Dogs
Working to stop canine flu at shelter doors
By Allison Tonini
Imagine the flu season with no antibacterial hand soaps and no flu shots. And imagine that no matter where you go, you are surrounded by people who already have the flu. Unfortunately, this world is a reality for the estimated six to eight million dogs that enter shelters every year.
Since its discovery in 2004, canine influenza virus (CIV) has become widespread in shelters across the United States. It has been nearly impossible to develop effective control strategies because it was not known whether newly admitted dogs were introducing the disease into a shelter or whether a shelter... Read more.
Posted by MAF on January 19, 2012
Categories: Animal health, Canine health, Dog health
PermalinkPotential prognostic lymphoma test
Dr. Matthew Breen
North Carolina State University
Dr. Sue Lana
Colorado State University
Lymphoma accounts for nearly 25 percent of all cancers in dogs, and some breeds are particularly susceptible. Untreated dogs rarely survive beyond three months after diagnosis. Even with chemotherapy, overall response and survival times vary widely, indicating a need to develop more refined modes of classification.
Studies have shown that certain chromosome changes in humans with lymphoma have both diagnostic and prognostic significance. Investigators from North Carolina State University and Colorado... Read more.
Posted by MAF on December 14, 2011
Categories: Canine cancer , Dog cancer, Dog health
PermalinkNovel cancer treatment reduces side effects and cost
By Allison Tonini
Painful images of hair loss, long hospital visits, fatigue and sickness are immediately associated with the common cancer treatments, which is why some pet owners are reluctant to seek therapy for their animals. Although aggressive chemotherapy can cause serious health issues in humans, the same is generally not true for animals.
Scientific studies have shown that dogs and cats react differently to chemotherapy than their human counterparts do. In fact, most of our furry friends don’t experience significant negative side effects. Still, there’s always room... Read more.
Posted by MAF on November 28, 2011
Categories: Animal health, Animal studies, Canine cancer
PermalinkKeeping aging dogs healthy in twilight years
By Allison Tonini
research corrects metabolic issues
Dogs, like people, begin to experience health problems as they age. Diagnosing these geriatric illnesses can be challenging. All too often, metabolic and endocrine system disorders are the silent factors leading to a senior dog’s sudden decline in health.
Although it is normal for aging dogs to experience fluctuations in their production of hormones and enzymes, extremely high or low levels of a hormone affect glandular function and can progress into full-blown metabolic or endocrine system... Read more.
Posted by MAF on November 28, 2011
Categories: Animal health, Dog health
Permalink‘Grey’ Group Pays Tribute to Aging Dogs, Raises Funds for Cancer Research
By Allison Tonini
In 1993, Lori Haberman-Wilson and her husband, Chris, said goodbye to their beloved dog, Giovanni, a lovable mixed breed who had osteosarcoma, or bone cancer, a disease that has claimed the lives of thousands of canine companions. Looking back, Lori says although it wasn’t a happy event in her life, it was undoubtedly one of the important ones.
In remembrance, Lori and Chris’s veterinarian made a donation to Morris Animal Foundation in Giovanni’s name. In addition to the memorial card, Lori and her husband started receiving Morris Animal Foundation newsletters, which... Read more.
Posted by MAF on September 28, 2011
Categories: Cure cancer, Dog health
PermalinkOrion’s Story: Cutting-Edge Science Bides Time for Family’s Canine Star
By Allison Tonini
Orion furrowed his brow in confusion as he watched his family leave the hospital without him. Although he had obeyed commands to sit, stay and lie down through endless tests, the nine-year-old Golden Retriever had no way of understanding his severe diagnosis.
Orion’s family was forced to make a huge decision: perform a high-risk surgery on Orion’s heart to remove a cancerous tumor or leave the tumor alone. Although the surgery was risky, the latter option meant certain death. As owner Jody Kujovich and her family tearfully left the hospital so Orion could be prepped for... Read more.
Posted by MAF on September 27, 2011
Categories: Canine cancer , Dog health
Permalink‘Berner’ Lovers Work to Beat Health Issues
Because of their calm nature and love of people, Bernese Mountain Dogs, affectionately called “Berners,” have become increasingly popular. Along with that popularity has come an increased focus on maintaining the health of this breed.
