Author: mom

Understanding canine bloat for better treatment

Assistant Professor Laura Nelson awarded grant by the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation to research causes of bloat in dogs.

Laura Nelson, assistant professor in the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences (SCS), has been awarded a 2-year, $233,774 grant to fund research on the causes of Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) in dogs. The grant was awarded by the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation (CHF) on October 4, 2013.

GDV, or bloat, is one of the leading causes of death in dogs, second only to cancer for some breeds, and the number one killer of Great Danes. Despite its prevalence, the cause of bloat is unknown. …

Nelson’s team is investigating the relationship of motility—contractions responsible for the digestion of food—with increased GDV risk, and hopes to define the biochemical and genetic alterations that may be associated with hypomotility—abnormally weak contractions. A new diagnostic tool, SmartPill®, makes possible noninvasive assessment of motility. The SmartPill® is an ingestible capsule with an instrument inside that measures acidity and pressure. The team will measure the time it takes the capsule to pass through the dog’s system and the pressure spikes along the way.

In addition to investigating gastric motility as a predictor of GDV, researchers will evaluate the expression of the hormones motilin and ghrelin—regulators of GI motility—as a predictor of predisposition to GDV. This information will support an investigation of the disease’s genetic foundations.
Nelson, the primary investigator of the project, is joined by a team of co-investigators from the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine: John C. Fyfe, DVM, PhD; Dr. Joe Hauptman, DVM, DACVS; Kent Refsal, DVM, PhD; William Horne, DVM, PhD, DACVA; Bryden J. Stanley, BSc, BVMS, MACVSc, MVetSc, DACVS; Michele Fritz, LVT; and James Galligan, PhD.

bloat in dogs: AVMA podcast

Dr. Nicola Mason Bone Cancer Vaccine update

It is now over 16 months since the first dog diagnosed with spontaneous osteosarcoma received an experimental bone cancer vaccine at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. The vaccine is being administered to pet dogs that have been diagnosed with osteosarcoma, an aggressive tumor that affects the long bones of large and giant breed dogs.

With current standard of care, that consists of amputation and follow up chemotherapy, median survival times are between 200 and 300 days. The aim of the vaccine, given to dogs after amputation and chemotherapy, is to prevent metastatic disease and prolong overall survival. Of the first 5 dogs vaccinated in this clinical trial, 4 of the dogs are still alive and have survived between 500 and 590 days; three of these dogs are tumor free. Other dogs have been vaccinated more recently so long term survival data for these dogs is not yet available. Continue reading Dr. Nicola Mason Bone Cancer Vaccine update

FDA warning Jerky Treats

Why Are Jerky Treats Making Pets Sick?

    What to Look Out For
    What FDA Is Doing

If you have a dog or cat that became ill after eating jerky pet treats, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would like to hear from you or your veterinarian.

The agency has repeatedly issued alerts to consumers about reports it has received concerning jerky pet treat-related illnesses involving 3,600 dogs and 10 cats in the U.S. since 2007. Approximately 580 of those pets have died.

To date, FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) has conducted more than 1,200 tests, visited jerky pet treat manufacturers in China and collaborated with colleagues in academia, industry, state labs and foreign governments. Yet the exact cause of the illnesses remains elusive. Continue reading FDA warning Jerky Treats

Kritter’s Kitchen Kreations recalls treats

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/09/10/nh-company-recalls-dog-treats-over-salmonella-risk/

A New Hampshire company is recalling a line of dog treats after 3
dozen people became sick. The state public health department says
Kritter’s Kitchen Kreations of Loudon is voluntarily recalling its
Joey’s Jerky chicken jerky for pets due to possible salmonellosis
risk.

Officials say while it’s uncommon for pet food and treats to be
contaminated with salmonellae, the outbreak highlights the need for
pet owners to wash their hands after handling the items.

The pet treats were sold at: America’s Pet in Hudson, Blue Seal in
Bow, K9 Kaos in Dover, Osborne’s Agway and Sandy’s Pet Food Center in
Concord, and The Yellow Dogs Barn in Barrington.

