With Prosthetics, Husky Walks AgainApril 17, 2009 A formerly abused amputee dog has regained the ability to walk thanks to a series of groundbreaking prosthetic implant surgeries. Triumph, a 4-year-old Siberian husky found on the side of a road in Adana, Turkey, with both her hind legs cut off, is the first canine to receive permanent prosthetic legs, according to Denver’s Alameda East Veterinary Hospital. Triumph was adopted by a woman in Nashville, Tenn., and taken to Robert Taylor, DVM, who performed the surgeries. The task of developing custom artificial legs and surgically implanting them began more than a year ago and required a three-phase approach. The initial implants for Triumph’s back legs were provided in late 2005. In 2006, Triumph returned to Colorado for follow-up visits and improvements. The most recent and final phase included another adjustment surgery in December. Triumph’s implant surgeries are now complete and she is walking and running every day with her new legs, according to the hospital. Taylor had the help of some key companies to give Triumph her permanent prosthetic legs, including Ultramet, which made the porous tantalum body for the implant, and BioMedtrix, which helped with the design. The material used to …
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World’s Tallest Dog Helps Promote Heart Disease TestApril 17, 2009 Veterinary Diagnostics Institute of Irvine, Calif., has teamed up with the Guinness World Record’s tallest living dog to promote a new blood test designed to help diagnose heart disease or heart failure in dogs. Gibson is a great Dane owned by Sandy Hall, a breeder from Grass Valley, Calif. “Great Danes are among those breeds of dog commonly affected by heart disease,” says Steven R. Ness, president and chief operating officer of Veterinary Diagnostics Institute, also known as VDxI. “In fact, about 15 percent of dogs have some form of heart disease, often with no noticeable signs.” Ness says some dogs with heart disease are asymptomatic and others may exhibit signs that may be mistaken for other health problems. “Some signs include cough, lethargy and difficulty breathing,” Ness says. The company is promoting its new Canine CardioCare blood test that measures brain natriuretic peptide levels, or NT-proBNP. These levels flag potential cardiovascular disease and help veterinarians create diagnostic protocols to diagnose various diseases of the canine heart. Veterinarians interested in testing a patient’s NT-proBNP levels can visit VDxI’s website to sign up as a client. VDxI then sends a complete supply kit …
Vaccination And Parvovirus Testing In KittensApril 17, 2009 This column is based on abstracts presented at the 24th annual ACVIM Forum in Louisville (2006). It is a common practice to vaccinate a cat immediately upon its arrival to a shelter. This protocol is based on a resurgence of feline panleukopenia (FPV) cases. The vaccine is highly efficacious, with antibody titers appearing within a week. There is concern that the vaccine may cloud the diagnosis of panleukopenia. Practictioners rely on test kits to diagnose panleukopenia in cats with clinical signs. The vaccine is a modified-live virus and could result in the fecal shedding of virus, which would cross-react with the commonly used canine parvovirus test kits. In dogs it was shown that using an MLV vaccine resulted in positive fecal parvovirus testing for four to five days after vaccination.1 Researchers from the University of Florida looked at the effects of MLV vaccine on parvovirus shedding in kittens.2 A total of 64 SPF kittens (8 to 10 weeks old) were included in the study. The kittens were divided into groups and eight different vaccines were given. These vaccines included six MLV and two inactivated vaccines. Seven vaccines were given subcutaneously, one intranasally. Antibody titers …
Study Finds High Prevalence Of Retrovirus Infection Among Cats With Oral DiseaseApril 17, 2009 The prevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus is significantly higher in feline oral disease patients than it is in the general cat population, according to the findings of a new study. Sponsored by Idexx Laboratories Inc. of Westbrook, Maine, the study screened 8,982 orally diseased cats between January and April of 2006. Of these cats, 1,276 were retrovirus-positive, a 14.2 percent prevalence. According to the researchers, cats with gingivitis and stomatitis exhibited 14.3 percent and 23.9 percent prevalence of retroviral infection, respectively. Other recent studies have found the nationwide prevalence of FeLV and FIV in the general cat population to be about 3.3 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively, the researchers report. “The clinical significance of these results has far-reaching implications,” says Jan Bellows, DVM, Dipl. AVDC, Dipl. ABVP, one of the study’s authors. “It is generally believed that feline gingivitis is related to an immune response to plaque and bacteria, while gingivostomatitis is probably a multifactoral disease in which most patients have elevated calicivirus titers. “Illness in retrovirus-infected cats is often secondary disease acquired because of immunosuppression and not a direct effect of the retrovirus infection,” Dr. Bellows adds. “Both FeLV and …
Challenging The Status QuoApril 17, 2009Originally published in the November 2007 issue of Veterinary Practice News After struggling with an especially unmanageable case of diabetes mellitus in her own cat for almost a year and hearing euthanasia recommended by colleagues, Elizabeth Hodgkins, DVM, went back to the drawing board. It was 1994 and she had left her position as vice president of marketing at Hill’s Pet Nutrition to start law school. She began studying ingredients on the label of dry food she had been feeding the 4-year-old cat. What she discovered not only cured her Punkin of diabetes in five days but also led to her patenting a canned food for diabetic cats and developing her “Tight Regulation” protocol, which she says has permanently cured several hundred diabetics in her feline practice. Spreading the Word In her new book, “Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life” (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007), Hodgkins shares her rationale and offers case studies from her Yorba Linda, Calif., practice, All About Cats Health Center. She also explains the history and influence of the pet food industry to help readers understand why today’s cats are being fed dry food, which she firmly believes is causing a multitude of …
