The 2024 ISFM and AAFP Consensus Guidelines on the Long-term Use of NSAIDs in Cats from the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the International Society of Feline Medicine supports practitioners with decision-making around prescribing NSAIDs in situations of chronic pain to minimize adverse effects and optimize pain management for their feline patients. The … [Read more...]
Search Results for: AAFP guidelines
AAFP releases 2023 Feline Palliative Care Guidelines
The guidelines provide a comprehensive summary of how to approach and support cats’ and caregivers’ needs. They emphasize the need for empathy, kindness and understanding during what is a challenging time for cats and their human caregivers. Source: Today’s Veterinary Business, October 16, 2023. Link. The guidelines resulted from collaboration between the American … [Read more...]
2022 AAFP/EveryCat FIP Diagnosis Guidelines released
Feline infectious peritonitis is a viral disease that can affect any organ in the body, and it is caused by the feline coronavirus. In publishing these Guidelines, the AAFP and EveryCat aim to provide veterinarians with the essential information necessary to provide a FIP diagnosis in cats including characteristics and pathogenesis of FIP, as well as numerous diagnostic testing … [Read more...]
The AAFP and AAHA release the 2022 Antimicrobial Stewardship Guidelines
The 2022 AAFP/AAHA Antimicrobial Stewardship Guidelines <Link> present evidence-guided strategies that veterinarians and their teams can use in choosing appropriate antimicrobial therapy to best serve their patients and minimize the development of antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial stewardship is one of the most important public health issues facing the profession.” … [Read more...]
AAFP releases updated Feline Senior Care Guidelines
This new release provides a comprehensive update from the heavily referenced 2009 AAFP Senior Care Guidelines. The Guidelines address the importance of veterinary visits a minimum of every six months for cats 10 to 15 years old. This allows veterinary teams to best track and manage health-related issues and detect disease early. Healthy senior cats over the age of 15 should be … [Read more...]
AAHA and AAFP release updated feline life stage guidelines to the veterinary community
Our industry guidelines require updating as we understand more about the animals we live with and provide with care. New updates for individual felines are found in the 2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines. The Guidelines are provided jointly by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP). The new updates … [Read more...]
AAHA/AAFP introduce new feline vaccination guidelines
Consensus is a challenging part of scientific work, let alone developing guidelines to cover all the possible needs of any animal. Working together, the AAHA and AAFP tackled the collective needs of felines by updating the feline vaccination guidelines to serve the cat population and account for individualized vaccination protocols. It’s no longer just indoor cats versus … [Read more...]
AAFP recently updated feline retrovirus guidelines
The guidelines panel determined there was a need to improve compliance with testing and vaccination recommendations in cats. The 2020 guidelines < link > are first official update to the document in 12 years. One objective was to ensure the new guidelines enabled practical use for all veterinarians. The 32-page illustrated document offers new information about feline … [Read more...]
AAFP releases first cat-specific anesthesia guidelines
The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) has released the profession’s first feline-specific anesthesia guidelines. According to the AAFP, a standardized, evidence-based approach for administering anesthesia helps ensure a patient’s safe and predictable perioperative response and recovery. Empirical evidence shows that cats undergoing anesthesia have a higher … [Read more...]
AAFP updates position statements on the responsible breeding and indoor/outdoor lifestyle of cats
Seeking to provide evidence-based guidance to veterinary professionals and cat caregivers to ensure the highest standards of care for feline companions, the AAFP issued statements to more realistically address challenges with feline husbandry. Included in the statements were: The AAFP does not condone the breeding of cats with inherent malformations, and any breed with … [Read more...]
AAFP’s Guideline Briefs, an exclusive member benefit
AAFP’s new Guideline Briefs have been designed to help convey the major tenets of past guidelines into a short, easy-to-read format that can be easily printed and posted in veterinary practices and help educate staff. Source: American Association of Feline Practitioners, Link. Future Guidelines Briefs will be included as supporting materials when new practice guidelines are … [Read more...]
AAFP releases new end-of-life toolkit
AAFP’s new End of Life Educational Toolkit provides information to help facilitate a peaceful and painless transition for a cat at the end of their life. This digital toolkit aids veterinary professionals in preparing a well-planned process to honor the life of the cat by offering guidance and valuable information. Source: American Association of Feline Practitioners. May … [Read more...]
