QUARTERLY BEAT / DECEMBER 2025
September 11, 2025
September 10, 2025
Small Animal Veterinary Medicine Research Roundup: September 2025 Edition by Dr. Alison Manchester, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM) • Gabapentin remains one of the most prescribed analgesics in small animal practice, yet its exact mechanism of action is still not fully understood, and has been shown to provide no added analgesic benefit for dogs receiving carprofen following TPLO, IVDD, or forelimb surgeries. • Improve quality of life (QOL) scores for cancer patients – consider using IV lidocaine and ketamine infusions to improve pain, appetite, mobility, and activity based on owner-reported outcomes. • Still using Torb as post OVH? Neither perioperative electroacupuncture nor butorphanol alone provided adequate post-op pain control following canine OVH, so please up your opioid pain game! • Got a nervous feline traveler? Pregabalin steps up as the smoother, more predictable, longer-lasting cousin to gabapentin — calming cats within 30 minutes at 2.5–7.5 mg/kg and lasting long enough for once per day dosing; analgesic effects are still being investigated. • Fluoxetine, alone or in combination with gabapentin plus behavioral modification, produced favorable outcomes for treating Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome, with fluoxetine alone acting fastest (within 1 month) but occasionally causing anorexia. • Dogs with protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) often have low vitamin D (cholecalciferol) levels which correlate with poor outcomes. Oral supplementation with vitamin D was well- tolerated, but this did not change clinical outcomes compared to placebo. Long-term outcomes were improved compared to historical reports.
Imaging in the Cardiac Patient: What, When, and Why by Dr. Lynne O’Sullivan, DVSc, DACVIM (Cardiology) • Thoracic radiography is still #1 when it comes to assessing airways, pulmonary parenchyma, pulmonary vasculature, general cardiac chamber size, and pleural space to help us differentiate between respiratory and cardiac pathologies in cats and dogs with cough or other respiratory signs. • That said, in critically ill, dyspneic patients, radiographs might do more harm than good if they add stress. Skip the standard VD positioning in these patients; a DV view is easier on the patient and gives a more natural ad consistent view of the heart and better view of the pulmonary vessels. • Keep in mind that the Vertebral Heart Score (VHS) is not a one-size-fits all! Breed variations exist, and the VHS is more a more reliable tool in dogs than in cats. • On lateral radiographs, draw a line from the carina to the cardiac apex — about 1/3 of the cardiac silhouette should fall behind that line, and 2/3 in front. • Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is an invaluable tool for assessing patients in respiratory distress, trauma, collapse, or syncope as it can quickly help you to identify pleural or pericardial effusion, wet vs. dry lung patterns, assess left atrial size, and systolic function. • When should you refer for an echo? It’s time for echocardiography if you detect: new murmurs or arrhythmias, pediatric murmurs, congestive heart failure, pericardial effusion, syncope, suspicion of pulmonary hypertension, or for screening high-risk or breeding animals.
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