| |
|
FDA Continues to Caution Dog Owners About Chicken Jerky Products
Issued by: FDA, Center for Veterinary Medicine
November 18, 2011 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is again cautioning consumers that chicken jerky products for dogs (also sold as chicken tenders, strips or treats) may be associated with illness in dogs. In the last 12 months, FDA has seen an increase in the number of complaints it received of dog illnesses associated with consumption of chicken jerky products imported from China. These complaints have been reported to FDA by dog owners and veterinarians.
FDA issued a cautionary warning regarding chicken jerky products to consumers in September 2007 and a Preliminary Animal Health Notification in December of 2008. After seeing the number of complaints received drop off during the latter part of 2009 and most of 2010, the FDA is once again seeing the number of complaints rise to the levels of concern that prompted release of our earlier warnings.
Chicken jerky products should not be substituted for a balanced diet and are intended to be fed occasionally in small quantities.
FDA is advising consumers who choose to feed their dogs chicken jerky products to watch their dogs closely for any or all of the following signs that may occur within hours to days of feeding the products: decreased appetite; decreased activity; vomiting; diarrhea, sometimes with blood; increased water consumption and/or increased urination. If the dog shows any of these signs, stop feeding the chicken jerky product. Owners should consult their veterinarian if signs are severe or persist for more than 24 hours. Blood tests may indicate kidney failure (increased urea nitrogen and creatinine). Urine tests may indicate Fanconi syndrome (increased glucose). Although most dogs appear to recover, some reports to the FDA have involved dogs that have died.
FDA, in addition to several animal health diagnostic laboratories in the U.S., is working to determine why these products are associated with illness in dogs. FDA’s Veterinary Laboratory Response Network (VLRN) is now available to support these animal health diagnostic laboratories. To date, scientists have not been able to determine a definitive cause for the reported illnesses. FDA continues extensive chemical and microbial testing but has not identified a contaminant.
The FDA continues to actively investigate the problem and its origin. Many of the illnesses reported may be the result of causes other than eating chicken jerky. Veterinarians and consumers alike should report cases of animal illness associated with pet foods to the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator in their state or go to
http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints1.
|
Top of page
|
Penn research on canine lymphoma may work toward human cure
A report on the vaccine says the success rate of the treatment is higher
than traditional courses of action.
By Jin Pyuo Lee · October 24,
2011
|
A new vaccine developed by Penn professors for dogs with blood cancers may help humans overcome lymphoma.
Oct. 18, the School of Veterinary Medicine announced that the first cancer vaccine for dogs with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma — a blood cancer category with a high mortality rate — was developed by professors at Penn Vet and the Perelman School of Medicine.
Led by Vet professors Nicola Mason and Karin Sorenmo and Medical professor Robert Vonderheide, the study was published online in the journal PLoS ONE at the end of August.
The team recruited 18 dogs to study the vaccine over two years, beginning in 2006. In order to be eligible for the study, dogs suffering from lymphoma had to have been just-diagnosed, with no previous record of having the disease.
The dogs were separated into two groups. Sixty-four dogs received chemotherapy immediately after they entered the laboratory, and the other group — consisting of 19 dogs — went through surgery first to remove one of their tumors. This smaller group had blood samples taken before receiving the therapy.
With traditional therapy, 60 to 85 percent of the dogs’ diseases go through remission, but the cancer eventually returns after one year.
Using this new vaccine, 89.5 percent of dogs in the treatment group were still alive at the end of a year of observation, as compared to 74.1 percent in the control group.
Mason said the vaccine did not seem to work well after initial relapses, but it began to work after the second relapse, which enabled dogs with vaccine treatment to have a longer disease-free time interval.
The team created the vaccine from the tumor and blood and injected it into dogs right after they received the therapy.
Among the 19 dogs, 10 died of lymphoma and three died of other causes. Six are still alive with no evidence of lymphoma, making the current vaccine survival rate 31.5 percent. Only 7.7 percent of dogs in the other group “achieved a durable second remission,” according to the study.
Trials for all the dogs were completed in two years, but researchers spent at least one additional year following and monitoring the dogs to check the performance.
For Mason, the most challenging parts were technical.
