Health and Welfare

 

NOTE!

Also see:

 EMERGENCY MEDICAL INFORMATION FOR IRISH WOLFHOUNDS

 University-Based Veterinary Clinic Referrals By State





To Our Members:

Canine Influenza is a growing problem and we have seen more and more localized outbreaks across the country. This disease is very virulent. It has closed many facilities and venues across the country. The virus can live on clothing for up to 24 hours and on a persons hands for 12 hours. This new disease is highly contagious and we have no immunity.

If you suspect your dog has a respiratory problem. Call your vet and tell him your dogs symptoms(sneezing, coughing,nasal discharge, fever, etc.) Do not take your animal to a vet clinic with out calling first. Quarantine protocols will be used with this virus. We should also use them in our own home from our other animals.

There is a vaccine that has been developed and approved by the USDA in 2009. Kennels and boarding facilities will require this vaccination. If you are actively showing or letting your dogs be around other dogs you should consider getting the vaccine. Consult your veterinarian for more information.

This disease has a 2 to 4 day incubation period. If you are out with your dog and see subsequent respiratory symptoms please contact your vet.

Please feel free to cross post this message.

Sincerely

Michael P Genovese DDS
Health and Research Chair
 Irish Wolfhound Club of America, Inc.


Table of Contents:

Canine Acute Gastric Dilatation 2008 by  H J Van Kruiningen, DVM, PhD, MD.
Canine Bone Marrow Transplants at NCSU
Canine Influenza Virus by Cathy Heintz
Canine Skeletal Development and Soundness
Canine Hypothyroidism - PREVALENCE OF POSITIVE TgAA IN 81 LABORATORY SAMPLES FROM IRISH WOLFHOUNDS
Canine Rabies Challenge Study
Canine Inherited Disorders Database
Canine Respiratory Coronavirus and Canine Parvovirus type 2c
Cardiomyopathy In Irish Wolfhounds by Robert Brenneman DVM

Developmental Orthopedic Disease - Knuckling Over Copyright © 2009 Blackwatch Nutritional Consulting LLC.  Some basic information and illustrations about knuckling over and bowed legs in giant breed puppies.

Dr. Jean Dodds:

     FAQs On Vaccination Issues

     New Seminar Notes on Vaccination Issues

     Vaccine Schedule 2009

    Summary of Thyroid and VW Testing Studies, 1995

NEW  AKC CHF Osteosarcoma 2009  (Canine Health Foundation, Issue 32)
NEW  Flu Happens (Canine Health Foundation, Issue 31 Winter 2010)
Gene Therapy to Reverse Heart Failure in Animals
Genetic Test for Canine Degenerative Myelopathy
Immunology - A Basic Understanding
Long-Term Health Risks and Benefits Associated with Spay / Neuter in Dogs 
Morris Animal Foundation Studies
Osteosarcoma phenotype
POISONS: Grapes, Raisins, Cocoa Mulch AND MORE
Regenerative Cell (VSRC) therapy
TCR Vaccine for Canine Heart Disease
Treatment for cardiac hypertrophy
USA TODAY editorial on the FDA and the reissuance of ProHeart 6
NEW  Vaccines and Vaccination Protoccol  (Canine Health Foundation, Issue 32)
Zoledronate study

 


For basic information on health and medical concerns, see the FAQ page,
where you will find information on:

Heart Disease
Bloat and Gastric Torsion
Cancer (all types)
Von Willebrands Disease
Hypothyroidism
Osteochondrosis and Osteochondrosis dissecans
Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy
Liver Shunt
Hip Dysplasia and Elbow Dysplasia
Megaesophagus
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
Fibrocartilaginous Embolic Myelopathy (FCE)
Seizures

Also see Poison Control Emergency Numbers

Canine Health Information Center
 

 

 


AKC Canine Health Foundation Media Alert

American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation Announces Genetic Test for Canine Degenerative Myelopathy
[Thursday, May 8, 2008]


Canine Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) is an adult-onset, progressive spinal cord disease causing weakness in the hind limbs and eventually paraplegia. Dog owners usually elect euthanasia within a year of diagnosis; however, when euthanasia is delayed flaccid paralysis and widespread loss of muscle mass occur. Because common acquired compressive spinal cord diseases can mimic DM, a definitive diagnosis currently can only be accomplished postmortem by histopathologic observation of the spinal cord.