AAFP releases new feline hypertension educational toolkit
The new Hypertension Educational Toolkit will help veterinary professionals diagnose systemic arterial hypertension (hypertension) in cats, according to the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP). Assessing blood pressure in the feline species is an important part of feline preventive care, yet it is uncommon for practices to routinely perform this test. This … [Read more...]
AAFP survey finds successes for practices certified as Cat Friendly Practices
According to Elizabeth Colleran, DVM, MS, DABVP, AAFP co-chair of Cat Friendly Practices (CFP), this was a long time coming. The CFP program is a collaboration of feline experts who provide guidelines to ensure a more positive and less stressful veterinary experience for cats and their owners. . . . when cats panic and their cortisol levels skyrocket, the quality of the exam … [Read more...]
“Let cats scratch” says the AAFP
Revising its previous 2015 position statement on declawing, the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) now strongly opposes onychectomy as an elective procedure. The AAFP’s position stresses the need for veterinary teams to educate cat caregivers, as many are unaware that declawing is a surgical amputation of the third phalanx. Scratching is a normal feline … [Read more...]
Feline hyperthyroidism guidelines released
AAFP has issued new guidelines for managing feline hyperthyroidism. They include: Distill current research into simple, testing sequence recommendations to avoid misdiagnosis. Organize a FHT diagnosis into six clinical categories with associated strategies. Outline the currently available disease treatments. Explain how to monitor the patient to minimize co-morbid … [Read more...]
A new model and terminology for understanding feline emotions
New Cat Friendly Guidelines aim to provide a better understanding of feline emotions and how, in the veterinary clinic, interactions with cats and the physical environment can be adapted to achieve a truly cat-friendly experience. The guidelines take a cat-centric approach, respecting their emotions and the resulting behaviors. . . . ‘cat friendly interaction’ replaces ‘cat … [Read more...]
That latest scoop on feline vaccines, VETgirl
The most recent updates to the AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccine Guidelines have adjusted how veterinarians and cat owners approach vaccination and disease prevention. Now pet owner clients are included as essential members of their cats’ healthcare teams, cats have been defined into five populations and lifestyle has been taken into consideration. The result is a much more … [Read more...]
Feline nuisance behaviors; it’s a thing.
Feline nuisance behaviors are normal behaviors that occur in problematic ways and are not inherently pathological, says Chris Pachel, DVM, DACVB, CABC. He offers items to consider before making recommendations to cat owners for curbing their cat’s nuisance behavior. Cats have the potential to annoy people and sometimes pose a danger to themselves or others in the household. … [Read more...]
Expectations and cat behavior (video)
Catvocate Liz Bales, DVM, talks on WJLA’s The Pet Show with Dr. Katy about adjusting owner expectations to meet cat needs in homes. Cat owner dissatisfaction remains one of the primary reasons cats are relinquished for adoption. Being aware of Bales and her recommendations may make answering cat owner questions easier. The cat living outside is genetically identical to cats … [Read more...]
May is National Arthritis Month; remember pets, too
May is recognized annually as National Arthritis Awareness Month. Arthritis affects more than 50 million Americans, making it the number-one cause of disability in the country. Osteoarthritis is a very common problem in small animals, as well. It has been estimated that around 20 percent of dogs and 40 percent of cats will be affected by osteoarthritis at some point in their … [Read more...]
Formula, cat years x 7 = human years, no longer valid
The timeworn cat age formula no longer holds true, writes Elizabeth Vecsi. A cat celebrating his first birthday is actually the equivalent of a person who is 15 years old, a 10-year-old cat is the equivalent of 56 and a 17-year-old cat is the equivalent of 84. Source: Catnip, April 26, 2019. Link. New Feline Life Stages Guidelines developed jointly by the AAFP and AAHA … [Read more...]
September is Animal Pain Awareness Month
The second annual Animal Pain Awareness Month is being sponsored this month by the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM). The IVAPM is a multi-disciplinary organization dedicated to promoting, enhancing, and advancing pain management in animals. Scheduled to coincide with human medicine’s Pain Awareness Month, its theme is “Because their pain is our … [Read more...]