Dogs alert to low blood sugar

Investigation into the Value of Trained Glycaemia Alert Dogs to Clients with Type I Diabetes
Nicola J. Rooney,Steve Morant,Claire Guest
Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that some pet dogs respond to their owners’ hypoglycaemic state. Here, we show that trained glycaemia alert dogs placed with clients living with diabetes afford significant improvements to owner well-being. We investigated whether trained dogs reliably respond to their owners’ hypoglycaemic state, and whether owners experience facilitated tightened glycaemic control, and wider psychosocial benefits. Since obtaining their dog, all seventeen clients studied reported positive effects including reduced paramedic call outs, decreased unconscious episodes and improved independence. Owner-recorded data showed that dogs alerted their owners, with significant, though variable, accuracy at times of low and high blood sugar. Eight out of the ten dogs (for which owners provided adequate records) responded consistently more often when their owner’s blood sugars were reported to be outside, than within, target range. Comparison of nine clients’ routine records showed significant overall change after obtaining their dogs, with seven clients recording a significantly higher proportion of routine tests within target range after obtaining a dog. HbA1C showed a small, non significant reduction after dog allocation. Based on owner-reported data we have shown, for the first time, that trained detection dogs perform above chance level. This study points to the potential value of alert dogs, for increasing glycaemic control, client independence and consequent quality of life and even reducing the costs of long-term health care.

Citation: Rooney NJ, Morant S, Guest C (2013) Investigation into the Value of Trained Glycaemia Alert Dogs to Clients with Type I Diabetes. PLoS ONE 8(8): e69921. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069921

Editor: William Hughes, University of Sussex, United Kingdom

Received: March 25, 2013; Accepted: June 13, 2013; Published: August 7, 2013

Copyright: © 2013 Rooney et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding: The study was funded by the Company of Animals. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing interests: The authors can confirm that although the work was funded by a commercial source, The Company of Animals, this does not alter the authors’ adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0069921

Purina ONE Recall 2013

Nestlé Purina Voluntarily Recalls Limited Number of Purina ONE beyOnd Our White Meat Chicken & Whole Barley Recipe Adult Dry Dog Food Bags Due to a Potential Health Risk

Contact
Consumer:
1-800-473-8546

Media:
Keith Schopp
314-982-2577

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 30, 2013 – St. Louis, Missouri, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company (NPPC) is voluntarily recalling a limited number of 3.5-pound bags of its Purina ONE beyOnd Our White Meat Chicken & Whole Barley Recipe Adult Dry Dog Food from a single production run and shipped to retail customers in the United States. This is being done because one bag of the product was found to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Only Purina ONE beyOnd Our White Meat Chicken & Whole Barley Recipe Adult Dry Dog Food with both the “Best By” date and the production code shown below are included in this voluntary recall:
Bag Size 3.5 lb.
“Best By” Date & Production Code* OCT 2014 31071083
UPC Code 17800 12679
*”Best By” Date and Production Code are found on the back or bottom of the bag.

No additional Purina or Purina ONE dog or cat products are involved in this voluntary recall at this time. No salmonella-related illness has been reported to date in association with this product.

Consumers who have purchased Purina ONE beyOnd Our White Meat Chicken & Whole Barley Recipe Adult Dry Dog Food products with the specific “Best By” Date and Production Code should discontinue feeding the product and discard it. Continue reading Purina ONE Recall 2013

Eukanuba, Iams Recall 2013

Eukanuba, Iams Dry Foods Recalled

Eleven Eukanuba dog recipes, eight Iams dog recipes and 10 Iams cat recipes are involved in the limited recall.
Selected lots of Eukanuba and Iams dry dog food and Iams dry cat food are being voluntarily recalled because of potential salmonella contamination.

The manufacturer, Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Co., reported Wednesday that no salmonella-related illnesses had been linked to any of the lots.

The recall, limited to the United States, represents a small amount, about one-tenth of 1 percent, of annual production of the foods. Continue reading Eukanuba, Iams Recall 2013