Technology Predetermines Dog SexesApril 17, 2009 The world’s first dogs to have been sex-selected before conception have been born, according to XY Inc., a company based in Fort Collins, Colo., that developed the XY Sex Selection Technology. The black Labrador pups—three female and two male—join a line of other animal species that the company says has produced sex-selected offspring. Species include the domestic cat, cattle, horses, sheep, elk, the bottle-nosed dolphin and the Mediterranean water buffalo. “Using sex-sorted sperm to artificially inseminate dogs is probably not too practical for typical breeding,” said Greg Burns, DVM, owner of South Mesa Veterinary Hospital in Fort Collins and part of XY’s research team. “However, for specialty breeding, this is a major breakthrough with great potential.” One example is in the case of Seeing-Eye dogs. Female Labradors are typically desired for their calm and gentle disposition and intelligence. “The Seeing Eye would find it very helpful if some litters could be produced that are mostly females, and I believe that access to sex-selection technology would be useful to dog guide schools around the world,” said Eldin Leighton, the Jane H. Booker director of canine genetics for The Seeing Eye, which breeds dogs. XY …
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Nutritional Advances Aid In Prevention, Treatment Of IllnessApril 17, 2009 The importance of proper pet nutrition, long understood and preached by the veterinary community, is catching on among pet owners as well. “Veterinarians are being approached by clients on a more regular basis for recommendations on what their pets should be eating,” says Amy Dicke, DVM, technical services veterinarian for The Iams Co. in Dayton, Ohio. “Owners are becoming more concerned about their pets’ diets, so veterinarians have to be more comprehensive in dealing with the topic of nutrition.” Nutritional Trends A key trend driving nutrition for dogs and cats is the shift toward a preventive model of veterinary medicine. “Prevention is much easier than treatment,” says Brent Mayabb, DVM, technical services manager for Royal Canin Veterinary Diets in Saint Charles, Mo. “Many conditions in pets can be prevented through proper nutrition, and the veterinary community overall is becoming more savvy in this area.” Obesity in pets is one example of a condition that can often be averted with preventive nutrition and treated with specialty diets as well. As pet owners become aware of the need to manage their pets’ weight, they often invest in the growing number of veterinary diets …
With Prosthetics, Husky Walks AgainApril 17, 2009 A formerly abused amputee dog has regained the ability to walk thanks to a series of groundbreaking prosthetic implant surgeries. Triumph, a 4-year-old Siberian husky found on the side of a road in Adana, Turkey, with both her hind legs cut off, is the first canine to receive permanent prosthetic legs, according to Denver’s Alameda East Veterinary Hospital. Triumph was adopted by a woman in Nashville, Tenn., and taken to Robert Taylor, DVM, who performed the surgeries. The task of developing custom artificial legs and surgically implanting them began more than a year ago and required a three-phase approach. The initial implants for Triumph’s back legs were provided in late 2005. In 2006, Triumph returned to Colorado for follow-up visits and improvements. The most recent and final phase included another adjustment surgery in December. Triumph’s implant surgeries are now complete and she is walking and running every day with her new legs, according to the hospital. Taylor had the help of some key companies to give Triumph her permanent prosthetic legs, including Ultramet, which made the porous tantalum body for the implant, and BioMedtrix, which helped with the design. The material used to …
World’s Tallest Dog Helps Promote Heart Disease TestApril 17, 2009 Veterinary Diagnostics Institute of Irvine, Calif., has teamed up with the Guinness World Record’s tallest living dog to promote a new blood test designed to help diagnose heart disease or heart failure in dogs. Gibson is a great Dane owned by Sandy Hall, a breeder from Grass Valley, Calif. “Great Danes are among those breeds of dog commonly affected by heart disease,” says Steven R. Ness, president and chief operating officer of Veterinary Diagnostics Institute, also known as VDxI. “In fact, about 15 percent of dogs have some form of heart disease, often with no noticeable signs.” Ness says some dogs with heart disease are asymptomatic and others may exhibit signs that may be mistaken for other health problems. “Some signs include cough, lethargy and difficulty breathing,” Ness says. The company is promoting its new Canine CardioCare blood test that measures brain natriuretic peptide levels, or NT-proBNP. These levels flag potential cardiovascular disease and help veterinarians create diagnostic protocols to diagnose various diseases of the canine heart. Veterinarians interested in testing a patient’s NT-proBNP levels can visit VDxI’s website to sign up as a client. VDxI then sends a complete supply kit …
