The Journal of Small Animal Practice (JSAP)
The Journal of Small Animal Practice (JSAP) is the BSAVA's monthly scientific journal, featuring original, peer-reviewed articles, case reports and other scientific and educational information from around the world. The aim of JSAP is to facilitate the dissemination and implementation of new ideas and techniques relating to clinical veterinary practice, and ultimately to promote best practice.
JSAP is provided to BSAVA members as part of their membership benefits. Members - to access JSAP, log in then click on the 'read latest issues' button at the bottom of the page.
You can search for JSAP articles from within the BSAVA Library by clicking on the JSAP tab from the search results page. If you are a BSAVA member and already logged in, you can click through from the search results to access the full article.
You can view a selection of infographics which give a summary of JSAP papers on a variety of topics here.
December issue - in JSAP this month
Manual estimation of neutrophil count resulted in neutropenic samples being misclassified in this study, therefore a full automated differential cell count is advised for determining neutrophil counts prior to chemotherapy. In this study, twenty canine blood smears with known automated neutrophil counts between 1.00 × 109/L and 3.00 × 109/L were reviewed by two internal medicine clinicians and a cut-off value for a manual neutrophil count determined. By the automated analyser, neutropenia was detected in 16 of 183 (9%) blood samples. Using manual estimation, 14-16% of non-neutropenic dogs were incorrectly classed as neutropenic, which would have led to an unnecessary treatment delay. Overall, manual estimation resulted in up to 31% of neutropenic samples being incorrectly classified, therefore this rapid manual technique can’t be recommended and an automated differential cell count is advised to detect neutropenia.
November issue - in JSAP this month
Standard tests of haemostasis, such as prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and D-dimers, do not effectively predict hypercoagulable states in sick dogs, according to a study in this month’s JSAP. The study included 71 dogs, of which 36 were hypercoagulable and 35 were normocoagulable on thromboelastography (TEG), and compared the efficacy in identifying hypercoagulable states. PT, aPTT and D-dimers showed no significant correlation with hypercoagulability as defined by TEG, and failed to predict elevated thromboelastographic maximum amplitude. An increased platelet count and packed red blood cell volume were significantly associated with hypercoagulability, suggesting that these parameters might be more reliable indicators of hypercoagulable states. These findings particularly have implications for veterinary practitioners without access to advanced viscoelastic testing methods.
October issue - in JSAP this month
A study published in this month’s JSAP has found that the incidence of feline hypoalbuminaemia was 32.7%, higher than the rate previously reported in dogs, which contradicts the long-standing belief that feline hypoalbuminaemia is uncommon. The study retrospectively reviewed records of 1,632 cats presented to a veterinary teaching hospital over five years and characterised the distribution of presenting disease categories and pathoaetiologies of hypoalbuminaemia. Gastrointestinal diseases were most frequently associated with hypoalbuminaemia. Within the hypoalbuminaemic population, the three most diagnosed pathoaetiologies were neoplastic diseases (indicating careful appraisal of the presence of protein-losing enteropathy is required), inflammatory and infectious diseases. Severity of hypoalbuminaemia was linked to significantly longer hospitalisation period, higher treatment costs and increased odds of death. These findings support albumin as a negative acute phase protein in cats. The severity of hypoalbuminaemia was found to be a prognostic indicator and suggests serum albumin has a role in feline prognostic scores.
You must be logged in and a BSAVA member (excluding veterinary nurse student member) to use the links.
A collection of JSAP reviews for primary care practice is freely available to all.
If you are not a member of BSAVA and wish to receive JSAP, you can either become a member or subscribe to the journal via our publisher, Wiley.