scott@vtx-cpd.com
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Replying to Gabriela Gonzalez-Ormerod 05/12/2021 - 13:47
Hello Gabriela.
I hope you are well. Thank you so much for your questions.
I have popped your questions below and a few thought. I hope they help:
â When you confirm GI ulceration and start your patients on omeprazole how long do you keep them on it for?
This is a good question. If there is confirmed ulceration I would keep patients on omeprazole for a minimum of 2 weeks. It would be typical for patients with ulceration to be on omeprazole for around 4 weeks. Remember, for courses of 4 weeks or longer it is best to taper the dose of omeprazole every week by 50% and not stop abruptly.
â Is there any advantage in using fibrynolitc agents in patients that have Evans syndrome?
Another good question. On balance I would not sue in these cases. The pathophysiology is really complex with all that is going on, but it would be risky to I think to promote clotting more despite the platelet part of the problem. I will run this question by an ECC specialist pal too, but I am not able to find any evidence this would be of benefit. This is why we need lyophilised platelets!
â If you have a patient with GI ulceration + severe pancreatitis (and they are possibly hypercoagulable) would a fibrinolytic agent still be indicated?
In an ideal world we would all have TEG and we could assess every patient perfectly from a coagulation point of view. Sadly we do not live in an ideal world! If there was severe GI bleeding I would. Again, it would depend a little on the cause. If there was non life threating GI bleeding secondary to ulceration, I would wait and see how things went with omeprazole first.
Hope that helps.
Scott ð
Replying to Alice L 05/12/2021 - 20:49
Hey Alice.
Brilliant question! I will add it to the list.
Hopefully see you Thursday!
Scott ð
Replying to Jacquin M. 01/12/2021 - 21:52
Hey Jacquin,
I hope you are well. Thank you again for your questions. Regarding the probiotics I mentioned:
With the VSL, I would base it on the study that demonstrated a benefit. The VSL#3 group (D-VSL#3; nâ=â10) received between 112 and 225 billion (112 to 225Ã109) lyophilized bacteria per 10 kg daily for 60 consecutive days. The amount will depend on the exact product (they vary in bacteria concentration). There is a mixture of capsules or powder.
With the other one:
There are some dose guidelines here:
https://www.sivomixx.net/en/author/sivoy/
Obviously there are lots of other veterinary probiotics in practice. For these, I would follow the individual manufacturer guidelines.
I hope that helps.
Scott ð
Replying to Jeanette Tungesvik 02/12/2021 - 09:39
At last!!!!
Sorry again about the issues accessing this! I am sure you were unable to control the excitement of prostatic disease!
Scott ð
Replying to Alice L 17/11/2021 - 10:24
Hello.
This has been uploaded. Let me know if you have any problems seeing this.
Scott ð
Replying to Madeleine Smith 01/12/2021 - 12:14
Never too late.
You have access to the lessons and discussion forum for 6 months… keep asking questions!
This is a really brilliant question. honestly, there is not any evidence to promote one 2nd line immunosuppression over another. You colleagues are right, there are some studies that show a varying time of effect with azathioprine, two weeks or more in some in vitro studies. I would go with any of the following:
Azathioprine: 2 mg/kg or 50âmg/m2 PO q24h. After 2-3 weeks, the dosing interval may be increased to every other day until treatment is discontinued.
Cyclosporine: 5 mg/kg PO q12h. Adjustment of this dosage may be guided by therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) (see recommendation #28).
Mycophenolate mofetil: 8-12âmg/kg PO q12h.
The only other reason mycophenolate might be a good option is that there is an injectable form.
In short, any of the above will be fine!
Scott ð
Replying to Alice L 30/11/2021 - 22:19
Thanks again.
Really sorry about this and realise what a massive pain it is.
Will contact IT and get sorted ASAP.
Have a good day.
Scott ð
Replying to Jeanette Tungesvik 26/11/2021 - 16:37
Hello.
Really interesting question and really challenging cases. I am glad the cat is doing well. Is this the only medication the cat is currently on? Is the cat urinating normally?
There are various different drug combinations that can be used, including diazepam, prazosin, bethanechol, a combination of diazepam and prazosin, or a combination of diazepam, prazosin and bethanechol.
I generally find diazepam is not necessary. I tend to use a combination of bethanechol and prazosin. Regarding the phenoxybenzamine; I would probably reduce this gradually. Reducing to once daily for a week and then every other day. I think it is worth weaning but impossible to know if this might be needed long term without trying.
Hope that helps.
Scott ð
Replying to Jeanette Tungesvik 29/11/2021 - 14:21
Hello Alice and Jeanette,
Hope you are both well. Sorry you have had problems with this lesson. All looks OK from the website side. Can you refresh and let lesson run right to the end please.
If this still does not work let me know.
Scott ð
Replying to Louise Groot 29/11/2021 - 15:11
This is a really great question Louise.
I am afraid there is not a straightforward answer! In veterinary medicine, colloids are indicated primarily for bolus intravascular volume support. Much of the decision making will be based on the individual case and what is available:
1. In hypovolaemic cases I would typically use a combination of isotonic crystalloids, hypertonic saline and blood products (if appropriate).
2. In cases where hypotension is the biggest issue I would use isotonic crystalloids, hypertonic saline and blood products when appropriate and consider vasopressors if this was not effective.
3. Cases where colloid support can be most tricky is cases with severe hypoalbuminaemia. Right now due to concerns about cost, safety, and availability of albumin products, synthetic colloids (HES) are used extensively for resuscitation and improvement of colloid oncotic pressure (COP) in veterinary medicine. Colloid CRIs have been used historically for improvement of COP, but the possible risk of increased side effects with cumulative doses and lack of improvement in outcome data from human studies indicate this practice should be further examined. Also, no large-scale human study has found a significant outcome advantage in patients given any colloid (natural or synthetic) over balanced isotonic crystalloids alone. As with any drug, the risks versus benefits of colloids should be carefully considered and their use titrated as needed for each individual patient. The lowest possible dose of HES should be used for the shortest period of time to minimize potentially underrecognized adverse effects in our veterinary patients. Further studies are needed to see if the use of natural albumin products such as canine serum albumin is superior to crystalloids alone in improving outcomes in veterinary patients.
Ultimately, I would be using them in cases where other options had been exhausted as far as supporting blood pressure and COP.
Hope that helps. Happy to chat through this more at Q&A too.
Scott ð
Replying to Louise Groot 29/11/2021 - 15:15
Hey Louise.
We can indeed do this. We were trying not to bombard people with email as I know that can be annoying too.
I will be posting today about a live Q&A session with the amazing Professor Danielle Gunn-Moore that you are also welcome to join.
Scott ð
Replying to elaine elder 29/11/2021 - 19:38
Hey Elaine.
It is a really good question! We also used to use Oxyglobin during my residency. It went off the market and has not made any attempt to come back, so this is really not an option now.
Xenotransfusion is definitely a great option in the true emergency while you sort out getting actual cat blood by whatever means!
Scott ð
Hello Alice.
Thanks for this, I will flag to Andy and get sorted ASAP.
Scott ð
Replying to Zoe McGarry 19/11/2021 - 12:05
Hey Zoe.
Hope you are well.
I have started a whole new thread regarding the feline blood bank.
Would love to hear your thoughts.
Scott ð
Replying to Jacquin M. 22/11/2021 - 19:06
Hello Jaquin.
There are not veterinary specific devices, but they have been validated in dogs.
I will get Liz to comment a bit more as she is more experienced with these devices.
Scott ð
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