USDA grants Zoetis' Vanguard Rapid Resp one-year DOIDecember 19, 2017The USDA has granted Zoetis' Vanguard Rapid Resp intranasal vaccine line one-year duration of immunity (DOI) claims for Bordetella bronchiseptica, canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), and canine parainfluenza virus (CPiV). Vanguard Rapid Resp is the first and only intranasal vaccine line in the US that has been demonstrated to provide one year of protection against three important canine infectious respiratory diseases (CIRD), according to the company. "The demonstration of a one-year duration of immunity for all three antigens in Vanguard Rapid Resp represents an important step in the protection of dogs from CIRD. This new DOI confirms the efficacy of a single product that provides both rapid and durable protection against these important antigens in the CIRD complex," said Stephan Carey, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, assistant professor of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, consultant for Zoetis. "This extended DOI is essential in reducing morbidity and mortality from infectious respiratory disease among dogs in social or commingled environments such as boarding facilities and shelters." Vanguard Rapid Resp is available in three antigenic combinations (Bb + CPiV + CAV-2; Bb + CPiV; Bb only), and all of these choices can be administered with a syringe …
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The beat goes onDecember 15, 2017Dogs love their human families with their whole hearts, and the humans who love them back want to keep their beloved companions’ hearts healthy.
Drug-resistant heartworm strain found in Louisiana LabradorDecember 12, 2017A drug-resistant strain of heartworm was discovered in a dog in Metairie, La., according to local veterinarian, Cynthia Benbow, DVM, CVA. Maddie, a yellow lab from Metairie, was a patient of Dr. Benbow. According to the news release issued by Benbow's office, Maddie contracted heartworm while on a monthly preventive. The heartworms had resurfaced in Benbow's long-time patient after a bout three years prior even though Maddie's owner had, as Benbow described, "religiously" stuck with the prescribed prevention regimen. Testing revealed the dog was infected with a drug-resistant strain of heartworm. A sample of Maddie's blood was sent to Ray Kaplan, DVM, at the Department of Infectious Diseases at University of Georgia (UGA) College of Veterinary Medicine, according to Benbow. Dr. Kaplan's lab confirmed that the heartworms were indeed drug-resistant, and established the strain for research purposes, naming it Metairie-2014. Louisiana hosts "by far the most cases" of suspected drug-resistant heartworm strains, according to Cassan Pulaski, a doctoral candidate at Louisiana State University (LSU). Southern states show higher incidences of likely drug-resistant strains, particularly those surrounding the Mississippi River Delta, he said. It's unknown how many drug-resistant heartworm strains exist because local veterinarians do not have the research tools to verify resistant strains, according to …
Zoetis launches Vanguard CIV H3N2/H3N8 vaccine for canine influenzaDecember 12, 2017Zoetis' Vanguard CIV H3N2/H3N8 is a new bivalent vaccine helps protect dogs against CIV H3N2 and CIV H3N8, which have caused serious disease outbreaks in 38 states across the US.1 In an efficacy study, dogs that received the Vanguard CIV H3N2/H3N8 vaccine were protected from disease after CIV H3N2 challenge.2,3,4 Vaccination also appeared to help decrease the number of days after challenge that dogs shed CIV H3N2 virus—from an average of 4.9 days in the placebo-vaccinated controls to an average of 1.3 days in Vanguard CIV H3N2/H3N8 vaccinates.2,5,6 During a safety study that involved 364 dogs, including 164 client-owned dogs and 200 dogs from commercial breeding facilities, 725 doses of vaccine were administered and no significant adverse events were observed.7 Dogs that frequently are in the company of others could benefit from the protection Vanguard CIV H3N2/H3N8 offers, said Stephan Carey, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, assistant professor, Small Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and past president of The Veterinary Comparative Respiratory Society, and Zoetis consultant. "Dogs that attend day care, visit the dog park, or stay at boarding facilities are all at risk for contracting either strain of CIV," he said. …
KSU study demonstrates loss of compounded drug potencyDecember 11, 2017A new Kansas State University (KSU) study funded by Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) shows a commonly compounded antimicrobial drug used in veterinary medicine may be losing potency over time. The study recently was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The KSU research team showed that compounded formulations of doxycycline lost potency within three weeks of receipt, with many dropping to sub-therapeutic content in that time, as defined by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards. The findings could have a significant impact for practicing veterinarians who rely on this antimicrobial to treat various infectious diseases in animals, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever and leptospirosis, and as an adjunct therapy for heartworm disease. "These study results have important ramifications for practicing veterinarians," said John Reddington, DVM, Ph.D., president and CEO for MAF. "The study helped fill in a knowledge gap about compounded medications, and may lead to additional studies on this important but often overlooked topic." The research team at KSU included Tanner Slead, a MAF Veterinary Student Scholar, and his mentor, Kate KuKanich, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM. The team compared FDA-approved formulations of doxycycline with compounded doxycycline obtained from …
Information overload means good newsDecember 8, 2017Let’s face it; we can’t even keep up with all the email, client communications, and news flashing on our smartphones while maintaining a busy clinical load. Once-a-year continuing education barely keeps us afloat in the ocean of veterinary information, and now that information—thanks to accelerating advancements in technology and biological research—is coming at us more and more rapidly and in more forms.
