The cat urine test kit. (Photo courtesy of Chulalongkorn University).

Researchers from Chulalongkorn University (Chula) in Bangkok, Thailand have developed a cat urine test kit for the detection of urinary tract diseases that cat owners can use. The kit screens for hematuria, which can indicate kidney disease, gallstones—or cholelithiasis—, cystitis, or other diseases related to the urinary tract.

“We hope that the cat urine test kit will be one of the tools to enable the owners to monitor the health of their cat regularly. And if the risk of kidney disease, gallstones, or cystitis is detected, it can be treated by a veterinarian promptly,” Lunjakorn Amornkitbamrung, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at Chula Faculty of Science, and co-inventor of the cat urine test kit, said in a news release by Chula.

Additionally, the project received a grant from the National Research Council of Thailand.

Researchers Amornkitbamrung and Kanet Wongravee, PhD, associate professor at Chula Faculty of Science developed the kit under a pilot project named 'Thai Inventors, World Inventors.'

The kit includes a test strip and a vial of liquid. To use, follow these directions

Scoop cat litter soaked with urine and mix it with the solution

Given its non-invasive nature, the urine test kit can be used by pet owners to routinely check their cat’s urine for the presence of blood, helping to maintain their pet’s health in check, according to the news release.

According to Amornkitbamrung, current methods used by veterinarians to diagnose kidney disease or cystitis in cats include inserting a needle into the cat’s bladder or inserting a catheter to draw out urine, which can be painful for the cat.

“These methods of diagnosis are accurate because the samples are taken directly from the bladder and the cat’s genitalia, but the procedures can be quite painful. Our research team wanted to solve this problem, so we invented a cat urine test kit to reduce the pain in the diagnostic procedure and from the kidney disease and cystitis symptoms,” explained Amornkitbamrung.

Despite its ease of use and painless procedure, the urine test kit can only detect a level 3 risk of developing kidney disease, gallstones, or cystitis

“The test is performed on the urine in the cat litter causing the sample [of the blood] to be diluted…in the urine. Therefore, the test will detect the presence of blood when the cat is in stage 3, so if the result is positive, the cat owner must immediately take the cat to the veterinarian,” said Amornkitbamrung. According to Chula, there are plans to improve the test kit’s sensitivity, with the goal of allowing it to detect lower levels of hematuria.

Prevalence of chronic kidney disease, feline idiopathic cystitis, and cholelithiasis

Chronic kidney disease is prevalent among older cats, affecting approximately 30% to 40% of cats over 10 years and 81% of cats aged 15 years or more. According to VCA Animal Hospitals, clinical signs are only seen once at least 67% to 70% of the kidneys have become dysfunctional.

 (FIC) affects 250,000 to 500,000 cats in North America each year, with symptoms including increased urination, hematuria, straining to urinate, painful urination, and house-soiling or urinating outside of the litter box.

Limited literature on cholelithiasis in cats revealed that gallstones are uncommon in cats and may be asymptomatic. However, symptomatic cholelithiasis can indicate another hepatobiliary disease, biliary tract obstruction, or both.

1. Easy and fast “cat urine test kit” for early detection of kidney disease, gallstones, and cystitis. News release. Chulalongkorn University. June 18, 2024. Accessed July 1, 2024. 

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/kidney-failure-chronic-in-cats#:~:text=It%20is%20mainly%20a%20problem,of%20cats%20over%2015%20years

2. Chronic feline idiopathic cystitis study. Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Accessed July 1, 2024. 

https://cvm.msu.edu/research/faculty-research/urology/center-for-feline-health-and-well-being-1/chronic-feline-idiopathic-cystitis-study-1#:~:text=Feline%20idiopathic%20cystitis%20(FIC)%20is,cats%20annually%20in%20North%20America

3. Brunet A, Duperrier‐Simond C, Amoyal S, et al. Prevalence and clinical relevance of cholelithiasis in cats: A multicenter retrospective study of 98 cases. 

