Allergy Diagnosis ChallengesJune 20, 2007Allergies present many diagnostic and treatment challenges, whether using conventional or alternative measures or both. Several papers published in peer-reviewed publications have uniformly concluded that unconventional allergy tests fail to correctly identify and distinguish between allergic and non-allergic individuals.1 However, even results from conventional testing methods frequently fail to correlate with one another. In one study, the sensitivities of ELISA testing compared to intradermal tests varied between 19.3% and 77.1%, while their specificities varied between 64.2% and 96.6%. 2 Over the past several decades, consumer acceptance of alternative procedures to diagnose allergy has grown, although the mainstream medical community often offers resistance. Even in the mid-1900s, the founder and first editor of the Journal of Immunology, Arthur F. Coca, MD, faced rejection from his peers after he disclosed to the medical community his own alternative means of allergy diagnosis identifying increased heart rates in allergic patients following offending allergen exposure. Ignorance in Power In his lay publication "The Pulse Test," Coca retorts to his colleagues, "History teaches that a revolutionary idea is apt to find its most difficult resistance in a static ignorance ensconced in the seats of power. And it is there that outmoded opinions and practices with …
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Tale Of Two LymphomasJune 20, 2007Last week I examined two patients for their one-year treatment anniversary. The first is a 16-year-old male neutered domestic short hair named Scooter, the other a 7-year-old female spayed Doberman named Emma. Both had been diagnosed with lymphoma. Scooter's Case Scooter presented originally with a two-month history of lethargy, intermittent anorexia, and progressive weight loss. He was FeLV/FIV and hyperthyroid negative. He had a palpable intestinal mass in the mid-abdomen. Laboratory findings were nonspecific and included a nonregenerative anemia, moderate neutropenia and unremarkable serum chemistry. Abdominal ultrasonography confirmed a circumferential mass affecting the small intestine without nodal enlargement. Cytological examination of cells obtained by ultrasonographic-guided needle biopsy of the intestinal mass showed numerous pleomorphic lymphocytes with occasional mitotic figures. Survey radiographs of the chest were normal. He went to surgery that same day to have the segment of bowel removed. Biopsies were obtained from the liver, other areas of bowel and from two mesenteric nodes not previously observed on ultrasound. Later histopathology confirmed the lymphoma diagnosis with only intestinal involvement. Emma's Case Emma presented originally with generalized enlargement of lymph nodes noted earlier that day by a groomer. Emma had no prior symptoms or problems. Cytological examination of …
Agreement To Facilitate International Collaboration On Avian Influenza Is SignedJune 18, 2007A Framework Agreement to facilitate greater collaboration between the United States Department of Agriculture and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization was signed Wednesday. The agreement, which was signed by Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf, will help address animal diseases, including avian influenza. “This agreement will facilitate greater international coordination and collaboration on a broad range of agricultural issues and help to protect our agricultural systems,” Johanns said. “I believe the benefits will be immediate by enhancing the worldwide response to highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza.” The agreement will also bolster the effectiveness of the Crisis Management Center in Rome, Johanns said. The center, operated by FAO and the World Organization for Animal Health, provides animal disease analysis and deploys international resources to prevent and contain animal diseases. The center is currently focusing on avian influenza. Three USDA specialists are assigned to the center. Johanns also provided an update on USDA’s efforts concerning avian influenza. The USDA has focused on international efforts, wild bird monitoring, domestic poultry monitoring and avian influenza research. As part of its international efforts, the USDA is hosting a workshop this week in Washington to prepare 50 volunteers from more than …
Acetaminophen Found In Dog, Cat FoodJune 7, 2007Pet food from multiple brands tested positive for acetaminophen, a common pain-reliever drug found in Tylenol, according to a Texas laboratory. Both wet and dry dog and cat food samples contained a low concentration of acetaminophen, Donna Coneley, a spokesperson for ExperTox of Deer Park, Texas, told Pet Product News International via e-mail correspondence. Calls to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding this new development were not immediately returned. The agency has not confirmed or denied the finding. In business since 1995, ExperTox was asked by “individuals or manufacturers” to analyze the pet food samples, Coneley said. The company declined to name which pet foods had positive tests for acetaminophen, saying only that there were “multiple” brands involved. ExperTox also found cyanuric acid and/or melamine in some of the samples, Coneley added. Pets that ingest acetaminophen might show signs of depression, weakness or difficulty breathing, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Cats might also have swollen paws or faces, the nonprofit agency said.
Admininstering ZubrinMay 24, 2007Zubrin (tepoxalin) tablets are a veterinarian-prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used in dogs to reduce pain and inflammation due to osteoarthritis. Zubrin tablets are available as seemingly tasteless, rapidly disintegrating tablets that can easily be hidden in food or in a moist treat. Zubrin is approved only for oral use in dogs. It is not approved or intended for injection or intravenous use, and veterinarians are advised not to use it in that manner. A quote in a story about NSAIDs in the May issue of Veterinary Practice News indicated otherwise. Zubrin is manufactured by Schering-Plough Animal Health Corporation. More information about Zubrin is available at www.zubrin.com.
