Association between the COVID19 global pandemic and the prevalence of cats presenting with urethral obstruction at two university veterinary emergency
German Standard Group.
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Urethral obstruction (UO) is a disease process that causes several metabolic disarrangements that can lead to permanent renal damage and can even be life-threatening. The most common causes are unknown and there is a belief that there is a link with feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC), which can be caused by stress and anxiety.?
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The COVID-19 pandemic led to several restrictions and stay-at-home orders that led not only to changes in people’s daily routines but also to their pets’. These changes could have led to environmental changes that were enough to increase stress levels and potentially amplify the prevalence of FIC. Nonetheless, it is also possible that the longer time spent by owners at home could have had a positive impact on stress and their pets’ environment, leading to a decrease in FIC and subsequently UO.
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The goal of this study was to identify if COVID-19 and its restrictions affected the prevalence of UO in animals presenting to the emergency room (ER). The study compared the results obtained in the first 20 weeks of the pandemic and the previous 2 years.?
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The results obtained support the hypothesis that the pandemic did increase the risk of UO in cats versus the period analysed without the virus. It’s possible that the restrictions led to an increase in cats’ stress levels and, therefore, are related to the increase in flare-ups of FIC. It’s also possible, however, that more cases were presented to the ER because pet owners spent more time at home observing their pets and would notice clinical signs early on.?
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Regardless of the results obtained, the authors of the study believe that further investigation is required. They believe that an evaluation of the possible decrease in the prevalence of the disease with the resolution of the pandemic is required.
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Finstad JB, Rozanski EA, Cooper ES. Association between the COVID-19 global pandemic and the prevalence of cats presenting with urethral obstruction at two university veterinary emergency rooms. J Feline Med Surg. 2023 Feb;25(2):1098612X221149377.?
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