Articles

A cat urine test kit developed in Thailand uses litterbox samples to screen for risk of kidney disease, gallstones, or cystitis

New cat urine test kit screens for hematuria via noninvasive procedure

The study of the microbiome in veterinary science has become a critical area of research, with significant implications for the health management of companion animals such as cats and dogs. The microbiome, a complex consortium of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microorganisms, includes bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses, and protozoa.

 These microbial communities are found across various niches in the animal host, including the gastrointestinal tract, skin, oral cavity, respiratory system, and urogenital tract. Comprised of 10

 microorganisms and at least 20 million unique microbial genes, the microbiome is the largest genetic component of the human or animal superorganism.

A diverse and balanced microbiome is crucial for health. However, dysbiosis, or the imbalance in the microbial community structure, is linked to gastrointestinal issues like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as well as systemic conditions including obesity and diabetes. This positions the microbiome to be a key focus for diagnostic and therapeutic research into intestinal, skin, oral, respiratory, and urogenital health in companion animals.

In the realm of animal health, the gastrointestinal microbiome has been the most extensively characterized. The microbiome of companion animals is predominantly composed of bacterial phyla, with Fusobacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes being the most abundant, followed by Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria.

 These microbes engage in a myriad of biochemical pathways that are crucial for host physiology, including the fermentation of indigestible dietary polysaccharides, production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, propionate and acetate, as well as the synthesis of essential vitamins and amino acids. These microbial metabolites are vital for proper functioning of multiple organ systems and overall health and wellness.

The gut microbiome also plays a pivotal role in the development and function of the host immune system, protecting the host from pathogens, helping the intestinal barrier function and providing beneficial metabolites.

 The composition of the intestinal microbiome is influenced by diet, stress, drug therapies such as antibiotics or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), inflammation of the intestinal tract and the structure of the intestine to name a few.

 Microbial metabolites of the gut microbiome provide multiple benefits for intestinal health as well as distant organ systems, such as the kidneys, brain and heart.

The cutaneous microbiome of cats and dogs is equally complex, with distinct microbial populations occupying various skin niches influenced by factors such as sebaceous gland density and moisture content.

 The skin microbiota contributes to the protective barrier against pathogenic invasion and modulates local immune responses. Dysbiosis of the skin microbiota has been associated with dermatological conditions such as atopic dermatitis, where alterations in microbial diversity and the proliferation of opportunistic pathogens like 

Want to learn more about the microbiome? 

Check out dvm360's microbiome resource center

The oral microbiome of companion animals is a diverse microbial ecosystem which can be protective and provide essential barriers and interactions with the host immune system, or pathogenic and cause diseases. It is also a significant contributor to oral health, with an imbalance in this community is associated with periodontal disease, which can have systemic health implications.

 Because the oral microbiome can be altered by many factors, including age, food consumption, health condition and environmental changes, the oral microbiota provides a potential diagnostic tool and therapeutic target for preventing periodontitis and its associated comorbidities.

While the respiratory, urogenital, and otic microbiomes are less well-characterized, they are recognized for their roles in local defense mechanisms and potential implications for systemic health. For example, the respiratory microbiome may influence susceptibility to respiratory pathogens,

 and the urogenital microbiome has been associated with urinary tract infections and reproductive health.

Research to further characterize and define the role the local microbiomes play in each of these organ systems is ongoing.

Advancements in high-throughput sequencing technologies and bioinformatics have allowed for in-depth analysis of the pet microbiome, providing insights into not only its composition, but also its functional potential. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic approaches enable the identification of microbial genes and their expression profiles, shedding light on the metabolic activities within these communities and their interactions with the host.

The microbiome is a fundamental component of feline and canine health, with extensive implications for therapeutic interventions. As veterinary healthcare professionals, learning about the microbiome and its interactions with the host is helpful for the development of targeted treatments and preventive measures that support the overall health and well-being of companion animals. That is why our goal at Hill’s Pet Nutrition is to conduct groundbreaking microbiome research to learn how to develop products that feed and nourish pets and their unique microbiomes, and share this knowledge with fellow researchers, pet parents and veterinary health care team members.

