ELIAS presents preliminary canine osteosarcoma results at ACVIMAugust 3, 2018During the 2018 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum in June, ELIAS Animal Health, a clinical stage development company advancing novel treatments for companion animal cancer, shared preliminary canine osteosarcoma results for its cancer immunotherapy. According to study results presented by Brian Flesner, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), University of Missouri, the company's new ELIAS autologous cancer vaccine, featuring a patented vaccine and T cell infusion combination approach, demonstrated "impressive survival times and minimal side effects." This cancer immunotherapeutic is being distributed as an experimental product under 9 CFR 103.3 to veterinarians treating dogs diagnosed with cancer. Efficacy and safety have not been established. One in four dogs will be impacted by cancer in their lifetimes, and cancer is the No. 1 cause of death in dogs older than 2. "There has been growing frustration in the veterinary profession with current treatment options, including chemotherapy and radiation, which have only modestly improved outcomes over the past 20 years," said Noe Reyes, DVM, medical director, ELIAS Animal Health. "We are very encouraged by the positive treatment outcomes reported by Dr. Flesner at ACVIM and look forward to starting our pivotal osteosarcoma trial evaluating this T cell-based immunotherapy in a broader population," …
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VSMRI offers online forum for rehab, sports medicineAugust 3, 2018The Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Institute (VSMRI) is a new online resource for veterinary health care professionals focused on or interested in the most current information regarding rehabilitation, sports medicine, surgery, and overall care. Content, video, and forum topics include gait analysis, TPLO rehabilitation, the orthopedic examination, and hip dysplasia rehabilitation, surgery and rehabilitation option impacts, and more. The institute said it aims to join veterinary professionals globally from all aspects of veterinary medicine with an interest in physical rehabilitation and sports medicine; provide a library of rehabilitation exercises and modalities, as well as up-to-date research information in the area of rehabilitation and sports medicine; and provide a discussion board and interactive forum. Download VSMRI in the App Store and register at vsmri.com. Charter registration is $14.95/month.
FDA reminds vets of Zycortal Suspension amid Percorten-V shortageAugust 2, 2018Due to a shortage of Percorten-V, which is approved for use as replacement therapy for mineralocorticoid deficit in dogs with Addison's Disease, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine is reminding veterinarians that Zycortal Suspension is an alternative treatment option that is not currently in shortage. Elanco Animal Health, manufacturer of Percorten-V (desoxycorticosterone pivalate injectable suspension), reported a manufacturing issue with the product. "Elanco is experiencing a delay in production of Percorten-V due to the inability of our contract manufacturing facility to supply product," according to the company's website. "While we work diligently to resolve this delay, there is an interruption of product supply to veterinarians. The technical challenges in the manufacturing process are being actively investigated with a focus on expediting resolution. The timeframe to resume production is dependent on the investigation conclusions and at this point is unknown. Elanco deeply regrets that this production issue is impacting the veterinarians and pets that rely on us to manage this serious disease, and is working persistently to hurry this product back to those who need it." Zycortal Suspension (desoxycorticosterone pivalate injectable suspension), also approved for use replacement therapies for mineralocorticoid …
University of Florida 3-D printer gives patients new chance at mobilityJuly 27, 2018Chance, a greater Swiss mountain dog abandoned with a severe limb deformity, is walking better. Bebop, a pot-bellied pig is back to rooting in his yard after a painful shoulder injury stopped him. Chance and Bebop are the first two clinical cases treated over the past six months at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine through a state-of-the-art 3-D printer that uses high-performance plastics and offers numerous advances in patient care, teaching, and research, according to UF veterinarians. Among the printer's capabilities are the ability to create bone models with which veterinarians can "practice" a surgical procedure prior to actual surgery, as well as patient-specific surgical guides that improve accuracy and reduce surgery time, according to the university. "We have the Rolls Royce of 3-D printers," said Adam Biedrzycki, BVSc, Ph.D., an assistant professor of large animal surgery at UF, who purchased the printer with startup funds when he was hired by the UF College of Veterinary Medicine three years ago. "It can not only print parts that are approved in the aerospace industry to go into aircraft but also parts that are biocompatible for medical applications. That is, they can be used in live tissues." …
UC Davis treats uncommon AVM in German shepherdJuly 10, 2018Crash, a six-year-old male German shepherd, was starting to tire more easily on his walks and seemed zoned out and listless, according to his owners, Sally Fuess and Steve Yant from Boulder Creek, Calif. He also displayed signs of what were perceived as severe headaches. He would "bury" his head and squint his eyes, suggesting that something was bothering him. Those headache signs started occurring more frequently and affected his overall well-being. "It was like watching someone have a massive migraine and be nonfunctioning," said Fuess. "The bigger the headaches, the more disorientated he would become. His hearing would get distorted, his perception … all his senses were affected." Fuess and Yant discussed this with an internal medicine specialist who was already treating Crash for some unrelated gastrointestinal issues. The veterinarian performed an MRI of Crash's head that revealed an intracranial arteriovenous malformation (AVM) located within the brain behind his eyes. A consultation with Bill Culp, VMD, DACVS, at the University of California, Davis veterinary hospital was arranged. Redirecting the blood flow "AVMs, in general, are very uncommon in veterinary patients," said Dr. Culp. "A brain AVM is extremely rare and not a situation that I have encountered before. Because …
The other ED: Ectodermal dysplasiaJuly 8, 2018From time to time, I will pull out a “dental zebra” from the archives: a case that you won’t see every day, but you’ll see it at least once in your career.
