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THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE
SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2022 B4
Cats injured in wildfires at risk from deadly blood clots By Trina Wood Enterprise staff writer Cats who suffered burns and smoke inhalation in urban California wildfires are at risk of forming deadly blood clots, according to a new study from researchers at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. The study, recently published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science, follows up on a previous discovery that showed cats injured in urban wildfires had a high incidence of heart problems. “Prior to these two papers, we didn’t realize that cats impacted by urban wildfires were prone to forming clots, which can lead to sudden death,” said lead coauthor Ronald Li, associate professor of small animal emergency and critical care at UC Davis. “This study will change the standard of care for rescued cats from these wildfires and hopefully save more lives.”
UC Davis/Courtesy photo
Overactive platelets
A UC Davis vet-med student looks over a cat injured in a wildfire.
Cats treated for their injuries from the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, were some of the models for this study. Researchers examined their platelets, the cells that circulate in blood and help stop bleeding or form blood clots. They found that cats with wildfire injuries had increased overactive platelets compared to healthy cats or cats with heart disease, in this case subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM. HCM is the most common cardiac disease in cats and causes a thickening of the heart muscle.
“Cats with HCM are hypercoagulable, meaning they are more likely to form clots,” explained lead co-author Ava Tan, a veterinary research fellow currently working in Li’s laboratory. “That’s why we used them as a control group to compare with cats in the wildfire group.” The platelets of wildfireinjured cats also released high amounts of microvesicles, microscopic membranous bubble-like structures filled with proteins, which are associated with cardiovascular disease and an elevated
risk of clotting. “We found cats exposed to wildfire smoke and injuries are even more prone to throwing clots, showing a direct association between wildfire injuries, platelet response and clot formation,” Tan said. In addition to clot formation, platelets have a lot to do with overall cardiovascular health and disease. The study led to the discovery of a novel receptor on cat platelets, Toll-Like-Receptor-4, that may play a role in clotting and could be the target for
treatments developed in the future. “These results could lead to bigger health implications for our feline patients and highlight the important role that platelets play in linking inflammation with the coagulation system,” Li said.
Impact on humans Wildfires pose a major risk for humans as well. Emergency room visits increase due to heart attack and strokes after wildlife exposure. Although the underlying
mechanism isn’t known in humans, this study in cats may shed light on systemic platelet activation, which plays a crucial role in mediating the likelihood of developing clots as a result of wildfire injuries. “This study opens a new door to looking at how wildfires impact cardiovascular health in humans,” Li said. The researchers were able to use blood samples collected from cats brought in for treatment from the Camp Fire, which have been used in these two studies to date. This study has also led to a third study, which is underway, to discover new cellular processes that may explain why feline platelets are so sensitive and prone to clotting, especially in cats with heart conditions or wildfire injuries. The data collected is critical to developing early treatment plans, Li said. Other authors include veterinary cardiologists Joshua Stern, Catherine Gunther-Harrington and Ashley Sharpe; veterinary critical care specialists Yu Ueda, Steven Epstein and Satoshi Haginoya; and research associates Nghi Nguyen and Mehrab Hussain in the Li Comparative Platelet and Neutrophil Physiology Laboratory. The diagnostics and therapeutic management of feline burn victims reported in this study were funded through the UC Davis Veterinary Catastrophic Need Fund. This study also received funding through the Center for Companion Animal Health. — UC Davis News
Get a taste of the flavors of UC Davis at California State Fair this summer Special to The Enterprise UC Davis chefs will present cooking demonstrations while other university food experts will lead coffee, honey and beer classes in California’s Kitchen at the state fair, which opens this week and runs through the end of the month. On the first and last days of their fair, Friday, July 15, and Sunday, July 31, Bob
Walden, executive chef, and Kue Her, senior executive chef, will prepare Dining Services’ tried-and-true recipe for pasta sauce, using tomatoes from UC Davis’ Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility and basil from the Student Farm. In each of their demonstrations, Walden and Her will make a half-gallon of
Watch video: “Making Sauce for Student Pasta” at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=dpgAOg1vfHg.
Recipe cards for the halfgallon batch will be available for people attending the demonstrations. The audience also will be treated to samples of the sauce on sliced baguette. “We’ve heard our sauce described as rustic, zesty, flavorful, intense, inspired, garlicky, bold,” chef Walden said. “We’re happy to show off
fierce passion for animals and loved her own dogs greatly. Her generHUITT osity on Snyder Drive was ever present with her love of celebrating the holidays by giving small gifts to her friends and neighbors. Sandra leaves behind her husband Michael, three children, six grandchildren, brother-in-law Alex
Ardans, brother William Sanford, his wife Marsha, sister Nancy Hunt, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her mother and father, Lorella and Mathew Sanford, and her sister Janice Ardans. Sandra will be greatly missed by all those who knew and loved her. A celebration of life will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 21, at the Davis Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in her memory to the Yolo County Animal Shelter.
sauce — considerably less than what the chefs and their Dining Services team normally make. For the coming year, they plan to make two giant batches: 960 gallons in August and 1,160 gallons in December, to be frozen for use as needed.
Obituary Sandra L. Huitt
June 12, 1944 — July 8, 2022 Sandra Lee Huitt passed away on July 8, 2022, at the age of 78. Sandra was born in Gabbs, Nev., on June 12, 1944. After graduating from Pershing High School in Lovelock she moved to California to be near her sister. She fell in love with Michael Huitt and made her home in Davis for the remainder of her life. Sandra was married to Michael for 57 years and together The Enterprise publishes brief death notices free of charge. These include name, age, city of residence, occupation, date of death and funeral/ memorial information. Submissions may be made via www.davisen terprise.com/obit-form. For information, call 530-756-0800.
they raised three amazing boys, David, Christopher and Dennis Huitt. She was a proud grandmother to six beloved grandchildren, Mikaila, Brian, Andrew, Eric, Matthew and Dominic. Sandra worked in the finance department for the city of Woodland. After retirement she enjoyed crafting, traveling, and spending time with her grandchildren. She had a
what we do in the kitchen,” Walden said. “Plus, fairgoers will get to see and taste the UC Davis farm-to-fork experience, part of our commitment to sustainability in food operations.”
tomatoes from Russell Ranch this year, and will use 15,115 pounds for pasta sauce, 12,100 pounds for roasted salsa and 1,107 pounds for roasted tomato soup (320 gallons).
Walden said Dining Services expects to take in some 29,000 pounds of
The demonstrations, each starting at 11 a.m., are free with fair admission.