Dog Found Shot, Paralyzed Makes Remarkable Recovery Thanks to Vet PhysiotherapistMarch 30, 2016Back in October, a dog named Saint was found shot and tied to a tree, left for dead. He was in bad shape and paralyzed in the hind legs. According to a Go Fund Me page, “It was later discovered that he had several pellets lodged in his spine that caused ruptured discs and neurological damage. Due to the efforts of animal control and the Sherriff's department of Parker County, Saint was rescued. Arlington, Texas residents Alan and Stacie Brown saw the story and stepped in to foster Saint and provide a loving home for him. Since then, Saint has been receiving free physical therapy from the Veterinary Referral and Emergency Hospital of Arlington and has progressed tremendously.” That’s thanks to the efforts of Steve Hooker, physiotherapist and lead technician for the Veterinary Referral and Emergency Hospital. According to his bio, Hooker is a Certified Canine Physical Rehabilitation therapist (CCRP) from the University of Tennessee, and his special interests include rehabilitation and physiotherapy, neurodiagnostics and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. When he heard of Saint’s case, he immediately wanted to work with him. He got his wish too, …
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Veterinarian Designs App to Help Dog Owners Determine Their Mutt's BreedsMarch 25, 2016Want to know what makes up your mutt? There’s an app for that. Best part? That app was designed by a veterinarian. Specifically, Lauren Schluterman, DVM, of the Bowman Road Animal Clinic in Little Rock, Ark., designed the “What’s My Mutt?” app. The creation came about because so many clients wanted to know the breeds made up their dogs. She had also adopted her own dog, Indy, and was working to determine what her dog's origins were. With DNA testing too expensive for many of her clients, Schluterman decided to start work on a more inexpensive approach. What's My Mutt? Lauren Schluterman, DVM, with Indy. The app took around 3 years to make. Schluterman created an algorithm that takes “dominant features of 65 different dog breeds that create mutts,” reports THV11.com. “We tested the algorithm on about 1,000 dogs before the official launch. The goal of the app is for it to become a tool for animal rescue and shelter groups or people looking to adopt a dog with a certain size or personality. The more people that use it, the more data is collected,” …
New Company Takes Aim at the Canine Genetic Test MarketMarch 25, 2016A new canine DNA test will be available sometime this spring through Embark Veterinary Inc., a startup company that officially launched in mid March. The Austin, Texas-based company aims to shake up the dog DNA testing market by bringing cutting-edge science and insights directly to pet owners, according to co-founders Adam Boyko, Ph.D., chief science officer and assistant professor of Biomedical Sciences at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, and Ryan Boyko, chief executive officer. The brother team has spent the past decade learning about dogs, everything from the inception of the human-canine bond to the best ways in which to care for these four-legged friends. In the course of their quest to understand the domestic dog, they have discovered many of the things that make every breed and every individual dog unique. This led to breakthrough research on the origin of the domestic dog near Central Asia more than 15,000 years ago. The Embark DNA Test will track more than 200,000 genetic markers, offering ancestry analysis as well as an extensive overview of both genetic disease risk and heritable traits, allowing users to understand their dog’s health, plan …
Study: Retinal Cells Regenerate Before They DieMarch 24, 2016Until relatively recently, it was believed that neurons, including the eye’s photoreceptor cells, rods and cones, do not regenerate. This is the reason that nerve damage is thought to be so grave. More recent studies have shown that in some vertebrate species, neurons can be stimulated to divide. Yet the belief continued to hold firm with regard to retinal neurons — until findings from a study by University of Pennsylvania researchers came out in 2011. The study showed that in a form of canine blindness, retinal cells continue to differentiate for a period of time early in a dog’s life before overwhelming cell death caused the retina to degenerate. In a new study, reported on March 18, 2016, the Penn researchers have expanded this line of inquiry to consider two other forms of blindness. They found that these diseases, too, possess this unexpected feature of temporarily rejuvenating retinal cells. The findings suggest this feature may be common across many forms of inherited blindness. Further investigation into the reasons for this period of retinal neuron proliferation could lead to molecular targets for intervening in cell death and maintaining functional photoreceptor …
Celebrate National Puppy Day with Puppies in the Vet ClinicMarch 23, 2016National Puppy Day is here! Here are some puppies in veterinary clinics to celebrate. 1) We start with these boxer puppies. #thiswasmonday #veterinarypractice #ilovemyjob #babyboxers A photo posted by Hegedűs Petra (@petrahegeduus) on Feb 22, 2016 at 1:39pm PST 2) And then this Jack Russell puppy. Work selfie with a really cute puppy! #puppy #work #vets #studentveterinarynurse #cute #lovethepup #jackrussell #8weeks #toocute #veterinarypractice #job #likeforlike #followforfollow #tunic #uniform #lovemyjob A photo posted by AprilCromie (@aprilcromie26) on Feb 1, 2016 at 1:25pm PST 3) Then there are these puppies.
