Internal Medicine
The Internal Medicine Service offers a comprehensive canine and feline medical referral service to veterinary surgeons in general practice. Clinics are run daily from Monday to Thursday with an emergency service available at other times.
Current Studies
Feline diabetes and acromegaly.
This particular study consists of examining the relationship between diabetes and acromegaly and also the role of cardiovascular disease in these patients.
Stabilising cats with diabetes can sometimes be very challenging, therefore clinicians at the Royal Veterinary College are studying the relationship between the control of this disease and Insulin-like growth factor (IGF).
Growth Hormone (GH) exerts an anabolic effec, which is mediated by insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and plays a significant role in basal metabolic rate and developmental processes. Catabolic effects of GH include the development of insulin-resistance.Understanding the role between these conditions could improve the management of diabetic and acromegalic cats.
We are interested in receiving blood samples from all diabetic cats, including those that are proving difficult to stabilise. Newly diagnosed cats (diagnosis within the last 6 weeks) are eligible for follow up samples for 4 months.
Cats with a high IGF may be eligible for a free consultation at the Queen Mother Hopsital for Animals and a CT scan to try to confirm the presence of a pituitary mass. This can be of clinical value if owners wish to pursue radiotherapy which is still the treatment of choice for acromegalic cats. We are keen to continue long term follow up on these cats to objectively assess the long term response to treatment as well as consider other medical options should they become available.
Print out study information here.
Download submission forms for newly diagnosed and difficult diabetics here.
Please note that samples older than 4 days may not provide reliable fructosamine results so we would advise against sending samples on a Friday.
Canine Diabetes
Certain breeds, including the Samoyed, Cairn and Tibetan terriers seem to be predisposed to developing diabetes, whereas others, including the Boxer and German shepherd dog, seem to be less susceptible. Such breed differences suggest that there is a genetic component to disease susceptibility.
To this end The Royal Veterinary College has established a national canine diabetes register. This includes a database of clinical information and an archive of residual samples. This diabetic register should allow us to progress our understanding of the causes of this disease.
We are offering haemoglobin A1c testing free of charge, which can be used to monitor glycaemic control in dogs with diabetes.
In addition, we will provide fructosamine analysis free of charge where samples are submitted from dogs with diabetes not currently registered with us.
Download sample submission forms here.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease in German Shepherd dogs
Inflammatory Bowel disease is considered to be the most common cause of vomiting and diarrhoea in dogs. It is a chronic recurrent disease that can occur anywhere in the gastro-intestinal tract. The cause of canine inflammatory bowel disease is currently unknown but studies have shown that it is most likely immune-mediated with immunologic, environmental and genetic factors playing a role in disease development.
Although Inflammatory Bowel disease can occur in any canine breed it is more prevalent in some breeds such as the German Shepherd dog. This suggests that a genetic predisposition exists in this breed which increases their susceptibility to Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Therefore we aim to collect large numbers of residual samples from German Shepherd dogs suffering from inflammatory bowel disease and from German Shepherd dogs who are healthy. The samples will be used for genetic analysis to investigate the causes of this disease. The collective results from a large number of dogs are expected to add important knowledge and understanding of this disease and help find strategies for its prevention, early diagnosis and treatment.
Studying this disease in the dogs may also help research in inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis) in people.
Download further information here
Evaluation of hypercoagulability using thromboelastography in dogs with protein losing enteropathy.
Protein losing enteropathy (PLE) develops as a result of severe intestinal disease. It is a distressing disease that causes marked weight loss, usually in combination with severe diarrhoea. It has been our experience that some dogs with PLE develop acute deteriorations in their clinical state whilst hospitalised. We have suspected that this may be due to forming blood clots that travel to the lungs or brain causing breathing difficulties and ‘stroke’ like episodes. We know that anti-clotting agents are lost through the intestinal tract in dogs with this disease, but there is no strong evidence to suggest that dogs with this disease are more likely to form blood clots.
The purpose of this trial is to assess whether dogs with PLE have a tendency to form blood clots as the result of the development of a hypercoagulable state. The results of blood tests will not only help us decide if individuals have a tendency to form blood clots and alter their treatment accordingly but will also benefit other dogs in the future as it will allow a more thorough understanding of the disease and allow us to minimise the risk of the development of some of the most distressing aspects of this condition.
Pancreatitis
Canine acute pancreatitis (CAP) is a common and well recognized disease in dogs. In human cases of acute pancreatitis, nutritional intervention is one of the few treatment modalities proven to have a beneficial effect on patient outcome. Of the nutrients investigated, glutamine holds the most promise and has been shown to reduce inflammation and decrease hospitalization time.
The aim of this double-blinded study will be to investigate and record whether the parental supplementation of glutamine will positively impact on case outcome as evidenced by a decrease in C-reactive protein (CRP) and canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (cPLI) and through enhanced clinical response.