Table 1. Nutrition Function and Product Benefits

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Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice

Ritchie LE, Steiner JM, Suchodolski JS. Assessment of microbial diversity along the feline intestinal tract using 16S rRNA gene analysis. FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2008;66(3):590-598

Handl, S., German, A. J., Holden, S. L., Dowd, S. E., Steiner, J. M., Heilmann, R. M., ... & Suchodolski, J. S. (2013). Faecal microbiota in lean and obese dogs. 

Minamoto, Y., Otoni, C. C., Steelman, S. M., Büyükleblebici, O., Steiner, J. M., Jergens, A. E., & Suchodolski, J. S. (2015). Alteration of the fecal microbiota and serum metabolite profiles in dogs with idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease. 

Alessandri, G., Milani, C., Mancabelli, L., Longhi, G., Anzalone, R., Lugli, G. A., ... & Ventura, M. (2020). Deciphering the bifidobacterial populations within the canine and feline gut microbiota. 

Rowland, I., Gibson, G., Heinken, A., Scott, K., Swann, J., Thiele, I., & Tuohy, K. (2018). Gut microbiota functions: metabolism of nutrients and other food components. 

Wernimont SM, Radosevich J, Jackson MI, et al. The effects of nutrition on the gastrointestinal microbiome of cats and dogs: impact on health and disease. Front Microbiol. 2020;11:1266

Garraway K, Johannes CM, Bryan A, et al. Relationship of the mucosal microbiota to gastrointestinal inflammation and small cell intestinal lymphoma in cats. J Vet Intern Med. 2018;32(5):1692-1702

Grice, E. A., Kong, H. H., Conlan, S., Deming, C. B., Davis, J., Young, A. C., ... & Segre, J. A. (2009). Topographical and temporal diversity of the human skin microbiome. 

Bradley CW, Morris DO, Rankin SC et al. Longitudinal evaluation of the skin microbiome and association with microenvironment and treatment in canine atopic dermatitis. J Invest Dermatol 2016; 136: 1,182–1,190.

Kilian, M. (2018). The oral microbiome–friend or foe?. 

Vientós‐Plotts, A. I., Ericsson, A. C., & Reinero, C. R. (2023). The respiratory microbiota and its impact on health and disease in dogs and cats: a one health perspective. 

Banchi, P., Spanoghe, L., Maes, D., Morrell, J., & Van Soom, A. (2024). The reproductive microbiome in dogs: Friend or foe?. 

Sunvold GD, Hussein HS, Fahey GC, Jr., et al. In vitro fermentation of cellulose, beet pulp, citrus pulp, and citrus pectin using fecal inoculum from cats, dogs, horses, humans, and pigs and ruminal fluid from cattle. 

Ozdal T, Sela DA, Xiao J, et al. The Reciprocal Interactions between Polyphenols and Gut Microbiota and Effects on Bioaccessibility. 

Hossain, K. S., Amarasena, S., & Mayengbam, S. (2022). B vitamins and their roles in gut health. 

Tizard IR, Jones SW. The Microbiota Regulates Immunity and Immunologic Diseases in Dogs and Cats. 

Bauer E, Williams BA, Smidt H, et al. Influence of the gastrointestinal microbiota on development of the immune system in young animals. 

Brandtzaeg P. Induction of secretory immunity and memory at mucosal surfaces. 

Meyer-Hoffert U, Hornef MW, Henriques-Normark B, et al. Secreted enteric antimicrobial activity localises to the mucus surface layer. 

Muller CA, Autenrieth IB, Peschel A. Innate defenses of the intestinal epithelial barrier. 

Lievin-Le Moal V, Servin AL. The front line of enteric host defense against unwelcome intrusion of harmful microorganisms: mucins, antimicrobial peptides, and microbiota. 

Gibson GR, Wang X. Regulatory effects of bifidobacteria on the growth of other colonic bacteria. 

Szentkuti L, Riedesel H, Enss ML, et al. Pre-epithelial mucus layer in the colon of conventional and germ-free rats. 

Meslin JC, Fontaine N, Andrieux C. Variation of mucin distribution in the rat intestine, caecum and colon: effect of the bacterial flora. 

Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol

Paws, claws, and microbes

With the start of July and the 4th of July quickly approaching, National Lost Pet Prevention Month is in full swing. According to a news release by Petco Love, a national nonprofit organization committed to animal welfare, more pets are lost on July 4th than any other day of the year.

 In preparation for the upcoming day, and as part of its MY RUFF DAY campaign aimed to help reunite pets with their owners, Petco Love is strongly encouraging individuals to register their cats and dogs on Love Lost, Petco Love’s national database for lost and found pets.

Love Lost employs image recognition technology to assist families in reuniting with their lost pets using one photograph, according to Petco Love. Fireworks during events like July 4th are among several reasons why pets may become frightened and go missing during the summer months.

 To help reunite these animals with their families, the organization is urging people who lose or find a pet to utilize Love Lost.

From July 4th to July 6th, there is a 30% to 60% increase in lost pets at shelters and animal control facilities.

 “Shelter overcrowding is a crisis,” said Adam Claar, a behavior a training manager at Heritage Humane Society, an organization that cares for homeless pets transitioning from stray or surrender to forever homes, in a news article.

 According to pet statistics from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, approximately 3.2 million cats and 3.1 million dogs enter animal shelters in the United States each year, with only 810,000 who enter as strays getting returned to their owners. Of those 810,000, 100,000 are cats and 710,000 are dogs.

"July is National Lost Pet Prevention Month because of how many pets go missing this time of year, many of them ending up in shelters that are already at capacity," said Susanne Kogut, president of Petco Love. "Our mission is to reunite all lost pets…with the families that love them as quickly as possible. We know if people who lose or find a pet use one central national database to post those pets, they have a better chance of reuniting with their loved ones. Together, we can Unite to Reunite and help pets, pet families, and shelters all over the country."

Love Lost has reunited 50,000 pet owners across the United States with their lost animal companions.

 Moreover, Love Lost offers assistance in many languages and ensures privacy for its users, according to the organization. Additionally, animal shelters throughout the nation like Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) in Tucson, Arizona are using the platform to help get lost pets to their owners.

"Reuniting pets in our community not only honors the human-animal bond and maintains public health, but it also allows shelters like ours to prioritize resources to those pets who truly need us – sick and injured, behavioral challenged, and those whose pet parents are experiencing crisis," said Monica Dangler, director at PACC. "We view keeping pets with their families as an important piece of providing a safe and healthy community."

In congruence with its mission to help animal companions, Petco Love also released its second animated short series about lost pets’ journey back to their homes, told from the point of a view of a cat or a dog. Their second episode is titled “Fireworks Fiasco” and follows 2 dogs who escape their yard after being frightened by fireworks.

Petco Love Urges Pet Parents to Register Their Cats and Dogs on Love Lost Ahead of July 4th Holiday. News release. Petco Love. June 28, 2024. Accessed July 1, 2024. 

https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/petco-love-urges-pet-parents-to-register-their-cats-and-dogs-on-love-lost-ahead-of-july-4th-holiday-302185360.html

Ryan E. ‘The day of missing pets’. Next Avenue. July 1, 2024. Accessed July 1, 2024.

https://www.nextavenue.org/the-day-of-missing-pets/#

Pet statistics. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Accessed July 1, 2024. 

https://www.aspca.org/helping-people-pets/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics

Love Lost, Petco Love’s national database for lost and found pets can help reunite families with their animal companions

Preparing for July 4th: The day the greatest number of pets go missing

Александр Лебедько/stock.adobe.com

When it comes to ophthalmology, a basic understanding of what to do and what is being presented in front of veterinary professionals at a clinic can help improve the pet's care and in some cases, save their vision. To help better prepare professionals, we have put together 3 must-read articles including how to recognize 3 ocular emergencies as well as what to do when an ocular patient comes into the clinic.

: During the 2024 Midwest Veterinary Conference, Ralph E Hamor, DVM, MS, DACVO, Hamor Veterinary Ophthalmology LLC, explained to attendees when an ocular condition becomes an emergency

Study finds purebred canines are not more prone to health problems

Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences researchers published a study in 

 showcasing their findings on the frequency of health conditions diagnosed in purebred and mixed-breed dogs.

