Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Clinic signs and lab changes in cats hit by cars linked to trauma
By Lyons, Bridget M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)·2020·School of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinicopathological abnormalities associated with increased animal triage trauma score in cats presenting for vehicular trauma: 75 cases (1998-2009).
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 75 cats that were hit by cars showed various health issues when they arrived at the veterinary hospital. The study found that cats with higher trauma scores had lower levels of red blood cells and protein, higher blood sugar, and other concerning blood measurements. Many of these cats were male and had access to the outdoors. Understanding these signs can help veterinarians assess the severity of injuries in cats after accidents. The findings suggest that monitoring these blood values could improve care for injured cats in the future.
People also search for: cat hit by car symptoms · cat trauma treatment · signs of serious injury in cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To document the clinical and clinicopathological changes in cats presenting with vehicular trauma (VT) and to determine whether the calculated animal trauma triage (ATT) score was associated with any clinicopathological abnormalities. DESIGN: Retrospective descriptive study conducted between 1998 and 2009. SETTING: University veterinary teaching hospital. ANIMALS: Seventy-five client-owned cats that presented for VT to an urban veterinary hospital. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Pertinent history, physical examination findings, results of biochemical testing, and outcome were extracted from medical records. ATT score was calculated based on physical examination. Patients were classified as having either a low (<5) ATT (n = 30) or a high (≥5) ATT (n = 45) score. Male cats were overrepresented (60.0%), and a majority of cats had outdoor access (65.3%). Low PCV (P = 0.024), low total plasma protein concentration (P = 0.032), low venous blood pH (P = 0.047), high plasma lactate concentration (P = 0.047), low plasma bicarbonate concentration (P = 0.047), low base excess (P = 0.047), and high plasma glucose concentration (P = 0.047) were associated with higher ATT scores. In addition, low noninvasive blood pressure measurements (P = 0.008) were associated with higher ATT scores. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant association between lower PCV, lower total plasma protein concentration, lower venous blood pH, higher plasma lactate concentration, lower plasma bicarbonate concentration, lower base excess, higher whole blood glucose concentration, and lower noninvasive blood pressure and higher ATT scores at presentation in feline patients suffering from VT. Prospective evaluation of these values may prove useful in furthering understanding of the pathophysiology of trauma in cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32918338/