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press update
Capacity audience at ESFM congress The much anticipated European Society of Feline Medicine (ESFM) Annual Congress in Edinburgh, (25-28 September) did not disappoint. The international flavour of the speakers was matched in the capacity audience of 500 vets; while many were from the UK, large groups came from The Netherlands and Belgium, Germany, North America and Sweden. In total 26 countries were represented. The ESFM Congress was held in conjunction with the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases and the Association for Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and was sponsored by Hill’s, Fort Dodge, Bayer, Merial and Boehringer Ingelheim. Keynote speakers provided the latest information on therapeutics and urinary tract disease. Dr Jody Lulich, of the University of Minnesota said that non-invasive and minimally invasive procedures are becoming the standard of care for the management of uroliths. Nutritional management is a very effective and fast method for dissolution of sterile struvite uroliths; in most cases, uroliths dissolve in 2 to 4 weeks. He did, however, say that additional studies were needed to define the ideal methods for preventing recurrence of calcium oxalate uroliths. On the subject of kidney disease, Dr Lulich recommended that older cats (over 10 years) be periodically screened even in the absence of clinical signs. Cats with anorexia, weight-loss, dehydration, depression, vomiting, polyuria and constipation should be targeted for screening. Dr Sarah Caney from the FAB feline expert panel explained that mixing oral medications with food is an option where dosing is difficult. They should be mixed with a small volume of food, ie, a teaspoon full only, to ensure a full dose is consumed at one time. Crushing, however, can have a negative affect on palatability in the case of film-coated tablets and may increase the speed of absorption of the drug in question, having an impact on case management. According to Dr Lauren Trepanier of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, custom veterinary pharmacies abound in the US, and provide reformulation options for practitioners that include flavoured liquid suspensions, chewable tablets, capsules, and transdermal formulations. Unfortunately, she said, the stability and absorption of these compounded drugs is usually not tested. Practitioners often assume that because a custom formulation is available, it must be effective, and this is not necessarily true. Anna Eggertsdottir, Associate Professor of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Oslo, presented results from her studies on FLUTD. ‘Bacteriuria may have been under-diagnosed in Norwegian cats with clinical signs of FLUTD. Microbiological culturing in first opinion cases with FLUTD is vital - a skilled operator can get representative samples regardless the choice of method,’ she said. The Congress format, designed to provide a free afternoon on Saturday to discover the delights of the host city, proved as popular as ever. The busy Merial Welcome reception, the Bayer ‘Taste of Scotland’ and a ‘Golden’ Party sponsored by Schering-Plough created the friendly, party atmosphere that has come to be associated with ESFM Congress. ‘The high demand for places at this year’s ESFM congress provided us with mixed emotions - we were absolutely delighted with the huge interest in cat issues, but not happy having to turn away registrations in August!’ said Claire Bessant, Chief Executive of the Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB), and the European Society of Feline Medicine which is a division of FAB. Proceedings are available free to FAB practice members on the website (www.fabcats.org) or can be purchased for £40. Delegates for next year’s ESFM Congress (to be held in Cavtat, Dubrovnik) may wish to get their bookings in early as the topic may prove equally popular – ‘Feline ER – accident and emergency in general practice’ with keynote speaker Tim Hackett from Colorado State University. Also important to note is that the conference timing changes from its usual September to June next year (19-21st) to try and avoid clashing with the many other meetings held in the autumn. Details can be found on www.fabcats.org/conferences/2009. Ends October, 2008 Two pictures attached: Jody Lulich speaking Additional pictures from the ESFM Congress can be viewed here...
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