Vet Blog: Information and Advice from Dr. Eric Barchas, DVM
08/20/08
 The other night I assessed a critically ill elderly Sheltie. She had lost a tremendous amount of weight and she was too weak to stand up. She had not eaten for several days, but had been consuming excessive amounts of water for several weeks.
When I evaluated her mouth I noticed a strong odor. The odor was typical of dogs suffering from kidney failure. Because the dog’s history and symptoms were consistent with kidney failure, I strongly suspected that the dog’s kidneys were the source of her problems.
To prove it, I had to run blood tests. But there is a problem with blood tests: no animal enjoys having blood drawn.
That night I had an epiphany. Blood tests are barbaric, and they shouldn’t be necessary–at least not to diagnose kidney disease, diabetic ketosis, certain types of cancer, some infections and other diseases that cause labile (vaporizable) products to build up in the blood.
Any time a such products build up in the blood, they are released into the lungs and expelled when the animal breathes. The levels of these products can be measured in the breath. The levels in the breath can be used to calculate the levels in the blood.
This concept has been used for years by law enforcement agents. Breathalyzers measure alcohol in a person’s breath, then calculate blood alcohol concentrations.
So why can’t we stick a probe in front of a dog’s nose and determine whether she is in kidney failure? The technology has existed for years, but it hasn’t been put to use yet.
Fortunately, there is hope for the future. Researchers are working to develop instruments that will diagnose kidney disease, diabetes, liver problems, infections, some types of cancer and a large number of other medical conditions through non-invasive analysis of the breath, skin, saliva or sweat (cats and dogs produce sweat on their feet).
I am looking forward to the day when I can diagnose my patients’ problems without using needles. I hope that day comes soon.
Photo credit: moacirpdsp. Photo licensing information: CC.
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08/14/08
 The evidence keeps rolling in. Pets are good for people.
I was quite excited when Discovery CME, an organization that offers online continuing education for physicians, confused me for an MD and sent me their schedule. Among their offerings is a program that seemed right up my alley. The program is entitled “Pets and People: The Power of the Health Connection.” You can watch it online if you have a high speed connection.
The program is intended to be educational material for human physicians. I found this surprising (and, on some levels, disturbing) because the narration and theme of the program make it seem much more like an after-school special than a serious scientific work.
However, it makes solid points.
Animal companionship leads to decreased stress in humans. This can help to prevent heart disease.
Dogs and cats can provide exceptional support for humans with disabilities ranging from blindness to quadriplegia to autism and beyond.
Dog walking promotes weight loss, muscle strength, and cardiovascular health.
Therapy dogs help with the emotional and physical recovery of patients in hospitals, assisted care facilities, and other institutions.
Pets provide valuable (and often critical) emotional support for humans with serious diseases such as cancer.
The above list does not even come close to being complete. If you want to read more about the ways in which having a pet benefits human health, check out the humanhealth tag on this blog. As well, you can find more information The Power of Paws, a website dedicated to spreading the word.
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06/29/08
 I would like to thank Amanda of Environmental Working Group for alerting me to a report that her organization recently released. An excerpt from the report is below.
High Levels of Toxic Industrial Chemicals Contaminate Cats And Dogs
. . . In the first study of its kind, Environmental Working Group found that American pets are polluted with even higher levels of many of the same synthetic industrial chemicals that researchers have recently found in people, including newborns.
The results show that America’s pets are serving as involuntary sentinels of the widespread chemical contamination that scientists increasingly link to a growing array of health problems across a wide range of animals—wild, domesticated and human.
I recommend that you read the report. The findings are disturbing. For instance, consider the following.
Dogs and cats were contaminated with 48 of 70 industrial chemicals tested, including 43 chemicals at levels higher than those typically found in people, according to our study of plastics and food packaging chemicals, heavy metals, fire retardants, and stain-proofing chemicals in pooled samples of blood and urine from 20 dogs and 37 cats collected at a Virginia veterinary clinic.
Diseases such as cancer and hyperthyroidism are becoming more prevalent in pets. Part of the increase in prevalence can be explained by the longer life expectancies that pets currently enjoy. Cancer, in particular, is more likely to strike when animals are older.
However, the bodily effects of many chemicals listed in the study are not fully understood. In my mind, it is very likely that chemical body burden is playing a role in these disease processes.
Environmental Working Group has launched a campaign to raise awareness about this issue. You can view the campaign’s website by clicking here. The campaign’s spokesdog, Eddie, has a good blog. He also has a profile on Dogster.
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06/20/08
 Vaccines are a perennially controversial subject in veterinary (and human) medicine. As I have mentioned many times on this blog, nobody knows with any true certainty how often pets should receive vaccines (although plenty of people have strong opinions about the matter).
Over the last several years, the trend in the veterinary community has been to vaccinate pets less often. But researchers are discovering new uses for vaccines that might reverse that trend.
Historically, vaccines have been used to protect individuals from communicable diseases such as parvovirus. However, a new generation of vaccines is likely to emerge in the next decade to combat an entirely different problem: cancer.
