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Since 2007, dried chicken jerky treats from China have been sickening and killing dogs The dogs died of kidney failure. The reason jerky caused kidney failure has been elusive, but a new testing method used by NY State Division of Food Safety has found at least one cause: antibiotics. The NY lab has been testing jerky one strip at a time, where the other state & federal labs had been using homogenized samples. The NY test lab identified 5 different antibiotics in the samples, 4 of which are not allowed in chicken in the US. The fifth antibiotic, sulfaquinoxaline, which is allowed in the US to treat coccidia, was found at concentration higher than acceptable in food products. Some chicken jerky products involved include • Cadet brand Chicken Jerky Treats from IMS Trading Corp • Chicken Chew and Oinkies Pig Skin Twists wrapped with chicken from Hartz • Milo’s Kitchen Chicken Jerky and Kitchen Grillers, a DelMonte product • Publix Chicken Tenders • Waggin’ Train & Canyon Creek Ranch from Nestle-Purina Because many pet families have heard about the recall, they’ve started buying products made in Canada and the US rather than imported from China. The difficulty is that it’s hard to tell where a product is actually from. Manufacturers are allowed to say that tenders are a product of the US or Canada if the jerky was packaged in the US or Canada. Thus, Nestle-Purina, Hartz, Publix and other brands can purchase Chinese chicken tenders in bulk and ship them to US and Canada where they are repackaged in small bags and labelled as US or Canadian products. To avoid the possibility of harming your dog, don’t buy chicken strips unless they are organic and raised in the US. Unfortunately, sweet potato treats are also implicated in pet poisonings, so I recommend that families buy only organic and only when they are sure it is a product from the US or Canada.
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When we see dogs with disc disease and nerve damage, we treat with soft laser therapy (low level laser). The sooner we see them after injury, the better the response. There’s a new study that explains why these dogs respond and why it’s important to start treatment as soon as possible. The study by the Physical Therapy Dept of Univ of Sao Carlos in Brazil measured cellular response in laser-treated sciatic nerves in rats. The researchers looked at pro-inflammatory factors and extracellular matrix remodelling, and axonal growth markers. Our canine patients don’t want to read research, they just want results, which means being able to walk normally, wag their tails, control bowel and bladder habits. But if you’re interested in research, check Effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on acute neural recovery and inflammation-related
gene expression after crush injury in rat sciatic nerve. Alcântara CC, Gigo-Benato D, Salvini
TF, Oliveira AL, Anders JJ, Russo TL. Lasers Surg. Med. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID: 23568823
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We use soft laser in our practice daily because it helps dogs and cats with pain and nerve regeneration. Research supports the clinical benefits dogs & cats experience.Shimon Rochkind, neurosurgeon in Israel has shown lasers encourage axon growth in nerves. He has shown nerve regrowth both in the lab (in vitro) and in clinic (in vivo). In one of Rochkind’s studies, he showed 70% more intensive axon growth in laser treated group compared with non-treated group. Not only did the nerve axons grow, but 75% of animals had increased sensation due to regrowth. In the lab, Dr. Rochkind and other researchers have done cell studies (in vitro research) confirming that nerves in spinal cords and brain tissue grow when stimulated by laser.Using rats with damaged spinal cords, researchers showed that laser-treated rats had nerve regeneration so complete that after 3 months their damaged spinal cords were similar to rats that had no spinal cord damage. Researchers felt s laser-treated rats experienced significant pain benefit. Because the rat spinal cord and peripheral nerves are similar to those of dogs & cats, we can hope for similar results with dogs & cats. In addition to helping nerve regrowth, lasers affect endocrine system and neurotransmitters. A study done in Turkey almost 10 years ago showed that humans with myofascial pain had improved serotonin and increased tryptophan and a 45% decrease in pain scores. These are large-scale systemic effects caused by laser therapy.Even more significant are the multiple studies showing improvement in wound healing, decrease in musculo-skeletal pain, and enhanced quality of life following laser therapy.
