Signalment and laboratory findings in cats with diabetes mellitus in Germany: a retrospective review of laboratory submissions of 129,505 cats.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to compare signalment and laboratory parameters between diabetic (D) and non-diabetic (ND) cats and poorly-controlled diabetic (PD) and well-controlled diabetic (WD) cats in Germany.

Methods: Laboratory data from Antech Lab Germany between 2015 and 2018 were retrospectively analysed. Age, sex, red blood cell count (RBC), creatinine (CREA), alkaline phosphatase (AP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), bilirubin (BILI), cholesterol (CHOL), triglycerides (TRI), glucose (GLU) and total thyroxine (TT4) were compared between D (fructosamine ⩾340 µmol/l) and ND cats, and PD (fructosamine >500 µmol/l) and WD (fructosamine 340-500 µmol/l) cats.

Method Validation and Establishment of Reference Intervals for an Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Chemiluminescent Immunoassay in Cats.

Previously, radioimmunoassay (RIA) has been the only assay to measure insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) to diagnose hypersomatotropism (HS). Due to radiation concerns, availability, and the cost of IGF-1 RIA, validation of assays for automated analysers such as a chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) is needed. The aim of this study was to validate a CLIA for measurement of feline IGF-1 (IMMULITE 2000 XPi, Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics, Malvern, PA, USA) compared to IGF1 RIA, establish reference interval (RI), and determine a cut-off value for diagnosis of HS in diabetic cats.

Simplified Light's Criteria and Acute Phase Proteins Reflect Aetiology of Feline Body Cavity Effusions Better than the Traditional Classification Scheme.

The traditional veterinary classification (TVC) of effusions based on cell count and total protein (TP) does not adequately reflect the aetiology. Light's criteria (LC) (activity of lactate dehydrogenase [LDH] in the effusion [LDHef], effusion/serum LDH ratio [LDHr], effusion/serum TP ratio [TPr]), serum-effusion albumin gradient (ALBg), acute phase proteins (APPs) [serum amyloid A (SAA), α-acid glycoprotein (AGP), haptoglobin] might aid classification. The aim was to evaluate the utility of these parameters except LDHr in differentiating exudates from transudates.

Cat alpha-1-acid glycoprotein enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay: performance characteristics and reference intervals.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate performance of a feline-specific ELISA for the measurement of alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and to establish a reference interval (RI).

Methods: Surplus serum samples with low (~200 µg/ml), medium (~450 µg/ml) and high (~745 and 930 µg/ml) AGP concentrations were used to assess the intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation (CVs). The quality goal for bioanalytical method validation was a CV of <20%.

Feline Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: Review of the Experimental Literature.

Accumulating evidence suggests that epileptic seizures originating from the temporal lobe (TL) occur in cats. Typically, affected animals have clinically focal seizures with orofacial automatisms including salivation, facial twitching, lip smacking, chewing, licking, and swallowing. Motor arrest and autonomic and behavioral signs also may occur.

Characteristics of canine nasal discharge related to intranasal diseases: a retrospective study of 105 cases.

Objectives: To compare characteristics of nasal discharge caused by different intranasal aetiologies in dogs.

Methods: Medical records of 105 dogs with nasal discharge due to intranasal disease were retrospectively reviewed with special focus on composition, severity, duration and localisation of discharge. On the basis of diagnostic findings, cases were classified into different disease groups and characteristics of discharge were compared between groups.

Suspected limbic encephalitis and seizure in cats associated with voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC) complex antibody.

Background: Treatment-resistant complex partial seizures (CPS) with orofacial involvement recently were reported in cats in association with hippocampal pathology. The features had some similarity to those described in humans with limbic encephalitis and voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC) complex antibody.

Hypothesis/objectives: The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate cats with CPS and orofacial involvement for the presence of VGKC-complex antibody.

Prevalence of feline haemotropic mycoplasmas in convenience samples of cats in Germany.

The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the prevalence of feline haemotropic mycoplasmas in Germany, to determine probable risk factors for these infections and to compare the diagnostic value of microscopic examination of blood smears to polymerase chain reaction (PCR). For the prevalence study, convenience samples (Ethylene diamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA) blood) from 262 (64.5% male and 35.