Reminder: Keep Chocolate Away From DogsMarch 27, 2015The British Veterinary Association today warned about chocolate poisoning in pets, noting that 54 percent of U.K. veterinarians treated such cases over the Easter holiday last year. Chocolate consumption is more likely in dogs because of their tendency to eat just about anything. Chocolate contains theobromine, a chemical found in cocoa beans that dogs and other animals have a difficult time excreting, BVA stated. Just one ounce of milk chocolate per pound of body weight is enough to kill a dog, according to The Merck Veterinary Manual. Dark chocolate and cocoa powder are even most toxic, BVA stated. “It’s worth remembering that dogs in particular have a keen sense of smell and will easily win at any Easter egg hunt,” said BVA President John Blackwell, BVSc, MRCVS. “So wherever chocolate is being stored over Easter—inside or outside—make sure it is pet proof and stored out of reach of inquisitive and determined noses and paws to avoid an emergency trip to the vet at Easter.” The survey of 1,208 veterinarians discovered that 46 percent had no chocolate-related cases last Easter but that 18 percent had one patient, 26 percent had two or three, and 10 percent had at least four. …
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Canine Cancer Lab TVAX Gets $2 MillionMarch 26, 2015Investors have put a lot of faith and money in TVAX Animal Health, a year-old company that is working on a T-cell-based cancer treatment for dogs. The Lenexa, Kan., subsidiary of TVAX Biomedical Inc. announced today that it closed on an additional $2 million in funding, adding to a stockpile that last summer totaled $12 million. “There are more than 3 million dogs treated for cancer each year, yet the available treatment options are limited,” CEO Tammie Wahaus said. “TVAX Animal Health strives to bring effective cancer treatment options to the U.S. veterinary market, and this round of financing will help us achieve this.” The cash infusion will fund a clinical trial of TVAX’s proprietary immunotherapy, which is designed to use a patient’s immune system to generate cancer-killing T-cells. The developer is focused on canine cancer but sees a potential market for the technology with cats and horses. The immunotherapy has the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s authorization. Among TVAX’s early investors were the Mid-America Angels network and the Kansas Biosciences Authority, both of which contributed to the new round of funding along with other parties. “We look forward to working with the TVAX management team to assist in …
Heart Drug Effective in Canine MMVDMarch 25, 2015An international clinical trial involving the drug pimobendan showed such positive results in canine heart patients that the researchers ended their work early, Texas A&M University reported Tuesday. The full study, which is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, the maker of Vetmedin (pimobendan) chewable tablets, is expected to be published later. The research team, which included Texas A&M associate professor Sonya Gordon, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, conducted what the university called the largest clinical study ever involving dogs suffering from myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). A group of 360 canine patients was randomly split between those given pimobendan or a placebo in a double-blind study. Sixteen of the dogs were managed at Texas A&M, while the others were seen at 35 other trial centers in the United States and abroad. Pimobendan was found to delay the onset of clinical signs of congestive heart failure in dogs with increased heart size secondary to preclinical MMVD. “A midstudy analysis in mid-February 2015 indicated that pimobendan is clearly beneficial and did not raise any concern over the administration of pimobendan,” Texas A&M stated. “Based on these results the interim analysis committee recommended that the study be stopped and the lead investigators … …
3,000 Goldens Enrolled in Lifetime StudyMarch 24, 2015A suburban Chicago golden retriever will go down in history for her role in a ground-breaking study. Morris Animal Foundation announced today that young Chloe has enrolled as the 3,000th dog in the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, a years-long research project that aims to better understand canine diseases. The Denver-based foundation called the longitudinal study the first of its kind in the veterinary world. “We are extraordinarily grateful not only to the thousands of owners who enrolled their dogs in this study but also to the many veterinarians who are on the front lines helping us gather data,” said David Haworth, DVM, Ph.D., the president and CEO of Morris Animal Foundation. “Of course, the real heroes are all the beautiful golden retrievers we will be following throughout their lives.” Chloe’s owner, Meredith Walters of Riverside, Ill., didn’t hesitate to offer up her pup, especially since her golden retriever Amber died from cancer and Cushing’s disease at age 13. “My hope is that this study will uncover data that will lead to information on why golden retrievers in particular are susceptible to cancer,” Walters said. “I knew that by enrolling Chloe I could honor Amber’s memory in a tangible …
Why Feline Kidney Insufficiency is Still Tricky to TreatMarch 13, 2015Gary Norsworthy, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (Feline), owner of Alamo Feline Health Center in San Antonio, believes veterinarians should be careful when using the term “kidney failure” in talking to cat owners. To determine kidney function, creatinine and BUN (blood urea nitrogen) tests are conducted. Kidney failure occurs in a dog in which the creatinine value from blood tests is over 2.5 mg/dl, giving a dog a month or two to live. A creatinine number over 2.4 signals kidney trouble for a cat, yet actual kidney failure for a cat doesn’t start until that number reaches 5.0 or 5.5 mg/dl, Dr. Norsworthy said. Poor word choice can come into play when a veterinarian gets blood test results back with a creatinine value over 2.4 for a cat, he said. “Many cats are diagnosed with kidney failure that don’t have failure,” he said. Insufficiency Norsworthy said that in such cases he advises practitioners to use the term “kidney insufficiency,” a phrase he considers more accurate to describe cats in this range. “That’s an important distinction,” he said. “If you use the term ‘failure,’ owners wonder if their cat’s about to die. So cats often get euthanized when they shouldn’t.” With proper …
