• The aim of this book is to focus on problems unique to the feline alimentary tract in comparison to dogs and to discuss them in detail, but also to highlight areas where knowledge is lacking or can only be derived from comparison with other companion animal species or humans. Instead of being a comprehensive work of all things GI in the cat, this book aims to shine a light on topics that are novel, such as the microbiome or probiotics, and might not have been covered by other standard textbooks. This book focuses on a medics perspective on feline alimentary tract health, which starts with considering differential diagnoses in a structured way based on the most common clinical signs. It also includes the invaluable input from other specialties we so often draw on in clinical practice, namely laboratory diagnostics, diagnostic imaging, clinical pathology and histopathology, and nutrition, which can be a particular challenge in cats. It also covers feline-specific infectious and neoplastic diseases. Appropriate methods for retrieving adequate samples from organs of the alimentary tract in cats are discussed, and a particular focus on the challenges of differentiating inflammation from neoplasia is present in several chapters. Extra materials and videos are available.

  • Abbreviations

    SECTION I Diagnostic approach to clinical signs of the gastrointestinal, pancreatic, and hepatobiliary systems

    Differential diagnoses

    1. Differential diagnoses for clinical signs of the gastrointestinal tract
    Karin Allenspach, Silke Salavati Schmitz, Fabio Procoli

    2. Differential diagnoses for clinical signs of the pancreas and hepatobiliary system
    Silke Salavati Schmitz, Fabio Procoli, Karin Allenspach

    Diagnostic procedures

    3. Laboratory approach to gastrointestinal disorders
    Romy M. Heilmann

    4. Laboratory approach to exocrine pancreatic and hepatobiliary disorders
    Emily N. Gould, Joerg M. Steiner

    5. Diagnostic imaging of the gastrointestinal tract
    Pascaline Pey, Alessia Diana

    6. Diagnostic imaging of the biliary system and pancreas
    Nathalie Rademacher, Kassandra Wilson

    7. Endoscopy of the feline gastrointestinal tract
    Christiane Stengel, Reto Neiger

    8. Surgical and laparoscopic biopsies of the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, and hepatobiliary system
    Kelly L. Bowlt Blacklock

    9. Histopathology of gastrointestinal, pancreatic, and hepatobiliary tissues in cats
    Mark R. Ackermann, Albert E. Jergens

    SECTION II Diseases of the gastrointestinal tractgastrointestinal, pancreatic, and hepatobiliary systems

    Oropharyngeal diseases

    10. Feline oral inflammatory diseases
    Karin Allenspach, Brenda Mulherin

    Oesophageal diseases

    11. Oesophageal diseases
    Albert E. Jergen

    Gastric diseases

    12. Pyloric diseases
    Valérie Freiche, Fiona Da Riz

    Infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

    13. Viral infections
    Georgia Diakoudi, Vito Martella

    14. Bacterial infections
    Conor O’Halloran, Danièlle Gunn-Moore

    15. Helminthic and protozoal diseases
    Panagiotis G. Xenoulis

    Intestinal inflammation

    16. Microbiota and dysbiosis
    Jan Suchodolski

    17. Pathogenesis of feline inflammatory bowel disease
    Karin Allenspach, Chelsea Iennarella-Servantez

    18. Classification, clinical staging, and treatment of feline chronic enteropathy
    Fabio Procoli

    19. Feline gastrointestinal eosinophilic sclerosing fibroplasia
    Michael Linton, Christine Griebsch

    Neoplasia

    20. Gastrointestinal lymphoma
    Valérie Freiche

    21. Nonlymphomatous gastrointestinal tumours
    David J. Argyle

    Motility disorders

    22. Dysmotility of the upper gastrointestinal tract
    Conor O’Halloran, Danièlle Gunn-Moore

    23. Constipation and megacolon
    Frédéric P. Gaschen

    SECTION III Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

    Pancreatic disorders

    24. Pancreatic necrosis and inflammation
    Panagiotis G. Xenoulis, Joerg M. Steiner

    25. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
    Panagiotis G. Xenoulis

