Elanco announces FDA approval of new flea, tick preventiveJanuary 24, 2018Elanco Animal Health, a division of Eli Lilly and Co., announced that Credelio has been approved by the FDA. Credelio is a new monthly oral tick and flea option for dogs that contains the patented active ingredient lotilaner, which targets the nervous system receptors of ticks and fleas, not dogs, according to the company. The preventive protects against lone star, American dog, black-legged, and brown dog ticks, as well as fleas. "When choosing pet medications, veterinarians and pet owners are most concerned with safety for the pet as well as efficacy of the product. Lotilaner, the active ingredient in Credelio, was selected from hundreds of candidate molecules with this in mind," said Tony Rumschlag, DVM, director, regional consulting for Elanco. "This new tasty chewable is fast-acting and effective against ticks and fleas, while being easy on dogs and puppies." In a field study, 100 percent of Credelio tablets were administered successfully and dogs accepted 94 percent of them when offered by hand, in an empty bowl, or with food, according to the company. The product's active ingredient—lotilaner—circulates in the dog's blood stream, targeting the receptors of ticks and fleas when they bite the dog. In clinical studies, it killed 100 …
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Common and 'forgotten' head and neck lymphocentrumsJanuary 8, 2018Recently, a young Weimaraner presented for eyelid surgery through our ophthalmology department, and it was noticed that he had bilaterally symmetrical subcutaneous soft tissue swellings dorsal to the maxillary third premolar teeth.
ASU awarded $6.4M grant to test preventive canine cancer vaccineJanuary 8, 2018Arizona State University (ASU) professor Stephen Albert Johnson, Ph.D., has received a $6.4 million grant from the Open Philanthropy Project to support a clinical trial of a vaccine to prevent canine cancer. The trial will involve approximately 800 middle-aged, healthy pet dogs and will test the effects of a multivalent frameshift peptide (FSP) vaccine developed at ASU that has shown promise in mouse studies. Scientists think the vaccine has potential for human use, too. "Our goal has always been that if this is possible, we should at least try it," said Johnston, director of the Biodesign Center for Innovations in Medicine and CEO of Calviri Inc., a cancer vaccine company. "Open Philanthropy was the only organization that responded to support our high-risk project, the biggest cancer intervention trial in dogs ever." Johnston and his team developed the new FSP vaccine over the past 10 years. The vaccine, already tested for efficacy in mice, is shown to be safe in dogs, according to Johnston's research. Cancer is the leading cause of death in pet dogs and their cancers are very similar to their human counterparts. Some breeds have a very high cancer rate, as much as 40 percent. The canine …
Zomedica, Celsee Inc. partner to deliver cancer liquid biopsy platformDecember 21, 2017Zomedica Pharmaceuticals Corp. has entered into a license and supply agreement with Celsee Inc., an innovator of progressive rare cell capture, characterization, and retrieval products in the emerging field of liquid biopsy. Under the terms of the agreement, Zomedica will have animal health exclusive global rights to develop and market Celsee's liquid biopsy platform for use by veterinarians as a cancer diagnostic. A liquid biopsy is a blood test with the potential to detect the presence of circulating tumor cells in the blood. Circulating tumor cells (CTC) are shed from a primary tumor into neighboring blood vessels and are transported throughout the body's circulatory system. The detection of CTCs in the blood could indicate a cancer diagnosis without the need for an invasive tissue biopsy, according to Zomedica. "Liquid biopsy is cutting-edge technology in human medicine right now and we're excited about the opportunity to develop and market this platform for use in veterinary medicine," stated Gerald Solensky, Jr., CEO at Zomedica. "We selected the Celsee platform because of the ease of use, workflow simplicity, and flexibility to use our novel canine biomarkers. If we successfully develop Celsee's technology, we believe we will be able to …
USDA grants Zoetis' Vanguard Rapid Resp one-year DOIDecember 19, 2017The USDA has granted Zoetis' Vanguard Rapid Resp intranasal vaccine line one-year duration of immunity (DOI) claims for Bordetella bronchiseptica, canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), and canine parainfluenza virus (CPiV). Vanguard Rapid Resp is the first and only intranasal vaccine line in the US that has been demonstrated to provide one year of protection against three important canine infectious respiratory diseases (CIRD), according to the company. "The demonstration of a one-year duration of immunity for all three antigens in Vanguard Rapid Resp represents an important step in the protection of dogs from CIRD. This new DOI confirms the efficacy of a single product that provides both rapid and durable protection against these important antigens in the CIRD complex," said Stephan Carey, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, assistant professor of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, consultant for Zoetis. "This extended DOI is essential in reducing morbidity and mortality from infectious respiratory disease among dogs in social or commingled environments such as boarding facilities and shelters." Vanguard Rapid Resp is available in three antigenic combinations (Bb + CPiV + CAV-2; Bb + CPiV; Bb only), and all of these choices can be administered with a syringe …
The beat goes onDecember 15, 2017Dogs love their human families with their whole hearts, and the humans who love them back want to keep their beloved companions’ hearts healthy.
