Clinician’s Brief spotlights a practical workup for vomiting cats
Bottom line
Clinician’s Brief has published a feline-focused podcast episode, “An Internist’s Approach to the Vomiting Cat With Dr. Rudinsky,” as part of its Zoetis-sponsored Feline Education Challenge. In the episode, Adam Rudinsky, DVM, MS, DACVIM, an associate professor and small animal internal medicine section head at The Ohio State University, discusses how clinicians should think about vomiting in cats, a complaint he has also framed elsewhere as both common and too often normalized by caregivers and even some veterinarians. In American Association of Feline Practitioners conference material tied to the same topic, Rudinsky defines chronic vomiting as vomiting lasting at least two weeks and not responding adequately to symptomatic therapy, and notes estimates that nearly 5% of cats in one primary care survey presented with the problem. (vet.osu.edu)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the core message is less about a new product or study and more about case framing: vomiting in cats shouldn’t be dismissed as “normal.” Rudinsky’s published teaching materials emphasize screening all feline patients for vomiting, distinguishing vomiting from regurgitation, and building a patient-specific workup that can include CBC, chemistry, urinalysis, T4 in older cats, fecal testing, and abdominal imaging, with more targeted GI diagnostics added as needed. That’s a useful reminder for general practice teams managing a common complaint that can point to GI disease, pancreatobiliary disease, endocrinopathies, renal disease, infection, or neoplasia. (0633e92166c0a27ea1aa-ab47878a9e45eb9e2f15be38a59f867e.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com)
What to watch: Watch for whether Clinician’s Brief releases a fuller transcript, article tie-in, or additional feline CE content that turns the episode’s discussion into more directly actionable protocols for practice teams. (cliniciansbrief.com)
Key facts
- Episode title
- An Internist’s Approach to the Vomiting Cat With Dr. Rudinsky
- Sponsor
- Zoetis
- Speaker
- Adam Rudinsky, DVM, MS, DACVIM
- Affiliation
- The Ohio State University
- Chronic vomiting definition
- Vomiting lasting at least 2 weeks and not responding adequately to symptomatic therapy
- Estimated prevalence
- Nearly 5% of cats in one primary care survey
- Survey size
- More than 8,000 cats
- Diagnostic workup
- CBC, serum biochemistry, urinalysis, T4 in cats 7 years and older, fecal flotation, and abdominal imaging
Clinician’s Brief has added another feline education entry with “An Internist’s Approach to the Vomiting Cat With Dr. Rudinsky,” a podcast episode sponsored by Zoetis as part of the outlet’s Feline Education Challenge. The source material provided offers only a partial transcript, but outside materials make clear the clinical lane: Adam Rudinsky, DVM, MS, DACVIM, an internal medicine specialist at The Ohio State University, has been teaching this topic in continuing education settings with a focus on reframing chronic vomiting in cats as a genuine clinical problem, not a benign quirk. (vet.osu.edu)
That framing matters because the “cats just vomit sometimes” myth is persistent. In Rudinsky’s 2023 AAFP proceedings on the same topic, he wrote that chronic vomiting in cats should be understood as vomiting lasting two weeks or longer and failing to respond adequately to symptomatic therapy. He also pointed to survey data suggesting prevalence approaching 5% among more than 8,000 cats seen in primary care, while arguing the true burden may be underestimated because many caregivers regard vomiting as normal feline behavior. (0633e92166c0a27ea1aa-ab47878a9e45eb9e2f15be38a59f867e.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com)
The available conference and educational materials suggest Rudinsky’s approach is broad rather than narrowly GI-centric. AAFP webinar copy says the session reviews the prevalence of vomiting in cats, highlights “overlooked causes,” and pushes beyond the usual focus on chronic inflammatory enteropathies and small cell lymphoma. In the proceedings, Rudinsky lays out a differential list that spans inflammatory disease, neoplasia, structural disease, motility disorders, parasites, infectious disease, pancreatobiliary disease, hyperthyroidism, renal disease, neurologic disease, and even heartworm disease. (catvets.com)
His diagnostic emphasis also appears practical for first-opinion practice. Rudinsky’s proceedings recommend starting with a minimum database that includes CBC, serum biochemistry, urinalysis, T4 for cats age 7 years and older, fecal flotation, and abdominal imaging, while tailoring the workup to signalment, severity, frequency, and concurrent signs. He notes that older cats are more likely to yield useful information from chemistry, T4, and ultrasound, whereas fecal testing, infectious disease testing, and radiographs may carry more weight in younger patients. Advanced testing may then include GI panels such as cobalamin, folate, PLI, and TLI, as well as aspirates or histopathology. (0633e92166c0a27ea1aa-ab47878a9e45eb9e2f15be38a59f867e.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com)
Related Clinician’s Brief educational content shows this is broadly aligned with current internal medicine thinking. In a 2023 podcast on chronic enteropathy in cats, internist Heather Kvitko-White, DVM, DACVIM, emphasized focused diagnostics, the use of ultrasound in many cases, and a willingness to move forward with biopsy when feasible, while also noting that empiric metronidazole or tylosin are no longer considered appropriate routine starting points. That isn’t a direct reaction to Rudinsky’s new podcast, but it does reflect the same industry trend toward more targeted diagnostics and less reflexive empiricism in chronic feline GI cases. (cliniciansbrief.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the value of this episode is likely in reinforcing a disciplined intake and workup mindset for one of the most easily minimized feline complaints. If teams routinely ask about vomiting at wellness and sick visits, clarify whether the event is true vomiting or regurgitation, and push back on the idea that periodic vomiting is “just a cat thing,” they may catch meaningful disease earlier. That has implications not only for internal medicine referrals, but also for client communication with pet parents, who may need explicit education that frequency, timing, vomitus content, weight change, appetite, and concurrent signs all matter. (0633e92166c0a27ea1aa-ab47878a9e45eb9e2f15be38a59f867e.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com)
There’s also a workflow angle. Chronic vomiting in cats sits at the intersection of preventive screening, diagnostic stewardship, and referral timing. Rudinsky’s materials repeatedly stress patient-specific planning, which should resonate in general practice settings trying to balance cost, client goals, and the risk of underworking a case that could represent hyperthyroidism, chronic enteropathy, pancreatitis, lymphoma, renal disease, or another systemic disorder. (0633e92166c0a27ea1aa-ab47878a9e45eb9e2f15be38a59f867e.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com)
What to watch: The next useful development would be a full Clinician’s Brief summary, transcript, or companion article that distills Rudinsky’s talk into stepwise algorithms for general practitioners and technicians; absent that, this episode appears best viewed as part of a broader CE push around earlier recognition and smarter workups for feline GI complaints. (cliniciansbrief.com)