Susan Little

• DVM, DABVP (Feline)
• Bytown Cat Hospital

Clinical importance Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infections are found in cats worldwide. Both infections are associated with a variety of clinical signs and can impact quality of life and longevity. Scope This document is an update of the 2008 American Association of Feline Practitioners’ feline retrovirus m...

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceptions and opinions of Canadian pet owners about anaesthesia, pain and surgery in dogs and cats. METHODS: Six Canadian veterinary hospitals participated. Each practice received 200 copies of a questionnaire that were distributed to pet owners. Questions regarding the use of analgesics, anae...

The objective of the study was to determine the proportion of practitioners from Ontario, Canada who perform onychectomy, identify the techniques utilized, and obtain practitioners views on the procedure. An anonymous survey was distributed to Ontario Veterinary Medical Association members. Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to compare responses of opi...

Stay current with cutting-edge information from the leading feline experts! August's Consultations in Feline Internal Medicine, Volume 7 takes the popular Current Therapy approach to the latest issues, advances, and therapies in feline care. The 103 new chapters are organized by body systems, making information easy to access, and include more than...

This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions and opinions of Canadian pet owners about anesthesia, pain management and surgery in dogs and cats. Six veterinary hospitals from five provinces in Canada were enrolled. Each practice received 200 copies of a questionnaire which was distributed to pet owners during a 6-week period. This included sections...

Objective: To determine associations between oral health status and seropositivity for FIV or FeLV in cats. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Animals: 5,179 cats. Procedures: Veterinarians at veterinary clinics and animal shelters completed online training on oral conditions in cats and then scored oral health status of cats with no known hist...

Regrettably, two errors appeared in the 2013 AAFP Feline Vaccination Advisory Panel Report. Firstly, in the ‘Injectable vaccine administration’ box, on page 798, the pictures in Figures 8 and 9 were swapped with each other. The amended box is reproduced here. Secondly, the penultimate sentence in the second ‘Trap–Neuter–Return’ FAQ on page 804 shou...

Practical relevance: Orphaned kittens are common and veterinary team members should be prepared to assist owners in providing appropriate care. If a foster queen is not available, the physiologic needs normally provided by the queen, such as warmth, nutrition, elimination, sanitation and social stimulation, must be replaced. Specialized knowledge...

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has high sensitivity and specificity for detection of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) antibodies, but does not distinguish between infection and vaccination. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays may distinguish infected from vaccinated cats. Performance of a commercial qPCR assay was assessed with b...

Nursing care: The term nursing care means different things to different people. The authors of these AAFP and ISFM Feline-Friendly Nursing Care Guidelines define nursing care as any interaction between the cat and the veterinary team (veterinarian, technician or nurse, receptionist or other support staff) in the clinic, or between the cat and its o...

Most veterinarians have been presented with kittens that have failed to thrive. These patients are challenging due to their small size, their unfamiliar physiology, and the tendency for their status to deteriorate quickly. The most common general causes of illness and failure to thrive are maternal, gestational, environmental, genetic, and infectio...

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are common and important infectious disease agents of cats in Canada. Seroprevalence data for FeLV and FIV in various populations of Canadian cats are reviewed and recommendations for testing and management of infections by these viruses in cats in Canada are presented. Retrovirus...

Audience: Many veterinarians are closely involved with pedigree cat breeding and have become familiar with the unique characteristics of feline reproduction and breeding management. However, even veterinarians who do not have involvement with the pedigree cat fancy require a basic knowledge of the reproductive problems that are most likely to be e...

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are common and important infectious diseases of cats in Canada. Prevalence data are necessary to define prophylactic, management, and therapeutic measures for stray, feral and owned cats. Recently, comprehensive data on the seroprevalence of retrovirus infections of cats in Canada...

Comprehensive in scope and exclusively devoted to feline medical care, Dr. Susan Little's The Cat: Clinical Medicine and Management is an essential resource for anyone who provides complete, state-of-the-art care to cats. In one convenient volume, you'll find authoritative, clinically-focused information enhanced by full-color illustrations, tables...

The purposes of this study were to determine the seroprevalence of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection among cats in Canada and to identify risk factors for seropositivity. Signalment, lifestyle factors, and test results for FeLV antigen and FIV antibody were analyzed for 11 144 cats from the 10 Canadian p...

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are among the most common infectious diseases of cats. Although vaccines are available for both viruses, identification and segregation of infected cats form the cornerstone for preventing new infections. Guidelines in this report have been developed for diagnosis, prevention, tre...

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) seroprevalence is evaluated in 3 groups of cats. Seventy-four unowned urban strays were tested, as well as 20 cats from a small feral cat colony, and 152 client-owned cats. Of the 246 cats tested, 161 (65%) were male and 85 (35%) were female. Seroprevalence for FIV was 23% in the urban strays, 5% in the feral cat...

Diagnosis of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has recently become available, but little is known about the performance of this assay. The purpose of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of PCR diagnosis of FIV infection. Replicate aliquots of blood samples from cats identified a...