Frequency of Endocrinopathies and Characteristics of Affected Dogs and Cats in Southern Brazil (2004-2014)

Authors

  • Álan Gomes Pöppl Department of Animal Medicine, Veterinary Faculty (FaVet), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
  • Isadora Comparsi Coelho Veterinary Student, FaVet, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
  • Camila Alves da Silveira Veterinary Student, FaVet, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
  • Maurício Bianchini Moresco Veterinary Student, FaVet, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
  • Guilherme Luiz Carvalho de Carvalho Master’s Student, Postgraduating Program in Veterinary Sciences (PPG-CV), UFRGS, Porto Alegre.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22456/1679-9216.81099

Keywords:

adrenal diseases, endocrine pancreas, thyroid gland, obesity, epidemiology.

Abstract

Background: The increase in the life expectancy of dogs and cats in recent decades has heightened the incidence of aging-associated diseases. Among such diseases, endocrinopathies, such as obesity, stand out. In addition, there exists a lack of professionals with expertise in this area. Therefore, proper knowledge of the characteristics of patients affected by endocrinopathies as well as the frequency of these diseases aid in the recognition of endocrine syndromes in the general population. Thus, the aim of this study was to conduct a retrospective analysis of medical charts of dogs and cats compiled by a Division of Endocrinology in southern Brazil during a 10-year period.

Materials, Methods & Results: An epidemiological survey of the medical charts of 1,400 dogs and cats compiled by a Division of Endocrinology between 2004 and 2014 was performed. The diagnostic data based on laboratory and hormone tests and on ultrasound scans were used as gold standard. The data were tabulated using Excel for Windows for the stratified analysis of the diagnoses. The major diseases (93.4% of the cases) detected in dogs were hyperadrenocorticism (37%), diabetes mellitus (22%), hypothyroidism (11%), and overweight/obesity (8%), whereas the main diseases (6.6% of the cases) detected in cats were diabetes mellitus (42%) and hyperthyroidism (23%). Some rare and uncommon diseases were diagnosed, such as hypoparathyroidism, pheochromocytoma, pituitary dwarfism, and diabetes insipidus, but they were present in less than 1% of the patients. Multiple endocrinopathies accounted for 8% of the cases, and the most frequent association was that between diabetes mellitus and hyperadrenocorticism in dogs and cats. The mean age of dogs was 9.11 ± 3.43 years, and 69% of the patients were female. The mean age of cats was 10.97 ± 4.29 years, and 58% of the patients were male.

Discussion: The high prevalence of endocrinopathies among female dogs is closely related to the higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus and hyperadrenocorticism in female patients, and these two diseases together accounted for 59% of the cases. Among cats, the high prevalence of endocrinopathies among male cats was influenced by the large number of cases of diabetes mellitus, a disease that is typically more prevalent among tomcats. Some findings were alarming as they indicate probable lack of early diagnoses of some conditions (e.g., the prevalence of dogs with hyperadrenocorticism and diabetes three times greater than that reported by other countries), absence of patients younger than 10 years with hyperthyroidism, or failure to seek veterinary care for obese cats with initial presentation of overweight. Raising the awareness of tutors about the consequences of overweight can drastically reduce the incidence of diabetes mellitus in cats. Finally, knowledge about the characteristics of patients with the most common types of endocrinopathies is useful to clinicians as it can increase the predictive values of clinical and laboratory findings and help them include certain endocrinopathies as differential diagnoses for patients with some risk factors (age or sex). Anyway, the endocrinopathies, as well as the characteristics of the affected population in southern Brazil, are in line with similar studies on the most frequent diseases in other regions, taking into account small differences in breed and age distribution.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Aoki C.G., Palacios Junior R.J., Rondelli M.C.H., Sobreira M.F.R. & Costa M.T. 2012. Aspectos clínicos do hipotireodismo canino: estudo retrospectivo. In: Anais 2° Congresso Internacional da ABEV. Revista Clínica Veterinária. Supl. (Búzios, Brasil). p.26.

