Health – Page 8 – WebCanine.com

Penn Researchers : Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Vaccine

October 18, 2011

PHILADELPHIA — An experimental vaccine developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine is the first veterinary cancer vaccine of its kind that shows an increase in survival time for dogs with spontaneous non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The work shows for the first time the feasibility and therapeutic efficacy of this alternative cell-based vaccine, which could be employed in the treatment of a number of different cancer types.

The research was conducted by Nicola Mason, assistant professor of medicine at Penn Vet; Robert H. Vonderheide, associate professor of hematology and oncology at the Perelman School of Medicine; and Karin U. Sorenmo, associate professor of oncology at Penn Vet. Erika Krick, Beth Overley and Thomas P. Gregor of Penn Vet and Christina M. Coughlin of the School of Medicine also contributed to the research.

Their work was published in the open access journal PLOS ONE. Continue reading

Leptospirosis outbreak in Detroit, MI

Bacterial disease outbreak threatens metro Detroit animals

Published: Oct. 27, 2011

EAST LANSING, Mich. — More than 20 cases of the life-threatening bacterial infection leptospirosis have been reported in Detroit-area dogs in the past three weeks, according to Michigan State University’s Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health.

Experts at the MSU center, a service unit of the College of Veterinary Medicine, diagnosed the specific strain of the disease, which can cause fatal damage to dogs and can be transmitted to humans.

In most cases, the dogs were not vaccinated against leptospirosis, or they had an uncertain vaccination history. Because this particular type of leptospirosis is associated with contact with rats, stray dogs are typically thought to be at highest risk. Continue reading

Flaxseed, soy and low thyroid

From the American Thyroid Assn (an association of professional
endocrinologists).

http://www.thyroid.org/patients/ct/volume4/issue6/ct_patients_v46_12_13.html

“This is the first study to show that dietary supplementation with very high
doses of soy phytoestrogen (at levels typical of a vegetarian diet), may
result in a 3-fold increase in the risk of progression from subclinical to
overt hypothyroidism, suggesting that vegetarian patients with mild
subclinical hypothyroidism may need more careful monitoring of thyroid
function. The mechanism for this effect is not well understood.
On the other hand, high dose phytoestrogen also resulted in improvement in
cardiovascular risk factors despite worsening of thyroid function and may be
beneficial to patients with increased cardiovascular risk.”

[It should be noted that flaxseed contains 3x the phytoestrogen of soy, and
it is probably better absorbed from the gut (more digestible). With the
proliferation of flaxseed in both pet and human food, one has to wonder
about the increased numbers of hypothyroid animals and humans.]

Doxycycline suspected side effects

Suspected side effects of doxycycline use in dogs – a retrospective study of 386 cases

1. B. S. Schulz, DrMedVet, DiplECVIM-CA1, 2. S. Hupfauer, DrMedVet1, 3. H. Ammer, DrMedVet, DrMedVetHabil2, 4. C. Sauter-Louis, DrMedVet, PhD3 and 5. K. Hartmann, DrMedVet, DrMedVetHabil, DiplECVIM-CA1

–
This study investigated doxycycline-related side effects in a large population of dogs. Data from 386 dogs that had received doxycycline for the treatment of various infectious diseases were analysed retrospectively. Potential side effects that developed during treatment were documented, and correlations with signalment, dose, duration of treatment, frequency of application, doxycycline preparation and use of additional drugs were investigated. Continue reading Doxycycline suspected side effects

Oral Rabies Vaccination Program in the East

Rabies is a virus that affects the central nervous system in mammals and is almost always transmitted through saliva when an infected animal bites an uninfected animal or person. Rabies is invariably fatal if left untreated.
Effective vaccines are available to protect people and pets. Wildlife accounted for more than 90 percent of all reported rabies cases each year in the United States. Several different variants of the rabies virus exist in this country, and all variants are capable of infecting mammals, including humans. Raccoons, bats, and skunks are
responsible for most reported cases, but foxes and coyotes also commonly transmit the disease.
Continue reading Oral Rabies Vaccination Program in the East

Rabies Vaccination Program Underway in Western Pennsylvania

News for Immediate Release
Aug. 19, 2011
Rabies Vaccination Program Underway in Western Pennsylvania
Harrisburg – The annual oral rabies vaccination program, which helps control the spread of rabies in wild animals, is underway in eight western Pennsylvania counties. The program covers all or parts of Allegheny, Beaver, Crawford, Erie, Greene, Lawrence, Mercer and Washington counties. “Controlling the spread of rabies in wild animals is essential to ensuring human and domestic animal health,” said Agriculture Secretary George Greig. “The oral rabies vaccination program has been the key component in preventing the westward spread of raccoon rabies. I appreciate the cooperation of residents in the affected counties in helping us to mitigate the threat of rabies.” Continue reading Rabies Vaccination Program Underway in Western Pennsylvania

IBD & Legg-Calve Perthes Disease study

Medical News Today
Research Into IBD, LCPD In Westies May Contribute To Human Disease Research
19 Jul 2011

The Westie Foundation of America (WFA) has announced preliminary findings in two major studies involving the health of West Highland White Terriers also known as Westies. Findings in these and other studies of Westies and other dogs may hold answers for similar human conditions like Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The studies are jointly funded by the WFA and the AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF).
Continue reading IBD & Legg-Calve Perthes Disease study