World Small Animal Veterinary Association Global Dental Guidelines

The ‘2021 AAFP Feline Senior Care Guidelines’ are authored by a Task Force of experts in feline clinical medicine and serve as an update and extension of those published in 2009. They emphasize the individual patient evaluation and the process of aging, with references to other feline practice guidelines for a more complete discussion of specific diseases. Focusing on each cat encourages and empowers the owner to become a part of the cat’s care every step of the way. A comprehensive discussion during the physical examination and history taking allows for tailoring the approach to both the cat and the family involved in the care. Videos and analysis of serial historical measurements are brought into the assessment of each patient. These Guidelines introduce the emerging concept of frailty, with a description and methods of its incorporation into the senior cat assessment. Minimum database diagnostics are discussed, along with recommendations for additional investigative considerations. For example, blood pressure assessment is included as a minimum diagnostic procedure in both apparently healthy and ill cats. Cats age at a much faster rate than humans, so practical timelines for testing frequency are included and suggest an increased frequency of diagnostics with advancing age. The importance of nutrition, as well as senior cat nutritional needs and deficiencies, is considered. Pain is highlighted as its own syndrome, with an emphasis on consideration in every senior cat. The Task Force discusses anesthesia, along with strategies to allow aging cats to be safely anesthetized well into their senior years. The medical concept of quality of life is addressed with the latest information available in veterinary medicine. This includes end of life considerations like palliative and hospice care, as well as recommendations on the establishment of ‘budgets of care’, which greatly influence what can be done for the individual cat. Acknowledgement is given that each cat owner will be different in this regard; and establishing what is reasonable and practical for the individual owner is important. A discussion on euthanasia offers some recommendations to help the owner make a decision that reflects the best interests of the individual cat.

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“…47 Advancing age should not be a limiting factor in proceeding with dental care under anesthesia. 51…”

Section: Management Tools That Optimize Health In the Aging Catmentioning

confidence: 99%

2021 AAFP Feline Senior Care Guidelines

Ray

Carney²,

Boynton

et al. 2021

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery

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“…Radiography is essential before and after extraction, as well as in the following cases, as described by Mulligan and others (1998), DeForge and Colmery (2000), Harvey (2001), Holmstrom and others (2004), Dupont and Debowes (2009), Lobprise and Bert (2019) and Niemiec and others (2020):…”

Section: Which Teeth Should We Radiograph?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduction to dental radiography in cats and dogs

Freeman¹

2021

In Practice

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Background: Dental radiography is an essential tool in veterinary dentistry and should be considered the standard of care for patients undergoing dentistry procedures. Radiography allows more accurate diagnosis of pathology in the oral cavity, as well as providing a thorough assessment of the structures below the gum line which would otherwise be missed during a detailed oral examination. Aim of the article: This article reviews the indications for, and the importance of, intraoral radiography in dogs and cats. It also provides an overview of the essential techniques and useful tips required for successful radiograph acquisition.

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“…Additionally, behavioral assessment via video analysis may allow discrimination of pain intensity and the study of hitherto unknown pain behaviors, and determine how pain behaviors are affected by the administration of analgesics or treatment of primary disease. ✜ The issue of dental pain in feline practice Global dental guidelines have recently been published by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) 35 which state that dental pain is under-recognized and undertreated in small animal practice. Periodontal disease produces severe pain, inflammation, dysphagia, sialorrhea, halitosis, weight loss and oral hemorrhage.…”

Section: Jfms Clinical Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Periodontal disease produces severe pain, inflammation, dysphagia, sialorrhea, halitosis, weight loss and oral hemorrhage. 35 Some cats will rub or paw at the face, particularly during eating or playing. However, behavioral signs of oral diseaseinduced pain and the effects of oral pain and its impact on feeding behavior have not been systematically studied in cats.…”

Section: Jfms Clinical Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, behavioral signs of oral diseaseinduced pain and the effects of oral pain and its impact on feeding behavior have not been systematically studied in cats. 35 Owners will not usually bring their cat into the clinic unless dental pain is severe, by which stage the nutritional/welfare status of the patient has been dramatically compromised. An ongoing, multidisciplinary study involving nutrition, dentistry, and behavioral and pain management could address this gap in clinical knowledge.…”

Section: Jfms Clinical Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

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Acute pain in cats: Recent advances in clinical assessment

Steagall

Monteiro

2018

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery

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Practical relevance: Pain assessment has gained much attention in recent years as a means of improving pain management and treatment standards. It has become an elemental part of feline practice with ultimate benefit to feline health and welfare. Currently pain assessment involves mostly the investigation of sensory-discriminative (intensity, location and duration) and affective-motivational (emotional) domains of pain. Specific behaviors associated with acute pain have been identified and constitute the basis for its assessment in cats. Recent advances: The publication of pain scales with reported validation – the UNESP-Botucatu multidimensional composite pain scale and the Glasgow feline composite measure pain scale – and species-specific studies have advanced our knowledge on the subject. Facial expressions have also been shown to be different between painful and non-painful cats, and very recently the Feline Grimace Scale has been validated as a tool for acute pain assessment. Clinical challenges: Despite recent advances, several challenges still exist. For instance, the effects of disease and sedation on pain scoring/ assessment are unknown. Also, specific painful conditions (eg, dental pain) have not been systematically investigated. The development and validation of instruments for pain assessment by cat owners is warranted, as these tools are currently lacking. Aims: This article reviews the use, advantages, disadvantages and limitations of the two validated pain scales, and presents a practical, stepwise approach to feline pain recognition and assessment using a dynamic and interactive process. The authors also offer perspectives regarding current challenges and future directions.

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World Small Animal Veterinary Association Global Dental Guidelines

Cited by 32 publications

References 73 publications

2021 AAFP Feline Senior Care Guidelines

2021 AAFP Feline Senior Care Guidelines

Introduction to dental radiography in cats and dogs

Acute pain in cats: Recent advances in clinical assessment

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