CURRENT VETERINARY TOPICS
"There is no need for a piece of sculpture in a home that has a cat."
-Wesley Bates
Current Topics of Interest in Regard to Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences
These are current or relavent issues that might be of interest to you in reference to pet and animal health as well as human health. These are summaries of newsworthy articles from the mainstream media that can be accessed from other websites. These are only provided as a service and do not reflect any endorsements or views of third party sites or the information therein by Petchester Veterinary.
SNOW GLOBES AND CATS
Dangers of Snowglobes and Cats: Snow Globes Contain Anti-Freeze
Date:
Nov., 2014
Source:
ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
Summary:
Snow globes are beautiful and an essential decoration for the Christmas holiday. But did you know that snow globes contain ethylene glycol, a highly toxic substance to all pets? If broken, the sweet smell can attract a pet to lick up the liquid and lead to a potentially fatal intoxication. Please keep snow globes out of your pet’s reach
FELINE KIDNEY BIOMARKER
Biomarker could provide early warning of kidney disease in cats
Date:
Nov., 2014
Source:
The Veterinary Journal
Summary:
Researchers from Oregon State University and other institutions have developed a new biomarker called "SDMA" that can provide earlier identification of chronic kidney disease in cats, which is one of the leading causes of their death.
LYME DISEASE
Reducing deer populations may reduce risk of Lyme disease
Date:
July 1, 2014
Source:
Entomological Society of America
Summary:
Reduced deer populations can lead to a reduction in Lyme disease cases, researchers in Connecticut have found that after a 13-year study was conducted. White-tailed deer serve as the primary host for the adult blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) -- the vector for Lyme disease. The study found that the number of resident-reported cases of Lyme disease per 100 households was strongly correlated to deer density in the community.
FULL ARTICLE
PETS AND SUNBURN
Some dogs and cats are prone to sunburn: How to protect your animal from skin damage
Date:
June 27, 2014
Source:
Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien
Summary:
It is well known that xcessive sun exposure damages the skin. However, humans are not the only ones who need to monitor their exposure to UV rays: animals are at risk too. Dogs and cats with white or thin coats are at particular risk, as are animals with very closely shorn fur or with certain pre-existing conditions.
OLFACTORY DETECTION OF CANCER
Dogs sniff out prostate cancer
Date:
May 16, 2014
Source:
NBC News, Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
Summary:
Dogs can sniff out prostate cancer with uncanny accuracy, Italian researchers recently reported. The reports join a growing list of studies that show dogs can detect the byproducts of cancer through their olfactory sense. Dogs have also sniffed out lung tumors and are being tested for ovarian tumors.These data show analysis of volatile organic compounds in urine is a promising approach to cancer detection.The possibility of using dogs to identify cancer is something most would never have considered possible a decade or two ago. It's an interesting concept that 'man's best friend' could help save your life."
ECTOPARASITES AT RISK ALL YEAR LONG
Ectoparasites: The risk is present all year long
Date: March 13, 2014
Source: Veterinary Practice News, Lou Anne Epperley, DVM
Summary:
With ectoparasites, we’ve never been able to determine that weather has much effect on their life cycle,” said Nancy C. Hinkle, Ph.D., professor of entomology at the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. “The host maintains its microhabitat and, so long as the host stays warm, the ectoparasites are very comfortable.“If you are a flea and you live on a squirrel, your habitat is the same temperature as that squirrel,” she said, adding that mammals are always warm and the fleas will survive “unless they make the mistake of getting off the squirrel.”
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CUSHINGS DISEASE IN DOGS
Diagnosing hyperadrenocorticism in dogs via their hair
Date:
July 23, 2013
Source: Journal of Veterinary Dermatology, July, 2013
Study from Institute of Medical Biochemistry at University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria
Claudia Ouschan, Alexandra Kuchar, Erich Möstl. Measurement of cortisol in dog hair: a noninvasive tool for the diagnosis of hypercortisolism. Veterinary Dermatology, 2013; 24 (4): 428 DOI: 10.1111/vde.12043
Summary:
Recent research at the Institute of Medical Biochemistry at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna has shown that glucocorticoids accumulate in the animals' hair and that analysis of a dog's hair can provide quick and reliable preliminary diagnosis.
THE GUILTY LOOK IN DOGS
What Really Prompts The Dog's 'Guilty Look'
Date:
June 14, 2009
Source:
Elsevier
Summary:
What dog owner has not come home to a broken vase or other valuable items and a guilty-looking dog slouching around the house? By ingeniously setting up conditions where the owner was misinformed as to whether their dog had really committed an offense, researchers uncovered the origins of the "guilty look" in dogs.
INTRAVESICAL GAG
Intravesical glycosaminoglycans for obstructive feline idiopathic cystitis: a pilot study.
Date:
June., 2014
Source:
Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery
Summary:
Feline idiopathic cystitis is a common condition, often resulting in repeated episodes of life-threatening urethral obstruction. Defective urinary bladder glycosaminoglycans have been implicated as a causal factor. In this report, a commercially available glycosaminoglycan product was infused into the urinary bladders of cats with urethral obstruction from idiopathic cystitis to study the effect on repeated obstruction.
DOGS AND CANCER
Research could lead to new cancer assay, aid both dogs and humans
Date:
June 5, 2014
Source:
Oregon State University
Summary:
Veterinary researchers have identified a unique group of proteins that indicate the presence of transitional cell carcinoma -- the most common cause of bladder cancer -- and may lead to a new assay which could better diagnose this disease in both dogs and humans. Bladder cancer is particularly common in some dog breeds, such as collies, sheepdogs and terriers, but is rarely diagnosed in animals before it has spread significantly. Some assays exist to detect it in humans, but they often have a high-number of false-positive identifications.
CATS AND EATING
Cats found to eat more in the winter
Date:
May 28, 2014
Source:
University of Liverpool
Summary:
Cats eat more during the winter and owners should give their pet more food during this time, research has found. The study found that cats ate approximately 15% less food during summer, and the vets have concluded that the extra effort to keep warm in winter and the temptation to rest during hot summer days contributed to the swing in activity levels during the year.
SCENT OF THE FAMILIAR
Scent of the familiar: You may linger like perfume in your dog's brain
Date:
March 18, 2014
Source:
Emory Health Sciences
Summary:
An area of the canine brain associated with reward responds more strongly to the scents of familiar humans than it does to the scents of other humans, or even to those of familiar dogs. This is among the first brain-imaging studies of dogs responding to biological odors. When humans smell the perfume or cologne of someone they love, they may have an immediate, emotional reaction that's not necessarily cognitive.
NUTRACEUTICAL USE IN PETS
Science behind nutraceuticals is the key
Date: March 13, 2013
Source:
Veterinary Practice News
Summary:
Dog and cat owners spend an average of $141 per year on vitamins and supplements for their dogs and cats, according to the 2013-2014 American Pet Product Association’s National Pet Owners Survey. This suggests that pet owners believe nutritional supplements are an important component of pets’ preventive health and for existing conditions. The pet supplement market is highly competitive, so manufacturers must work to stay relevant in a market where pet owners have many options. Clinical testing, proprietary formulas, novel ingredients and the National Animal Supplement Council seal of approval have all become part of the competitive equation.
TERRITORIAL AGGRESSION IN CATS
Taming territorial aggression in cats
Date: August 10, 2012
Source: Veterinary Practice News, Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, Dipl. ACVB
Summary: