Responses to the virtual mailbagNovember 16, 2018It has been a little over a year since I took over this column from Dr. Narda Robinson, and I have enjoyed the opportunity to explore many interesting topics through the lens of evidence-based medicine (EBM). One core element of EBM is substantive, critical debate, and discussion about the merits and limitations of published research evidence. Every stakeholder, from clinicians to researchers to those in industry to the owners of veterinary patients, will have a different mix of goals and perspectives. The interplay among different sets of biases is one of the mechanisms for cutting through bias generally and achieving an accurate understanding of nature that informs safer and more effective patient care. One of the strengths of science is that it requires a community process.
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Rare salivary gland conditionsNovember 13, 2018Last month, I discussed surgical approaches to sialoceles. In this month’s column, I’ll tackle rare salivary gland conditions that are treated medically rather than surgically. Let’s start with some definitions. Sialadenosis refers to noninflammatory, nonneoplastic enlargement of the salivary glands, which tends to not be painful. Sialadenitis is inflammation of a salivary gland (synonym: sialoadenitis). Necrotizing sialometaplasia is squamous metaplasia of salivary gland lobules and ducts with ischemic necrosis of the salivary gland lobules (a histopathological distinction).
Brain Teaser: Can you solve this puzzle?November 1, 2018 Presentation A patient is dysphoric when recovering from anesthesia. Challenge How do you diagnose dysphoria? What do you need to differentiate dysphoria from? How would you treat dysphoria? Check your answer on the next page.
Brain Teaser: Can you solve this puzzle?October 17, 2018 Presentation Cystotomy in a five-year-old Rottweiler who had 178 struvite stones. Challenge What is the holding layer—the one to include in the suture line? Which suture material is ideal? Which needle is best? Which suture pattern is recommended? Check your answer on the next page.
VolitionRx tests nucleosome diagnostic for veterinary space applicationsOctober 5, 2018 VolitionRx Ltd., a multinational Belgium-based life sciences company with offices in Texas, London, and Singapore, announced it is entering the veterinary market after "very encouraging" preliminary results from a study using its NuQ diagnostic blood tests for canine cancer testing. NuQ, currently used to screen for colorectal and prostate cancers, works by measuring and analyzing irregular levels of nucleosomes—a section of DNA wrapped around a core of proteins—in the blood to identify cancers. According to the company, the proof-of-concept study showed that blood nucleosomes also can be detected in dogs. With the promise of veterinary medicine applications, VolitionRx said it will now move NuQ into larger trials to answer the question of whether the method will work with animals. The company said it intends to outsource much of the veterinary clinical trial work through a partnership with Heather Wilson-Robles, DVM, DACVIM, associate professor and Fred and Vola N. Palmer chair in comparative oncology with Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences in the Small Animal Clinical Sciences department. "The Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine Oncology Department is excited for the opportunity to collaborate with Volition," said Dr. Wilson-Robles. "Its innovative work in …
Penn Vet doctors receive NIH grant to target canine autoimmune diseaseOctober 4, 2018Nicola J. Mason, BVetMed, PhD, and Aimee S. Payne, MD, PhD, have received the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's Transformative Research Award, part of the institute's High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, for their work in targeting autoimmune disease in dogs. Under the grant, Drs. Mason and Payne are looking to evaluate a genetically engineered cell-based therapy to treat dogs with naturally occurring autoimmune skin disease known as pemphigus. Dogs are one of the few other species to develop pemphigus, a condition that mirrors pemphigus in human patients. Evaluation of this approach to treat pet dogs with the disease may ultimately lead to breakthrough therapies for humans. According to the Autoimmune Disease Research Center at Johns Hopkins, at least 10 million Americans suffer from the more than 80 illnesses caused by autoimmunity. "The successful treatment of autoimmunity in the family dog using this unique approach would not only be a breakthrough in veterinary medicine, but could also change the way autoimmune disease is treated in humans," said Mason, associate professor of medicine and pathobiology at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Penn Vet. "We believe that this work may facilitate the translation of cellular immunotherapies for a broad range of canine …
FDA approves Boehringer Ingelheim's Semintra for feline hypertensionOctober 2, 2018The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has approved Semintra (telmisartan oral solution) 10 mg/mL oral solution for the control of systemic hypertension in cats, according to Boehringer Ingelheim. The product was designed specifically with cats in mind to provide safe, reliable, and convenient long-term control of blood pressure, said Boehringer Ingelheim. "We are proud to continue to set new standards of care for cats to optimize their health and well-being through the veterinarian," said Shawn Hooker, global head of Strategic Business Unit Pet Vet at Boehringer Ingelheim. "Early disease detection and early treatment are key to ensure cats live longer and happier lives. With Semintra, we offer a pet owner-friendly, easy-to-give solution to help raise the quality of life of cats with hypertension, while providing reliable long-term blood pressure control." Semintra is for oral use in cats only. The most common side effects reported in field studies include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, anemia, dehydration, poor appetite, and weight loss. It has not been evaluated in cats with systolic blood pressure > 200 mmHg, cats with hepatic disease, cats younger than 9 months of age, or cats that are pregnant, lactating, or intended for breeding. Visit semintra.com for …
Is cancer increasing in cats and dogs?October 2, 2018I often see claims in the media—from veterinarians as well as lay people—that canine and feline cancer rates are rising, and we are experiencing an “epidemic.” Usually, this is a prelude to further claims about the causes of this so-called epidemic. Finally, a solution is typically offered, involving either eschewing the purported causes of cancer or employing a diet, supplement, “detox” program, or some other product or method recommended (and sold) by whomever is making the claims.
IsoPet canine soft-tissue sarcoma treatment delivers 'complete response'September 28, 2018Vivos Inc., a pharmaceutical company that develops minimally invasive treatments to combat cancer in humans and animals, reported that its signature product, IsoPet, was used to treat a hind-leg soft-tissue sarcoma in a Shetland sheepdog at the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center in Columbia, Mo. The treatment of the sarcoma resulted in a "complete response," meaning tumor destruction and disappearance, together with a healthy recovery, according to veterinary oncologist Charles Maitz, DVM, PhD, DACVR-RO. Results will be presented in at the Veterinary Cancer Society's annual conference in Louisville, Ky., Oct. 17 - 20. Post-treatment imaging and dosimetry provided confirmatory data addressing questions previously raised by U.S. Food and Drug Administration review panel, including: Near-uniform placement by injection and interstitial perfusion within the tumor without vascular clearance to normal organs and tissues Very high therapeutic ratios (radiation dose to the tumor relative to normal organs) Effective, highly localized, high-dose radiotherapy, and complete absence of adverse side-effects in critical normal tissues The University of Missouri is now advertising availability of IsoPet treatment for dogs and other species, including treatment of equine sarcoids. "The successful treatment of the cat and dog subjects thus far increases the likelihood of …
OVC veterinarian removes tumor, replaces dog's skull using 3D printingSeptember 27, 2018A veterinarian from Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) has replaced part of a dog’s skull with a 3D-printed titanium plate after removing a tumour that was weighing down her head.
