Boronia

link to Phys.org article here Team develops treatment for canine megaesophagus by University of Missouri-Columbia This image shows a canine patient during a video fluoroscopic swallow study. These studies, performed by members of a collaborative research project at the University of Missouri, were a major component of revolutionary techniques developed for the diagnosis and treatment of megaesophagus, a devastating disease of dogs. Credit: MU College of Veterinary Medicine The Veterinary Health Center (VHC) at the University of Missouri's College of Veterinary Medicine is pioneering a new approach to treat one type of canine megaesophagus, a devastating disease of dogs. A partnership between the VHC's Small Animal Internal Medicine, Radiology, Surgery, and Nutrition services and an investigator in the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery department at the university's School of Medicine has resulted in the discovery of a breakthrough treatment for a subpopulation of dogs with megaesophagus. The Mizzou team has identified a defect of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) as a potential treatable cause of megaesophagus. Megaesophagus (ME) refers to a large, dilated esophagus with poor or no motility preventing normal passage of food and liquid into the stomach. With ingesta not reaching the stomach to produce the sensation of being full, the dog will continue to eat. As a result, the esophagus enlarges greatly. Dogs end up not getting enough calories so they waste away. Dogs with ME also regurgitate large amounts of undigested food and some of that material can be inhaled into the lungs. This inhalation can result in aspiration pneumonia, a dangerous additional symptom that kills many affected animals. "In general, dogs with megaesophagus typically die of malnutrition, aspiration pneumonia, or are euthanized because the owners are told they have a terrible prognosis," according to Associate Professor Carol Reinero, DVM, PhD, an internal medicine specialist helping coordinate the efforts of the multidisciplinary team. "We're taking a closer look at a subpopulation of dogs with idiopathic megaesophagus, which means we don't know what causes it. We run all of our traditional tests, but we've never been able to find an underlying cause. Now with our video fluoroscopic swallow studies, we have identified an abnormality that we believe is driving the problem: an LES-achalasia-like syndrome." The LES acts as a valve between the esophagus and the stomach, opening when food and water are swallowed, then clamping tight so food doesn't come back from the stomach into the esophagus. In dogs afflicted with megaesophagus caused by an achalasia-like syndrome, the LES remains closed. "Video fluoroscopic swallow studies have been around a long time," Reinero said. "The problem with prior protocols is they did not represent normal eating and drinking behaviors. Those tests had very little to do with reality. A dog had to be restrained, lying on its side, and syringe-fed barium, which was not palatable even when mixed with food. If dogs don't eat during the swallow study you're not going to get a diagnostic study." In order to receive a better diagnostic result, the Mizzou collaborative research team blended innovation with adaptation, developing new techniques and tools while borrowing procedures from human medical practices to diagnose and treat this type of canine ME. Assistant Professor Teresa Lever, MS, PhD, from the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery department, spearheaded the development of trapezoidal holding chambers or kennels—which are now patented—where dogs walk in and are funneled to the narrow end of the enclosure. The animals are more naturally restrained and are given food that they consume while standing upright. Lever's lab, in cooperation with an independent company that conducts feeding trials in dogs, also developed a number of different recipes and consistencies of food and liquid to optimize how well the dogs could take it down and discover which contrast agent was more palatable and effective. "So, now we have these chambers, we have optimized palatable recipes, and we have experience in normal, healthy dogs without swallowing disorders, as well as lots and lots of patients coming in with other swallowing disorders," Reinero said. "It was in the process of developing this protocol and having clinical patients come in when we recognized that LES-achalasia-like syndrome was the underlying cause of megaesophagus in some dogs. That's when we began to adapt what they do with humans, a therapy where we're opening or dilating the LES with Botox and/or balloon dilation. "We perform an endoscopy to first dilate the LES and then administer Botox, which paralyzes the sphincter muscles that formerly wanted to remain closed. While we are still evaluating this procedure, we've had dogs with remarkable clinical improvement. Additionally, when we repeat the fluoroscopic studies, we can document an open LES. The patients that show improvement can be candidates for surgery, and that surgery is potentially curative," Reinero said. During a patient's recovery, residents in the Nutrition Service monitor the dog's weight and food intake. The amount of food an owner may give a pet might need to be altered every couple of days. James Schachtel, Bvet Med, MRCVS, is a Radiology resident and key collaborator in the study. "This approach gives these dogs a chance, whereas a lot of them didn't have much of one," Schachtel said. "At this time, it is early in the evaluation process, but it's a novel approach that shows promise. "This subpopulation can receive a really significant benefit from our direct ability to detect their malady. It can give them a really good quality of life. This is a revolutionary diagnostic technique for a disorder identified with a pathological outcome. It offers us the opportunity to use therapies that have been successful in people, so we're optimistic we can experience similar success with canines," Schachtel said. Schachtel will present an oral abstract of the swallowing protocol and early identification of the LES achalasia on Oct. 20 at the American College of Veterinary Radiation Annual Scientific Conference in Orlando.

