AKC Foundation Honors 6 Research FundraisersDecember 15, 2014Six organizations that over the past 20 years combined to donate more than $3.3 million to the American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation have been named Distinguished Research Partners. Recognized Dec. 11 during the foundation’s Canine & Cocktails event in Orlando, Fla., were the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, the Irish Setter Club of America Foundation, the Newfoundland Club of America Charitable Trust, the Collie Health Foundation, the Golden Retriever Foundation and the American Boxer Charitable Foundation. The amounts raised by the groups to assist with canine research ranged from the Irish Setter Club’s $131,100 to the American Boxer foundation’s $1,180,130. “These clubs and organizations are making a lasting impact on canine health,” said Shila Nordone, MS, Ph.D., the Canine Health Foundation’s chief scientific officer. “Their donations … are supporting research that addresses some of the most prominent health concerns for our dogs. We are tackling cancer, subaortic stenosis, hypothyroidism, degenerative myelopathy, epilepsy, bloat and cardiomyopathy. “Together, we are working to provide better treatments and more accurate diagnoses for all dogs.” The Canine Health Foundation, a grant-making institution, will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2015. The foundation also honored Thomas A. Grabe, publisher of The Canine Chronicle, with …
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$500,000 Dog Park Debuts in Prescott, Ariz.December 12, 2014What does $500,000 buy? In Prescott, Ariz., that amount of cash has given the community a renovated dog park done up in a firefighter theme. Prescott’s Willow Creek Dog Park was chosen for a half-million-dollar makeover a year ago when resident Linda Nichols won the annual Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest, a competition sponsored by pet food maker Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. Months of work were unveiled Wednesday as Nichols was joined by project managers Jason Cameron, host of the TV shows “Desperate Landscapes,” “Man Caves” and “Sledgehammer,” and pet expert Arden Moore. Nichols and more than 1,000 other dog owners nationwide entered the contest. Nichols’ winning entry was selected from among 14 finalists after a round of judging and public voting. Moore, whose task was to oversee the project from a dog’s point of view, helped bring to life Nichols’ wish for a firefighter theme. Today dogs can race around a miniature red fire truck, run though giant fire truck tires, rest in a covered firehouse lounge and cool off next to fire hydrant misters. The makeover fixed what Nichols described in her contest video as a “large, fenced dirt field with lots of weeds.” Prescott …
Canine Breed-Specific Considerations for AnesthesiaDecember 8, 2014Originally published in the August 2014 issue of Veterinary Practice News The practice of mating individuals with desirable physical characteristics and/or the ability to excel at performing specific tasks has led to the development of over 170 recognized dog breeds in the United States.1 This large variety of dog breeds translates to a very diverse patient population for veterinarians; one may have to anesthetize a great Dane and Chihuahua in the same day. Owners and dog breeders will often express concern about their particular breeds being sensitive to anesthesia; however, there is only one breed–specific anesthetic sensitivity that is supported by scientific evidence: greyhounds. Even though a particular breed may not have a true anesthetic sensitivity, that breed may still warrant specific anesthetic considerations. By selecting for specific traits in dogs we have inadvertently or purposely created unique anatomic, physiologic and metabolic characteristics that may ultimately affect how a given dog is able respond to general anesthesia. An excellent example of this is English bulldog. Shutterstock Greyhounds (and other sighthounds?) Sensitive to thiopental Prolonged recovery from propofol and other drugs The greyhound is the only breed with a documented breed-specific sensitivity to particular anesthetic drugs. Greyhounds have prolonged …
How To Manage Pain In Off-Label SpeciesDecember 8, 2014Originally published in the November 2014 issue of Veterinary Practice News The cat is the off-label species. About 80 percent of all drugs we use in cats are used off label. That includes lactated Ringer’s solution and prednisolone. Managing chronic pain is an off-label event in the cat as no products are FDA-approved for long-term management of feline pain. The situation is somewhat better for acute or post-op pain, but several very widely used options are also off label. Neither cat owners nor their veterinarians are happy to see a cat in pain. However, finding agents that relieve feline pain can be problematic. Some have side effects, and some work better as part of a multimodal approach. None is effective for all patients so a trial-and-error approach may be needed. How to Recognize Pain In the wild, sick cats are targets for predators, so cats have become experts at masking pain. Therefore, with the aid of cat owners supplying careful observations, veterinarians must ask the right questions to uncover the signs of pain. Important questions include: Unwillingness to jump/play Decreased appetite Inappropriate elimination Repeatedly over-grooming the same location Change in mood Treatment of Acute Pain Acute pain is usually due …
AVMA to Weigh Spay/Neuter Policy ChangeDecember 5, 2014The American Veterinary Medical Association board of directors is recommending that practitioners who participate in spay/neuter clinics follow the standards of care outlined by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians. The idea is among six new resolutions that the AVMA House of Delegates may vote on in January during the governing body’s regular winter session in Chicago. The spay/neuter proposal, Resolution 3, would clarify the current policy, which advises veterinarians working at spay/neuter clinics to abide by the AVMA’s Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics. The possible move to Association of Shelter Veterinarians medical care guidelines would keep veterinarians up to date with current standards of practice, the board of directors noted. “Because of a wide range of geographic and demographic needs, a variety of programs have been developed to increase delivery of spay/neuter services to targeted populations of animals,” the revised policy reads in part. “These include stationary and mobile clinics, MASH-style operations, shelter services, feral cat programs and services provided through private practitioners. “These services should conform to current standards of practice as described by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ veterinary medical care guidelines for spay/neuter programs.” Among other proposals scheduled for consideration in January are: Resolution 1: …