For general practitioners, are you and your team prepared for a patient coming into the clinic with an ophthalmology emergency? Becky Telle, DVM, DACVO, from Veterinary Eye Center of NYC reviewed with attendees the common causes of ophthalmic blindness and mydriasis in patients during her New York Vet lecture.

These articles highlight ocular emergencies, recent advancements, and what to do when a pet arrives to the clinic with trouble seeing 

3 Must-reads on ophthalmology 

 readers! With the holiday weekend quickly approaching, now is the time to begin educating clients about safety concerns for the fourth of July, and how they can keep their pets safe. Throughout the week, 

 will be sharing tips on how to keep pets safe and the concerns lurking within all the fun.

As we prepare for the holiday weekend, here is what you can find this week on dvm360.com:

Chelsea McGivney, DVM, provides a comprehensive guide to help veterinary professionals better understand veterinary telehealth to help support the human-animal bond in every stage of life as well as nurture pets.

In his latest installment of "The Dilemma," Marc Rosenberg, VMD, breaks down a in clinic scenario on how to handle complains that are coming into your clinic and how the team can address them.

, Doug Aspros, DVM, to discuss the gaps in education when it comes to dentistry, how the industry can close the gap, and ways to empower general practitioners.

Petco Love released an animated video ‘Firework Fiasco’ that follows 2 dogs that were frightened by fireworks and escape from their yard to educate and encourage pet owners to register their pets on Love Lost prior to the holiday weekend.

’s "Clinic center" will be available this week! Each addition highlights clinics and hospitals opening up throughout the United States, this week’s including the latest VCA Animal Hospital to open in San Antonio, Texas.

Allison A Stewart, DVM, MS, DACVS, shares more on absorbable chemotherapeutic beads as a way to fight cancer in equine patients, which has demonstrated an 88% resolution rate in one published study.

Here is a sneak peek at this week’s headlines 

Sneak peek: Protecting pets this fourth of July weekend, and other veterinary news 

Editor's Note: This article was updated on July 14, 2024.

Absorbable chemotherapeutic beads containing cisplatin have been helpful in resolving equine cutaneous tumors as a standalone treatment or following laser debulking of the tumor prior to bead implantation. In a study, 83% of enrolled patients were tumor free at a 2-year follow-up. This included 20 of 22 horses with sarcoid or spindle cell tumors, 6 of 10 with squamous cell carcinomas, 13 of 14 with melanomas, and 2 of 3 with other tumor types.

 Over the past few years, absorbable cisplatin beads have been only intermittently available for treatment of incompletely excised tumors. Because of these issues, an absorbable chemotherapeutic bead containing carboplatin using the Kerrier bead mold set has been developed.

The absorbable carboplatin beads are composed of a sterile mix 4 mL of (10 mg/mL) carboplatin and 15 g of calcium sulfate powder available from the Kerrier bead mold mixture (

). Sterile nitrile gloves should be used to effectively block the chemotherapy from being absorbed while handling the compound from the onset of making the chemotherapeutic beads to inserting them. Masks, goggles, and gowns are also typically worn as additional safety precautions.

 (A) Absorbable chemotherapeutic bead in mold drying. (B) Removing 3 mm and 5 mm beads from mold. (C) Double packaging beads for gas sterilization.

After sterilely mixing the carboplatin liquid and calcium sulfate powder in a sterile bowl, the mixture is pressed into the silicone bead mold. Care is taken to remove air bubbles and fill the 3-mm bead molds first. The beads are left in the bead mold overnight to dry. Once dry, the absorbable beads are removed from the mold, double-packaged, labeled, and gas-sterilized for later use.

 Cryotherapy after debulking the tumor, prior to insertion of chemotherapeutic beads.

Horses with cutaneous tumors in our clinic are typically treated with excisional biopsies whenever possible. If there is a chance the excision was incomplete, we perform cryotherapy at the surgical site (

). Following cryotherapy, we change gloves and instrument packs to prevent recontamination of our surgical site. Once the surgical site has been treated with 3 freeze-thaw cycles, the tissues are lavaged with sterile saline or saline containing 1:100 dilution of betadine solution. All significant sources of hemorrhage are ligated with 2-0 polyglactin 910 absorbable suture (Vicryl; Ethicon).