Behrend E.N. & Melian C. 2013. Hyperadrenocorticism in dogs. In: Rand J. (Ed). Clinical Endocrinology of Companion Animals. Ames: Wiley-Blackwell, pp.43-64.

Blois S.L., Dickie E., Kruth S.A. & Allen D.G. 2011. Multiple endocrine diseases in dogs: 35 cases (1996-2009). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 238(12): 1616-1621.

Diez M. & Nguyen P. 2006. The epidemiology of canine and feline obesity. Waltham Focus. 16(1): 2-8.

Feldman E.C., Nelson R.W., Reusch C., Scott-Moncrieff J.C. 2015. Canine and Feline Endocrinology. 4th edn. Saint Louis: Saunders, 688p.

German A.J. 2006. The Growing problem of obesity in dogs and cats. Journal of Nutrition. 136(Suppl 7): s1940-s1946.

Miceli D.D., Gallelli M.F., Blatter M.F., Martiarena B., Brañas M.M., Ortemberg L.R., Gómez N.V. & Castillo V.A. 2012. Low dose of insulin detemir controls glycaemia, insulinemia and prevents diabetes mellitus progression in the dog with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism. Research in Veterinary Science. 93(1): 114-120.

Nelson R.W. & Reusch C.E. 2014. Classification and etiology of diabetes in dogs and cats. Journal of Endocrinology. 222(3): T1-T9.

Niessen S.J.M., Church D.B. & Forcada Y. Hypersomatotropism, Acromegaly, and Hyperadrenocorticism and Feline Diabetes Mellitus. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice. 43(2): 319-350.

Palacios Junior R.J., Aoki C.G., Rondelli M.C.H., Sobreira M.F.R. & Costa M.T. 2012. Aspectos clínicos do hipercortisolismo espontâneo em 20 cães: estudo retrospectivo. In: Anais 2° Congresso Internacional da ABEV. Revista Clínica Veterinária. Supl. (Búzios, Brasil). p.27.

Panciera D. 2013. Hypothyroidism in dogs. In: Clinical Endocrinology of Companion Animals. Ames: Wiley-Blackwell, pp.263-272.

Peterson M.E. 2013. Hyperthyroidism in cats. In: Clinical Endocrinology of Companion Animals. Ames: WileyBlackwell, pp.295-310.

Rand J. 2013. Feline diabetes mellitus. In: Clinical Endocrinology of Companion Animals. Ames: Wiley-Blackwell, pp.169-190.

Schnobel A.M., Cardone R., Martorelli C.R., Winkel V.M. & Marco V. 2006. Aspectos epidemiológicos das endocrinopatias em cães atendidas no Hospital Veterinário da Universidade de Guarulhos (UNG) entre agosto 2004 à abril 2006. In: Anais 6° Congresso Paulista de Clínicos Veterinários de Pequenos Animais. (São Paulo, Brasil). p.185.

Sparkes A.H., Cannon M., Church D., Fleeman L., Harvey A., Hoenig M., Peterson M.E., Reusch C.E., Taylor S. & Rosenberg D. 2015. ISFM Consensus guidelines on the practical management of diabetes mellitus in cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 17(3): 235-250.

Zanutto M.S., Diogo C.C., Silva F.M.F., Flaiban K.K.M.C. & Beloni S.N.E. 2012. Estudo retrospectivo de cães com diabetes melito (DM) atendidos no Hospital Veterinário da Universidade Estadual de Londrina (HV-UEL). In: Anais 2° Congresso Internacional da ABEV. Revista Clínica Veterinária. Supl. (Búzios, Brasil). p.22.

Zoran D.L. 2010. Obesity in dogs and cats: a metabolic and endocrine disorder. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice. 40(2): 221-239.

Published

2016-01-01

How to Cite

Pöppl, Álan G., Coelho, I. C., Silveira, C. A. da, Moresco, M. B., & Carvalho, G. L. C. de. (2016). Frequency of Endocrinopathies and Characteristics of Affected Dogs and Cats in Southern Brazil (2004-2014). Acta Scientiae Veterinariae, 44(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.22456/1679-9216.81099

Issue

Section

Articles

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>