Wisconsin School Developing Vaccine Treatment
"Vaccines"
used as treatments for diseases are a different category than vaccines
used for immunizations. There can be similarities in these
"treatment vaccines" -- which can involve stimulating the immune
system-- but the two shouldn't be confused.
Last
January, the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine
posted a report on their Web site about a new experimental vaccine for
treating canine melanoma. We planned to print this news here, but somehow it got
filed away. They are working on a vaccine, and as of the beginning of
the year 40% of the dogs testing were responding.
Melanoma
is a very aggressive skin cancer in dogs. The Wisconsin study is ongoing
and we assume trials are continuing -- funding seems to be a
problem.
The
Wisconsin folks, along with other scientists around the country, are
working on the vaccine, and it is most interesting: "The vaccine is
created from dog melanoma cells that are grown in the laboratory. The
cells are treated so they can no longer divide and cause a tumor. DNA is
then inserted into these cells, which directs the cells to secrete an
immune stimulant. This combination of cells and immune stimulant, when
administered as an injection into the patient's skin, has been shown to
stimulate the immune system to specifically fight against the melanoma
cells..."
The
results have been promising. Dogs in this study that received the
vaccine (always after having had melanoma surgery) experienced
total remissions that were twice as long as dogs that didn't get the
vaccine. It is hoped that with further work survival rates will be
increased.
full
story. . .
How Good Is Your Kibble?
Commercial
pet foods, as you well know, are not all alike. Some owners feed
commercial products exclusively;
others feed NO commercial foods, and some feed natural foods
complemented with a bit of kibble or canned products.
Here's
a site that's tested most of the pet foods and come up with a rating
system. "With the help of Dr. Linda Wolf, DVM, Animal Ark set out
to evaluate various dog and cat foods. These foods were then rated based
on a strict set of criteria on a scale of 1 - 4 stars, with 4 stars
being the best possible rating. To get more information about any
specific formula, click on the formula name. . ."
full
story. . .
Veterinary Pet Insurance
Kicks Off Pet Cancer Awareness Month
BREA, Calif., Nov.
2 /PRNewswire/ -- Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) launched Pet Cancer
Awareness Month in November 2006 to call attention to the nation's
number one killer of dogs and cats. The company is continuing its
campaign of
education and philanthropy and has added an additional
benefactor to this year's program. Visitors to www.petinsurance.com
are asked to help in the fight against pet cancer by purchasing
limited-edition Pet Cancer Awareness dog collars and pink magnetic paws
with all proceeds going directly to the Animal
Cancer Foundation and the National
Canine Cancer Foundation, respectively
full
story.
. .
Pet Health Insurance
Takes Off
THE
MARKET POTENTIAL IS ENORMOUS: 62 percent of all American households have
at least one pet, and yet only 2 percent of these animals have health
insurance. Direct Pet Health Holdings, Inc. projects a 45 percent growth
rate for the industry to sell coverage for the 68 million dogs, 73
million cats and 5 million horses currently not protected.
A
national epidemic? Not really, but the opportunity to sell insurance to
pet owners is fueling new competition. . .
full
story.
. .
Say NO to Table Scraps
"As we approach the
Thanksgiving holiday, please do everything in your power to avoid
feeding even the smallest amount of Thanksgiving treats to your dog.
Veterinarians are
besieged on the days after Thanksgiving by pet owners with very sick
dogs suffering the effects of feeding all that rich food to our canine
pals. . .
full
story.
. .
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