The surgical site is embedded with cisplatin absorbable beads in a grid pattern, starting ventrally and working proximally. Starting ventrally helps prevent bleeding from obscuring the surgical site as you work proximally. Beads are extended to 1-cm margins of the tumor whenever possible. Fresh 15 scalpel blades are used to make each new stab incision. The subcutaneous space is widened with mosquito hemostats, and a bead is placed in the tissue bed. The stab incision can be closed with 2-0 poliglecaprone 25 (Monocryl; Ethicon) or tissue glue. Finally, the wound bed is closed with 2-0 polyglactin 910 absorbable suture in the depths in a cruciate pattern oversewn by a simple continuous pattern. The skin is closed with a cruciate pattern of 2-0 poliglecaprone 25.

If excisional biopsy is not possible because of anatomic location (this often occurs around eyes), a punch biopsy is performed, and absorbable chemotherapeutic beads are used as a standalone treatment. Absorbable chemotherapeutic beads are placed in a grid pattern throughout the mass, including 1-cm margins.

 (A) Erosive rapidly expanding squamous cell carcinoma at day 0. (B) 5 days after treatment (C) 14 days after treatment (D) 2 months after treatment with absorbable Carboplatin beads.

Since June 2021, at least 18 cutaneous tumors in horses have been treated at Tennessee Equine Hospital in Thompson’s Station using absorbable cisplatin or carboplatin absorbable beads. As practitioners, we treated 12 squamous cell carcinomas, 4 sarcoid tumors, and 2 other masses. Fourteen of 18 tumors completely resolved with 1 or 2 reapplications. (

). The 4 tumors that did not respond were squamous cell carcinoma with evidence of progression for over 1 year. In 14 cases, absorbable chemotherapeutic beads were used in conjunction with surgical debulking or excision and cryotherapy. In 4 cases, only the absorbable chemotherapeutic bead was used.

In our internal study at Tennessee Equine Hospital, the resolution rate was 88% with absorbable chemotherapeutic beads. In smaller or erosive tumors, the absorbable chemotherapeutic bead may offer a stand-alone treatment option for areas in which surgical excision may be detrimental, like the medial canthus of the eye. Insertion of 3-mm beads appears safe and easy to perform. Based on other studies, the chemotherapy is eluted from the bead for a minimum of 3 weeks.

 Practitioners should base repeat absorbable chemotherapeutic bead placement on response of the tumor.

, is a board-certified equine surgeon at Tennessee Equine Hospital, based in West Thompson’s Station. She enjoys furthering her knowledge in equine surgery. Retrospective evaluation of her cases has helped contribute to this knowledge base. Where her findings have contributed to a change or advancement in a procedure, she has felt it important to present the information. She has done this in abstracts, publications, and speaking when she feels it is a relevant contribution to veterinary medicine and surgery.

Hewes CA, Sullins KE. Use of cisplatin-containing biodegradable beads for treatment of cutaneous neoplasia in Equidae: 59 cases (2000- 2004). 

. 2006;229(10):1617-1622. doi:10.2460/javma.229.10.1617

Worth DB, Risselada M, Cooper BR, Moore GE. Repeatability of in vitro carboplatin elution from carboplatin-impregnated calcium sulfate hemihydrate beads made in a clinic setting. 

. 2020;49(8):1609-1617. doi:10.1111/vsu.13511

Belda B, Ramos-Vara J, Messenger KM, Risselada M. Pharmacokinetic and safety assessment of carboplatin-impregnated calcium sulfate hemihydrate beads in eight rats. 

. 2021;50(8):1650-1661. doi:10.1111/vsu.13712

Traverson M, Stewart CE, Papich MG. Evaluation of bioabsorbable calcium sulfate hemihydrate beads for local delivery of carboplatin. 

. 2020;15(11):e0241718. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0241718

The therapy demonstrated an 88% resolution rate in one study