Survey finds man's best friend is more like familyJune 6, 2019They've always been your best friend, but now a new nationwide survey has found owners largely consider dogs to be part of the family. Sponsored by SpotOn Virtual Smart Fence, the survey asked 1,500 dog owners about their pet parent habits and behaviors. The survey found: 98 percent of dog owners consider their dogs to be members of the family; 50 percent of dog owners say their dog sleeps in a family member's bed, while an additional 32 percent have their dogs sleep in a family member's bedroom; and 60 percent of Northeast dog owners saying they cuddle their pet at night, compared to 49 percent of respondents from other regions. According to SpotOn Virtual Smart Fence, the survey's results indicate there are opportunities for businesses and public spaces to meet the needs of the growing population of dog owners: 48 percent rely on parks and recreation for outdoor activities with their dog; 71 percent of dog owners in the New York metropolitan area note they have access to amenities such as dog parks, outdoor areas, and dog-friendly stores and eateries; 86 percent of dog owners feel welcome at the homes of friends and family with their pets; 37 …
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Penn Vet to study hemp-based canine supplementMay 28, 2019A trial at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) will be looking at the effectiveness of a hemp-based supplement to relieve symptoms of canine joint immobility. Approximately 60 dogs who are suffering from inflammation secondary to osteoarthritis will be split into three groups. One group will receive Mobility, which was developed by Dixie Brands' subsidiary Therabis. The second group will receive CBD, and the last group will receive a placebo. The dogs will then be studied to see which group achieves a better outcome. "We are honored to have a Therabis product selected by the world-renowned experts at Penn Vet for their first major study of the effects of natural hemp oil to reduce joint pain in dogs," says Therabis cofounder, Stephen M. Katz, DVM. "Our experience in my clinic has shown cannabidiol (CBD) is an effective treatment in reducing inflammatory response. We have a passion for improving dogs' quality of life, and we look forward to learning all we can about therapeutic methods to achieve this." Physical tests will be used to measure the effectiveness of the products, mostly focusing on the front leg joints. Results are expected in approximately 12 months.
Dogs can alert human risk to Lyme diseaseMay 27, 2019Health-care providers can now use dogs as a way to measure human risk for Lyme disease, according to a study by Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC). "This research shows how man's best friend continues to safeguard humans as a sentinel to alert humans where they are at greatest risk for Lyme disease," says CAPC executive director, Christopher Carpenter, DVM. "The model established in this research breaks new ground to give residents, travelers, and health-care providers a county-level map to help them identify areas of risk across the country." Through the study, researchers quantified the relationship between canine seroprevalence for the disease-causing bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Lyme disease in humans. Seroprevalence is used to calculate the number of dogs testing positive among all tested dogs within a county. The study showed a correlation between human incidence and dog seroprevalence. According to researchers, they were able to study more than seven years of nationwide canine diagnostic data as a result of dogs being tested annually for exposure to Borrelia burgdorferi. The collected data represented more than 400 million data points, which is usually difficult to obtain when looking directly at ticks and the environment. "By combining sophisticated statistical modeling with this …
Is fear driving the anti-vaccine movement?May 22, 2019Vaccines are one of the most effective means for preventing disease ever developed and one of the great triumphs of scientific medicine. Widespread vaccination of children has dramatically reduced—and in some cases eliminated—infectious diseases that have plagued humanity for thousands of years. There is less research evidence for the impact of vaccination in companion animals, but there is ample reason to believe vaccines have been equally successful in dogs and cats.3–7 Any veterinarian old enough to remember the emergence of canine parvovirus (CPV) in the U.S. in the late 1970s, for example, would probably testify to the efficacy of vaccination in reducing the incidence of this disease.5–7 There also is compelling evidence showing the reduction of both canine and human rabies cases due to vaccination programs aimed at dogs.8–12 And similar to smallpox, the veterinary disease rinderpest was eradicated largely due to the use of an effective vaccine.13 Vaccines and autism Despite the evident success of vaccination in reducing morbidity and mortality, there has always been controversy about the practice.14 The introduction of widespread vaccination in children was initially met with resistance and legal challenges. There was fear about the safety of vaccines, as well as resistance rooted in …
Service dogs can lead to a better life for ownersMay 21, 2019Service dogs improve the quality of life for their owners, according to a new study. Due to an increase in demand for service dogs, researchers at Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine determined a need for using standardized measures to look at the relationship between the human-animal bond and psychosocial outcomes among people with service dogs over a four-year period. Elanco Animal Health funded the study. "Our goal was to apply strong science in quantifying the effects these dogs can have on well-being," says Maggie O'Haire, PhD, associate professor of human-animal interaction at Purdue University. "The research also reveals the distinctive role a service dog may have in the lives of the families of those individuals." Of the 154 recruited participants, 97 people who used a mobility or medical service dog displayed better psychosocial health, including higher levels of social and emotional functioning, and better functioning at work and/or school in comparison to the 57 who were on a waiting list. "Previous smaller and chiefly qualitative studies have found preliminary evidence service dogs can have psychosocial benefits among individuals with physical disabilities, but the research has been limited," said Tony Rumschlag, DVM, director, consulting veterinarians, U.S. companion animal business …
Treat aspiration pneumonia like a bossMay 13, 2019With a 25 percent death rate, aspiration pneumonia should be taken seriously. Treatment traditionally includes hospitalization, IV fluids and antibiotics (often a cephalosporin combined with enrofloxacin), oxygen therapy, nebulization, and coupage.