UC Davis creates 3D printed mask for dog with fractured skullDecember 6, 2017Loca, a 4-month-old female Staffordshire bull terrier, was bitten by another dog so severely that her right zygomatic arch (cheekbone) and mandible (jawbone) were fractured, and her temporomandibular joint (TMJ) suffered extensive damage. In addition, there were multiple puncture wounds on her face and neck. University of California, Davis, veterinary hospital Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service (DOSS) faculty members Frank Verstraete, BVSc, DrMedVet, MMedVet, and Boaz Arzi, DVM, DAVDC, DEVDC, and resident Colleen Geisbush, DVM, saw promising aspects to this challenging case. First, Loca was young, which meant there was a good chance that the damage to the TMJ could correct itself with natural bone regrowth. Second, this case offered them the opportunity to utilize a new face mask they developed with biomedical engineering students. Designed to be used as a cast for a fractured skull while it heals, the mask was the result of a long-standing collaboration between the oral surgeons and the UC Davis College of Engineering. To assist with surgery preparation, DOSS has used COE's Biomedical Engineering (BME) Department many times over the years to 3D print skull models in BME's Translating Engineering Advances to Medicine (TEAM) Laboratory. Recently, DOSS has been working with BME …
PetPace smartcollar aids first human-canine 12,500-mile All-In Trek teamNovember 16, 2017Breanna Cornell and her 4-year-old husky-rottweiler mix, Sophie, are scheduled to set out on completing the nation's longest and most rigorous mega-hike expedition on Sept. 4, 2018, with help from PetPace, a provider of health monitoring technology for pets. Cornell and Sophie will attempt to be the first female and human-canine team to complete the All-In Trek. The mega-hike requires a continuous, self-supported hike through the top four hiking trails in the nation. The duo will start their journey on the North County Trail, followed by the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Coast trail, and the Continental Divide, traveling by air to each start point. Besides facing a mix of rough terrain, adverse weather conditions, and the unexpected, and the pair also will battle the physical drain of hiking roughly 35 miles per day. In order to better safeguard Sophie's health, Cornell will receive a special travel pack for Sophie from the company. The travel pack will provide full connectivity between Cornell's PetPace smartphone app and Sophie's PetPace health monitoring smartcollar. This will allow Cornell to closely monitor her pet's caloric expenditure, activity levels, and vital signs. Sophie's smartcollar also can send …
Cornell, Tufts scientists receive $2.5M from NIH for cancer studyNovember 14, 2017Cornell and Tufts University scientists have received a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to use dogs as a model for studying cancer immunotherapies. The dogs used in the study are treated with similar care as human patients, with the potential of being cured of lymphoma. Kristy Richards, Ph.D., MD, associate professor of Biomedical Sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine with a joint appointment at the Division of Hematology/Medical Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine is co-principal investigator on the grant, along with Cheryl London, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, a research professor at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. The grant will investigate whether combinations of PD1 inhibitors and other targeted therapies may increase effectiveness of cancer treatment in dogs, thereby setting up the possibility for human trials. Clinical trials in dogs should begin in the next six months, at which time, the researchers will reach out to referring veterinarians for candidate canine patients with lymphoma. Veterinary oncologists at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine and at Cornell University Veterinary Specialists in Stamford, Conn., will enroll and treat patients during the trials. Patients also will be enrolled at the …
Biomarkers shed light on future healthNovember 9, 2017As the biomarker frontier continues to grow, experts say the next big step is for veterinary practitioners to embrace genetic testing. Kathryn Meurs, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology), Ph.D., was the investigator on two new tests for cardiomyopathy predisposition in Dobermans and boxers.