“I think that the actual generation of the vaccine was technically challenging, and the immunological analysis of the dog’s response to the vaccine was also challenging,” Mason said.
She hopes this study will eventually help scientists to find measures to cure human lymphoma.
“I think that it has important implications not just for dog lymphoma, because we know that lymphoma in dogs is similar to [that in] people,” Mason said. “If we can find the therapy to prolong the survival of the dogs, then we have high hopes that similar therapy may be found for human to prolong survival.”
After this research, her team will focus on streamlining the process of vaccine production to optimize the process to see if they can prolong the disease-free interval by making the vaccine more effective.
Permanent link: http://thedp.com/r/c5b594b7
|
|
Top of page
|
Dr. Jean Dodd's NEW Vaccine Protocol Dr. W. Jean Dodd's vaccination protocol is now being adopted by ALL 27 North
American veterinary schools. I highly recommend that you read this. Copy and save it to your files. The veterinary schools are now going to be teaching that over-vaccination of pets (once a year "boosters") is only not unnecessary, but in some cases can be harmful or deadly! It has information for both dogs and cats. There still is an ongoing study regarding the Rabies vaccine. Most states now allow (reluctantly) 3 year Rabies, but the study is collecting data on whether or not even that may be too much. They are looking at 8 or 10 year Rabies!
I hope you all stop having yearly boosters for your pets. If you're
concerned with immune levels, have the vet run a Titer test. THEN and only then, if the levels are below acceptable, should you have a booster.After all, when is the last time you had a "booster" for smallpox, or whooping cough, or anything else you had shots for as a child? Immune systems work the same in all mammals, and the concept that pets have to have yearly shots doesn't make any more sense than if you had have shots every year. If mammals immune systems were that weak in fending off these things, all of them, us included, would have been extinct years ago!
VACCINATION NEWS FLASH
I would like to make you aware that all 27 veterinary schools in North
America are in the process of changing their protocols for vaccinating dogsand cats. Some of this information will present an ethical & economic
challenge to vets, and there will be skeptics. Some org the immune system. A
series of vaccinations is given starting at 8 weeks and given 3-4 weeks
apart up to 16 weeks of age. Another vaccination given sometime after 6 months of age (usually at 1 year
4 months) will provide lifetime immunity.
---------------------------------------------
CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DOGS
Distemper & Parvo *"According to Dr. Schultz, AVMA, 8-15- 95, when a
vaccinations series given at 2, 3 & 4 months and again at 1 year with
MLV, puppies and kitten program memory cells that survive for life, providing
lifelong immunity." Dr. Carmichael at Cornell and Dr. Schultz has studies showing immunity against challenge at 2-10 years
for canine distemper & 4 years for parvovirus. Studies for longer duration are pending.
"There are no new strains of parvovirus as one manufacturer would like to
suggest. Parvovirus vaccination provides cross immunity for all types."
Hepatitis (Adenovirus) is one of the agents known to be a cause of kennel
cough. Only vaccines with CAV-2 should be used as CAV-1 vaccines carry the risk of "hepatitis blue-eye" reactions & kidney
damage. *Bordetella Parainfluenza: Commonly called "Kennel cough".
Vaccination for this is recommended only for those dogs boarded, groomed,
taken to dog shows, or for any reason housed where exposed to a lot of dogs..
The intranasal vaccine provides more complete and more rapid onset of
immunity with less chance of reaction. Immunity requires 72 hours and does
not protect from every cause of kennel cough.
Immunity is of short duration (4 to 6 months).*
Lyme disease-Lyme disease is a tick born disease which can cause lameness,
kidney failure and heart disease in dogs. Ticks can also transmit the
disease to humans. The original Ft. Dodge killed bacteria has proven to be
the most effective vaccine. Lyme disease prevention should emphasize early
removal of ticks. Amitraz collars are more effective than Top Spot, as
amitraz paralyzes the tick's mouthparts preventing transmission of disease.
------------------------------------------------
VACCINATIONS NOT RECOMMENDED Multiple components in vaccines compete with each other for the immune
system and result in lesser immunity for each individual disease as well as
increasing the risk of a reaction. Canine Corona Virus is only a disease of
puppies. It is rare, self limiting (dogs get well in 3 days without
treatment). Cornell & Texas A&M have only diagnosed one case each in the
last 7 years. Corona virus does not cause disease in adult dogs.