Cyclosporine Therapy In Veterinary DermatologyJuly 29, 2008 Treating canine and feline dermatoses with cyclosporine has been the subject of great interest in recent years.1 Many studies have focused on canine atopic dermatitis, and now there is substantial evidence that cyclosporine is efficacious in treating this common condition.2 In addition, cyclosporine has been used to treat a number of recalcitrant skin diseases, ranging from canine perianal fistulas to feline eosinophilic granuloma complex. Cyclosporine is a potent immunomodulating polypeptide originally isolated from the soil fungus Tolypocladium inflatum. By inhibiting the production of IL-2, IL-4 and other cytokines, cyclosporine is effective in controlling the inflammation associated with many allergic and immune-mediated skin diseases. Atopica (cyclosporine, modified; Novartis Animal Health, Inc.) was approved for the treatment of canine atopic dermatitis in 2003. It is available in 10 mg, 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg capsules. Compared to the original form, this micro-emulsified version of cyclosporine increases the oral bioavailability and consistency of absorption in dogs.3 Food in the gastrointestinal tract decreases absorption by about 20 percent. The drug is metabolized primarily in the liver by the cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP3A4. Drugs metabolized by the …
Canine Melanoma Vaccine Gets Conditional OKMay 23, 2007 The U.S. Department of Agriculture has conditionally licensed a vaccine to treat canine oral melanoma—the first approved therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of cancer in either animals or humans, according to the company that produces it, Merial. The vaccine is indicated for the treatment of dogs with stage II or stage III oral melanoma for which local disease control has been achieved. It has been in the making for some time. Merial has been involved with the research for four to five years, said Bob Nordgren, Ph.D., vice president of biologics research, development and technology acquisition for Merial. The initial research, however, began even further back. Ongoing research into human treatments that was being conducted by Jedd Wolchok, MD, Ph.D., at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City led to collaboration with Philip Bergman, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM (Oncology) at the Animal Medical Center in New York. The collaboration resulted in the canine melanoma vaccine. Dr. Bergman approached Merial to support the research, which helped further develop and refine the vaccine. The vaccine alerts the immune system to the presence of the melanoma tumor protein tyrosinase. The vaccine uses a gene for …
The Pain PrognosisMay 23, 2007Every day, it seems, research sheds more light on the physiological avenues of pain, revealing new opportunities to improve quality of life. The trick, of course, is to translate those insights into tools of measurement and treatment that make a real-world difference for animals in pain. To gain a better understanding of the near- and long-term future of pain management, we asked seven veterinary experts from the pharmaceutical industry, academic research and clinical practice to give their prognoses. On more than a few fronts, they see reasons for optimism. In their eyes, hope takes the form of: New pain scales that remove much of the guesswork from assessment. NSAIDs and opioids that better target specific diseases and other ailments. Research that yields novel uses for existing medications. Sustained-release drugs that take compliance off the list of concerns. With some of these and other predictions, it’s hard to separate aspiration from expectation, while in other areas, forecasts are already coming true. For instance, existing drugs are regularly being used to treat pain in new ways. On two points, at least, the experts agree: This is an exciting, dynamic time to tackle issues of pain management and prevention. A world of progress …
How To Treat The Rare And Deadly Nasal Cancer In Dogs And CatsNovember 1, 2004Nasal passage cancer generally develops very insidiously in older pets. It is rare in cats and not common in dogs. It composes about 1 percent of feline tumors and up to 2.5 percent of canine tumors. Long-nosed breeds (dolichocephalic) and senior dogs are at higher risk. Clinical Signs Of Nasal Passage The early signs of nasal cancer in dogs or cats are: Unilateral nasal and/or ocular discharge Epistaxis Stridor Loss of smell Loose teeth Sometimes pawing at the face Late-stage signs may include a facial deformity along the dorsal aspect of the maxillary bones or over the paranasal and frontal sinuses. Some cases develop a raised or pitting facial bone deformity. Some cases may exhibit a firm or soft focal, raised mass protruding around or between the eyes. Some cases may have a palatine deformity from the softening and bowing out of the hard palate due to demineralization of the palatine bone and growth of the mass. In every case of facial deformity, there is bone lysis and tumor invasion at that site. If the lesions extend into the brain, seizures and behavior changes are often exhibited. A complication of nasal cancer is the over production of mucus. It …
