Updated Book on Canine and Feline Endocrinology Now Available

BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Endocrinology

Edited by:

Carmel T. Mooney

Mark E. Peterson

Building on the success of previous editions, the editors have sought to combine the best of the old with the new in this updated Fourth Edition of the BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Endocrinology.

Since publication of the last edition in 2004, there have been many significant advances in clinical endocrinology of companion animals. Several endocrine disorders, such as feline acromegaly and hyperaldosteronism, have risen in importance. The use of novel insulins in diabetic cats and dogs, as well as a wide range of new therapies, have emerged for routine use and are discussed in detail in this Manual. In addition, the genetic risks associated with many endocrine disorders have not been elucidated.

This new edition has been comprehensively updated, while retaining the emphasis on the common problems encountered in investigating and treating endocrine diseases. The Manual is divided into sections covering each endocrine gland and the major and minor endocrine disorders of each species. A separate section deals with relevant presenting complaints in a problem oriented manner.

The fourth edition of this manual provides a ready source of practical information for the practicing veterinarian and will also be useful for students, technicians, and graduates embarking on further specialization.

Click on the link to read a sample chapter from this book, on "Investigation of unstable feline diabetes mellitus."


Table of Contents:

Part 1: Introduction

• Hormone assays and collection of samples
• Principles of interpreting endocrine test results  

Part 2: The Pituitary Gland

• Disorders of vasopressin production
• Pituitary dwarfism
• Acromegaly

Part 3: The Parathyroid Gland

• Hyperparathyroidism
• Hypoparathyroidism

Part 4: The Thyroid Gland

• Canine hypothyroidism
• Canine hyperthyroidism
• Feline hyperthyroidism
• Feline hypothyroidism

Part 5: The Pancreas 

• Canine diabetes mellitus
• Feline diabetes mellitus
• Insulinoma and other gastrointestinal tract tumours 

Part 6: The Adrenal Gland

• Canine hypoadrenocorticism
• Canine hyperadrenocorticism 
• Feline hyperadrenocorticism 
• Feline hypoadrenocorticism 
• Feline hyperaldosteronism

Part 7: Presenting Complaints and Their Investigation

• Investigation of polyuria and polydipsia
• Investigation of hypercalcaemia and hypocalcaemia
• Investigation of unstable canine diabetes mellitus
• Investigation of unstable feline diabetes mellitus
• Ketoacidosis
• Investigation of hypoglycaemia
• Investigation of symmetrical alopecia in dogs
• Investigation of adrenal masses
• Investigation of hyperlipidaemia
• Index

International Contributors:

Amanda K. Boag, UK; Rosario Cerundolo, UK; Dennis J. Chew, USA; David B. Church, UK; Sylvie Daminet, Belgium; Lucy J. Davison, UK; Steve Dodkin, UK; Peter A. Graham, UK; Danièlle Gunn-Moore, UK; Andrea M. Harvey, UK; Michael E. Herrtage, UK; Peter P. Kintzer, USA; Hans S. Kooistra, The Netherlands; Carlos Melian, Spain; Carmel T. Mooney, Republic of Ireland; Raymond F. Nachreiner, USA; Rhett Nichols, USA; Stijn J.M. Niessen, UK; Kostas Papasouliotis, UK; Mark E. Peterson, USA; Ian K. Ramsey, UK; Jacquie Rand, Australia; Nicki Reed, UK; Kent R. Refsal, USA; Patricia A. Schenck, USA; Johan P. Schoeman, South Africa; Robert E. Shiel, Australia; Barbara J. Skelly, UK; Annemarie M.W.Y. Voorbij, The Netherlands.

Purchase the Fourth Edition of the BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Endocrinology:

• Amazon
• BSAVA website

World Thyroid Day is May 25, 2012

On May 25th, 2012, we recognize the 5th Annual World Thyroid Day.  Established in 2008, World Thyroid Day highlights five major goals to:

• Increase awareness of thyroid health,
• Promote understanding of advances made in treating thyroid diseases,
• Emphasize the prevalence of thyroid diseases,
• Focus on the urgent need for education and prevention programs, and
• Expand awareness of new treatment modalities.

In humans, dogs and cats, the thyroid, a large endocrine gland located in the neck, produces hormones that influence virtually every cell, tissue and organ in the body. The thyroid gland regulates the body's metabolism — the rate at which the body produces energy from nutrients and oxygen — and affects critical body functions, such as energy level and heart rate.

Diseases of the thyroid  gland include hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, and thyroid cancer.  These disorders are very common and affect tens of millions of people worldwide. As we all know from reading this blog, the same thyroid diseases are also common in dogs and cats.