*Leptospirosis vaccine is a common cause of adverse reactions in dogs.
Most of the clinical cases of lepto reported in dogs in the US are caused by
serovaars (or types) grippotyphosa and bratsilvia. The vaccines contain
different serovaars eanicola and ictohemorrhagica. Cross protection is
not provided and protection is short lived . Lepto vaccine is immuno-supressive
to puppies less than 16 weeks.
-----------------------------------------------------
NEW DEVELOPMENTS: Giardia is the most common intestinal parasite of humans in North America,
30% or more of all dogs & cats are infected with giardia. It has now been
demonstrated that humans can transmit giardia to dogs & cats and vice
versa.
|
Top of page
|
Rottweiler study links ovaries with exceptional longevity
AVMA
Journals
|
New
research on the biology of aging in dogs suggests a
link between shortened life expectancy and ovary
removal.
The
study, published in the December 2009 issue of the
journal Aging Cell, found that Rottweilers that were
spayed after they were 6 years old were 4.6 times as
likely to reach 13 years of age as were Rottweilers
that were spayed at a younger age.
The
finding is important because the average life
expectancy of Rottweiler dogs is 9.4 years, observed
research team leader Dr. David J. Waters. "Our
results support the notion that how long females
keep their ovaries influences how long they
live," he said.
Dr.
Waters is the executive director of the Gerald P.
Murphy Cancer Foundation at the Purdue Research Park
in West Lafayette, Ind. The foundation is home to
the Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies, which
tracks the oldest living pet dogs in the country.
Although
the findings may challenge long-held notions about
pet neutering, Dr. Waters believes veterinarians
shouldn't dismiss the research outright but,
instead, see it as an exciting development in pet
longevity research.
"It
was once considered a fact the earth was flat, and
then somebody's data said otherwise. That's what
scientific discoveries do—they reshape the
intellectual terrain," said Dr. Waters, who is
also associate director of Purdue University's
Center on Aging and the Life Course and a professor
in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences.
Dogs
are a good model for cancer studies in humans, and
now there's growing support for using pet dogs in
research aimed at helping people live longer lives.
The National Institute on Aging, for instance,
issued a call in November for information on the
feasibility of studying pet dogs to advance the
study of human aging.
Dr.
Waters' team spent a decade collecting and analyzing
medical histories, longevity, and causes of death
for 119 Rottweilers in the United States and Canada
that survived to 13 years of age. These dogs were
compared with a group of 186 Rottweilers with more
typical longevity.
Researchers
found that female Rottweilers have a distinct
survival advantage over males—a trend also
documented in humans. That advantage appears to be
determined by whether the female dog is sexually
intact, however. "Taking away ovaries during
the first four years of life completely erased the
female survival advantage," Dr. Waters said.
The
Rottweiler research mirrors the findings of the
Nurses' Health Study published in May 2009 in
Obstetrics & Gynecology by William Parker, MD,
and colleagues from the John Wayne Cancer Institute
in Santa Monica, Calif.
Dr.
Parker's group studied more than 29,000 women who
underwent a hysterectomy for benign uterine disease.
The findings showed that the benefits of ovary
removal—protection against ovarian, uterine, and
breast cancer—were outweighed by an increased
mortality rate from other causes. As a result,
longevity was cut short in women who lost their
ovaries before the age of 50, compared with those
who kept their ovaries for at least 50 years.
How
ovaries affect longevity in Rottweilers is not
understood, but Dr. Waters' research points to a new
set of research questions, recalibrating the
conversation about removing ovaries.
"We
liken this to an ecosystem," Dr. Waters
explained. "If you take the caterpillars out of
an environment, what are you left with? I'm betting
that like removing all the caterpillars, removing
ovaries has unanticipated, unforeseen consequences.
An adverse effect on longevity might just be one of
those consequences."
Does
Dr. Waters recommend that every dog owner delay
their pet's ovariohysterectomy? Not at all. In fact,
he cautioned against overgeneralizing the study
findings, saying much more research is needed.
