Notes on Feline Internal Medicine

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr Kit Sturgess is an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Small Animal Medicine (Internal Medicine). He has been seeing referral small animal medicine cases for the past 20 years both at university-based and private specialist practices. He has authored numerous articles as well as presenting lectures and research abstracts at conferences worldwide. For full details of all our veterinary titles, including other titles in the Notes on… series, please visit our website at www.wiley.com/go/vet

Abbreviations viii

Introduction 1

Section 1: Key topics in feline medicine 5

1.1 Health screening 7

1.2 Preventative medicine 10

1.3 Paediatrics 13

1.4 Gerontology 20

1.5 Supportive care – fluid therapy and analgesia 23

1.6 Sedation and anaesthesia 28

1.7 Emergency and critical care algorithms 32

Section 2: Clinical signs 37

Introduction 39

 2.1 Abdominal enlargement 39

 2.2 Anorexia 42

 2.3 Arrhythmias 44

 2.4 Ascites and peritoneal effusions 46

 2.5 Ataxia 49

 2.6 Behavioural changes 51

 2.7 Bleeding/coagulopathies 52

 2.8 Body odour 53

 2.9 Collapse/syncope and weakness 54

2.10 Cardiac murmurs 56

2.11 Constipation, tenesmus and dyschezia 58

2.12 Chronic coughing 60

2.13 Diarrhoea 63

2.14 Dysphagia 65

2.15 Dyspnoea (respiratory distress) 67

2.16 Dysuria 70

2.17 Failure to grow 72

2.18 Flatulence 73

2.19 Haematemesis, haemoptysis and epistaxis 74

2.20 Haematochezia and melaena 75

2.21 Haematuria and haemoglobinuria 77

2.22 Hypothermia 79

2.23 Incontinence (urinary) 80

2.24 Incontinence (faecal) 81

2.25 Infertility – queens 82

2.26 Infertility – tomcats 84

2.27 Jaundice (icterus) 85

2.28 Lymphadenopathy 88

2.29 Ocular changes caused by systemic disease 89

2.30 Pallor 90

2.31 Paresis and paralysis 91

2.32 Polyphagia 93

2.33 Polyuria/polydipsia 94

2.34 Ptyalism 96

2.35 Pyrexia (fever) of unknown origin – PUO (FUO) 97

2.36 Regurgitation 98

2.37 Seizures 100

2.38 Sneezing and nasal discharge 102

2.39 Stiffness 104

2.40 Stupor and altered states of consciousness 105

2.41 Tremor 106

2.42 Vomiting 107

2.43 Weight loss 109

Section 3: Common abnormalities of haematology, biochemistry and urinalysis 111

Introduction 113

 3.1 Low haematocrit 113

 3.2 High haematocrit 114

 3.3 Platelet abnormalities and clotting system 115

 3.4 White blood cell changes 116

 3.5 Acid–base disturbances 117

 3.6 Amylase and lipase 118

 3.7 Azotaemia 119

 3.8 Calcium imbalance 120

 3.9 Cholesterol and triglyceride changes 120

3.10 Electrolyte disturbances 121

3.11 Glucose abnormalities 122

3.12 Liver parameters 123

3.13 Muscle enzymes 125

3.14 Phosphate 125

3.15 Protein abnormalities 126

3.16 Urinalysis 128

Section 4: Organ systems 133

4.1 Respiratory disease 135

4.2 Cardiology 154

4.3 Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) disease 190

 4.4 Hepatobiliary disease 218

 4.5 Renal disease 229

 4.6 Lower urinary tract disease 249

 4.7 Endocrine disease 263

 4.8 Neurologic disease 283

 4.9 Neuromuscular and muscular disease 304

4.10 Skeletal disease 307

4.11 Disorders of the blood, haemopoietic and immune system 318

4.12 Oncology and chemotherapy 336

4.13 Nutrition 339

4.14 Intoxication 350

Section 5: Infectious disease 355

 5.1 Bordetellosis 357

 5.2 Viral upper respiratory tract disease 358

 5.3 Avian infl uenza 360

 5.4 Chlamydophila felis 361

 5.5 Feline infectious anaemia 364

 5.6 Feline infectious peritonitis 366

 5.7 Feline spongiform encephalopathy 371

 5.8 Mycobacterial infections 372

 5.9 Rabies virus 374

5.10 Toxoplasmosis 378

5.11 Feline leukaemia virus 380

5.12 Feline immunodefi ciency virus 387

5.13 Feline viral enteritis 391

5.14 Other infectious disease 396

5.15 Feline zoonoses 401

Further reading 403

Index 405