The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America (BMDCA) and its affiliate Berner-Garde Foundation aggressively support ongoing research pertaining to Bernese Mountain Dogs. The average life of a Berner is seven to eight years, and Berner-Garde’s mission is to expand... Read more.
Posted by MAF on September 26, 2011
Categories: Dog health
PermalinkChanging the way dogs are bred
By Amy Ettinger
Genetic tests identify at-risk dogs and prevent diseases
When a dog develops blindness, the condition can be devastating for both the animal and its human companion. Almost all breeds of dogs can be affected by degenerative eye disease. Fortunately, researchers have a new understanding of the genetic causes and have developed tools to help breeders identify at-risk dogs. As a result the number of dogs affected has been greatly reduced.
Researchers are now using genetic markers to identify a number of inherited diseases in dogs, ranging from cancer to progressive retinal... Read more.
Posted by MAF on August 26, 2011
Categories: Animal health, Dog health, Veterinary research
PermalinkPeering into the future
The answer is in the genes
By Heidi Jeter
It has been 15 years since Dolly, the world’s most famous sheep and the first mammal ever cloned from an adult somatic cell, burst onto the scene in 1996. Her birth was heralded as a game-changing scientific breakthrough. It was also an entrance into a brave new world that, because of the ethical questions surrounding cloning, brought the science of genetics to the forefront of public consciousness.
Yet, the reality is that the field of genetics was already moving at a rapid pace. The... Read more.
Posted by on August 19, 2011
Categories: Animal health, Animal studies, Dog health, Veterinary research
PermalinkNew Drug Administration Option Improves Cancer Treatment Success and Decreases Side Effects
Conventional chemotherapy drugs only modestly improve cancer survival rates while also causing notable side effects. Metronomic therapy, a novel method of administering chemotherapy that involves frequent, low-level doses of chemotherapy rather than higher doses given at longer intervals, may improve treatment response and decrease side effects. Researchers studied whether metronomic dosing of the drug cyclophosphamide is safe and effective in treating dogs with soft-tissue sarcomas. Thirteen dogs were enrolled in the study and all but two (which experienced tumor growth and were removed to pursue other treatment options) successfully... Read more.
Posted by on August 17, 2011
Categories: Animal studies, Cancer, Canine cancer , Dog diseases
PermalinkStudy Advances Mast Cell Tumor Grading System
The objective of this project was to evaluate and compare the usefulness of a newer, simpler grading system with respect to outcome in patients at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University (TCSVM). After reclassification of all tumors to either low- or high-grade, survival times remained significantly correlated with tumor grade, including those previously classified as intermediate. Most of the patients diagnosed with intermediate grade tumors reclassified as low-grade reached the end of the four-year time point. However the survival time for patients... Read more.
Posted by on August 9, 2011
Categories: Animal health, Animal studies, Canine cancer
PermalinkProgram gives rise to promising cancer researcher
Foundation fellow works toward new stem cell therapies
By Kelley Weir
Aric Frantz grew up on a farm with a lot of animals, so it’s easy to see why he would want to become a veterinarian. After receiving a degree in medical biology, Frantz worked as a lab technician in human medical research. However, after spending time working with veterinarians, Frantz decided a career helping animals would be more satisfying.
After entering the veterinary program at the University of Minnesota, he received a grant to participate in Morris Animal Foundation’s Veterinary Student Scholars... Read more.
Posted by MAF on July 11, 2011
Categories: Animal studies, Canine cancer , Dog cancer
PermalinkComparative Research Identifies Most Effective Knee Surgery for Large Dogs
Cranial cruciate ligament disease results in partial or complete joint instability, pain and lameness. Two types of surgical treatments are commonly used to treat this condition in dogs: lateral fabellar suture and tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO). In this study, researchers from the University of Illinois compared the two surgeries to determine whether one is more effective. Methods used to determine surgical outcomes included an owner survey, muscle mass measurements, and pain-free motion and gait analysis of the affected knee. The study established TPLO surgery as the more effective option for large and giant breed dogs. In... Read more.
Posted by MAF on June 13, 2011
Categories: Animal health, Canine health, Dog health
PermalinkFinding common ground
By Heidi Jeter
What two traits do Shar-Pei dogs and humans have in common? Wrinkles are an obvious characteristic. The second trait may be a genetic mutation that triggers autoinflammatory fever syndrome, a condition that affects this breed and humans. The March online issue of PLoS Genetics announced that researchers have determined that the gene mutation responsible for the wrinkled skin of Shar-Pei dogs is also linked to the fever disorder.