ASU begins clinical study for cancer-preventing vaccineMay 10, 2019An Arizona State University (ASU) professor has begun a five-year clinical study examining the effectiveness of a cancer-preventing vaccine for dogs. Stephen Johnston, PhD, a scientist, professor at the School of Life Sciences, and director of the Biodesign Center for Innovations in Medicine, developed the vaccine over a span of 12 years. He says his goal is to change the way veterinarians treat cancer by preventing it before it can start. Over the course of the five-year study, 800 dogs will either be given the vaccine or a placebo and will be monitored. The University of Wisconsin (UW) School of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University (CSU) and University of California (UC), Davis are also participating in the trial. "We're testing a totally novel way of creating an anticancer immune response," says David Vail, DVM, DACVIM (oncology), professor and board-certified oncologist at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine. "The holy grail would be to prevent cancer as opposed to waiting for it to start and then treating it." The vaccine is designed to target common canine cancers, including lymphoma, osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, and mastocytomas. At the beginning, two sets of vaccines will be given every two weeks and then annually. The …
New CAPC study shows Lyme disease is spreadingMay 7, 2019Research from the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) indicates seroprevalence of Lyme disease in dogs is not only increasing in the Northeast, where it is considered endemic, but also spreading into areas that were previously thought to not be at risk for this serious, zoonotic tick-borne disease. ("Seroprevalence" in this case refers to the prevalence of dogs exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi, the pathogen responsible for causing Lyme disease in the U.S. based on serologic tests—hereafter referred to as "prevalence.") Study results were published in the December 2018 issue of Environmetrics, the official journal of The International Environmetrics Society (TIES). This milestone study, titled "A Large-scale Spatio-temporal Binomial Regression Model for Estimating Seroprevalence Trends," suggests canine prevalence rates for Lyme disease are rising and that those rates are increasing most in areas where the pathogen has recently encroached. Specifically, exposure in dogs to B. burgdorferi is rising in states not traditionally considered to be areas of high Lyme risk. Significant increases in the percentage of dogs testing positive for exposure have also been seen in areas that have not yet reported significant human incidence. These findings suggest canine Lyme prevalence could serve as an early warning system for changes in …
Is cranberry effective for treating UTIs?April 29, 2019Like most herbal remedies, cranberry has traditionally been employed for a wide variety of unrelated problems, ranging from diseases of the liver and stomach to blood disorders and even cancer.1 These days, however, it is pretty firmly established in the minds of pet owners—and many veterinary professionals—as useful for urinary tract infections (UTIs). It may be surprising, then, to learn there is little convincing evidence to support the effectiveness of cranberry in preventing or treating UTI. The question of whether cranberries, in some form, have value in treating or preventing UTIs is a pretty old one. In addition to historical claims among herbal medicine practitioners, there are scientific references on the subject going back to the 1960s.2 An early theoretical rationale for using cranberry to treat UTIs was it inhibited bacterial growth by acidifying the urine.3,4 However, later research has not substantiated this theory, and this rationale is no longer commonly used to explain the purported benefits of cranberry in preventing or treating a UTI.1,5 The more popular theory today is compounds in cranberry juice, particularly a group called proanthocyanidins, interfere with the attachment of some bacteria to the bladder mucosa, reducing colonization and the establishment of infection.6,7 This …
Dermatology and nutrition: Beyond food allergyApril 29, 2019 When dogs and cats present with skin disorders, the initial approach is to collect a history, do a physical exam, and then perform diagnostic tests to rule in or rule out common conditions. After establishing a tentative diagnosis, most veterinarians will next consider which medications are most appropriate (e.g. antibiotics, antifungals, parasiticides). It is not as common to consider diet and nutrition as part of the workup and treatment for dermatologic disorders, other than performing elimination diet trials for suspected cutaneous adverse food reaction (food allergy). However, the right diets, nutrients, and sometimes nutritional supplements can have a significant benefit in improving or resolving certain skin disorders. This article highlights some of the options for incorporating nutritional science into the management of dermatologic disorders. Cutaneous adverse food reaction The most common presentation for a dog or cat with cutaneous adverse food reaction (CAFR) is nonseasonal pruritus, although other syndromes such as otitis externa and gastrointestinal (GI) upset may occur.1,2 While some companies offer "food allergy testing" using serum, saliva, or even hair clippings, the only valid diagnostic test is an elimination diet trial. There are a number of veterinary therapeutic diets that can be used for diet trials and …