Drug-resistant heartworm strain found in Louisiana LabradorDecember 12, 2017A drug-resistant strain of heartworm was discovered in a dog in Metairie, La., according to local veterinarian, Cynthia Benbow, DVM, CVA. Maddie, a yellow lab from Metairie, was a patient of Dr. Benbow. According to the news release issued by Benbow's office, Maddie contracted heartworm while on a monthly preventive. The heartworms had resurfaced in Benbow's long-time patient after a bout three years prior even though Maddie's owner had, as Benbow described, "religiously" stuck with the prescribed prevention regimen. Testing revealed the dog was infected with a drug-resistant strain of heartworm. A sample of Maddie's blood was sent to Ray Kaplan, DVM, at the Department of Infectious Diseases at University of Georgia (UGA) College of Veterinary Medicine, according to Benbow. Dr. Kaplan's lab confirmed that the heartworms were indeed drug-resistant, and established the strain for research purposes, naming it Metairie-2014. Louisiana hosts "by far the most cases" of suspected drug-resistant heartworm strains, according to Cassan Pulaski, a doctoral candidate at Louisiana State University (LSU). Southern states show higher incidences of likely drug-resistant strains, particularly those surrounding the Mississippi River Delta, he said. It's unknown how many drug-resistant heartworm strains exist because local veterinarians do not have the research tools to verify resistant strains, according to …
Zoetis launches Vanguard CIV H3N2/H3N8 vaccine for canine influenzaDecember 12, 2017Zoetis' Vanguard CIV H3N2/H3N8 is a new bivalent vaccine helps protect dogs against CIV H3N2 and CIV H3N8, which have caused serious disease outbreaks in 38 states across the US.1 In an efficacy study, dogs that received the Vanguard CIV H3N2/H3N8 vaccine were protected from disease after CIV H3N2 challenge.2,3,4 Vaccination also appeared to help decrease the number of days after challenge that dogs shed CIV H3N2 virus—from an average of 4.9 days in the placebo-vaccinated controls to an average of 1.3 days in Vanguard CIV H3N2/H3N8 vaccinates.2,5,6 During a safety study that involved 364 dogs, including 164 client-owned dogs and 200 dogs from commercial breeding facilities, 725 doses of vaccine were administered and no significant adverse events were observed.7 Dogs that frequently are in the company of others could benefit from the protection Vanguard CIV H3N2/H3N8 offers, said Stephan Carey, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, assistant professor, Small Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and past president of The Veterinary Comparative Respiratory Society, and Zoetis consultant. "Dogs that attend day care, visit the dog park, or stay at boarding facilities are all at risk for contracting either strain of CIV," he said. …
KSU study demonstrates loss of compounded drug potencyDecember 11, 2017A new Kansas State University (KSU) study funded by Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) shows a commonly compounded antimicrobial drug used in veterinary medicine may be losing potency over time. The study recently was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The KSU research team showed that compounded formulations of doxycycline lost potency within three weeks of receipt, with many dropping to sub-therapeutic content in that time, as defined by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards. The findings could have a significant impact for practicing veterinarians who rely on this antimicrobial to treat various infectious diseases in animals, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever and leptospirosis, and as an adjunct therapy for heartworm disease. "These study results have important ramifications for practicing veterinarians," said John Reddington, DVM, Ph.D., president and CEO for MAF. "The study helped fill in a knowledge gap about compounded medications, and may lead to additional studies on this important but often overlooked topic." The research team at KSU included Tanner Slead, a MAF Veterinary Student Scholar, and his mentor, Kate KuKanich, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM. The team compared FDA-approved formulations of doxycycline with compounded doxycycline obtained from …
Information overload means good newsDecember 8, 2017Let’s face it; we can’t even keep up with all the email, client communications, and news flashing on our smartphones while maintaining a busy clinical load. Once-a-year continuing education barely keeps us afloat in the ocean of veterinary information, and now that information—thanks to accelerating advancements in technology and biological research—is coming at us more and more rapidly and in more forms.