Study May Lead to Early Diagnosis of Feline Kidney DiseaseNovember 21, 2014An early-warning test for chronic kidney disease in cats may emerge from the development of a biomarker called SDMA. Oregon State University researchers worked with Idexx Laboratories on SDMA, or symmetric dimethylarginine, which they said can spot chronic kidney disease, a leading cause of death in older cats, much earlier than normal. Up to 35 percent of geriatric cats suffer from the disease, according to The Merck Veterinary Manual. A test based on the biomarker would allow veterinarians to identify the onset of kidney disease and order dietary changes and other therapies, Oregon State reported Thursday. Foods with lower levels of protein and phosphorus and added fish oil, antioxidants, L-carnitine and medium-chain triglycerides are known to help. “Damage from [the disease] is irreversible, but this is an important advance, in that we should be able to identify the problem earlier and use special diets to slow the disease,” said Jean Hall, DVM, MS, Ph.D., a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine. The findings, published in The Veterinary Journal, involved a controlled study of 32 healthy but older cats, the university stated. The biomarker identified the onset of kidney disease an average of 17 months earlier and in …
AVMA Helps Cat Owners With Declaw DecisionNovember 19, 2014A free client handout designed to help practitioners talk to cat owners about declaw surgery is available through the American Veterinary Medical Association. The new document, available at www.avma.org/declaw, acknowledges that declawing cats is controversial and points out that scratching is normal feline behavior and that nail caps, frequent trims and positive reinforcement training are among the alternatives to an onychectomy. The AVMA House of Delegates this past July updated the organization’s policy on the declawing of domestic cats. The policy encourages client education about the surgery and its risks and urges that the owner make the final decision in consultation with a veterinarian. The handout, titled “Declaw …. or Not?” was produced by the AVMA Animal Welfare Committee. “The AVMA hopes to help veterinarians connect with cat owners to make the best decision for their cat and household,” Animal Welfare Division director Gail C. Golab, DVM, Ph.D., wrote on her AVMA@Work blog. The website also features assistant director Cia Johnson, DVM, MS, narrating a five-minute video about declawing.
N.J. Hospital Provides Free Care to Military K9sNovember 18, 2014Four-legged military veterans are eligible for free specialty veterinary care under a partnership established between a New Jersey hospital chain, the American Humane Association and the United States War Dogs Association. The arrangement, announced Nov. 11 in honor of Veterans Day, recognizes the dogs’ months or years of service overseas on behalf of the U.S. military. Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, which has five New Jersey locations, will provide free specialty care to retired military working dogs and contract working dogs. The latter group is made up of canines supplied to the military by contractors. “For more than 25 years, Red Bank Veterinary Hospital has been a leader in providing veterinary care to the animals of New Jersey, but we now want to be known as the leader in veterinary care for our veteran dogs,” said hospital co-founder Anthony DeCarlo, VMD. The sponsors estimated that each dog saved the lives of up to 200 soldiers by uncovering bombs and weapons caches while working in war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan. “Dogs are as essential to the military as humans, but unlike humans, these dogs are not guaranteed medical care following their retirement,” said Ron Aiello, president of the War …
Abbott, Merck, Purina Team Up on Diabetes CampaignNovember 18, 2014Cats and dogs diagnosed with diabetes during a visit to a participating veterinary clinic in March 2015 will receive a gift bag designed to help their owners manage the disease. The giveaway is part of the new Diabetes Pet Care Alliance, a campaign created by Abbott Animal Health, Merck Animal Health and Nestlé Purina PetCare to raise awareness about diabetes in pets and encourage more screenings. The sponsors say the incidence of diabetes—1 in 250 cats and 1 in 500 dogs—is rising and that pets are underdiagnosed. Veterinary hospitals that enroll in the program at www.usa.petdiabetesmonth.com will receive materials designed to educate clients and local pet owners about the clinical signs of diabetes. The hospitals—up to 1,000 can participate—are encouraged to dedicate time to diabetes screenings in March. Pets newly diagnosed with the disease will go home with a free diabetes management kit containing: An AlphaTrak blood glucose monitoring system from Abbott Animal Health. A 10 mL vial of Vetsulin (porcine insulin zinc suspension) from Merck Animal Health. A bag of Purina Veterinary Diets food—either DM Dietetic Management Feline Formula or DCO Dual Fiber Control Canine Formula. November is National Diabetes Month.
Researchers Hope to Lick Canine Gum DiseaseNovember 17, 2014The American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation has awarded more than $25,000 for studies of two potential solutions to periodontal disease in dogs. Paola Massari, Ph.D., of Boston Medical Center will investigate a vaccine that would use a dog’s immune system to fight the bacteria responsible for gum disorders leading to tooth loss and pain. Django Martel, DVM, of the Animal Medical Center in New York will work with colleagues to determine whether antibiotic gel therapy can reduce periodontal disease, the Raleigh, N.C.-based foundation reported. Periodontal disease is a common condition in adult dogs. Most canines show evidence of periodontal disease and associated discomfort by age 3, the foundation noted. “Just like … in humans, periodontal disease in dogs is a painful condition that profoundly affects quality of life and can lead to a multitude of health problems,” said the foundation’s chief scientific officer, Shila Nordone, MS, Ph.D. “We have strategically funded research that will have immediate impact by supporting the evidence-based use of antibiotic gels to treat progressive disease, while also funding research that will provide a long-term solution by developing an effective vaccine to prevent the disease from occurring in the first place,” she said. Each …