New Center To Use Alternative Medicine To Restore Pets' HealthMay 22, 2007It's not every day that a dog gets to lounge in a Jacuzzi, receive an acupuncture treatment or sleep in a room that more closely resembles a bachelor's pad than it does a kennel run. But that is the type of treatment pet owners can expect their animals to receive at the Restore Health Center, a nonprofit rehabilitation center for dogs and cats. Although the center is still in the planning stage, the land for it has already been purchased in Garden Grove, Calif., and construction is expected to begin this spring. "It will be a unique center for short-term health care," says W. Jean Dodds, DVM, who is the driving force behind the multi-million dollar operation. "As far as I know, it [will be] the nation's first center focused on restoring health for dogs and cats with special needs and during recovery." In addition to acupuncture and chiropractic treatments, Dr. Dodds' center will also offer herbal therapy, aromatherapy and physiotherapy. A health care center for recovering pets is long overdue, says Dodds, a veterinarian for 42 years. She adds that the center is neither a hospice nor a boarding kennel, but merely an option for pets whose health conditions …
Analgesic Considerations For Oral SurgeryApril 24, 2007Analgesics are an essential component to treating a variety of painful oral conditions in dogs and cats. Chronic pain and acute pain associated with oral surgery comprise the majority of pain states where analgesics are considered. Individual patient circumstances vary considerably and knowledge of individual agents and their mechanisms help us choose the correct analgesics for each patient. Surgical Pain National Pet Dental Health Month in February is a reminder of the importance of providing state-of-the-art oral care for our patients year round. Managing periodontal disease is by far the most common problem we encounter as general practitioners and specialists alike. Proper diagnosis of periodontal lesions involves a complete oral examination, periodontal probing and full-mouth dental radiography. Periodontal lesion therapy involves painful procedures including periodontal flap surgery and tooth extraction, requiring appropriate analgesic choices. Pre-emptive intraoperative and postoperative pain control should be considered in cases where surgical manipulation is expected to result in postoperative pain. A multimodal approach dictates the use of two or more analgesics to eliminate high doses required when using individual agents. Pure mu agonist opiates such as morphine and hydromorphone provide the basis for optimal pain management for oral surgery. These agents should be used …
Senators Grill Pet Industry On RecallApril 13, 2007 Senate Appropriations Subcommittee questioned the amount of government oversight in place to regulate the pet food industry at a hearing on Capitol Hill this afternoon. Led by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), who called for the hearing after the chemical melamine was found in wheat gluten used to make pet food, the senators grilled the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s top veterinarian, Stephen Sundlof, DVM, on his agency’s role in the recent pet food recall. “The FDA’s response to this situation has been wholly inadequate – we need to establish standardized inspections, impose penalties on companies who delay reporting health problems and increase communication between the FDA and the state inspectors so that we can catch potential problems more quickly,” said Durbin. “These sound like basic steps but the FDA has failed to put them in place.” Asked by Durbin how many pet food manufacturing plants the FDA regularly inspects, Sundlof said it had inspected about 30 percent of them (slightly more than 600 individual plants) one or two times since 2004. The FDA had issued conflicting reports on the recall, leaving people rightfully confused and angry, said Herb Kohl (D-WI) chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and …
Recalled Pet Food Might Remain On Shelves, FDA WarnsApril 12, 2007Nearly a month has passed since the initial Menu Foods recall cleared 60 million pet food items from store shelves, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned today that not all of the affected product was removed. Since the recall, the FDA says it has conducted 400 checks of retail stores across the country to determine whether the recalled products were in fact taken off of shelves. Most retailers are complying, the FDA said, but not all of them. The government agency charged with leading the investigation into the recall that has affected nearly 100 brands of pet food, called on both pet owners and retailers to remain vigilant as more items were recalled as recently as yesterday. “FDA’s priority is to make sure that cats and dogs have safe food to eat,” said Stephen Sundlof, DVM, director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. “Many of us are pet owners and animal lovers, and we want pet owners to feel assured that we are doing everything we can to make sure that all contaminated food is off the shelves.” Sundlof is expected to testify on the FDA’s role in the recall to a Senate hearing led by Sen. …
Additional Cat Food Products RecalledApril 12, 2007Menu recalls more wet cat food items traced to contaminated wheat gluten. On Tuesday, Canadian manufacturer Menu Foods Inc. recalled additional cat food produced by its Streetsville, Ontario, plant for both the U.S. and Canada markets. Menu decided on the action after learning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency leading the recall investigation, that its Canadian plant had received some of the Chinese supplied wheat gluten tainted with melamine from Las Vegas-importer ChemNutra. Initiated March 16 by Menu Foods due to complaints of cats and dogs falling ill after consuming its wet-style products, the pet food recall has now embroiled nearly 100 brands of pet food made across the United States and Canada, including both dry and wet varieties. A full listing of the new recalled products is below, and the most updated listing of all recalled products can be accessed on the FDA’s(http://www.fda.gov/ora/fed_state/recalls/Recall.xls) site. It includes 5,511 entries. Earlier this week, pet food company Royal Canin Canada recalled all of its Medi-Cal Feline Dissolution Formula prescription canned cat food, which was produced by Menu’s Ontario plant. Read more about it at http://www.catchannel.com/News/cat-food-recalled-april-11.aspx. Later today, the Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture, …