Bedlington Benches September 4, 2019 National Purebred Dog Day® In Northumberland, England in a county situated in North East England is a former mining town named Bedlington, and yes, it’s the town from which the terrier got its name. This is a very old town. Bedlington and the hamlets belonging to it were bought by Cutheard, Bishop of Durham between 900 and 915, and Bishop Walcher was granted royal rights by William the Conqueror. The breed didn’t get it’s current name until 1825, and it’s said that some Bedlington Terriers have pedigrees that can be traced back as far as 1782. In fact, the first dog show that offered a class for Bedlington Terriers was held in 1870 in the town of (wait for it) Bedlington! Bedlington is mighty proud of its native son, so to speak. It has a North League Soccer team that is called The Terriers, and the town has even installed park benches in the form of Bedlington Terriers: A photo of one of these benches also graces the West Bedlington Town Council’s Facebook page. On Front Street West in Bedlington is the current Red Lion Inn that was (re)built in 1902 as a replacement for the inn of the same name which stood on the same site. Outside the pub is another bench inspired by the Bedlington Terrier: Inside the pub is a wire sculpture by Gary Tiplady, an artist and local celebrity who, at 7’3” tall, made use of his large hands to bend and shape sheets of wire into life-like animals like the Bedlington piece named, “Give a Dog a Bone.” Not every owner can manage to have their own Bedlington Terrier park bench, but Spoonflower, the fabulous textile marketplace, makes it easy for you to have anything fabric related in the breed: Now there’s no excuse not to have your curtains, party frock, bow tie, or dog cushions reflect your affection for the breed! This entry was posted in Bedlington Terrier and tagged Bedlington Terrier, fabric, park bench.

this is the dry food she is eating in the morning: https://www.petstock.com.au/product/dog/royal-canin-veterinary-urinary-s-o-dry-dog-food/58497 and a list of the ingredients, as you see they are pretty crappy, no wonder her skin is going black...an awful amount of corn, fillers and sodium to make her wee more often therefore drinking more to flush the kidneys Rice, maize flour, animal fats, dehydrated poultry meat, maize gluten, minerals, hydrolysed animal proteins, vegetable fibres, soya oil, fish oil, fructo-oligo-saccharides, marigold extract (source of lutein). ADDITIVES (per kg): Nutritional additives: Vitamin A: 16200 IU, Vitamin D3: 1000 IU, E1 (I ron): 52 mg, E2 (Iodine): 5.2 mg, E4 (Copper): 10 mg, E5 (Manganese): 67 mg, E6 (Zinc): 202 mg, E8 ( Selenium): 0.08 mg - Preservatives - Antioxidants. ANALYTICAL CONSTITUENTS: Protein: 18% - Fat conte nt: 17% - Crude ash: 6.6% - Crude fibres: 2.3% - Calcium: 0.5% - Phosphorus: 0.5% - Sodium: 1.2% - Chloride: 2.21% - Potassium: 0.8% - Magnesium: 0.05% - Sulphur: 0.3% - Urine acidifying substances: calcium sulphate (0.55%), DL-methionine. If I can't find a low magnesium kibble I will just feed her chicken and VAN Complete mix, I am feeding kibble in the morning so she can have some vitamins and minerals that she may miss out on if fed just chicken and VAN and it's more of a convenience as mornings are busy.

I am going to take her off the Royal Canin and see if the blackness on her skin clears up, she can have chicken and VAN, golden paste, cranberry powder and vitamins instead.

I checked and they appear to have it just for cats, perhaps I'll try the Hills though I'm not too sure if it's all it's cracked up to be, it appears, from some comments I read a while back by Dolers, to make the dog drink more which flushes out the kidneys, seems a odd thing to do. I'll have a look at the sodium content later on today

My dog is fed Royal Canin Veterinary Urinary S/O Dry Dog Food at breakfast time, for tea-time she gets raw chicken (chopped up drumstick or wings and 1/4 frame) with Vets All Natural Complete Mix Adult Senior mixed in. She did have bladder stones/struvite crystals (that's why the Urinary S/O) and suffers from some itchiness on her haunches; she licks them and her bum as well, her anal glands were expressed but she still licks. After her struvite crystals diagnosis and treatment there have been none detected in her urine. She was on Niralone to see if it helped her licking/itchy problem which it did, but her vet took her off those tablets as the skin on her back is becoming dark and there was hair loss, she stopped her licking for around one week but then started again after discontinuing them, we have been trying 1/4 Apoquel morning and night for two weeks then gradually cutting the dosage back, not so much licking now but her skin is still blackish, though only on her back...her tummy, chest, head and legs are nice and pink. I thought she may be extra-sensitive to the Canin Veterinary Urinary and wondered if there is an alternative. She must be kept on a low low low magnesium diet as we want to prevent struvite crystals forming again. Any suggestions will be very helpful