Study explores predicting canine disease risk through genetic testingJune 21, 2018 Genetic testing can be used to predict if a dog is at risk for developing certain diseases, enabling preventative care for better health, reports a new study by Wisdom Health and Genoscoper Laboratories. Published in PLOS Genetics, the study, "Frequency and distribution of 152 genetic disease variants in over 100,000 mixed breed and purebred dogs," also shows fewer mixed-breed dogs than purebreds are affected by the most common disease-causing mutations tested in the study. "There has been a long-standing perception that mixed-breed dogs are less disease prone than purebred dogs," said Cindy Cole DVM, Ph.D., DACVCP, general manager at Wisdom Health. "This DNA-testing-based evidence shows that while mixed-breed dogs are in fact less likely than purebreds to develop the recessive disorders evaluated in the study, they may still be carriers." The study examined the DNA of more than 100,000 dogs (18,000 purebreds representing 330 breeds, types, and varieties, and 83,000 mixed-breed dogs) for the presence of 152 genetic disease mutations, including: Progressive retinal atrophy (multiple forms) Hyperuricosuria Collie eye anomaly Multidrug sensitivity (MDR1) von Willebrand's disease (multiple forms) Based on the 152 diseases tested: Approximately two out of 100 mixed-breed dogs are at risk of becoming affected; 40 …
Why annual screening for exposure to infected ticks is vitalJune 20, 2018It's important to remember that a single tick can transmit multiple infectious agents that may cause or contribute to serious illness, including kidney disease. And because dogs don't always show clinical signs, it can be challenging to understand the true harm of any given infection to a pet's health. This makes regularly screening of pets—including asymptomatic or seemingly healthy ones—to identify exposure to infected ticks all the more important. Here's a quick look at why regular, comprehensive screening is critical, and what veterinarians can do to help keep dogs healthy. All dogs need to be screened annually for exposure to infected ticks It's quite possible a patient could be fighting an infection without showing any signs of disease. That is why limiting screening to symptomatic pets and those known to have had a tick on them is too restrictive—it will miss infections. All dogs need to be tested, and pet owners need to be reminded that negative results are the goal in order to verify that preventive measures against ticks are working. A new study reinforces the importance of detecting exposure The study, found at idexx.com/ckdstudy, showed two key findings: 1) dogs with Ehrlichia antibodies …
Canadian researchers team up to fight canine osteosarcomaJune 14, 2018A group of researchers called the Dog Osteosarcoma Group–Biomarkers of Neoplasia (DOGBONe) at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, have joined forces to determine more accurate ways of measuring bone cancer, with the main objective of identifying biomarkers to assess patients with canine osteosarcoma. The presentation of osteosarcoma in dogs is remarkably similar to that of humans, according to the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC); so much so that computers are unable to distinguish between tumor samples from each species based on gene expression patterns. These similarities make canine osteosarcoma research all the more valuable, as any progress in developing better treatments for one species means progress for the other as well. "The dogs are a model for the worst of the human disease," said Geoffrey A. Wood, DVM, Ph.D., DVSc (pathology), of the OVC's Department of Pathobiology. "Right now, the information we find out in human osteosarcoma serves as a model for the dogs. There's an opportunity to go both ways between the species, for the benefit of both." The team consists of the university's top osteosarcoma researchers from across four departments at OVC, including co-leaders Dr. Wood and Alicia Viloria-Petit, Ph.D., MSc, BSc, of the Department of …
Postoperative bleeding in greyhounds; what it may mean for deerhoundsJune 8, 2018In 2011 I wrote about research underway at The Ohio State University (OSU) to investigate the cause of excessive postoperative bleeding that occurred in many greyhounds one or two days after surgery.