"We
studied purebred dogs living with responsible
owners. You could say our results aren't pertinent
to stray dogs or mongrel dogs. I don't believe every
Rottweiler or every woman will benefit from keeping
ovaries. That's an all-or-none stipulation, and
that's not how biology works," he said, adding
that tomorrow's challenge will be to identify which
individuals benefit from retaining or removing
ovaries.
To
meet the needs of veterinarians who want to better
understand the biology of aging, Dr. Waters
developed a Gerontology Training Program for DVMs at
Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation, based on his
experience teaching biogerontology to graduate
students for more than a decade at Purdue. As
longevity research advances, veterinarians need to
be prepared. "We make the surest progress when
cutting-edge research and cutting-edge education go
hand in hand," Dr. Waters said.
—R.
Scott Nolen
|
|
Top of page
|
What Does High Cholesterol mean for Dogs?
B-Naturals Newsletter - June 2011
By Lew Olson, PhD Natural Health
Email: lewolson@earthlink.net
A confusing issue for many dog owners is the topic of high cholesterol in their dog's blood panel results. This is an issue that cannot and should not be confused with the meaning of high cholesterol and its dangers in people. Today, people are concerned about reducing fat in their diets, exercising, keeping their weight down and taking medications to reduce cholesterol levels because cholesterol levels bring about very specific health risks. People want to reduce their chances of developing plaque in their arteries so they can keep their heart healthy.
For dogs, high cholesterol has a very different meaning! Dogs are carnivores and their digestive tracts are designed to eat plenty of animal fat. They need large amounts of animal fat to meet their physical needs for both energy and endurance. Dogs don't develop plaque in their arteries; nor do they suffer harmful effects on their hearts from a high fat diet. Dogs can become obese from a diet that is too high in fat, from over feeding, or from getting little or no exercise. However, the fat does not affect their arteries or hearts as it does in people, as we are omnivores. This does not mean we shouldn't pay attention to high cholesterol readings in our dogs as they can give us good clues as to other metabolic issues that may need further attention. Specific problems that can be the result of high cholesterol in a dog's blood work can include:
Hypothyroidism
The thyroid gland helps in numerous ways, including hormone regulation and metabolism. When the thyroid isn't working well, it can cause elevations in cholesterol, lipase, ALT and cause a low white blood cell count. A thyroid panel blood test can show if the thyroid is low and medication can often bring these numbers back to the normal ranges.
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/40602.htm
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2097&aid=449
Diabetes
This disease can cause issues with fat metabolism, resulting in high cholesterol, among other elevated blood panel results, such as glucose.
http://www.diabetesindogs.net/dog-diabetes-symptoms.html
http://www.essortment.com/canine-diabetes-symptoms-26793.html
Cushing's Disease
This is when the adrenal gland is producing too much cortisol (cortisone). A high level of cortisol (which can also be caused by long term steroid use) creates dysfunction in processing fats. Due to this, dogs with Cushing's disease (and long term steroid use) are more prone to pancreatitis.
http://www.kateconnick.com/library/cushingsdisease.html
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/cushings.html
Hyperlipidemia
Sometimes a high triglyceride count will be seen with high cholesterol. A few breeds, most commonly Miniature Schnauzers, have a genetic tendency to lipidosis or hyperlipidemia.
http://www.weir.net/~lglass/canine-hyperlipidemia.htm
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=189&A=2660&S=0
All of these problems can show symptoms of skin problems, poor immune systems, weight issues and a more problematic issue of pancreatitis.
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is not caused by fat intake, but rather by one of these issues that creates an inflamed pancreas. Some of these health problems can be resolved with medication, but if they cannot, a low fat diet is needed. Here is a home cooked diet for dogs prone to
pancreatitis:
http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/pancreatitis
Another diet that is low in sugar, which is well suited for any of the above conditions, but especially diabetes or Cushing's disease can be found at:
http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/low-glycemic
More information on these health issues, along with other diet information can be found in my book, "Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs".
It is very important to have yearly wellness checks on your dogs. These annual checks should include both annual blood work and a urinalysis. It is also important to know what the blood values mean in relationship to dogs. While many may mean the same things, there are some differences due to canine physiology and their nutritional needs as carnivores!
.
|
Top
of page
Previous Veterinary
Health Articles
|
|