Happy Birthday for next week Miss Bolt. As Perse says...I hope you get cake and perhaps find a birthday rat somewhere Maybe mummy will post all your birthday piccies though I'm sure you won't look as lovely as you are in today's pic

I often remember my Penny and Daisy and Saffy who passed some years back, it still tears my heart, sometime with awful sadness and some time with fun...like remembering Penny stealing an egg out of the carton in the shopping bag and trundling off with it to eat later or killing a rat with her one canine. Keep the sad and good memories Pollywaffle and stuff those morons that think there is a time limit

Hi @Sore Eyes if you are still around...Heather Campbell (above) wants some info please

can you pop him in his crate and slide the feeder-bowl-part of an automatic feeder under the wire (if there's a space to do this) something similar to this https://petlifetoday.com/best-automatic-dog-feeders/ this one may do the job as it's voice activated, you may have to hunt for a similar voice activated one as the postage is horrendous---> feeder link maybe you will need to buy a crate with a slot at the bottom though this one also may be a plan https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/dog/dog-feeding-supplies/petsafe-smart-feed-automatic-dog-and-cat-feeder#

this was on the Westie page https://medium.com/@danielschulof_18279/bad-science-and-big-business-are-behind-the-biggest-pet-food-story-in-a-decade-5cdafae7be77

I am sorry Rozzie. You are correct with the your epitaph... "He was a good boy" That says it all. My condolences, B

I am so sorry Rebecca. I found that writing here does help and the words do come easily even though there are frequent stops to wipe away tears. As you know we all understand what you are feeling. B xxx

Thanks for posting those updates and piccies LG, I do miss CT even though I had never met him so it's heart-warming to see that that his doggos' are doing well

No help here either YG but it's lovely to see you back after (it seems) a long while Maddie is such a cutie ❤

a little more info here... 5th whippet in the US to have diet-related DCM.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/07/dog-neutering-health-risks-for-certain-breeds/594355/?fbclid=IwAR2IrunQFSs5vLLcrueebcLODx8Lk524CxPkeJgzOrz10uJBoB53i7v7ONk Science The Quietly Changing Consensus on Neutering Dogs A growing body of research has documented the health risks of getting certain breeds fixed early—so why aren’t shelters changing their policies? Sarah Zhang 11:53 AM ET Large dogs such as golden retrievers may benefit from delayed spaying and neutering.Victoria Neer / Getty In the 1970s, a time when tens of millions of unwanted dogs were being euthanized in the United States annually, an orthodoxy began to take hold: Spay and neuter early. Spay and neuter everything. It’s what vets were taught. It’s what responsible pet owners were told to do. A growing body of research, however, suggests that spaying and neutering—especially in some large breeds when very young—are linked to certain disorders later in life. “As time has gone on, vets are starting to question the wisdom,” says Missy Simpson, a veterinary epidemiologist with the Morris Animal Foundation, which recently published a study that found higher rates of obesity and orthopedic injury in golden retrievers that had been fixed. Other studies have linked early spaying and neutering to certain cancers, joint disorders, and urinary incontinence—though the risks tend to vary by sex, breed, and living circumstances. As such, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) now says in a guide for veterinarians, “There is no single recommendation that would be appropriate for all dogs.” And yet anyone adopting from a shelter is unlikely to be told of these risks—or even to be given a choice. Today, according to the AVMA, 31 states and the District of Columbia require sterilization or a promise of such before pets can be adopted out of shelters. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) also advocates early spaying or neutering of all companion animals at two months or two pounds in weight. Its information page for pet owners touts the very real benefits of the procedures—behavioral changes, fewer uterine infections, a decreased risk of certain cancers—but with nary a mention of possible downsides. For animal-welfare groups trying to manage unwanted populations, this strategy makes a kind of sense. “We’re trying to look at the big picture,” says Lori Bierbrier, the medical director of the ASPCA. “One of the ways to manage that population is not to have animals going out and having puppies and kittens all the time.” For dogs that already have an owner, she says, whether to spay or neuter is that owner’s individual decision. But that also makes talking about the research reevaluating the risks of spaying and neutering tricky. How do you balance raising concerns about risks for individual dogs with the welfare of dogs as a whole? “Oh my gosh, we got pushback,” says Benjamin Hart, a professor emeritus at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. In 2013, a team led by Hart and his wife and collaborator, Lynette Hart, published a study that found higher rates of joint disorders in golden retrievers spayed or neutered before one year of age and of certain cancers in female golden retrievers that were spayed early. It immediately caused an uproar. “This is irresponsible,” Hart recalls critics saying. “You’re looking at just one breed. You can’t generalize.” So they started looking at other breeds. The Harts have since published two follow-up papers, on Labrador retrievers and German shepherds, also finding an elevated risk of joint disorders but not of cancers after early spaying and neutering. And they have just finished another study, on 35 different dog breeds as well as mixed breeds. The risks of cancers and joint disorders appear to vary significantly by breed and sex, Hart says, with small dogs generally less affected by early neutering. The takeaway, Hart says, is that when to spay or neuter should be a case-by-case decision, even for dogs adopted out of shelters. Simpson, of the Morris Animal Foundation, says that vets have already, based on recent research, started recommending delaying spaying and neutering for owners of large breeds. Puppies in shelters, though, might not get the same individual attention. The risk of obesity, Simpson adds, is often the major concern for vets making spaying or neutering recommendations. Somewhere between a quarter to a third of pets in the United States are now obese. The link between obesity and spaying or neutering has to do with hormones. Removing a dog’s testicles or ovaries disrupts its hormonal balance, and this makes it both hungrier and slows its metabolism to require fewer calories. Yet animal-welfare groups that promote spaying and neutering are often quick to “debunk” the idea that fixing a dog could make it gain weight. The ASPCA’s website says, “Lack of exercise and overfeeding will cause your pet to pack on the extra pounds—not neutering.” This is technically true, but it elides a very real biological connection that owners might find useful to know. When I brought this up with Bierbrier, she said the ASPCA staff would have to look into updating the website. She added that the ASPCA’s spay-and-neuter clinic does tell owners taking dogs home after the surgeries that their pets will require less food. Elsewhere in the world, spaying and neutering is not necessarily seen as the “responsible” thing to do. It is heavily discouraged in parts of Europe, such as Norway. Those countries also have very few stray dogs and a far less casual relationship with dog ownership. Dogs that have not been fixed are, to put it one way, less convenient pets. Intact male dogs will want to roam in search of a mate; female dogs will go into heat and have bloody discharge. The campaign to spay and neuter dogs has also changed their very relationship to us as pets.

