Infection Protection

Chapter Eleven (c) Dr. Carol Osborne, D.V.M.

Currently, there are over 200 Zoonoses, or animal diseases, transmissible to people that are a significant infectious risk to human health. Effective control of these diseases in animals is paramount to their control and prevention in people.

Proactive approaches to health care in the 21^st century require closely controlled surveillance systems to detect and monitor disease problems that threaten both human and animal health.

Since outbreaks of certain diseases in animals typically precede outbreaks in people, health department’s routinely use animals as early warning signs or “Disease Sentinels” for certain infectious diseases, including Bubonic Plague, Hanta Virus, Equine Viral Encephalitis, and Rabies. This generally allows time for preventative measures to be taken that will reduce the number and/or severity of human cases.

Medical doctors and veterinarians are required to report certain diseases to local health authorities, which is crucial to effectively controlling and ultimately eliminating these diseases. Infectious diseases that threaten our economic welfare such as Mad Cow Disease, Tuberculosis, and Brucellosis must be reported within 24 hours at which point, strict state and federal guidelines geared to ultimately eradicate these diseases are employed.

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On Tuesday a 16-year-old boy from Santa Maria died from contracting Rabies Virus. The teen apparently traveled with a friend from Mexico and health officials are trying to locate his companion. The boy, who was delirious and drooling, entered the Marian Medical Center on March 18. He was also having trouble breathing and despite repeated attempts at resuscitation, doctors were not able to save his life.

When infected individuals start to show signs of Rabies, the brain has already been infected and survival is rare, as there is no specific treatment to reverse the disease. It is very uncommon for people in the US to contract rabies. The last documented case occurred in 1927, some 80 years ago in Santa Barbara, California.

Most cases in the United States are associated with the bite of a wild animal, often a bat or a skunk on the West Coast versus raccoons being the culprits on the East Coast. Domestic animals rarely have rabies today, although within the past five years, rabies has been detected in a dog roaming through Santa Barbara County and in a dead cat that had been bitten by a bat.

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Dog Fancy March 2008

FEATURES
26 FOOD FOR THOUGHT: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO YOUR DOG’S DIET

There’s much more to canine nutrition than just kibble and canned food. Our experts explore it all to give you a well-rounded perspective. BY MARCIA KING

The Raw Food Diet

Question for the Experts: Does raw food, being closer to the natural diets of wild animals, offer better nutrition for dogs?

NO “There is no scientific evidence base that shows benefits for feeding raw food,” Becvarova says. “Conversely, multiple studies document that raw meats may contain harmful bacteria and parasites that may cause illness of pets.”

YES “Benefits include overall health improvements, including relief from allergies and anal sac problems, better oral hygiene, and improved skin and hair coat,” says veterinarian Carol Osborne. “My seven years of research, backed by double-blind clinical trials, showed that pets respond very well to a balanced, wholesome, natural diet. Whether a pet responds best to a raw food or a cooked homemade diet depends on the specific pet.”

Meet The Experts

Carol Osborne, DVM, is a veterinarian in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and the creator of PAAWS: Pet Anti-Aging Wellness System. She has a special interest in longevity research and is the author of Dr. Carol’s Naturally Healthy Dogs.

Iveta Becvarova, DVM, is a board-certified veterinary nutritionist who treats patients at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, Va.

Duane Ekedahl is the president of the Pet Food Institute, which represents the manufacturersof 98 percent of all dog and cat food produced in the United States and supports advancements in the quality of pet food and in pet nutrition

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Veterinarians are caring professional people who have dedicated their lives and careers to relieving animal suffering. They are also pet owners, so they truly understand the power of the human-animal bond.

Legislating emotional reactions and grief is loaded with unintentional consequences.

As veterinarians, we understand the deep grief and pain felt when we lose a pet. There is nothing in such legislation that will ease this heartache and pain. In all likelihood, this bill will make it harder for veterinarians to deliver good care and expenses will go up for all pet owners. Pet care will become more expensive because insurance costs, paperwork, record keeping, tests and procedures will all increase in cost as well.