The finding could help improve the health of both species, and it’s just one recent example of how medical advances... Read more.
Posted by MAF on May 17, 2011
Categories: Animal health, Canine health, Dog health
PermalinkTaking a smart approach to brain cancer
By Kelley Weir
novel tool may improve diagnosis and treatment of tumors
When Dr. Annie Chen-Allen first saw Jade, an 11-year-old Pit Bull cross, the usually happy dog had been having seizures. The diagnosis was a lesion in her brain. The important question, though, was what kind?
A lesion is any area of the brain that has been damaged due to infiltration of abnormal cells. It sounds simple, but treating brain lesions can be complicated because there are many types. Lesions can range from small to large, from few to many, or from relatively harmless to life... Read more.
Posted by MAF on May 13, 2011
Categories: Animal health, Canine health, Dog health
PermalinkMeisha's Hope AIHA/IMHA Fund
Dedicated to funding research into an often fatal blood disorder in dogs
Canine AIHA/IMHA (autoimmune/immune-mediated hemolytic anemia) is a serious, often fatal blood disorder. In dogs with AIHA/IMHA, abnormal antibodies stick to the red blood cells and cause the body to believe the red blood cells are a "foreign invader." The dog's immune system attacks the red blood cells and destroys them, leading to anemia. Scientists estimate more than 50 percent of dogs with AIHA/IMHA will die from the condition, usually within weeks of diagnosis.
For more... Read more.
Posted by MAF on May 3, 2011
Categories: Canine health, Dog health
PermalinkStudy Links Genes to Retinal Diseases
An estimated 80 to 100 dog breeds are affected by diseases that cause blindness, such as progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), or eye diseases that are caused by inherited genetic mutations. Early detection is difficult, and dogs are often bred before disease is identified. As a result, diseases are passed on to new generations of puppies. Identification of genes and mutations is critical to reducing disease frequency while maintaining genetic diversity in breeds. Funding from Morris Animal Foundation has allowed researchers at the University of Pennsylvania to identify the genetic causes for many types of blindness in dogs. From these... Read more.
Posted by MAF on April 25, 2011
Categories: Animal health, Canine health, Dog health
PermalinkWashington Dog Agility Club Exceeds Fundraising Expectations for Foundation
By Kelley Weir
Agility trials, where dogs and their owners speed across a course full of obstacles, are a ton of fun to watch. People and dogs with the same interests can mingle and socialize—and in the case of Rainier Agility Team’s annual Sweetheart Agility Trial, they can also raise a few bucks for a good cause: canine cancer research.
The Seattle-based dog agility club contacted Susan Kohut, development manager for Morris Animal Foundation, earlier this year and asked for fundraising ideas they could put to work to raise money for the Foundation. Each year the club’s trial secretary, Nancy... Read more.
Posted by on April 12, 2011
Categories: Canine cancer , Dog health
PermalinkScientists Evaluate Proteins with Potential to Detect Kidney Disease Earlier in Dogs
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common cause of illness and death in dogs, yet most commonly used diagnostic tests are reliable only in the advanced stages of the disease. For example, an increase in the concentration of creatinine in the blood is the most commonly used biomarker for declining kidney function, but creatinine levels typically do not increase until relatively late in the disease progress. With Morris Animal Foundation funding, researchers at Texas A&M University investigated whether certain proteins found in the urine can serve as biomarkers to signal the early onset of progressive CKD. For one component of the... Read more.
Posted by MAF on March 22, 2011
Categories: Animal health, Canine health, Dog health
Permalink2010 Meisha's Hope Award Winner
The 2010 Meisha’s Hope Award for Excellence by a Veterinarian in the Treatment of Canine Autoimmune/Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA/IMHA) has recently been announced by the Meisha’s Hope website. The winner of the 2010 Meisha’s Hope Award is Dr. Hires Gage. Dr. Gage works out of the Fairway Animal Hospital in Fairway, KS and was nominated for the Meisha’s Hope Award by The Cunningham Family.
Click here to read the nomination letter and to see the full list of... Read more.
Posted by MAF on March 16, 2011
Categories: Dog diseases, Dog health
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