Drs. Gary Johnson and Joan Coates at the Animal Molecular Genetics Laboratory of the University of Missouri and Drs. Claire Wade and Kerstin Lindblad-Toh at the Broad Institute of MIT/Harvard and their colleagues have identified a DNA mutation that is a major risk factor for development of degenerative myelopathy in dogs. The research project was funded by the AKC Canine Health Foundation, American Boxer Charitable Foundation, Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America, Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States, French Bulldog Club of America, and French Bulldog Rescue League.

A DNA test will soon be available for breeders and pet owners, along with information about what the test can and cannot tell them. The test clearly identifies dogs that are clear (have 2 normal copies of the gene), those who are carriers (have one normal copy of the gene and one mutated copy of the gene), and those who are at much higher risk for developing DM (have 2 mutated copies of the gene). However, having two mutated copies of the gene does not necessarily result in disease.

More about this genetic test:  http://www.akcchf.org/news/index.cfm?article_id=248
 

 

from PubMed

Heritability and segregation analysis of osteosarcoma in the Scottish deerhound.

Phillips JC, Stephenson B, Hauck M, Dillberger J.

Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-4544, USA.

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumor in dogs and, like its human orthologue, is characterized by aggressive local behavior and high metastatic rates. The Scottish deerhound is a breed of dog with a >15% incidence of osteosarcoma and represents an excellent spontaneously occurring large-animal model of the human disease. We modeled the transmission of the osteosarcoma phenotype in a population of over 1000 related deerhounds ascertained as part of a prospective health study. Variance component analysis, segregation analysis, and linear modeling were performed to evaluate heritability, to infer the presumptive transmission model, and to identify covariate effects for this phenotype within the breed, respectively. Based on variance component analysis, heritability (h(2)) was estimated to be 0.69. Six transmission models were analyzed by segregation analysis; based on Akaike's information criteria, the most parsimonious model was the Mendelian major gene model with dominant expression. Linear modeling identified gender and genotype as significant predictors of disease outcome. Importantly, duration of gonadal hormone exposure, weight, and height at maturity were not significant predictors of outcome. Inheritance of the putative high-risk allele was thus associated with >75% risk of disease occurrence compared to the <5% baseline risk. These results support the hypothesis that a major gene with a dominant effect explains most of the osteosarcoma phenotype within the Scottish deerhound.

PMID: 17628392 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

From PubMed

The Bone Biologic Effects of Zoledronate in Healthy Dogs and Dogs with Malignant Osteolysis.

Fan TM, de Lorimer LP, Garrett LD, Lacoste HI

Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.

Background: Malignant osteolysis is a process whereby cancer cells in concert with osteoclasts erode bone matrix. Aminobisphosphonates (NBPs) such as zoledronate induce osteoclast apoptosis and thereby decrease malignant skeletal destruction, severity of bone pain, and frequency of pathologic fracture. Hypothesis: IV-administered zoledronate will reduce homeostatic bone turnover in healthy dogs and pathologic bone resorption in dogs diagnosed with primary and secondary bone tumors. Animals: Six healthy dogs and 20 dogs with naturally occurring primary or metastatic bone tumors were administered zoledronate IV. Methods: Prospective study: In all dogs, healthy (n = 6) and with malignant osteolysis (n = 20), the bone biologic effects of zoledronate were evaluated by quantifying changes in serum C-telopeptide (CTx) or urine N-telopeptide (NTx) concentrations or both. In dogs with osteosarcoma (OSA) (n = 10), serial changes in tumor relative bone mineral density (rBMD) assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry were used to characterize zoledronate's antiresorptive effects within the immediate tumor microenvironment. Additionally, the biochemical tolerability of zoledronate was assessed in 9 dogs receiving multiple (>/=2) consecutive treatments. Results: All dogs had significant reductions in serum CTx or urine NTx concentrations or both after zoledronate administration. In a subset of dogs with appendicular OSA, reduced urine NTx concentrations and increased primary tumor rBMD coincided with improved limb usage as reported by pet owners in dogs treated with zoledronate and concurrent oral analgesics. Multiple zoledronate infusions were not associated with biochemical evidence of toxicosis. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: In dogs with skeletal neoplasms, IV-administered zoledronate exerts bone biologic effects, appears safe, and can provide pain relief.
 

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