For more information, see: www.worldthyroidday.com.

Can a New Thyroid Health Food (Hill's y/d) Live Up to the Hype?

Can a New Thyroid Health Food Live Up to the Hype?

A new prescription cat food promises to treat hyperthyroidism in cats. 
Maybe so, if the studies pan out. Where are those studies, anyway?


Dr. Eric Barchas
www.catster.com
May 3, 2012

In the blog post entitled, Can a New Thyroid Health Food (Hill's y/d) Live Up to the Hype?, Dr. Eric Barchas provides us with a good overview of what's wrong with all the hype associated with Hill's y/d diet.

As Dr. Barchas states in the beginning of his post (1): "For months, every veterinary publication I receive has been plastered with full-page advertisements for a new prescription cat food...... The new cat food is called Hill's y/d —or, more formally, Hill's® Prescription Diet® y/d™ Feline Thyroid Health on the company's website. Call me old-fashioned, but I am naturally suspicious of any food that has two ®s and a ™. Might the diet be more marketing ploy than medical breakthrough?"

For those of you who have followed my rants about what's wrong with Hill's y/d diet (2,3), you would be able to predict that this post made me smile.

So what's this diet all about and what's the problem with it? 

First of all, Hill's y/d diet certainly does offers another treatment option for hyperthyroid cats. The basis for how the diet works to control the hyperthyroid state is by severely limiting the amount of iodine in the y/d (the diet is actually iodine deficient).

Because thyroid hormone contains large quantities of iodine, the diet should reduce secretion of the hormone. Indeed, the clinical experience of practicing veterinarians to date indicate the this diet is effective in lowering serum T4 values in many hyperthyroid cats, although not always to levels that we would consider "low enough."

The biggest concerns are in regard to the long-term side effects of feeding an low iodine or iodine deficient diet to cats. For y/d to work, no other food can be fed for the rest of the cat's life — so the y/d diet, if successful, would potentially be fed for years to a cat suffering from hyperthyroidism.

As Dr. Barchas points out in his post, large, long-term safety studies are needed to determine what happens when cats with or without thyroid disease eat y/d months to years. Now I know it seems difficult to believe, but adequate long-term safety studies of cats fed this diet have yet to be done.

Because Hill's y/d is not a drug (although it's certainly being marketed as a replacement for methimazole), the company is not required to do long-term safety studies. And it's fairly clear that they have no intention of paying to have them done.

The bottom line: 

Again, Dr. Barchas says it better than I could do so let me quote the summary for his post (1): "In short, I believe that Hill's has unleashed y/d with too little research and too much hype. The food may turn out to be a veritable godsend, or it could be a disaster. Only time, and more studies, will tell.... 


For now, no matter how many fancy ads I see, I am hesitant to recommend the food unless a cat absolutely is not a candidate for any of the other three hyperthyroidism treatments."

Related links: 

1. To read the complete post by Dr. Barchas, click this link. 
2. To read my posts on y/d on the Animal Endocrine Clinic blog, click this link.
3. To read my posts on y/d on the Insights into Veterinary Endocrinology blog, click this link.

State of Pet Health Report Shows Chronic Diseases, Overweight, and Obesity Up Dramatically in Past 5 Years

Banfield Pet Hospital Releases State of Pet Health 2012 Report

The Banfield Pet Hospital released its State of Pet Health 2012 Report, revealing that certain chronic diseases in dogs and cats have risen drastically since 2007. The report, compiled by Banfield's internal research team, captured and analyzed medical data from the 2 million dogs and nearly 430,000 cats cared for in Banfield's 800 hospitals in 2011. The largest report of its kind, the State of Pet Health 2012 Report breaks down the data by these chronic diseases: overweight and obesity, diabetes, thyroid disease, arthritis, kidney disease, and heart disease.

This report shows that the prevalence of many chronic diseases of dogs and cats has increased dramatically, just over the last 5 years.

• Overweight and obesity up 37% in dogs and 90% in cats
• Arthritis by increased 38% in dogs and 67% in cats
• Nearly half of arthritic dogs and more than 1 in 3 arthritic cats are also overweight
• Almost half of diabetic dogs and diabetic cats  are overweight
• About 60% of dogs with hypothyroidism are also overweight
• Feline chronic kidney disease, a common cause of death in cats, increased by 15% 

The rise in pet overweight and obesity mimics the increase in humans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overweight and obesity in humans is also on the rise. The CDC reports that overweight/obesity in humans has increased to 1 in 3 of U.S. adults.

To view and download the full State of Pet Health 2012 Report, visit www.stateofpethealth.com.