Unusual Endocrine emergencies: they don’t have to be a ‘crisis’

In this session we will look at some of the less well-known endocrine emergencies in dogs and cats. These include phaeochromocytoma crisis, insulinoma and euglycaemic ketoacidosis in cats. Failure to promptly identify these uncommon endocrine emergencies can lead to poor patient outcome; it is vital to obtain a definitive diagnosis so that appropriate treatment can be initiated as soon as possible. A brief overview of presenting signs will be followed by a discussion of the appropriate diagnostic steps for each condition, including clinicopathological testing and imaging. We will also discuss some potential pre-analytical pitfalls and how to avoid them. Stabilisation and emergency treatment protocols will be briefly covered along with prognostic considerations.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how to diagnose and treat a phaeochromocytoma
• Understand how to diagnose and treat an insulinoma
• Understand how to diagnose and treat a euglycaemic ketoacidotic crisis.