Is banning "artificial" ingredients based on fear or science?March 1, 2019Since the late 1980s, individuals and organizations have been trying to warn the public about a deadly chemical known as dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO). Though widely used in the home and in commercial settings, including the health-care industry, this substance has been shown to cause severe lung damage and even death when inhaled in small quantities. Hundreds of thousands of people die annually from this cause.1 DHMO also can produce electrolyte disturbances and potentially fatal neurologic symptoms when taken orally, and it can cause severe burns and even explosions when heated.2 A number of surveys have found high levels of support for banning DHMO, and elected officials in several countries have explored taking such action, although DHMO remains ubiquitous.3,4 Given the obvious dangers of this chemical, why do public health agencies not take action to restrict it? It is possible that funding and political influence from industry impede regulatory action. However, it is more likely that governments have chosen not to ban DHMO because it is essential for life. Most people are surprised to learn this until they recognize the nontechnical name for this chemical—water. Is "chemical" a dirty word? The campaign against DHMO has been used as a humorous …
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ISU to begin canine anticancer immunotherapeutic agent clinical trialsFebruary 28, 2019Iowa State University (ISU) College of Veterinary Medicine is starting a clinical study for a new canine anticancer immunotherapeutic. Produced by NovaVive, the anticancer treatment, Immunocidin, has received regulatory approval in the U.S. and Canada to treat mammary tumors. The study will observe dogs with stage I or stage II splenic hemangiosarcoma (HSA) who have undergone a splenectomy to determine the effectiveness of Immunocidin in combination with doxorubicin chemotherapy. Sixty-six dogs will participate in the trial and survival times will be monitored. "Treatment options and survival outcomes for canine HSA have remained essentially stagnant for the past two decades," said Chad Johannes, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM, oncology). "Additional therapeutic options for HSA are needed and we look forward to learning more about how immune stimulation via Immunocidin may play a role in improving outcomes for dogs." Ten oncology clinics will participate in the trial. To find one, visit bit.ly/2D56wBv and enter AAHSD004874 in the keyword search.
10 golden rules of cancer surgeryFebruary 20, 2019Surgery plays a critical role in the management of cancer. One significant advantage of surgery is a chance at an immediate cure—after a single session. No other treatment modality can offer that. Here are 10 rules that must be followed to ensure the best possible surgical outcome. Do the math: Surgery is only 10 percent of the entire story. What follows mainly pertains to skin masses, but it applies to any tumor, even intrathoracic or intra-abdominal. 1) Client communication Whenever a mass is discovered, it is important to take the time to prepare the client for the worst, while hoping for the best. Don't sugarcoat things. Don't make assumptions. Don't claim to have microscopic vision. Don't overpromise. Remember, for example, that a mast cell tumor is called "the great imitator" for a reason. It can feel like anything, including a lipoma. 2) Preop workup Even though we typically say you can't diagnose cancer by looking at blood work, it will occasionally show abnormalities, such as infection, hypercalcemia, or increased liver values. Staging the patient (i.e. determining the extent of the disease) is a mandatory part of the preop workup. Before surgery is ever considered, perform three views of the thorax …
Before you change the diet…February 7, 2019Naughty Girl is a healthy six-month old terrier puppy who is being fed a complete and balanced commercial growth food. She lives with Bad Boy, a four-year old beagle-spaniel cross who is fed an adult maintenance dog food. Bad Boy is brought to your clinic for a two-day history of vomiting and acting sluggish (or punky). Your physical exam reveals some pain on abdominal palpation and a lab test for canine pancreas-specific lipase is "abnormal," suggesting an elevated lipase level. Your suspicion of pancreatitis is high and, after rehydrating the dog with fluids, you send him home on a fat-restricted therapeutic diet. Is a diet change warranted in this situation? Nutrition textbooks and veterinary nutritionists refer to dietary fat as a "nutrient of concern" or "key nutritional factor" when talking about nutritional management for patients with pancreatitis. However, before automatically switching a patient's diet, conduct a thorough nutritional assessment to get the whole picture of what's happening in the home environment. Performing a nutritional assessment involves collecting information about the patient, the diet, and feeding management (Baldwin, et. al. 2010). This is not a process that involves extra time or work—a nutritional assessment begins with routine information collected about …
GI issues tricky to diagnose, treatFebruary 6, 2019From intestinal parasites to irritable bowel disease (IBD), dietary indiscretion to food allergies, gastrointestinal issues are among the most common problems veterinarians see. While they might seem straightforward, they can be difficult to diagnose and treat for a number of reasons. Chronic diarrhea and vomiting may not be brought to your attention until it has been going on for a while without improving or begins to worsen in severity. And, of course, diarrhea and vomiting can be seen with diseases unrelated to the GI tract. Once the GI tract is pinpointed as the source of the problem, the signs can still have many potential causes. Radiographs show only faint shadows of the intestines, making interpretation difficult. Gastrointestinal problems can resolve on their own in three to five days, but when they don't, additional diagnostics, therapeutic trials, and medication can be the next step. Fortunately for pets, owners, and veterinarians, more companies are beginning to develop drugs and run clinical trials specifically for cats and dogs with GI disease, says M. Katherine Tolbert, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, clinical associate professor of medicine at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. "There are a lot of new drugs that …