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Hi Dr. Carol,

Meeka is doing quite well with her Pancreatic problem. Your PAAWS vitamins, enzymes and probiotics have helped a lot.  Do I adjust the dose?  Or maintain what she is on?   Meeka does not throw up anymore now that we have made the changes you recommended.

Thank you,

Jan S.

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Arthritis of the elbow is one of the top four body sites affected by arthritis in dogs.  A new artificial canine elbow replacement system has been developed that shows great promise and new hope for dogs. An orthopedic elbow implant called the TATE System has been produced that is minimally invasive and causes little trauma to the 4-legged patient. The results of the clinical trials are proving exceptional for surgeons and dogs alike.

For veterinarians, the complexity of the surgery is comparable to that of a hip replacement operation. The surgery takes about 3 hours. Tate, a yellow lab, after whom the implant is named, suffered from severe elbow dysplasia and was the first recipient. Tate’s owner had initially tried the usual protocols:  injections, arthroscopic surgery, acupuncture and pain medications without success. He then teamed up with biomedical engineer Greg Van Der Meulen, who helped in moving Acker’s initial idea on to mechanical development.

BioMedtrix, founded in 1989, based in New Jersey launched the licensing of the TATE System and teaching courses are currently being scheduled throughout Europe and the United States. Interested surgeons can contact BioMedtrix for more information on the TATE system and workshops.

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This is my little Maltese Beanie Weanie. He’s about 20 years old and doing just great. Approximately 5 years ago I had noticed that he was having muscle pain in the morning and was having difficulty walking.

I turned to PAAWS and it’s been a life saver. I am absolutely pleased with the quick results and greatly recommend PAAWS primarily because of the wonderful ingredients and also because it works so fast.

It was heart wrenching to hear Beanie Weanie cry in the morning and I felt so helpless. I am so glad that I found PAAWS because it has changed Beanie Weanie’s life. He’s such a happy dog and I have Dr Carol to thank for that.

Sincerely, Bethany

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A new screening test

For dogs at risk.

One in four dogs will get cancer at some time in their lives. Lymphoma, also called lymphosarcoma, which is abbreviated as LSA, is one of the most common cancers in dogs, accounting for about 20% of all canine malignant forms of cancer. It is a disease of the lymph nodes and lymphocytes and can be found throughout the dog’s body.

Lymphoma is most common in dogs from middle age onwards, although it can develop at any age. Males and females are affected to the same extent, but certain breeds are more prone than others. Predisposed breeds include Golden Retrievers, Boxers, and Westies. There is a strong familial, or congenital, link for lymphoma.

In most cases, a dog with lymphoma will show very few signs. In addition, because lymphoma is a diverse disease, there are wide ranges of symptoms, which can make initial diagnosis difficult. The most common presentation is the appearance of swollen lymph nodes. If left untreated, lymphoma patients will usually succumb to the disease within about 4 weeks from diagnosis. However, lymphoma is very responsive to treatment with modern chemotherapy. Once diagnosed, lymphoma can be very responsive to treatment, and 80% of dogs with the disease may go into remission.

This author has worked with many dogs diagnosed with Lymphoma cancer and reports that with natural supplements, and an anti-cancer diet, her patients have enjoyed quality life for an average of 2 years post diagnosis. She has used this regime successfully for cases with and without chemotherapy for lymphoma.

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A new cause of blindness in dogs has been discovered by a veterinarian at Iowa State University, The disease, is called Immune-Mediated Retinopathy, or IMR. It affects the function of retinal cells of dog’s eyes, and in some cases, blindness results.
IMR is very similar to a previously known ocular disorder called Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome or SARDS. Both diseases occur when the dog produces cells called antibodies that attack his own retinal cells. The antibodies mistake retinal cells for cancerous tumors or tissues that need to be destroyed. In the process of attacking the retinal cells, the auto antibodies cause the retinal cells to lose function and the dog to lose some or all of his vision.

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Arthritis of the elbow is one of the top four body sites affected by arthritis in dogs. A new artificial canine elbow replacement system has been developed that shows great promise and new hope for dogs. An orthopedic elbow implant called the TATE System has been produced that is minimally invasive and causes little trauma to the 4-legged patient. The results of the clinical trials are proving exceptional for surgeons and dogs alike.

