Small animal disease surveillance : Gastrointestinal disease, antibacterial prescription and Tritrichomonas foetus

Report summary: • Presentation for investigation and/or treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) disease comprised 3.0 per cent, 2.0 per cent and 1.9 per cent of total dog, cat and rabbit consultations respectively between 1 April 2017 and 31 October 2018 • Diarrhoea and vomiting without blood were the most frequently reported GI disease clinical signs (43.0 and 36.6 per cent in dogs, and 35.9 and 37.7 per cent in cats respectively) • The proportion of GI disease consultations which prescribed antibiotics authorised for systemic administration (including oral and injectable formulations) decreased between April 2014 and October 2018 • The proportion of GI disease consultations which dispensed nutraceutical products advertised as being effective at managing primary GI disease (including prebiotics, probiotics etc.) increased between April 2014 and October 2018 • Between January 2011 and August 2018, 13.5 per cent of 20,194 feline faecal samples submitted to UK-based diagnostic laboratories tested positive for presence of Tritrichomonas foetus • The proportion of feline sample submissions testing positive for T.foetus decreased between 2011 and 2018