    Hepatic disorders

    26. Hepatic vascular disorders
    Mickey S. Tivers, Vicky J. Lipscomb

    27. Hepatic lipidosis
    Chiara Valtolina

    28. Hepatic encephalopathy
    Adam G. Gow

    29. Refeeding syndrome
    Daniel L. Chan

    Biliary disorders

    30. Feline cholangitis and triaditis
    Jonathan A. Lidbury

    31. Extrahepatic bile duct obstruction and diseases of the gallbladder
    Karla C. L. Lee

    Neoplasia

    32. Pancreatic and hepatobiliary neoplasia
    Davide Berlato

    SECTION IV Management strategies for diseases of the gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary tract

    Pharmacological approach to gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary disorders

    33. Antiemetic and gastroprotective agents
    M. Katherine Tolbert

    34. Antibiotics
    Thomas Spillmann, Thomas Grönthal, Susanne Kilpinen

    35. Anti-inflammatories and immunosuppressants
    Lauren Lacorcia, Julien R. S. Dandrieux

    Novel and alternative treatment options of gastrointestinal disorders

    36. Prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics
    Silke Salavati Schmitz

    37. Faecal microbiota transplantation
    Frédéric P. Gaschen

    Nutritional strategies for gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary disorders

    38. Nutritional assessment
    Aarti Kathrani

    39. Nutritional strategies
    Aarti Kathrani

    40. Enteral nutritional support
    Craig Breheny, Silke Salavati Schmitz

    41. Parenteral nutritional support
    Daniel L. Chan

    APPENDIX Recommended drugs and dosages

    Subject index

  • Fabio Procoli

    DMV, MVetMed, DipACVIM, DipECVIM-CA, MRCVS Ospedale Veterinario Portoni Rossi, Bologna, Italy.

    Fabio Procoli graduated from the University of Bari (Italy) in 2003. After moving to the UK, he worked in small animal general practice for 5 years. He then did an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh, followed by a residency in small animal internal medicine at the Royal Veterinary College in London. He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Fabio worked as an internal medicine and gastroenterology consultant in a private referral hospital in Hampshire (UK) for 3 years before returning to Italy to lead the Internal Medicine Department at Ospedale Veterinario I Portoni Rossi, a private small animal referral hospital in Bologna. Besides consulting in gastroenterology cases, Fabio is responsible for the training of aspiring ECVIM Diploma candidates. Fabio is member of the Exam Committee of the ECVIM. He has published in peer-reviewed journals on small animal gastroenterology and is actively involved in postgraduate continuing education courses aimed at general practitioners with an interest in small animal gastroenterology.

    Karin Allenspach

    DVM, PhD, DipECVIM-CA College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa (USA).

    Karin Allenspach graduated from the University of Zurich (Switzerland). She did an internship in small animal emergency medicine and critical care at Tufts University (USA) and a residency in small animal internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (USA). Karin is a diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. She was awarded a PhD in veterinary immunology from the University of Bern (Switzerland) for her work on canine chronic enteropathies. Karin is currently employed as Professor in Internal Medicine and Translational Health at Iowa State University, Ames (USA), where she also supervises the SMART Comparative Medicine Laboratory. Karin is passionate about gastrointestinal diseases in dogs and cats and about using spontaneous animal diseases in clinical trials as models for human disease. She has published over 100peer-reviewed articles and over 20 book chapters and was named a Fellow of the American Gastroenterology Association in 2018.

    Silke Salavati

    DrMedVet, PhD, DipECVIM-CA, FHEA, MRCVS Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

    Silke Salavati Schmitz graduated from the Justus-Liebig University in Giessen (Germany), where she subsequently completed her first doctoral thesis (DrMedVet) in canine gastroenterology. She did a rotating internship and a residency in small animal internal medicine at the same university. Apart from being a diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, she has also been actively involved with the ECVIM in different roles (e.g. exam and education committee member; ESCG president). She was awarded a PhD from the Royal Veterinary College, London, for her research on the clinical and immunological effects of a single-strain probiotic in canine IBD. She is currently a Senior Lecturer in Small Animal Internal Medicine at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh. Silke continues to have a great interest in canine and feline gastroenterology and has over 30 publications around these topics and several book chapters in relevant textbooks. She has presented her work in numerous conferences throughout the years and held a large number of CPD events in various countries. She is equally passionate about teaching and mentoring future veterinarians and small animal specialists and holds a postgraduate certificate in academic practice (PGAP) as well as a Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Veterinary Clinics of North America
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