Winn Feline Foundation Podcasts on Feline Health

Join Dr. Glenn Olah and the audience at the 2016 Winn Symposium for a lively Q&A session with Drs. Leslie Lyons and Nicholas Dodman.

Speakers at Winn Symposiums provide excellent answers to important questions from our audience.

We at Winn thank you for listening.

Dr. Dodman provided information on the common presentation of three compulsive behaviors in cats - wool sucking/pica, psychogenic alopecia and feline hyperesthesia syndrome. He addressed the cause and treatment of each disorder, including genetic foundations, environmental pressures that trigger them, and environmental and pharmacologic therapies that have been shown to reduce, or in some cases practically eliminate their expression.

He outlined a phenotypic study of wool sucking funded by Winn, listing potential causes and preventive measures that can be taken to reduce the occurrence of this troubling and occasionally lethal condition. Also, Dr. Dodman discussed findings of a Winn-funded study to locate atypical genomic regions in Birman cats affected with this condition.

In a short segment, Dr. Glenn Olah introduces the Winn Feline Foundation board members in the audience.

Dr. Olah introduces the second speaker for the 2016 Symposium, Dr. Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, MRCVS, DACVA, DACVB. Dr. Dodman has just retired and was a Professor at Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. He is an expert in behavior and covered Feline Compulsive Disorders in his presentation.

Dr. Lyons presented a review of her work, then lead into a description of "Precision Medicine", which is now available for humans, and its role in the future of feline medicine.

Gene-specific DNA-based tests for inherited diseases have been available for veterinary health care in cats for over 25 years. Now over 40 genes with nearly 70 DNA variants have been documented to cause phenotypic, disease or blood type variations. More recently, the entire genomes of dozens of cats have been sequenced, rapidly gleaning the genetic information that is controlling health and what an animal looks like. In the coming years, veterinarians will be performing whole genome screens of some kind as a routine component of a disease diagnosis. Whether for tumors or other diseases, the DNA results will routinely direct future therapies.

Dr. Glenn Olah, President of Winn Feline Foundation, gives a brief history of Winn's major research milestones from 1968 and in recent years.

Dr. Olah introduces the first speaker, Dr. Leslie Lyons, for the 2016 Winn Symposium. Dr. Lyons, PhD, is the Gilbreath-McLorn Endowed Professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine.

The introduction delivers background on the cutting edge feline medicine Winn has provided to cats over the years and the exceptional investigators like Dr. Lyons who perform the health studies.

Dr. Vicki Thayer, Executive Director of Winn Feline Foundation, interviews Dr. Jody Gookin of North Carolina State University about her recently funded 2016 research project (W16-053), Efficacy of a new treatment for cats with ronidazole-resistant Tritrichomonas foetus infection.

Tritrichomonas foetus (TF) is a parasitic infection that causes foul relapsing bouts of diarrhea in cats from every corner of the world. Only the drug ronidazole has been identified as effective in treating TF infection but 36% of cats fail to clinically benefit from the drug and others suffer from drug toxicity. An alternative drug has been identified that is 10 times more effective than ronidazole at killing feline TF. The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness and safety of this alternative drug for treatment of cats with TF infection and diarrhea and that failed prior treatment with ronidazole.

Winn Feline Foundation's Executive Director, Dr. Vicki Thayer, interviews a currently funded researcher, Dr. Katie Tolbert of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, about a protozoal organism called Tritrichomonas foetus that causes chronic diarrhea in cats.

Dr. Tolbert describes her two ongoing studies on this disease and how this research might provide answers on diagnosing and possibly preventing this frustrating condition in cats.

She also follows up with her plans for future research she believes would be valuable for improving cat's lives and she hopes that Winn will be able to fund in future years.

The interview was conducted after Dr. Tolbert spoke at the American Animal Hospital Conference in Austin, TX for the Winn Feline Foundation sponsored CE track.

Join Winn Feline Foundation's Executive Director, Dr. Vicki Thayer, in a conversation with Dr. Colleen Currigan. Dr. Currigan is the President-Elect of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and with the Cat Hospital of Chicago.

The conversation covers some of the exciting new programs both Winn and AAFP are undertaking. With National Technician's Week in October, Winn has a new program, Honor a Technician, that recognizes the significant role licensed Veterinary Technicians play in veterinary practice. AAFP has their fast growing initiative for Cat Friendly Practice which has tools for team members such as veterinary technicians to help cats have a stress-free veterinary experience. Winn Feline Foundation endorses the importance of the Cat Friendly Practice for cats and the veterinary team. Learn more about how these programs can benefit cats and the people who love them.

Winn Feline Foundation and AAFP are collaborating in efforts to tell others how important cats are to us in our daily lives and what we can do to benefit cats in return. Learn more about both organizations at www.winnfelinefoundation.org and www.catvets.com.

Please join us at the 37th annual Winn Symposium in Toronto on July 2, 2015. Steve Dale, internationally known radio personality and Master of Ceremonies, introduces Dr. Craig Webb, DVM, PhD, DACVIM and Associate Professor from Colorado State University. Following is a Question and Answer session with Drs. Jody Gookin and Dr. Webb.

Dr. Webb presents "Feline stem cells as a novel treatment for chronic intestinal disease in cats". While the search for solutions to the common problem of chronic diarrhea in cats continues, Winn research is at the forefront of new potential therapies. Evidence-based treatments of dietary intervention, Vitamin B12 supplementation, and probiotics will be briefly reviewed. Potential beneficial treatment regimens have been identified, as the properties and use of stem cells for various treatments are better understood. One example is fat-derived feline stem cells whose abundant properties appear to make them suited for the treatment of feline chronic intestinal disease or diarrhea. Dr. Webb will highlight how stem cells work and describe a pilot study that supports further study of this type of therapeutic approach.

Please join us at the 37th annual Winn Feline Foundation Symposium in Toronto on July 2, 2015. Steve Dale, internationally known radio personality and Master of Ceremonies, introduces Dr. Jody Gookin, DVM, PhD, DACVIM and Associate Professor from North Carolina State University.

Dr. Gookin presents "Understanding the probiotic versus pathogenic role of gut bacteria in kittens with diarrhea".She will cover her Winn sponsored research into the role of intestinal bacteria, specifically enterococci and pathogenic E. coli, in causing diarrhea and diarrhea-associated death in kittens. Discussion will include the discovery of the role these bacteria play in health and disease in kittens. Collaboration among several organizations has led to a better understanding of the bacteria both through modeling the pathogenic effects of the bacteria in the laboratory and case studies in kittens in foster or shelter care. She will also review the progress research has made in developing tests and treatment approaches for such critical infections.