Author: drjwv_writer

I received information about a potential study to be done into the immunopathology of Familial Shar-Pei Fever/Amyloidosis in the Shar-Pei. I’m giving the Shar-Pei fancy in this area a heads up as I will be relying on you and your dogs to help with blood samples. Samples would be collected from the following groups of dogs: 1. Adult Shar-Pei dogs with an FSF history but no current symptoms. 2. Healthy adult Shar-Pei dogs with no history of FSF that have not had recent vaccinations or any clinical signs of infectious disease within the previous month. Approximately 20 mls of peripheral...

The E.R.D.-Screen™ Urine Test I’ve been receiving many questions on the new E.R.D.-Screen™ Urine Test from Heska. I would make the following comments about the test: Amyloidosis in the Shar-Pei primarily affects the medulla (central part) or the urine concentrating region of the kidney and proteinuria (protein in the urine) is not a significant aspect of this syndrome. As amyloidosis can involve the glomeruli in the cortex (outer region of the kidney) and result in proteinuria the E.R.D.-Screen™ Urine Test may be useful here as an early detection test. The urine protein:creatinine ratio is still important in these cases as...

From Dr. Vidt… I recently attended the AKC Canine Health Foundation Parent Club Health Conference held in St. Louis, MO in October. At the conference were representatives of various breed club health committees, members of the AKC Health Foundation and researchers, veterinarians and canine nutritionists involved in all aspects of canine health. Presentations covered canine cancer, canine nutrition, the Canine Genome Project, the use of breed health surveys, funding of canine health research, and the AKC Canine Health Information Center. It was a great time for me, as the Chairman of the Health Through Education Committee of the Chinese Shar-Pei...

West Nile Virus There’s a lot of talk this summer about West Nile Virus in dogs. Fortunately dogs seem to be pretty resistant to the virus. There was 1 confirmed dog case in Illinois last summer in which the dog died of neurologic signs. Heartworm disease is still the number one mosquito borne disease of dogs in our area. I’ve also been asked about mosquito control. Bayer has come out with a new product called K9 Advantix™ (you may have seen the commercials on TV). It kills and controls fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. It is a spot-on product applied to...

Miscellaneous Gastrointestinal Conditions Gastroenteritis “Gastroenteritis” specifically refers to inflammation of the stomach, small intestine and large intestine without diagnosis of the cause. Most often this condition is caused by changes in diet whether intentional or unintentional, bacterial disease, viral disease, parasites, medical diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease or other conditions, toxicities, etc. The most common cause is changes in the diet and is usually seen as colitis which typically has clinical signs such as loose, cow-pie stools, mucous (“slimy stools”), straining to have bowel movements with little or no stool (tenesmus), blood in the stool (hematochezia), having frequent, small...

Holiday Hazards With the holidays upon us with need to think about our pets and the trouble they can get into at this time of the year: Plants — Some of the holiday plants can be toxic to our pets. Holly can cause GI distress and depression, mistletoe can lead to GI problems and various nervous system signs and poinsettia ingestion can result in increased salivation, and vomiting. Parties — Holiday parties can cause problems for pets. Pets should probably not be invited to the parties in your home. Caution guests not to feed your pets — holiday foods are...

Current Information on the Development of DNA Markers for Familial Shar-Pei Fever One of the first research projects funded by the Chinese Shar-Pei Club of America, Inc. and the CSPCA Charitable Trust was began in 1997 by Dr. Gary Johnson at the University of Missouri, Columbia. The main objective of the project was to test the the- ory that FSF is a canine version of Familial Mediterranean Fever in humans. It was felt that a mutation occurring in the canine equivalent of the human FMF gene was responsible for FSF in the Shar-Pei breed. Initially this was to be accomplished...

I have been receiving questions regarding the new injectable heartworm preventative from Fort Dodge called ProHeart6®. This is a formulation ofmoxidectin and one injection provides 6 months of heartworm prevention. It’s a relatively new product and I have not heard much about problems associated with the injection other than occasional pain and/or inflammation at the injection site. The product is also effective for treatment of hookworms. It is used in dogs 6 months of age or older. We are not currently stocking the product at this time and probably won’t for another year or so. One of the major problems...

Plan of Action for Amyloidosis This article by Dr. Vidt presents a plan to monitor Shar-Pei with the goal of uncovering renal amyloidosis as early as possible and then instituting appropriate dietary and medical intervention. It does contain some technical terms which your veterinarian may be able to simplify for you. The author urges you to discuss this article with veterinarian and then both of you can work together in dealing with this troubling disease. Renal amyloidosis has hit the Shar-Pei fancy in recent years and left many of us feeling helpless as we watch young Shar-Pei sicken and die...

I recently returned from the canine cancer conference titled “Genes, Dogs and Cancer: Emerging Concepts in Molecular Diagnosis and Therapy” sponsored by the AKC Canine Health Foundation, the Heska Corporation and hosted by the AMC Cancer Research Center of Denver, CO. The conference was held at the beautiful Keystone Resort in Colorado May 21 and 22. I was especially interested in attending since the Chinese Shar-Pei Club of America Charitable Trust was a contributing sponsor along with the American Boxer Club Charitable Trust, the Flat-Coated Retriever Club of America and the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America. The conference brought...