Smartwatch oxygen monitoring in cats ...

Hello World!

This newsletter is an attempt to help us all with the deluge of information that we are faced with every day. It will usually contain 3-4 summaries and citations that have to do with animal health. Here’s how I would suggest using it. If you find any of the studies even remotely useful throw them into your archive folder. If not, hit delete.

Please give me feedback on ways I can make it more useful to you.

If it is valuable to you please consider sending it on to a friend 😄 

Misoprostol in horses

The study is the first to describe the pharmacokinetics and fecal microbiome in horses after repeated oral and rectal administration of Misoprostol. Differences were found in pharmacokinetic parameters between routes of administration but not in response to repeated administration. Changes in the microbiome composition were observed, but these were largely due to differences between individual horses and changes in management. The impact of Misoprostol on the fecal microbiome was minor and did not affect richness or α-diversity. Further evaluation of Misoprostol's long-term administration to horses with gastrointestinal disease or systemic inflammation and its impact on the gastrointestinal microbiome is needed.  

Pfeifle, R. L., Ericsson, A. C., McCoy, A. M., Boothe, D. M., Wooldridge, A. A., Groover, E. S., Sierra-Rodriguez, T., & Lascola, K. M. (2023). Multidose misoprostol pharmacokinetics and its effect on the fecal microbiome in healthy, adult horses, American Journal of Veterinary Research (published online ahead of print 2023). Retrieved Feb 7, 2023, from https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/ajvr/aop/ajvr.22.09.0161/ajvr.22.09.01 

Bottom line — minimal impact on the biome.

Bleeding liver masses in dogs

The study found that the most common diagnosis of bleeding liver masses in dogs was WD-HCC (well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma), followed by benign lesions, HSA (hepatic sarcoma), and other malignant masses. Survival time was found to be longest for dogs with WD-HCC and benign masses and shortest for dogs with HSA and other malignant tumors. Increased ALT was found to be a positive predictor of increased overall survival time and decreased likelihood of diagnosing HSA. The presence of cavitation in liver masses was not found to be correlated with the histopathologic diagnosis. The study had limitations such as being retrospective, having variability in diagnostics and treatment, and incomplete follow-up. Further studies are needed to evaluate the usefulness of increased ALT as a diagnostic tool.  

Reist, A. M., Reagan, J. K., Fujita, S. K., & Walny, A. M. (2023). Histopathologic findings and survival outcomes of dogs undergoing liver lobectomy as treatment for spontaneous hemoabdomen secondary to a ruptured liver mass: retrospective analysis of 200 cases (2012–2020), Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 261(2), 237-245. Retrieved Feb 7, 2023, from https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/261/2/javma.22.03.0130.xml 

Bottom line - May not always be bad news…

Smartwatch oxygen monitoring in cats

The study evaluated the accuracy of two smartwatches, Fenix 5X Plus (GF5xp) and Apple Watch 6 (AppW6), in measuring heart rate (HR) and peripheral oxygen saturation of hemoglobin (SpO2) in anesthetized cats. The results showed that both smartwatches had high accuracy in evaluating HR and SpO2 when compared to reference methods (ECG and transmittance pulse oximetry). GF5xp was superior to AppW6 in measuring HR with a lower limit of agreement. However, both smartwatches frequently failed to display values for pulse oximetry, which may limit their use in monitoring SpO2 in cats. The study concluded that both smartwatches could be used for cost-effective HR monitoring in cats, but further research is needed to determine their effectiveness in detecting cardiovascular problems.  

Yanmaz, L. E., Okur, S., Ersoz, U., Senocak, M. G., & Turgut, F. (2023). Two different smartwatches exhibit high accuracy in evaluating heart rate and peripheral oxygen saturation in cats when compared with the electrocardiography and transmittance pulse oximetry, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 261(2), 205-209. Retrieved Feb 7, 2023, from https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/261/2/javma.22.08.0357.xm 

Bottom line — possible but …

Just putting things in perspective …