease – IBD

It is assumed that inflammation of the first part of the small intestine is due to hypersensitivity to food or bacterial antigens. Cats with IBD vomit chronically, have diarrhoea and lose weight. It is important to eliminate other diseases that may cause the same signs (lymphoma, bacterial infections, protozoan diseases (Giardia, Cryptosporidium and Tritrichomonas foetus). Affected cats should be given diet foods, antibiotics and probiotics.

Authors:
Kristina Vojska, Year 4 student of Veterinary Medicine, and Assist. Prof. Vladimira Erjavec, DVM.