Transdermals Effective For Feline HyperthyroidismApril 17, 2009 Methimazole is commonly used for the medical management of hyperthyroidism in cats. With some cats, giving an oral medication can be challenging and alternatives have been sought. A promising avenue is the transdermal application of methimazole in a pleuronic lecithin organogel. The gel allows penetration through the skin of the patient. The use of methimazole formulated in PLO gel has previously been reported and it has been demonstrated that chronic administration can control hyperthyroidism in cats.1 The dosage required to achieve control varies, however, with 2.5 mg administered BID, 67 percent of cats with follow-up at four weeks were well controlled. A group of researchers from the Vetsuisse Faculty at the University of Zurich looked at short and long-term follow-up in a group of cats treated with transdermal methimazole.2 The study encompassed 20 newly diagnosed hyperthyroid cats. Initial dose was 2.5 mg BID. All cats were rechecked between one and four weeks after starting therapy. Eight cats were also reevaluated at five to eight weeks, nine to 20 weeks and after a median of 42.5 weeks (range 21 to 118 weeks). This study also attempted to look at the effect of the gel on T4 concentrations over a …
Allergens Can Trigger Feline AsthmaApril 17, 2009 Feline asthma is the most common cause of coughing in cats. It is also known as bronchial asthma and allergic bronchitis. It is considered an allergic disease driven by T-helper 2 lymphocytes against an inhaled allergen. Cytokines are produced which perpetuate the disease. The pathogenesis includes activation of inflammatory cells, induction of hyperreactivity in airways, synthesis of allergen-specific antibodies, and remodeling of airway tissues. Serotonin is the primary mediator that contributes to airway smooth-muscle contraction; serotonin is found in mast cells. Inhaled antigens within airways cause acute mast-cell degranulation and thus a release of serotonin. This results in a sudden contraction of the airway smooth muscle. Asthma Signs The disease initially manifests as coughing with the cat assuming a crouched down, extended neck position. The cough is generally non-productive. The disease is often progressive, resulting in bronchiectasis and emphysema. Cats with severe cases exhibit expiratory dyspnea, wheezing, open-mouth breathing and cyanosis. Harsh lung sounds, crackles and prolonged expiratory phase of respiration also occur in some cats. The antigens that initiate serotonin release are usually undiagnosed, but the common suspects are grass and tree pollens, house dust mites, smoke (cigarette or fireplace), sprays (hair …
Study Says Cats Can Get Alzheimer’sApril 17, 2009 Researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh, St. Andrews and Bristol in the United Kingdom and in California say they have identified a key protein which can build up in the nerve cells of a cat’s brain and cause mental deterioration. In humans with Alzheimer’s disease, this protein creates “tangles” inside the nerve cells which inhibit messages being processed by the brain. The team says the presence of this protein in cats is proof that they, too, can develop this type of disease. “We’ve known for a long time that cats develop dementia, but this study tells us that the cat’s neural system is being compromised in a similar fashion to that we see in human Alzheimer’s sufferers,” said Danielle Gunn-Moore of the University of Edinburgh’s Royal School of Veterinary Studies. The shorter lifespan of a cat, compared to humans, is expected to allow researchers to more rapidly assess the effects of diet, high blood pressure and prescribed drugs on the course of the disease. Researchers say that good diet, mental stimulation and companionship can reduce the risk of dementia in both humans and cats. “If humans and their cats live in a poor environment …
Understanding The Gap In Feline CareApril 17, 2009 Cats outnumber dogs in American households by 90 million to 62 million, but when it comes to veterinary care, veterinarians see far more canines for wellness visits, routine examinations and medical treatments. That frustrates Patricia Olson, DVM, PhD, president and chief executive officer of Morris Animal Foundation, the Englewood, Colo., non-profit group that funds more studies for companion animals than any other foundation. “There is a definite concern among leaders in the pet industry as to why veterinarians see relatively fewer cats and why less research is being conducted on cats than dogs,” says Dr. Olson. “Despite the cat’s rising popularity–the population of owned cats is growing 25 percent faster than dogs–less money is spent on health care for cats.” In 2006, the Morris Animal Foundation funded $4 million for 44 new and 53 ongoing studies for companion animals. Of those studies, canine-related studies represented 38 percent, followed by horses at 13 percent. Feline studies garnered only 10 percent of those research dollars. James Richards, DVM, past president of the American Assn. of Feline Practitioners and director of the Feline Health Center at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., says one reason for the discrepancy may …
Technology To Predetermine Cat Sexes DevelopedApril 17, 2009 The Audubon Nature Institute and XY Inc. of Fort Collins, Colo., say they have developed a process allowing the sex of felines to be chosen before they’re born. The technology, developed by XY, resulted in a litter of healthy kittens, produced from embryos fertilized with sexed sperm, born at Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species (ACRES) in New Orleans on Oct. 11, according to the nature institute. “The knowledge gained through this research will help scientists and conservationists cope with threats to the most seriously endangered feline species by developing new reproductive technologies and reintroduction techniques necessary to ensure their long-term survival,” said Betsy Dresser, Audubon Nature Institute senior vice president and ACRES director of research. ACRES’ wildlife conservation-directed research focuses on use of reproductive technologies such as cryopreservation of sperm and embryos, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. “Sex selection is critically important in the race against extinction of endangered exotic feline populations,” said C. Earle Pope, the ACRES research team leader for the project. “Our ability to determine the birth of female felines in captivity will help advance the work of animal preservationists trying to increase the numbers of endangered …
