This webinar will guide us through the diagnostic approach of the ‘yellow cat’, mentioning some of the fascinating particularities of the feline species. Whilst icterus can be a very noticeable clinical sign that is straightforward to identify, it is not pathognomonic of a specific disease. Understanding bilirubin metabolism is indispensable in classifying icterus and building the differential diagnosis list which will guide the investigations. As we all are very aware, cats are not small dogs! Their metabolic and anatomical characteristics impact the type of pathology we observe in practice. Amongst other differences, cats are strict carnivores and are less adaptable when protein intake decreases. Their common bile duct joins the pancreatic duct before entering the duodenum, which may increase the risk of ascending bacterial infection. Feline characteristics are also important to bear in mind when interpreting blood and urine laboratorial analysis. This webinar is provided by BSAVA Education Partner IDEXX. A collection of IDEXX ‘topic of the month’ webinars is available here.

Canine leishmania is a vector borne disease caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania infantum and transmitted by sand flies. Leishmania infantum is endemic in many parts of southern Europe. The sand fly vector is not currently present in the UK, but despite this, the disease is being identified more and more frequently, due to the large number of imported dogs being brought into the UK from mainland Europe. Clinical disease results from an inappropriate and ineffective immune response to the parasite. A wide variety of clinical signs can be present which may include exfoliative dermatitis, lymphadenopathy and weight loss. In this webinar we will focus on the clinical approach to the patient with suspected Leishmaniasis and provide a brief overview of treatment options and recommendations for monitoring response to treatment.

A short overview of the pathophysiology of canine hypothyroidism with a focus on the commonly associated laboratory tests including test/diagnostic performance. Emphasising a few key points to help improve your confident in a diagnostic classification. This webinar is provided by BSAVA Education Partner IDEXX. A collection of IDEXX ‘topic of the month’ webinars is available here.

This webinar gives an overview of differential diagnoses for canine lymphadenopathy, the technical and diagnostic challenges of lymph node cytology and how to approach further testing in cases of lymphoma. Tips to help avoid non-diagnostic samples and a brief overview of the spectrum of canine lymphoma should equip you to tailor the diagnostic approach for your patients.

Antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) results are commonly used in practice to help guide antimicrobial therapy. AST results are reported qualitatively (S/I/R) and quantitatively, more commonly expressed as MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration). This webinar explains MICs, what is a clinical breakpoint, how the numbers are obtained and how to interpret these using examples from IDEXX reports. It also discusses why you might not receive an MIC result for every antimicrobial-organism-site combination, limitations of clinical breakpoints and limitations with interpreting these results. The choice of antimicrobial should not be based on the MIC at face value, but should also consider how that value relates to clinical breakpoint, site of infection, patient factors, etc. Difficult cases may still require a discussion with the microbiology lab and specialists, repeat sample testing and expanded antimicrobial testing.

Antimicrobial resistant infections are an increasing challenge in both human and veterinary medicine. Various multi-drug resistant organisms have emerged in healthcare settings and are no longer an uncommon finding in small animal practice. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is driven, at least in part, by antimicrobial use (both appropriate and inappropriate). Every time we prescribe an antimicrobial we may be contributing towards development of AMR, so we have the responsibility to do so only when appropriate – by selecting the optimal drug regime, dose, duration of therapy and route of administration and, when possible, ensure this is supported by culture and antimicrobial susceptibility results. Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) aims to improve and facilitate the appropriate use of antimicrobials. It should be a continuous improvement cycle, not an end point exercise. In this short webinar we will point you to different and varied resources that will help you start or further develop an antimicrobial stewardship programme in your practice.

Urolithiasis is an all too common concern in companion animal practice, with identification of urolith type proving key to management recommendations that reduce recurrence in dogs and cats. IDEXX Internal Medicine Consultant, Michelle Evason, says that patients with urolithiasis frequently present with signs of lower urinary tract inflammation (e.g. haematuria, dysuria), due to urolith mucosal irritation and often concurrent infection, with the most common urolith types being struvite and calcium oxalate. Initiation of timely therapy plans based on diagnostics, urolith analysis, culture and susceptibility, and the latest research, aids immediate management and targets ongoing prevention. IDEXX offers cutting edge urolithiasis analysis, with expanded services in 2022 to include urolith culture and susceptibility testing. This case-based webinar is provided by BSAVA Education Partner IDEXX. A collection of IDEXX ‘topic of the month’ webinars is available here.

IDEXX Internal Medicine Consulting team has seen an increased call volume relating to cats in the UK with pancytopenia; this surge is currently being investigated by specialist vets at the Royal Veterinary College in London. IDEXX Internal Medicine Consultant Dr Yvonne McGrotty states “Affected cats may present with signs of inappetence, lethargy, pallor, pyrexia and spontaneous mucosal bleeding. The mortality rate associated with this condition is high and an effective treatment is currently unknown. Clinicopathological findings usually include severe leucopenia, thrombocytopenia and anaemia.” The cause of this spike in cases has not been fully elucidated to date, but a potential link to mycotoxins (naturally occurring toxins produced by some types of fungi) in certain foodstuffs is being investigated further, along with other possible toxins. Pancytopenia cases have so far been linked to a single food manufacturer and three brands of food have been recalled as a result. Full details of the recall are available on the Food Standards Agency website, however the FSA have recently stated that they have been unable to establish a causative link between the recalled foods and the pancytopenia outbreak. Sick cats, or cats that are known to have eaten any of the recalled foods, can be screened by performing a complete blood count, including film examination. Vets who believe that they have identified a potential case are being urged to complete a survey on the RVC website to help vets there to identify common factors, which might ultimately assist them in determining the underlying cause. BSAVA Education Partner IDEXX has provided this webinar by Yvonne McGrotty to explain more about anaemia in cats. A collection of IDEXX ‘topic of the month’ webinars is available here.

Cathy Woodlands discusses infection control measures including, cleaning, disinfection, hand hygiene the use of PPE and infection control in the environment. This one-hour webinar was first broadcast as part of BSAVA’s [email protected] series. [email protected] broadcasts are available to BSAVA members only and are free to attend - visit the education page of the BSAVA website for details of future [email protected] webinars. Recordings will be available for 3 years via the BSAVA Webinar Library.

In this webinar designed to help veterinary students with their preclinical EMS, Linda Ryan discusses animal behaviour and the reasons behind it, together with how dogs and cats communicate and how veterinarians can respond to this.