CAHF research studies: 2026–27

How can we simplify the process of diagnosing feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD)?
Dr. Kevin Cosford, WCVM

Cats commonly develop feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), which can cause life-threatening complications in the kidneys. There are two types of FLUTD but diagnosing and managing the lesser-known variant would be much easier if there was more research available.

In this study, WCVM researcher Dr. Kevin Cosford will perform both blood and urine tests on feline patients diagnosed with each of the two FLUTD types as well as healthy cats in a control group. By comparing the results between all three groups, researchers can determine the characteristics of each type of FLUTD.

These findings will help veterinarians develop more personalized and specific treatment options, reducing the emotional and financial strain upon owners. A better understanding of the two disease types will also help veterinarians detect the condition much earlier and allow them to monitor cats with recurring or chronic diseases.

How effective is the combination of atipamezole and naloxone as a reversal agent in service dogs?
Drs. Vanessa Cowan, Al Chicoine and Jennifer Loewen, WCVM

Increased xylazine contamination in opioids and other illicit drugs means that drug-sniffing dogs, canine police officers and other service dogs are at a higher risk of coming in contact with drug combinations versus single drugs during their work. While canine handlers are trained to administer naloxone in response to opioid exposure, this reversal agent can’t counter the effects of xylazine due to differences in its mechanism of action.

WCVM researchers are evaluating the potential of a using atipamezole and naloxone as a reversal tool for xylazine and fentanyl co-exposures to model what working dogs could face in the line of duty. In a previous study, the team found that while intranasal atipamezole was effective, it took around twice as long to wake dogs compared to the standard intramuscular delivery method. The researchers now plan to double the intranasal atipamezole dosage to determine if it leads to a quicker reversal of xylazine’s sedative effects.

The team expects that intranasal administration of atipamezole and naloxone will be effective against both opioid and xylazine sedation in dogs. If their theory proves correct, their work could lead to a simple-to-administer intranasal spray for dogs that reverses the effects of lethal drug combinations.

How can we improve anesthesia drug protocols to reduce death rates in rabbits?
Dr. Barbara Ambros, WCVM

Pet rabbits have a relatively high risk of complications during anesthesia, potentially due to cardiorespiratory depression caused by anesthetic drugs. Two commonly used drug combinations for anesthetic premedication are dexmedetomidine-midazolam-hydromorphone (DMH) and alfaxalone-midazolam-hydromorphone (AMH). This research will compare the effects of each medication protocol on the cardiovascular and respiratory function of sedated rabbits.

Both DMH and AMH medication protocols can reduce the requirements for isoflurane, another essential anesthesia drug that is required for anesthetic maintenance. Dr. Ambros suspects that the DMH protocol will provide a more stable anesthesia option for healthy rabbits as it requires less isoflurane to maintain anesthesia in comparison to the AMH protocol. Her findings will provide more information about the effects of anesthetic drug combinations and their influence on the cardiovascular stability and respiratory function of rabbits. Study results will also provide veterinarians with evidence-based guidance for optimizing anesthetic protocols in pet rabbits, with the goal of improving safety and reducing death rates.

Can a new framework facilitate the diagnosis of melanocytic lesions in dogs’ eyes?
Dr. Marina Leis, WCVM

Dogs can have their vision affected by numerous diseases, many of which are caused by abnormal growths in the eye. In particular, cells that produce melanin, the pigment that determines skin and eye colour, can proliferate at an abnormal rate. While some conditions are benign, they lead to secondary glaucoma or increased pressure inside the eye. Others can be cancerous and lead to the same blinding and painful outcome with the added risk of spreading.

Treatment for these conditions varies depending on the exact disease process, and it’s often challenging for clinicians and veterinary pathologists to accurately differentiate one condition from one another.

In this study, WCVM researcher Dr. Marina Leis will create a record documenting each time these melanocytic eye diseases have appeared in dogs at the WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre over the past 20 years. She will also collaborate with Prairie Diagnostic Services (PDS), Saskatchewan’s veterinary diagnostic laboratory, to include submissions from outside the WCVM. By comparing each case and determining what they have in common and what separates them, she will learn more about how to distinguish these conditions. Leis’s goal is to develop a new set of practical guidelines and criteria that will make it easier for veterinarians and pathologists to diagnose and treat these ocular melanocytic conditions.

Can anti-inflammatory drugs improve the prognosis of dogs with anal sac cancer?
Dr. Valerie MacDonald-Dickinson, WCVM

Dogs often develop a problematic form of cancer that originates in their anal sac. Oncology teams can surgically remove the cancerous cells and tumours, but the risk is high for this type of cancer to spread to other areas of the body. Once the cancer cells spread, other treatment options have variable success rates.

COX-2 is a kind of molecule found in canine anal tumours, and its presence is associated with a worse prognosis and treatment response for patients. Previous research has shown that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can reduce the number of COX-2 molecules at cancer sites.

In this project, WCVM researchers will further examine the relationship between COX-2 and NSAIDs by comparing two groups of dogs undergoing surgical treatment for anal sac cancer. One group will receive the standard surgical procedure, and the second group will also receive a pre-surgery dose of NSAIDs. By comparing the therapy’s effectiveness in these two groups, the research team will learn more about the potential role of NSAIDs in improving the prognosis for cancer patients.

Is there a link between abnormal blood clotting and antibodies in feline infectious peritonitis (FIP)?
Dr. Elisabeth Snead, WCVM

Cats can contract feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a serious infectious disease that’s caused by a coronavirus — the same type of virus that caused COVID-19 in human patients. FIP patients often experience some level of abnormal blood clotting that can lead to some serious problems, and a particular kind of antibodies may have an effect on this abnormal clotting.

WCVM professor and researcher Dr. Liz Snead and her team will perform a set of blood tests on a group of cats before and after giving a standard virus treatment to patients. The research team will then determine the exact relationship between the antibodies and abnormal blood clotting.

Learning more about this abnormal clotting and influencing factors will help clinicians treat their patients more effectively and potentially avoid complications related to abnormal clotting. Findings from this project may also help human health researchers gain more understanding of coronaviruses.

Could a simple blood marker make it easier to diagnose canine diabetes insipidus?
Drs. Elisabeth Snead and Maria Fernanda Morales Uribe, WCVM; and Dr. Mathieu Paulin, Canada West Veterinary Specialists

Many dogs develop excessive drinking and urination, but these signs can be caused by several very different diseases that require completely different treatments. One of the greatest diagnostic challenges is distinguishing central diabetes insipidus, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, and primary polydipsia because these conditions often appear nearly identical.

Veterinarians use a modified water deprivation test (the current gold standard test) to diagnose these conditions. However, the test is lengthy, it requires careful monitoring, it can be stressful for the patient and their owners, and it has limited ability for differentiating these conditions. Use of this test is also based on very limited support from clinical trials. Unfortunately measuring vasopressin, the hormone affected by many conditions that cause excessive drinking and urination, is very difficult and is not routinely done even in human medicine because it is unstable in blood samples.  

WCVM researchers are investigating whether copeptin, a naturally occurring molecule released along with the hormone vasopressin, could serve as a simple and reliable blood marker for these diseases. Unlike vasopressin, copeptin is stable and easy to measure. Similar copeptin-based tests are already used successfully in human medicine to diagnose disorders associated with excessive thirst and urination.

This study will evaluate if measuring copeptin after carefully controlled stimulation tests can accurately distinguish between these conditions in dogs. If successful, this work has the potential to lead to a safer, faster and more accurate diagnostic approach. This method will reduce the need for prolonged water deprivation testing while improving patient care and helping veterinarians make treatment decisions with greater confidence.