What You Need to Know About Jaw LockingMarch 13, 2015Originally published in the February 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Last month, we discussed differential diagnoses for cats that are unable to close their mouths. One possible cause for cats’ and dogs’ inability to close the mouth is open-mouth jaw locking, which is rare enough that you may not have learned of it in veterinary school. Photo © 2012, John R. Lewis, University of Pennsylvania Figure 1: Open-mouth jaw locking in a Persian cat. Note the mouth is locked open so wide that there is no contact between maxillary and mandibular teeth. The slight shift of the mandible to the right suggests locking is occurring on the right. Clinical Signs and Etiology In cases of open-mouth jaw locking (OMJL), cats and dogs present with the mouth wide open, and the lower jaw often has shifted to the side where the coronoid process (the tip of the ramus) is locking on the ventrolateral aspect of the zygomatic arch (Figure 1). On presentation, patients may be drooling, pawing at the face and vocalizing. The defining clinical trait that allows OMJL to be distinguished from other possible causes of inability to close the mouth on conscious examination is that …
Where do you Stand on the Antibiotics Debate?March 4, 2015Originally published in the February 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Choosing the right antibiotics—or whether to prescribe them—is far from a straightforward matter, and as concern grows over excessive antibiotics use, there’s a lot to consider. From the start, veterinarians are taught the correct use of antibiotics, which includes making a proper diagnosis, taking cultures and assessing sensitivities to choose the right antibiotic. It’s the next step in the process that becomes more difficult for veterinarians, said clinical pharmacist Sue Duran, RPh, MS, Ph.D., a fellow in the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the chairwoman of the board certification committee for the International College of Veterinary Pharmacy. “Both human and animal clinicians experience peer pressure from owners to prescribe antibiotics for their patients,” said Duran, a clinical pharmacist with the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. J. Scott Weese, DVM, DVSc, Dipl. ACVIM, said pinning down the “whys” behind antibiotics overprescribing is difficult. “There are various reasons unnecessary prescribing can happen,” said Weese, an associate professor in the department of pathobiology at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College in Canada. In some cases, antibiotics are used without a reasonable suspicion of a bacterial infection, such as …
More Options for Bad Joints in Aging PetsMarch 2, 2015Originally published in the February 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News There’s no shortage of ways for a veterinarian to approach the treatment of joint problems in aging pets. For dogs in particular, a path taken from several fronts is recommended by Brenda S. Kennedy, DVM, MS, of Canine Companions for Independence. “A multimodal approach is necessary to reduce pain and minimize further degeneration in the joints,” Dr. Kennedy said. “This is especially true for senior pets, who are more likely to be in a more advanced stage of the disease process.” Kennedy was to speak in January at the North American Veterinary Community conference in Orlando, Fla. Her talk was titled “Canine Longevity: Strategies to Extend Healthspan.” The multimodal therapy she refers to can include the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), analgesics such as tramadol, amantadine and gabapentin, or injectable polysulfated glycosaminiglycans like Adequan, or products like oral glucosamine, chondroitin, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), as well as omega-3 fatty acids. Adjunct therapies like acupuncture and physical rehabilitation may also be beneficial, she added. Start With Diet, Exercise The basics of diet and exercise are a message that Kennedy and other experts drive home. “Maintenance of a lean body condition along with …
Purina: ‘No Quality Issues With Beneful’February 26, 2015Pet food manufacturer Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. is defending its Beneful brand as safe in light of a lawsuit that claims the food killed or sickened an undetermined number of dogs. The lawsuit alleges that the illnesses and deaths were linked to contaminated grain and food-grade propylene glycol used in eight Beneful kibble recipes. The document, filed Feb. 5 in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, requests class-action status, which if granted could turn thousands of dog owners nationwide into plaintiffs. St. Louis-based Purina issued a statement calling Beneful “a favorite of millions of pet owners and their dogs.” “First and foremost, there are no quality issues with Beneful,” the company stated. “Beneful is a high-quality, nutritious food enjoyed by millions of dogs every day. In fact, in 2014, nearly 1.5 billion Beneful meals were served to millions of happy, healthy dogs who enjoy and thrive on this food.” The lawsuit was filed by Discovery Bay, Calif., dog owner Frank Lucido, who said his German shepherd and Labrador retriever became sick and his English bulldog died within weeks of starting a Beneful diet. Lucido’s attorney, Jeffrey B. Cereghino, claimed in the lawsuit that testing of Beneful by the Association for Truth …
AKC Updates Website, LogoFebruary 25, 2015Staying current with technology, the 130-year-old American Kennel Club has launched a redesigned website along with what the registrar of purebred dogs describes as a streamlined, modern logo. The New York-based AKC contracted with the design firm Makeable to plan and build the new website, which is optimized for mobile devices and features greater functionality on all breed pages, the organization reported. “We spent more than a year immersed in research and discovery to ensure we presented a redesigned platform that would not only serve the members of our sport, but also the millions of dog owners around the country,” said AKC President and CEO Dennis Sprung. He called the website—www.AKC.org—“progressive and inclusive while also staying true to our heritage.” Besides maintaining an expansive log of purebred dogs, AKC advocates for canine health, oversees more than 5,000 clubs and affiliated organizations, and maintains rules and regulations governing competitions such as breed shows and agility events.
