Transcript
Tails from the Dog House The Quarterly Newsletter from the Sardis Animal Hospital Summer 2008 Vol 6, No 2, pg 1
Golden Retrievers and Gene Splicing Can Save Humanity
Departments: Staff news
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Kitty Capers p3 Feature Article p4&5 Animal Trivia
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Feature Photo
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Ever since James Watson and Francis Crick worked out the double Helix structure of the DNA molecule some fifty years ago, remarkable strides have been made in our understanding of animal and human genetics. During my professional schooling I was privileged to have some excellent teachers. While studying Zoology at UBC in the sixties, my genetics prof was David Suzuki. I remember him talking about a future in which gene splicing would become a practical reality. With such technology it would be possible to delete harmful genes and substitute them with healthy genes thereby curing genetic diseases like cystic fibrosis. In the last fifty years we have cloned animals, grown new heart and nerve cells from stem cells, and beaten many cancers. Recombinant genetic engineering and gene splicing now allows us to manufacture human hormones like insulin, and growth hormone by building bacteria that produce complex molecules in a laboratory. But one thing we have not been able to do is to rid humanity of the greed, hate, prejudice and all the negative energy that drives us to kill each other and sew the seeds of our own destruction.
“Tails from the Dog House” is published quarterly by the Sardis Animal Hospital 7236 Vedder Rd Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, V2R 5K7 Phone 604-858-4415
Enter the Golden Retriever. There is no happier being on the planet! Have you ever seen a creature that radiates, love, forgiveness, cheerfulness, empathy, and eagerness to please like a Golden? So how do we transfer all that goodness to the human race? Philosophers, Psychologists, Theologians in spite of their best efforts have made little head way in this quest. Here is my proposal. Identify the happiness gene in the Golden Retriever. Splice it into a harmless virus that can transfer the happiness gene into human brain cells without causing disease. Infect the human race by dumping this virus into drinking water, Big Macs, Starbucks Coffee, and Timbits and a few ethnic delicacies to spread it around the globe, and bingo. Wars, racism, hate and crime will cease. I think I’m going to apply for a grant.
direct inquiries can be made to:
[email protected] website: www.sardisvet.com
Tails from the Dog House Vol 6, No 2, pg 2
Staff News
Pat Webster - New Receptionist We are pleased to welcome Pat as a member of our office support team. She will be working primarily in reception. Pat was born, raised and schooled in the Greater Vancouver area. She brings a wealth of experience to our hospital, having worked in several veterinary offices for over twenty years. She lives in Chilliwack and shares her home with her husband Walter, three dogs and three cats. Welcome Pat
Summer Holidays Summer is here and that means holiday time. During the next few months, you can expect to see some rotations in Doctors and staff schedules. Part time staff will be filling in for full time staff so you may not see the same faces that you are used to seeing. Doctors will hopefully be able to get a much needed break. During this time, elective surgeries may need to be put off a few weeks. We will try as much as possible to maintain case continuity with the doctor handling a case, but bear with us if another doctor needs to fill in for a visit or two. We maintain very detailed records and written treatment plans in order to facilitate doctor swapping during holiday times. You may see a relief veterinarian occasionally as well. Be assured that any locum doctors that are filling in have our complete confidence and are experienced, seasoned practitioners whose abilities and practice style are similar to our own.
Tails from the Dog House Vol 6, No 2, pg 3
Why your cat vomits on the rug instead of on the lino Kitty Capers cats barf to rid themselves of hair and undigestible material that binds up their bowels
Pet owners often comment with an air of frustration how their cat or dog seems to prefer to decorate the living room rug with vomit or diarrhea and almost never go on the kitchen linoleum or some other smooth or slippery surface. I have watched my own cat start the fur ball routine on the lino near where the rug starts then move to the rug to complete puking his projectile. If I intercede just as he moves to the rug and put him back in the kitchen, he quickly runs to the rug again to barf. This has both puzzled and annoyed me to no end. Careful observation of this ceremony caused me to think this through and here’s my theory: I’m convinced it has something to do with traction. The retching and posturing dogs and cats have to do when they barf or poop requires good footing so they seek out a surface that keeps their feet from slipping. One client told me her cat would go on the rug or on the concrete in the basement, but never on the lino. I would argue that the concrete also has better traction. If you study a cat horking a hair ball, they always assume a predictable position. They are crouched with their back slightly arched and their feet firmly planted. They do not want to slide when their body goes through the spasms of the vomiting process. The same with dogs that are straining to poop or to pass diarrhea. Dogs with diarrhea will usually arch their back and plant their hind feet on tippy toes and extend their neck and head, shifting much of their weight to their front legs. This process also requires good footing in order to assume this posture and do the abdominal press necessary to expel colon contents. So to you pet owners who endure the ingnominy of stains on the rug, I share your pain. I have no solution for you, but perhaps my explanation will give you the patience that understanding bestows.
Dr Jack’s Wisdom Some people go to great lengths to look younger than
they are. Not me, I want people to know why I look this way --- I’ve travelled a lot of miles, and some of the roads weren’t paved !
Tails from the Dog House Vol 6, No 2, pg 4 Veterinary Practice 1978 to 2008, Then and Now In the last thirty years, there have been many changes in the way Veterinary Medicine is delivered. The biggest changes relate to embracing technology: computerized records, desk top blood analyzers, digital x-rays and sophisticated patient monitors, not to mention new drugs and treatment regimes that make it possible to save more lives than in the past. But it may surprise you to know that in our practice at least, there has been a substantial shift in the type of disorders we see and manage. We thought you might find it interesting to learn what we see less of and what we see more of 1978 to 2008.
What we see less of:
1. Infectious Diseases There has been a dramatic drop!! Thirty years ago there was a world wide epidemic of Canine Parvovirus, millions of dogs died. There were no good vaccines for this plague. We saw many cases that resulted in death. Litters of puppies would die in a matter of days. Vaccines came into production and over a period of a few years this was brought under control and now we are down to just a few sporadic cases. When I entered practice in ‘75 I saw heartbreaking Canine Distemper cases on a regular basis. I have not seen a case in Chilliwack in maybe 15 years, the reason: owner compliance with good vaccines. There has been a similar decrease in Feline Distemper (Panleukopenia) and respiratory viruses for the same reason. Feline Leukemia in our practice has also tapered off. I can’t remember when I last confirmed a case, its been a good number of years. This is not due to vaccines however, as we have never included Feleuk vaccines as part of the core vaccine program for cats. Its more likely due to a population shift - less stray and feral cats to more well looked after cats in single cat households. 2. Intestinal Parasitism A sharp decline here due to better drugs, owner awareness, more attention to community wide stool pickup and yard hygiene. 30 years ago you rarely saw people walking their dog with a plastic bag in hand. Now, except for a few ignoramuses you see it commonly. 3. Fleas and flea allergy Thirty years ago we used to sell truck loads of flea powders, sprays, dips roll-ons and toxins of all shades and stripes. They barely worked and made a lot of pets ill. In the mid nineties, safe and effective products like Program and Advantage came on the market. Fleas and their related health problems including tapeworms, hot spots, flea allergy and Hemobartonella, a blood borne parasite of cats, have all been reduced to a trickle in our community. There is no excuse for having a flea problem any more. 4. Hit by Cars and Fractures. Thank heavens we see less of these. Leash laws, owner awareness and responsible pet ownership, more fenced yards have greatly reduced these heartbreaking cases. 5. Cats with Urinary Blockage. Improvements in feline diets has reduced this problem but there is room for improvement as we still see more cases than we should. Most cases are when someone hasn’t figured out that those cheap cat foods are no bargain. continued next page
Tails from the Dog House Vol 6, No 2, pg 5 6. Nutritional Diseases Most of the better quality pet foods on the market are well researched and formulated to prevent nutritional deficiency disorders. Such illnesses are rarely seen except in spoiled dogs that are hand fed human foods. And now if we can only get people to stop feeding raw dogs foods! We can’t seem to keep Salmonella and E.coli out of hamburgers, tomatoes, lettuce and spinach; do you really think we can keep it out of raw dog food? What we see more of 1 Geriatric diseases Pets are living longer so it stands to reason that old age diseases will increase. Arthritis, Kidney failure, heart disease, obesity, hormonal disorders like Cushings disease in Dogs and Hyperthyroidism in cats are all on the rise. 2. Cancer and Tumors This is partly a function of longer life expectancy, but many of our cancer patients are not that old. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t have to break the bad news to someone - a mass in the abdomen, lymph node cancer, blood forming cancers, spleen cancer and especially bone tumors in large breed dogs!!! Maybe we are just seeing more large breed dogs any way these days and big dogs are more prone, but I have to tell you its scarey and alarming to see these deadly tumors eating away a long bone and spreading internally. They are very painful and devastating. (remember Terry Fox?) Many tumors like the thyroid cysts in old cats can be treated very well. We can also extend life expectancy and quality of life of many lymph node cancer patients and a variety of less dangerous lumps and bumps. But the bottom line is that the whole planet has cancer, and our pets will suffer like the rest of us. Is our polluted valley and our callus disregard for spreading toxic sprays around playing a role? Think about it! 3. Genetic Diseases of Purebreds I would be the first to give credit to the many breed organizations for taking a stand on culling genetic disorders from the gene pool and for increasing awareness among dog owners and breeders. Some genetic disorders are becoming less common. Yay!! However, that being said, there are far too many breeders who persist in breeding dogs with structural or metabolic problems. And what about the practice of breeding brothers to sisters and fathers to daughters etc. Just because the royal houses of Europe mated to close family members in the Middle Ages doesn’t mean your line of dogs will be any the more “Royal”. Give your head a shake!! Hillbilly dog breeding has no place in today’s pure bred dogs.
Dealing with Breeders At the risk of getting some hate mail, I will give the following advice. I just believe in calling it as I see it.
Dr Jack’s Wisdom Note to those who wish to buy a dog from a breeder. Some breeders are very knowledgeable and responsible and are to be commended for their integrity and quality of stock, but others have a screw loose! Ask some discerning questions to figure out which is which. Very few breeders have any formal training in nutrition or genetics so they may not necessarily be the “expert” you may presume them to be. Be wary of breeders who: practice “hillbilly” breeding, who don’t believe in vaccinating, and who promote raw dog foods or have lots of dirty dogs in messy or filthy surroundings. AND avoid “tail-gate” vendors at farmers markets or parking lots at the mall.
Tails from the Dog House Vol 6, No 2, pg 6 Animal Trivia
Adelie Penguin
Any talk of global warming these days almost never has any good news. Here’s one. The Adelie Penguin which lives along the northern edges of the ice floes in Antarctica is being forced southward as the ice melts and the ice shelf moves southward. As they move southward, day length shortens particularly in winter. Below the Antarctic Circle, winter is in darkness much of the time. the Adelie Penguin can’t see well in the dark due to a peculiarity in the structure of their retina. This creates obvious problems with finding food. Global warming is forcing them into an environment which they are not able to adapt to. Many species of animals are uniquely adapted to a particular ecological niche. If that niche is impacted, or disappears, the species is threatened. Adaptation requires genetic change, which unfortunately takes longer than the rapid changes in the environment.
Salmon oils and omega3 fatty acids from fish oils supports the health of the retina as well as many other benefits including heart health. Wild caught salmon produce higher concentrations of omega fatty acids than farm fed salmon due to a difference in diet. The natural food chain favors the production and buildup of Omegas in the salmon, whereas the commercial fish foods fed to farmed salmon are not as capable. In nature, Cats (including the domestic cat) are a solitary species. That’s why they hiss at each other and fight. Most wild felines get together only to breed. The exception is the African Lion, a highly social animal.
Tails from the Dog House Vol 6, No 2, pg 7
Feature Photo Too busy to walk the dog? Try this. it may surprise you to learn that many dogs can be trained to walk on a treadmill. Some will take to it easily, others require a fair bit of patience to learn this. Now if I can only train that fat lazy cat of mine.........
This photo of “Quest” their Labrador, was sent in by the Reidemans of Rosedale
Dr Jack’s Wisdom Save the earth, its the only planet with chocolate
