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Background: The management of cats with urethral obstruction does not end in the clinic. Unless the underlying cause of urethral obstruction is addressed, this problem is likely to recur and this requires a multimodal approach that includes a behavioural assessment and evaluation of the cat's home environment.Aim of the article: This is the final article in a three-part series on urethral obstruction in cats. This article focuses on home management to prevent recurrent obstruction, and on addressing underlying feline idiopathic cystitis. The first article discussed presentation and stabilisation, while the second summarised urethral catheterisation and immediate postcatheterisation management.

IntroductionLower respiratory tract infection is a common and important condition in dyspnoeic cats with Mycoplasma spp, Bordetella bronchiseptica, feline herpesvirus (FHV-1), feline calicivirus (FCV) and Aelurostrongylus abstrusus being among the most common pathogens.1 Thoracic computed tomography (CT) in a restraining device (VetCatTrapTM) allows fast, high-quality imaging of dyspnoeic conscious or sedated cats in a minimal-stress environment.2 Aims of this study were to characterise typical CT features of feline bronchopneumonia and to investigate potential correlations between CT features and specific pathogens.Methods Institutional archives were searched for thoracic CT studies of cats with bronchopneumonia, confirmed by culture, cytology or PCR. Studies were scored for bronchial and pulmonary abnormalities in different lung areas. Statistical evaluation included frequency distribution of CT features of bronchopneumonia and correlation analysis between single-genus-Mycoplasma-pathogen bronchopneumonia (group 1) and mixed-or-single-other-pathogen bronchopneumonia (group 2) regarding their CT features.Results Thirty-three cats met the inclusion criteria. CT features included normal (60.9%) and abnormal lung areas (39.1%). Abnormal lung areas were most presented by bronchial wall thickening (31.6%), parenchymal subpleural bands (13%), ground-glass opacity (8.5%), lung collapse (7.5%), consolidation (7.3%), plate-like-alveolar pattern (5.3%) and hyperlucent enlarged lungs (4.3%). For single-genus-Mycoplasma-spp-pathogen bronchopneumonia, there was weak correlation with reticulonodular lung pattern (0.303), cavitary nodules (0.268), and broncholithiasis (0.225).DiscussionTypical CT features of feline bronchopneumonia are generalised bronchial wall thickening and parenchymal changes in a few lung areas. This is different from other species, where parenchymal changes are often seen more widespread.3 Single-genus-Mycoplasma-bronchopneumonia is not significantly different from other types of bronchopneumonia.

Background: The acquisition of systemic blood pressure (SBP) provides valuable information regarding cardiovascular function and tissue perfusion in human and veterinary species.Aim: To evaluate the agreement between Parks Medical Doppler (PMD) and Mano Médical Vet BP (MMVBP) Doppler for assessing SBP in conscious dogs.Methods: 40 client-owned dogs were prospectively enrolled; SBP measurements were acquired by a single operator using the PMD and then the MMVBP. The mean of five consecutive measurements for each device was classified according to target organ damage (TOD) risk scores (1: Results: Total mean SBP for the devices was not statistically different ( p = 0.77). However, the Bland-Altman analysis revealed wide limits of agreement (LoA), with MMVBP slightly underestimating SBP compared to PMD (bias = -0.6 mmHg, 95% LoA: -26.3 to 25.09). Both devices correlated well ( r = 0.8269; p < 0.0001) and had identically acceptable intra-observer repeatability (coefficients of variation = 4.09% for MMVBP and 3.86% for PMD). Four dogs (10%) had a TOD score of 3 by one device but scored Conclusion: A good agreement and correlation was observed between the PMD and the MMVBP, suggesting that both devices can be used interchangeably for assessment of SBP in conscious dogs. The wide LoA observed between both devices was most likely associated with intraindividual variability in SBP over time.

Happy Cats Online survey to study stress in cats and their carers when visiting a veterinary clinic as an outpatient.

Mycobacteriosis is an emerging zoonotic disease of domestic cats and timely, accurate diagnosis is currently challenging. To identify differential cytokine/chemokine concentrations in serum/plasma of cats, which could be diagnostic biomarkers of infection we analysed plasma/serum from 116 mycobacteria-infected cats, 16 healthy controls and six cats hospitalised for unrelated reasons was analysed using the Milliplex MAP Feline Cytokine Magnetic Bead multiplex assay. Three cytokines; sFAS, IL-13 and IL-4 were reduced while seven; GM-CSF, IL-2, PDGF-BB, IL-8, KC, RANTES and TNF-α were elevated in mycobacteria-infected cats compared to healthy controls. However, IL-8 and KC concentrations were not significantly different from cats hospitalised for other reasons. Elevations in TNF-α and PDGF-BB may have potential to identify M. bovis and M. microti infected cats specifically while GM-CSF, IL-2 and FLT3L were increased in MTBC infected cats. This study demonstrates potential use of feline tuberculosis as a spontaneously occurring model of this significant human disease. Cytokine profiling has clear diagnostic potential for mycobacteriosis of cats and could be used discriminate tuberculous from non-tuberculous disease to rapidly inform on zoonotic risk. Future work should focus on the in-field utility of these findings to establish diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of these markers.

Caring for an increasingly ageing population of pet cats presents a number of challenges to veterinary professionals. The interplay between emotional and physical health is an important consideration in ageing animals as their ability to cope with stress is reduced. Optimising the environment for elderly cats can greatly improve their quality of life, both at home and within the clinic, as does the early diagnosis and treatment of medical or behavioural problems. This may be complicated by the presence of multiple, often interacting diseases, and the overlap of clinical signs, including behavioural change. Client education evenings and elderly cat clinics play a crucial role in making owners aware of normal ageing changes as well as when to seek veterinary advice. Differential diagnoses behind behavioural changes such as increased vocalisation will be considered, including cognitive dysfunction syndrome.

Mycobacterium bovis can cause tuberculosis (TB) in social mammals including lions, cattle and man, but canine infections are considered rare. In 2016/17 we investigated a M. bovis TB outbreak in a pack of approximately 180 Foxhounds within the bovine TB Edge Area of England. We employed a combination of immunological tests including an interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) and a serological assay (DPP VetTB, Chembio). Test positive hounds were euthanased and subjected to post-mortem examination (PME).Overall 164 hounds were tested; 97 (59%) responded positively to at least one test. Eighty-five (52%)dogs responded to M. bovis antigens by IGRA whilst only 21 (12.9%) had detectable 27 serological responses. At PME three hounds (3.1%) had visible lesions (VL) due to M. bovis infection, later confirmed by culture. Samples from 24 non-VL hounds were cultured and M. bovis infection was confirmed in a further three hounds (11%).This study is the first investigation and report of an outbreak of M. bovis TB in a canine species. We establish that, in principle, diagnostic tests used for identifying infected individuals of other species can effectively be used in the dog. Further work is urgently needed to establish the sensitivity and specificity of the testing approach used in this study for future clinical application.