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Increasing number of dogs are blowing out the ligament in their knee called the cruciate ligament. This is similar to what humans do when they run, plant a foot and twist. You know how debilitating that can be. Your knee becomes painful and swollen. Without therapy, it takes months to return to previous function, if it does so.Research in dogs has shown that laser therapy reduces inflammation and reduces edema. Laser therapy stops white blood cells from flooding the knee and releasing enzymes that damage the cartilage. Laser therapy stimulates cartilage cells within the knee to make new cartilage and stimulates new capillaries to come into the cartilage of the knee. The new cartilage, new blood capillaries, and blocking of enzymes all work together to improve the knee and reduce pain. Dogs that had been toe-tapping lame are gradually able to bear weight on both hind legs. Thus, laser therapy, along with other forms of integrative treatment, such as swimming, acupuncture, & physical therapy, are wise treatment choices for many lame dogs. This is true whether these dogs have surgical knee repair or are treated conservatively with rest but no surgery.We use laser and other forms of alternative medicine to treat many dogs with cruciate disease, helping them return to their playful, energetic selves.
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If you communicate telepathically with your pet, then you don't need blood and urine tests. But, if you can't ask your pet how it's liver, kidneys, heart and other organs are doing, get annual blood and urine tests. This is especially important as your pet ages.A study done at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham in England, showed that 80% of dogs had an unrecognized health problems that could be identified with blood & tests. On average, each of these dogs had 7-8 significant laboratory findings—not just one simple problem. These were ordinary geriatric dogs whose families hadn’t recognized specific health problems. Still, families noted that about 1/3 of the dogs were sleeping more and 1/3 of the dogs didn’t hear well. Between 20-25% of the families noted increased vision problems, dental problems, stiffness & pain. By having the pets tested, families were able to address medical causes of the dogs’ illness.If you’d like to read the research, look for Geriatric screening in first opinion practice - results from 45 dogs published by the British Small Animal Vet Assoc in the Journal of Small Animal Practice Sept 2012.
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You don’t need vampire movies, because there’s real life horror tales in food. For the next few Caring for Pet blog entires, let’s discuss molds that may be present in food commercially available for dogs, cats, cattle, hogs and horses. Tomorrow, I’m going to see 11-year-old Mina who has developed a swollen vulva. So, let’s start our series on molds in pet foods with Zearalenone.Zearalenone is found in corn, wheat, rice, sorghum, maize--grains common in many pet foods. Zearalenone is also found in bread. It causes estrogenism. Pigs are highly sensitive to zearalenone, and it causes infertility and abortion. Farmers suspect zearalenone mycotoxicosis when pigs develop early puberty, or swollen vulvas, but are infertile. If the farmer's pregnant sows eat aearalenone-contaminated food, the piglets may be mummified, stillborn, or born with swollen vulvas and splay legs. Dogs are also sensitive to Zearalenone, but are not as severely affected as pigs are. The following abstract from Polish Journal of Veterinary Science 2004;7(1):59-66. 74 Refs. discusses effect of oral Zearalenone on bitches. Zearalenone applied per os provides adverse effects in structure of chosen parts of bitch reproductive systemM Gajecka1; E Jakimiuk; M Polak; I Otrocka-Domagała; T Janowski; W Zwierzchowski; K Obremski; L Zielonka; J Apoznański; M Gajecki1Division of Veterinary Prevention and Feed Hygiene, Department of Veterinary Health Protection, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland. gajecki@uwm.edu.plArticle AbstractBoth earlier investigations and complete formulas of pet food for dogs show that professionally prepared pet food is based in 30% on the material of the plant origin. Our own investigations prove that animal feeding stuffs of the plant origin are very often vectors of many undesirable substances (including micotoxins) that are unfavourable for carnivores. Zearalenone is a micotoxin, which frequently occurs among them. It was revealed in pet food in quantities from 5.0-299.5 microg/kg. It is a very dangerous xenobiotic because of its quick and easy absorption in the organism after per os application in monogastric animals. It is also a sterid and despite its plant origin it binds estrogen receptors in the reproductive tract and causes its hypo- and dysfunction. It is clearly visible in young, growing organisms and those during the menopause. In bitches, dysfunctions of the reproduction system, such as: endometritis-pyometra syndrome, prolonged oestrus, ovarian cysts and others are often found. It is supposed that specific for this species hormonal regulation of the reproduction processes based on the long progesterone and prolactin cycles, and on high sensibility to estrogens plays an important role in the etiopathogenesis of these dysfunctions. The application of hormones in bitches in therapeutic and biotechnical (contraception) purposes are the other factors, which should be taken into account in this aspect. There are some suggestions that therapeutic management, unfortunately connected with mistakes in the medical art, is often a cause of pathological condition in a reproductive organ in bitches. However, another reason of these disorders may be that bitches take zearalenone with the commercial pet food. The long-lasting intake of the feed with a low dose of this micotoxin may be the factor, which complicates hormonal regulation of the reproduction processes and is the cause of many disorders. Our own pilotage investigations showed that application of zearalenone at a dose of 200 microg/kg b.w. for 7 days leads to apoptotic-like changes in granule cells in the bitch reproductive system, atresia of follicular cells and oedema and hyperplasia of the oviductal and uterine cells. They could also indicate a follicular phase of the oestrus cycle in bitch. However, it did not take place. When I see Mina the little Yorkie with a swollen vulva, tomorrow, I’ll be looking for possible foreign body, bladder infections, urinary crystals, Cushing’s disease, and estrogen toxicity from zearalenone exposure. An exam, blood and urine tests will help eliminate the first four, but eliminating zearalenone exposure may be an impossible task.
