DOG HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Weve all heard of the illness commonly referred to as kennel cough, a hacking cough born of an upper respiratory tract infection that is particularly contagious when caused by a type of airborne bacteria called Bordetella bronchiseptica. Thats why many kennels require that owners show proof of vaccination again the illness before boarding their dog. …

Last month we talked about the fact that most chemotherapy drugs have to be given by injection under the care of a veterinarian whereas targeted molecular therapies that attack cancer cells can be given in pill form by owners at home. But there is a new type of chemotherapy that can be administered at home - and works differently from conventional chemotherapy to destroy cancerous tumors in dogs, proving less hard on the body. …

Letters to Tufts Veterinarians - Owner worries over aging dogs protein requirements; Howling, but not at the moon

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A category of drug that goes under the broad heading of targeted molecular therapy is showing great promise as a cancer fighter. It is being investigated in major scientific laboratories and, in some instances, is already being used to treat both dogs and people. Unlike chemotherapy drugs, which attack rapidly dividing cells whether theyre cancerous or not, this newer class of drugs interferes with cancer cells internal signaling mechanisms for cell division and proliferation.

Your dogs veterinarian is her PCP - her primary care practitioner. He or she can handle all the routine exams, shots, and illnesses of her life. But cancer is not routine. Should your dogs usual vet be the one to treat her? It depends. Some primary care veterinarians feel quite comfortable handling certain types of cancer treatment. But sometimes a referral might be made to a veterinary oncologist. Veterinarians who specialize in diagnosing and treating cancer…

A canine condition called exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or EPI, in a nutshell, is an inability to digest food. The dog is ravenous and eats copious amounts, but the food and the calories it contains go right through her system without being broken down and absorbed, so she starves because her body cant use the nutrients she takes in.

Youve got to like a guy who asks potential employees whether theyre a dog person before hiring them to work in his lab. (Second best is a cat person, he says, and an answer of neither is worst of all.) Youve also got to like a guy who decries what he calls the disgusting industry of breeding dogs solely for the purpose of using them in research experiments and who in fact will enroll…

They say that dogs can smell cancer on people, and apparently, its true. Preliminary studies have indicated that due to their keen olfactory abilities, they can pick up the scent of compounds generated by malignant tumors. But were you aware that people can smell a certain type of cancer on their dogs? Not just cancer but other diseases as well. Granted, a dogs sense of smell is many, many times stronger than ours. But…

Just about all dogs have either pink tongues or at least some pink on their tongues. If that pink color appears to fade somewhat, take your dog to the veterinarian. It could be a sign of anemia. If the tongue literally goes gray or bluish-gray, he could be suffering from oxygen deprivation as a result of heart disease or a lung problem. …

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It was the perfect pet storm. Danielle and Matt Buczek were about to leave for a long-awaited vacation in the Caribbean when their 13-year-old chocolate Lab, Coco, developed an ulcer on her eye that required drops three times a day. She also had to wear a cone to keep her from pawing at her eyeball. Her eye wasnt working right, and we didnt even know at first if it was an ulcer that was…