For veterinarians, the complexity of the surgery is comparable to that of a hip replacement operation. The surgery takes about 3 hours. Tate, a yellow lab, after whom the implant is named, suffered from severe elbow dysplasia and was the first recipient. Tate’s owner had initially tried the usual protocols: injections, arthroscopic surgery, acupuncture and pain medications without success. He then teamed up with biomedical engineer Greg Van Der Meulen, who helped in moving Acker’s initial idea on to mechanical development.

BioMedtrix, founded in 1989, based in New Jersey launched the licensing of the TATE System and teaching courses are currently being scheduled throughout Europe and the United States. Interested surgeons can contact BioMedtrix for more information on the TATE system and workshops.

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Actavis Inc., the United States manufacturing and marketing division of the international generic pharmaceutical company Actavis Group hf, today announced that its subsidiary Actavis South Atlantic LLC is proceeding with the voluntarily recall from wholesalers and pharmacies of all lots of Fentanyl transdermal system CII patches sold in the United States.

This recall is an expansion of the Company’s initial recall of fourteen lots of Fentanyl transdermal patches announced on February 17, 2008. That recall was due to the identification of a possible fold-over defect present in the product that potentially could cause leakage of the Fentanyl gel. The remaining lots of Fentanyl transdermal system patches are being recalled as a precautionary measure because Actavis lacks assurance that all patches are free from defects.

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Humane society criticized in Beef Recall Scandal

As the meat industry scrambles to recover from a public-relations disaster over an undercover video of abused cattle, the secretary of agriculture and at least one congressman have picked an unlikely target to share in the blame: the Humane Society of the United States.

The Humane Society shot the video of what appear to be sick or lame cattle being forced to their feet with forklifts, hoses and electric prods at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company in Chino, Calif., in October and November.

Released publicly in late January, the video touched off criticism of the Department of Agriculture’s inspection of the meat supply and led to the biggest beef recall in history, 143 million pounds.

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The Department of Agriculture has suspended at least two federal meat inspectors after the largest beef recall in the nation’s history, a union head said Friday.

The official, Stan Painter, chairman of the National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals, said that the department had confirmed that it had placed a veterinarian and a floor inspector from the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company in Chino, Calif., on paid administrative leave.

A department spokeswoman said the agency could not comment on the investigation or on personnel matters.

The Department of Agriculture recalled 143 million pounds of beef from the slaughterhouse on Feb. 17. The recall came after the Humane Society of the United States released undercover video showing plant workers trying to get so-called downer cows — sick or crippled animals — to stand by shoving and dragging them with forklifts, zapping them with electric prods and aiming water hoses at their faces and noses.

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Cat Scratch Disease, also known as Cat Scratch Fever, is a disease caused by the bacteria, Bartonella henselae.

More than 90% of people who develop Cat Scratch Disease (CSD) have had some sort of contact with a cat prior to becoming infected. More than 22,000 cases of CSD are diagnosed each year in the US. Most people infected are under the age of 21.The bacterium is carried from cat to cat by fleas and there is no evidence to date that the fleas can directly infect people. Human to human transmission does not occur, that is, CSD is not contagious from one person to another. Cats and kittens will not appear sick if they are carrying the bacterium, which lives in their saliva. Experts state that more than 50% of cats carry B. henselae and cats under one year of age are more likely to be infected.

Signs of Cat Scratch Disease include:

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Each year thousands of dogs enter various county animal services. The lucky ones find a new home and before they leave most are micro chipped.

Micro chipping takes just seconds. A hollow needle is used to place a rice-sized identification chip under a dog or cat’s skin. Then if the pet is lost, a scanner shows the chip’s number and the pet’s owner can be tracked.

At some animal service centers, vets are on staff, but a lot of smaller agencies and private rescue groups also do micro chipping without a vet.

One shelter volunteer said, over the past 11 years trained volunteers with her rescue group have safely micro chipped hundreds of dogs. She also said it’s not a surgical procedure and doesn’t require anesthesia so why the need for a vet.

But now there’s a move on to restrict micro chipping to veterinarians or to someone under a vet’s supervision. The topic is scheduled for this month’s meeting of the Florida Board of Veterinary Medicine.

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