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We’re scaring ourselves by thinking about the molds that are found in pet food. We’ve discussed Zearalenone, which causes estrogenism, and now, let’s consider Fumoninsin. Fumoninsin is product of the mold Fusarium. Fumoninsin is found in moldy corn , wheat, and sorghum. It causes cancer, kidney and liver disease, cardiac disease, central nervous system disease (especially in horses) and respiratory disease(especially in pigs). In humans, fumoninsin is associated with high rates of esophageal cancer. On a cellular level, fumonisin releases free radicals that cause oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation. In the developing fetus, especially when the mother is folate deficient, fumoninsin causes neural tube defect so babies can be born without brains or with spina bifida. In horses, fumoninsin causes softening of the tissues in the brain (leukoencephalomalacia). It can also cause apathy, changes in temperament, inco-ordination, walking into objects, and paralysis of the lips and tongue. When I see Gator, the Airedale, who had a sudden onset of head pressing after eating a grain-based treat, we’re going to consider fumoninsin toxicity. Blood and urine tests will help evaluate Gator's liver and kidneys. As bright as Airedales are, it will be difficult to pick up damage to her beautiful brain.
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CoQ 10, also known as coenzyme Q 10 or ubiquinol, is as fantastic for pets as it is for people. Research has shown that CoQ 10 is especially beneficial for the brain & heart . Some humans with heart disease who were taking CoQ 10 also had improvement in gum health, so possibly dogs & cats with gum disease may benefit. CoQ 10 Antioxidant & Anti-inflammatoryBecause CoQ 10 functions as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, the diseases it may help are those where oxidation and inflammation play a role: · Back pain · Bladder disease · Brain damage · Cardiac disease caused by diabetes · Cardiac fibrosis · Cardiac mitral valve disease · Chronic kidney disease · Cognitive dysfunction and senility · Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy · Kidney disease · Liver toxicity · Parkinson`s disease · Pulmonary disease · Seizures CoQ 10 Naturaly Present in FoodFortunately CoQ 10 is present in our diets, and whenever possible food is the best way to provide our dogs & cats with nutrient. CoQ 10 is present in meat, poultry, fish, nuts and in deeply pigmented fruit and vegetables. The problem is that if the food is processed, cooked or significantly heated, the CoQ 10 is destroyed. Thus, I recommend feeding a large portion of the diet that is raw, juiced, or lightly cooked. It is ok to warm the food to body temperature before feeding. In fact, it is ideal to serve most foods at body temperature. CoQ 10 SupplementsMore If, in addition to eating properly, your pet needs a supplement, then give CoQ 10 along with an oil as it is absorbed best in the presence of oil. Nordic Naturals has a fish oil CoQ 10 combination that is good for pets. Unfortunately, CoQ 10 is moderately expensive. Do not opt for the cheap forms because they are chemically derived rather than naturally produced. CoQ 10 Dose for Dogs & Cats Because lab studies have tried using enormous amounts of CoQ 10 (looking for cancer cures), we have research evidence that CoQ 10 is safe even at high doses. Humans have been given over 1000 mg without damage. A small dog or cat can safely take up to 100 mg and larger dogs, up to 400 mg. Do not think that if a small amount is good a large amount is better. Food is always best, and small amounts of a wide range of supplements is often safer than a large amount of any single supplement.