FDA Approves Aratana Osteoarthritis DrugMarch 22, 2016One day after earning its first FDA drug approval, Aratana Therapeutics Inc. announced pursuit of a second. The Leawood, Kan., company reported Monday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration signed off on Galliprant (grapiprant tablets) for the control of pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis in dogs. Commercial sales are expected to begin in the fall. In the meantime, Aratana moved ahead today with the filing of an administrative New Animal Drug Application (NADA) for Entyce (capromorelin oral solution) for stimulating canine appetites. If approved, the drug could be launched late this year. Aratana described Entyce as a ghrelin agonist and “a first-of-its-kind therapeutic to treat inappetence in dogs.” “The therapeutic is a flavored, oral liquid prescription that works by mimicking ghrelin, the hunger hormone, to stimulate appetite,” the company added. “Our market research indicates that millions of dogs with inappetence are treated off-label with drugs, special diets and homeopathic remedies,” said Ernst Heinen, DVM, Ph.D., Aratana’s chief development officer. “The anticipated FDA approval of Entyce would make it the only therapeutic approved for use by veterinarians to fulfill a serious unmet need for dogs that have stopped eating.” The company’s first approved drug, Galliprant, works by blocking prostaglandin …
How to Promote Good Canine BehaviorMarch 18, 2016Veterinarians agree that pet behavior problems are on the rise because animal owners tend to wait too long before seeking qualified professional help. What might begin as a simple training issue becomes more serious when owners inadvertently make the problem worse by trying to resolve it based on poor advice. “Understanding and working with behavior is no small task,” said Don Hanson, co-owner and director of behavior services and training at Green Acres Kennel Shop in Bangor, Maine. “It is a field that requires knowledge in a wide variety of areas including ethology, operant conditioning, classical conditioning and more. It is not something one can expect to learn in a one- or two-day seminar.” The No. 1 issue in any study that’s been done on the topic is aggression. Nicholas H. Dodman, BVMS, director of the animal behavior program at the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, noted that different types of aggression require different treatments. The most common are conflict aggression (in the home) and fear aggression (directed outwardly at strangers). “I think that’s 70 percent of all …
Royal Veterinary College Performs Groundbreaking Open-Heart Surgery on DogMarch 18, 2016Mabel, a 3-year-old Labrador, had congenital tricuspid dysplasia, which resulted in her being increasingly fatigued after exercise. She also had trouble keeping up with the other dog in the household. Because Mabel’s tricuspid valve was completely fused in the middle and there were just two very small holes for her blood to flow through, her abdomen had fluid buildup and she developed heart failure, Royal Veterinary College (RVC) stated in a recent press release. Mabel was subsequently referred to cardiology specialists at the small animal referral hospital at RVC. Dan Brockman, BVSc, CertVR, CertSAO, DipACVS, DipECVS, performed surgery on Mabel at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals. RVC specialists assisted the Professor of Small Animal Surgery and Head of Department of Clinical Science and Services with pre- and post-operative care. Students at RVC conducted Mabel’s initial examinations, which included a cardiac ultrasound. Annabelle Meek, Mabel’s owner, knew of the risks involved in the surgery, which, according to Dr. Brockman, were “much worse than most other operations. In our hands, for this type of disease, we have about an 80-percent chance of getting them through the procedure. The owner has to gamble what life the …
Dog Nearly Dies After Swallowing Stuffed Polar BearMarch 17, 2016Dogs will eat just about anything. They eat door hinges, fishing poles, socks and much, much more. Sometimes it even happens unbeknownst to the dog’s owner. Until that dog gets sick. That’s exactly what happened with Honey, a Dogue de Bordeaux. On March 14, 2016, she was brought in to the Santa Fe Animal Shelter in New Mexico after having been vomiting for a week, the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society posted on Facebook. The owner told Rick Snook, DVM, that the dog’s condition had originally been diagnosed as a uterine infection, but when she was still ailing after seven days, they brought her in. Dr. Snook has been busy for the past few days with some unusual and challenging cases. Here's one that he just finished... Posted by Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society on Monday, March 14, 2016 It turned out Honey had swallowed a stuffed toy. Dr. Snook conducted surgery to remove what was originally thought to …
How to Talk About Pet Obesity With Your Veterinary ClientsMarch 16, 2016Obesity can lead to a range of medical conditions for pets if not addressed properly, but even with the possibility of dire consequences, many vets still struggle to effectively address obesity with clients. Pet obesity is rapidly becoming an epidemic; an estimated 54 percent of pets in the United States are obese. The result is millions of pets with diabetes, joint pain and even organ failure. In fact, according to a 2014 study from Association for Pet Obesity Prevention found that: “Out of 1,421 animals put to a veterinary assessment last fall, 57.6 percent of cats and 52.6 percent of dogs were classified as overweight or obese. Owners of the obese pets overwhelmingly considered their cat or dog to be of normal weight.” Fortunately, more effective communication with your veterinary clients can make a big difference. Avoid Using the Word “Obese” According to Wendy Myers, owner of Communications Solutions for Veterinarians many of her clients worry about having the conversation because their clients are also obese, but they’re not helping their clients or the pets that way. Instead, she suggests making it about the medical …
