Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
EmailIphone Application    Posted: 7th December 2021
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.
Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

Kidney disease therapies investigated in cat study
"Chronic kidney disease is debilitating for many cats and significantly lessens their quality of life" - Silke Salavati, senior lecturer in Small Animal Internal Medicine.
Study will investigate three products designed to be added to food. 

Researchers at The University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies are researching the effect of therapies created to alleviate chronic kidney disease in cats.

Aiming to help limit the debilitating impact of chronic kidney disease in cats, the researchers will investigate ways to prevent toxins that develop in the gut of cats with kidney disease from entering the bloodstream.

Three products which are designed to be added to food will be investigated. One is a probiotic supplement aimed at limiting the formation of gut toxins, and the other two comprise small carbon particles designed to bind to toxins in the gut. 

“Simple interventions to bind toxins that originate in the guts of cats affected by chronic kidney disease, to limit the progress of the condition, may offer a viable route to alleviating the impact of the disease in millions of cats,” said Marina Domingues, resident in Small Animal Internal Medicine at Edinburgh's School of Veterinary Studies. 

A small group of healthy cats will be studied first, receiving each treatment in turn, and will then be monitored for effects on health and behaviour – while urine and faecal samples will be analysed to check for changes in gut microorganism composition changes. 

The second part of the study will see cats with chronic kidney disease studied, with owners given the option to administer one of the three products to their cat's food. All cats will be monitored for adverse effects, including urine and faecal testing. 

Supported by the Fiona and Ian Russell Seed Corn Fund, and the Clinical Study Fund of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, the study hopes to demonstrate whether the treatments are effective. 

 

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Cold-water dip to raise funds for Vetlife

News Story 1
 The veterinary mental health charity Vetlife is inviting the veterinary community to join it for a sponsored cold-water dip.

The event will take place at Walpole Bay, Margate, on 17 May during Mental Health Awareness Week. Participants of all abilities can join in the challenge and are advised to bring a towel, a hot drink, a snack, and warm clothes to get changed into afterwards.

Those taking part are being asked to try to raise £100 each to support the work of the charity.

Details about how to take part can be found here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue low vector period ends

In an update to its bluetongue guidance, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that the seasonal low vector period for the disease has ended.

With winter over, Defra is planning for a possible increase in cases as midges become more active. It has warned that farms along the east coast of England from Norfolk to Kent, and along the south coast from Kent to Devon, are at highest risk from infected midges blown over from northern Europe.

Since the virus was detected in England in November 2023, there have been 126 confirmed cases. The most recent case to be confirmed was on 1 March 2024.

Farmers are asked to continue to frequently monitor their livestock and ensure their animals and land are registered with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.