Perse suggested you pop this into general Discussion please @Troy

Hey @Little Gifts this came through in an email, scroll down on this link as there's more https://www.thevetshed.com.au/?kw=id tag&rf=kw

Let us know the update Pollywaffle

https://whatsnew2day.com/veterinarians-give-an-urgent-warning-after-the-cat-is-nearly-killed-after-licking-a-himalayan-salt-lamp Veterinarians give an urgent warning after the cat is nearly killed after licking a Himalayan salt lamp Domestic cat Ruby suffered from sodium poisoning by licking the light in her house Sodium poisoning in pets can cause convulsions, diarrhea and loss of coordination Pet owners are encouraged to look at their animals because the lights can be tempting By Jackson Barron for Daily Mail Australia Published: 23:32 BST, 2 July 2019 | updated: 23:52 BST, July 2, 2019 A vet has issued a warning to pet owners after a cat was nearly killed by licking a Himalayan salt lamp in New Zealand. Maddie Smith saw her cat, Ruby, behave strangely and assumed it was from the cold weather. After she returned from work that night, Ruby's condition had deteriorated to the point where she could no longer walk, eat or drink, and had trouble seeing and hearing. Mrs. Smith took her to a vet who said she was suffering from brain swelling due to sodium poisoning. A veterinarian has issued a warning to pet owners after a cat was nearly killed after licking a Himalayan salt lamp in New Zealand (stock photo) Sodium poisoning can be life threatening for pets, with symptoms such as seizures, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of coordination. Himalayan salt lamps are a common item in many households, and pet owners are warned to keep an eye on their pets because the lights can be tempting to animals.

Karelian bear dogs are a new, non-lethal tool for wildlife agencies concerned with ursine visitors getting too comfortable around humans. Link to National Geographic article---> These dogs scare bears away—to protect them

Do any of these take your fancy LG? https://www.pawz.com.au/dog-tags.html or these https://www.pet-tags.com.au/dog_tags

There is some info here https://www.petsecure.com.au/pet-care/is-it-ok-to-buy-a-dog-online/ https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/05/how-to-buy-a-puppy-without-getting-scammed/ and this ABC link has some helpful facts, especially the 'I used a tool called a reverse-image search, which checks to see if a picture has been posted somewhere else on the internet'. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-21/puppy-scammers/8943034 and, if you are interested in a particular pup perhaps ask here and give the location of the owner and the advertisment to make sure they are legit.