Understanding congestive heart failureFebruary 5, 2019Congestive heart failure (CHF) is described by medical professionals as more of a syndrome than a disease. Yet, when pet owners are often attuned to "disease," how can veterinarians best convey what CHF really is to their clients? "Congestive heart failure can result from a variety of different types of underlying heart disease," says Emily Karlin, DVM, Dipl. (cardiology), clinical instructor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. "When we say CHF, we generally are referring to fluid buildup somewhere it should not be, as a result of heart dysfunction. We can see left-sided CHF (fluid buildup in the lungs—pulmonary edema), resulting in cough or trouble breathing, or right-sided CHF (fluid buildup in the abdomen or around the lungs—ascites or pleural effusion), resulting in abdominal distension or trouble breathing. Basically, CHF is a potential outcome of having heart disease." Recognizing signs and symptoms When it comes to differentiating CHF from heart disease, paying attention to clinical signs and symptoms is key. "Asymptomatic, or occult, heart disease is often detected based on physical exam abnormalities—such as a heart murmur, cardiac gallop, or arrhythmia—or sometimes by echocardiographic screening, but the animal is feeling well at home with no clinical …
What makes a good working dog?February 5, 2019The canine labor market is diverse and expansive. Assistance dogs may be trained to work with the visually or hearing impaired, or with people in wheelchairs. Detection dogs may be trained to sniff out explosives, narcotics, or bedbugs. Others even learn to jump out of helicopters on daring rescue missions. Despite the wide variety of working roles available for man's best friend, those jobs can be tough to fill, since not every dog will qualify. Even among those specifically bred to be assistance dogs, only about 50 percent starting a training program will successfully complete it, while the rest go on to be very well-trained family pets. As a result, the wait list for a trained assistance dog can be up to two years. Evan MacLean, PhD, director of the Arizona Canine Cognition Center at the University of Arizona (UA), is exploring ways to identify the best dogs for different jobs—before they start the long and expensive training process—by looking at their cognitive abilities. He is lead author of a study in Frontiers in Veterinary Science looking at whether canines' cognitive abilities can help predict their success as working dogs. While a dog's physical characteristics and temperament are often considered …
How 3-D printing benefits presurgical planning for angular limb deformityFebruary 4, 2019 The surgical treatment of limb deformities in dogs has historically been approached by taking preoperative measurements using radiographic orthogonal views. When calculations for the osteotomy location, hardware type, and size were determined, the information was transferred to the patient in the operating theatre. Although using this procedure can result in satisfactory outcomes, there are many cases involving severe deformities where preoperative planning can be very difficult. Having a 3-D model closely approximating the actual limb can significantly benefit the preoperative plan. Enter 3-D printing Three-dimensional printing (3DP) is proving to be a very useful technique in veterinary orthopedic applications, particularly as it relates to preoperative planning. Production of multiple models that are scaled on a one-to-one ratio to the patient can allow the surgeon to accurately plan surgical procedures. Using these techniques for preoperative planning can provide several benefits, including lessening time under anesthesia and lowering its associated risks, as well as decreasing surgical site infection. Although it is expensive, the cost of employing 3DP can be justified when considering the benefit of shorter surgeries, less anesthetic time, and facilitating more consistent results to avoid subsequent revision surgeries. In the majority of cases, the use of 3-D modeling is …
Dog DNA company discovers why huskies have blue eyesOctober 8, 2018A duplication on canine chromosome 18 is behind Siberian huskies' blue eyes, according to a study published in PLOS Genetics by Adam Boyko, PhD, founder and CEO of Embark Veterinary, and Aaron Sams, PhD, senior scientist at Embark Veterinary Inc. and colleagues. According to the authors, this is the first consumer genomics study conducted in a nonhuman model and the largest canine genome-wide association study to date (the DNA of 6,000 dogs was tested). Embark Veterinary is a DNA research company with offices in Boston and Ithaca, N.Y., and a research partner of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Boyko, Sams, and colleagues used a diverse panel of 6,070 genetically tested dogs from owners that contributed phenotype data via web-based surveys and photo uploads. They found that a 98.6-kilobase duplication on chromosome 18 near the ALX4 gene, which plays an important role in mammalian eye development, was strongly associated with variation in blue eye color, primarily in Siberian huskies but also in nonmerle Australian shepherds. One copy of the variant was enough to cause blue eyes, or heterochromia. However, some dogs with the variant did not have blue eyes, so other genetic or environmental factors are still involved. …
VolitionRx tests nucleosome diagnostic for veterinary space applicationsOctober 5, 2018 VolitionRx Ltd., a multinational Belgium-based life sciences company with offices in Texas, London, and Singapore, announced it is entering the veterinary market after "very encouraging" preliminary results from a study using its NuQ diagnostic blood tests for canine cancer testing. NuQ, currently used to screen for colorectal and prostate cancers, works by measuring and analyzing irregular levels of nucleosomes—a section of DNA wrapped around a core of proteins—in the blood to identify cancers. According to the company, the proof-of-concept study showed that blood nucleosomes also can be detected in dogs. With the promise of veterinary medicine applications, VolitionRx said it will now move NuQ into larger trials to answer the question of whether the method will work with animals. The company said it intends to outsource much of the veterinary clinical trial work through a partnership with Heather Wilson-Robles, DVM, DACVIM, associate professor and Fred and Vola N. Palmer chair in comparative oncology with Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences in the Small Animal Clinical Sciences department. "The Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine Oncology Department is excited for the opportunity to collaborate with Volition," said Dr. Wilson-Robles. "Its innovative work in …
