2023 AAFP/IAAHPC feline hospice and palliative care guidelines.

The '2023 AAFP/IAAHPC Feline Hospice and Palliative Care Guidelines' are authored by a Task Force of experts in feline hospice and palliative care convened by the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care. They emphasize the specialized communication skills and ethical considerations that are associated with feline hospice and palliative care, with references to other feline practice guidelines for a more complete discussion of specific diseases, feline pain management best practices and cat friendly interactions. A comprehensive, multi-step hospice consultation allows for tailoring the approach to both the cat and the family involved in the care. The consultation includes establishing 'budgets of care', a concept that greatly influences what can be done for the individual cat. The Guidelines acknowledge that each cat and caregiver will be different in this regard; and establishing what is reasonable, practical and ethical for the individual cat and caregiver is important. A further concept of the 'care unit' is introduced, which is extrapolated from human hospice and palliative care, and encourages and empowers the caregiver to become a part of the cat's care every step of the way. Ethical considerations include a decision-making framework. The importance of comfort care is emphasized, and the latest information available about how to assess the quality of a cat's life is reviewed. Emotional health is as equally important as physical health. Hence, it is fundamental to recognize that compromised physical health, with pain and/or illness, impairs emotional health. A limited discussion on euthanasia is included, referring to the AAFP's End of Life Educational Toolkit for recommendations to help the caregiver and the veterinary professional ensure a peaceful passing and transition - one that reflects the best interests of the individual cat and caregiver.

Cytokine expression in feline allergic dermatitis and feline asthma.

BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of feline allergic dermatitis (FAD) is unclear, with several differences from allergic dermatitis in dogs and humans. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To survey cytokine expression levels in healthy cats and cats affected with allergic dermatitis or asthma. ANIMALS: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded skin biopsies from 22 cats with allergic dermatitis and 21 cats without allergic dermatitis were used for cutaneous assays. Serum was obtained from 17 healthy cats, 18 cats with allergic dermatitis, and 18 cats with a presumptive diagnosis of asthma. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Cutaneous mRNA expression was evaluated with quantitative PCR [interleukin (IL)-31 and IL-31 Receptor A] and RNA in situ hybridisation (ISH) [IL-5, IL-31, IL-31RA, IL-33 and Oncostatin M receptor (OSMR)-ß]. IL-31 protein concentrations were evaluated in serum with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum levels of 19 additional cytokines were evaluated using a Luminex panel. RESULTS: IL-31, IL-31RA, IL-5 and IL-33 mRNA expression were either expressed in low quantities or undetectable in most samples. By contrast, OSMR-ß expression was significantly higher in the skin of allergic versus healthy cats (P < 0.0001). Although serum IL-31 was detected in a larger number of cats with allergic dermatitis than healthy cats, and concentrations appeared to be higher in cats with allergies, this difference was not statistically significant. Cats affected by asthma also exhibited insignificantly higher concentrations of IL-31 in the serum. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Our results suggest that feline allergic diseases may exhibit different pathomechanisms from allergic diseases affecting other species. These findings are useful in guiding further therapeutic development toward targets that may have a role in the pathogenesis of feline allergic skin disease.

Late-onset osteosarcoma after onychectomy in a cat.

CASE SUMMARY: A 12-year-old neutered male onychectomized Ragdoll cat presented for a 3 day history of swelling and hemorrhagic purulent discharge on the first digit of the left manus. Radiographs revealed fragments of the third phalangeal bone (P3) present in the partially amputated digits with swelling adjacent to the P3 fragment on the first digit of the left manus. Thoracic radiographs revealed no evidence of primary or metastatic neoplasia. Surgery was performed to remove all P3 fragments and the associated swelling on the diseased digit. On gross examination of the excised swelling, a mass was present at the cut edge of P3. The bone fragment and associated mass were submitted for histopathological evaluation. Osteosarcoma was diagnosed. Because neoplastic cells extended to the surgical margins, amputation of the left thoracic limb was performed. The cat recovered from surgery, and survival time at the time of writing was 8 months. RELEVANCE AND NOVEL INFORMATION: To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of onychectomy-associated osteosarcoma. Trauma from partial P3 amputation during onychectomy is suspected to have played a role in osteosarcoma development in this case. Malignant transformation may be considered a potential complication of onychectomy achieved by partial P3 amputation.