In fact, anti-cancer vaccines already exist. The vaccine for human papilloma virus is, in essence, a vaccine against cervical cancer in people. And, as I mentioned in a previous post, veterinary oncologists are using a vaccine to help treat oral melanoma in dogs.
A veritable army of researchers is exploring new ways to use vaccines to fight cancer. And the work is paying off. An article in the May 31, 2008 issue of The Economist discusses the results of clinical trials of a vaccine against a highly deadly type of brain tumor. An excerpt from the article is below.
A piece of research expected to be unveiled on June 1st by Duane Mitchell of Duke University . . . hints that glioblastomas, the most lethal form of brain tumor, may . . . be susceptible to vaccination.
There are two means by which vaccines may be used to fight cancer. The first is to vaccinate against cancer-causing viruses (this is the basis for the vaccines against cervical cancer and glioblastoma). The second is to give a vaccine that stimulates the body’s immune system to attack cancerous cells (this is how the canine melanoma vaccine works).
Cancer is a leading killer of pets and people. Vaccines may prove to be a very important tool for fighting cancer in the future.
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05/07/08
Chemotherapy for cancer causes severe side effects in many people. Patients may lose their hair, become weak, and suffer from extreme nausea. Some patients feel that the treatment is worse than the disease.
In cats and dogs, side effects from chemotherapy usually aren’t as severe. In fact, many pets tolerate entire courses of chemo without showing any side effects whatsoever. But not every pet that is treated for cancer is so lucky–side effects do occur sometimes.
Therefore, an article in the April 18, 2008 issue of The Week offers encouraging news for pets and people who are diagnosed with cancer. An excerpt from the article follows.
A new technique minimizes the nausea and other side effects of chemotherapy at the same time that it kills more cancer cells. Curiously, the method isn’t a drug or a therapy, but an extremely restrictive diet: Patients are told to starve themselves for two days before every dose of the toxic chemotherapy drugs.
The method works by causing normal cells in the body to enter a state in which they are less affected by the chemo drugs. Cancer cells, however, do not enter this state and therefore are still susceptible.
Although the method appears promising, I confess that I have some reservations. Weight loss and emaciation are common among animal cancer patients, and I personally would be extremely hesitant to withhold food for two days from an already underweight animal.
However, studies on the technique are still in the early stages. As we learn more, it may turn out that the method could help some pets as well as people.
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04/22/08
Are certain breeds (both dogs and cats) more
susceptible to cancer than other breeds?
Regena
Norman, OK
All dogs and cats, purebred or not, have the potential to develop cancer during their lifetime. However, it is true that some purebred animals are more susceptible, on average, than others.
Among dogs, two of the sweetest breeds are unfortunately highly susceptible to multiple types of cancer. Those breeds are the Boxer and the Golden Retriever. Several other breeds are predisposed to certain forms of cancer as well. For instance, large and giant breeds of dogs such as Bernese Mountain Dogs, Great Danes, and Rottweilers are more likely than other breeds to develop bone cancer. For a more thorough list, you can click on this link from the Morris Animal Foundation (PDF format).
Mixed-breed dogs (sometimes known affectionately as mutts) are generally at lower risk of cancer than their purebred counterparts.
Among cats, less breed-specific data exist on cancer risk. However, purebred cats are generally believed to be more susceptible to cancer than their non-purebred cohorts. In my experience, Persians, Bengals, and Siamese cats appear to suffer from cancer at increased rates. As well, cats with white faces and ears are prone to a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. In these cats, the cancer develops on the head and ears, and exposure to sunlight increases the risk.
Please remember that cancer does not universally occur in the breeds mentioned above. Plenty of Golden Retrievers and Persians never develop cancer. Also, remember that cancer has many risk factors, and breed is just one of them.
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04/06/08
Maintaining your pet’s weight at a healthy level has numerous benefits. Fit pets are less likely to suffer from diabetes, arthritis, certain heart problems, and skin infections that occur when animals lack the dexterity for proper grooming. In-shape cats and dogs have higher qualities of life and longer life expectancies.
As well, Gregroy K Ogilvie, DVM, DACVIM (Internal Medicine, Oncology) points out in an article in the January/February issue of California Veterinarian that fit pets are less likely to suffer from cancer. The following quote is from the article.
[M]aintenance of lifelong lean body mass has been shown to delay the onset of cancer.
“Delaying the onset” is another way of saying preventing.
I realize that in many cases keeping your pet thin is easier said than done. But this article points out one more reason why it’s worth trying.
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03/22/08
The Morris Animal Foundation (www.morrisanimalfoundation.org) has announced a drive to cure cancer in dogs within the lifetime of a dog: 10 - 20 years. They are dedicating $30 million to the campaign.
It is a very ambitious goal, and a very admirable one. The medical advances involved in reaching such a goal would not only benefit dogs. Cats and even people would benefit as well.
For more information, go to curecaninecancer.org.
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The other night I assessed a critically ill elderly Sheltie. She had lost a tremendous amount of weight and she was too weak to stand up. She had not eaten for several days, but had been consuming excessive amounts of water for several weeks.
You have questions. 