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VoI 9, issue 11 |
March, 2005 |
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You Can Help Find Treatments for Osteosarcoma in Dogs and People By Donna Arcaro If any of your beloved Greys have been afflicted with osteosarcoma (bone cancer), you know how devastating it can be for your dogs, as well as you, their family. I have lost two of my treasured Greys to osteosarcoma so I speak from experience about this dreaded disease. The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, with assistance from AKC (American Kennel Club) Canine Health Foundation and the Greyhound Club of America, is sponsoring a 2-year study on this disease wherein researchers will be looking for DNA markers in AKC, as well as NGA (racing) Greyhounds and some of the other breeds affected. Determining the genetic risk factors for the disease could make it possible to develop genetic tests for carriers of osteosarcoma in Greyhounds and related breeds. It would allow for better understanding of the disease, which could enhance treatment in both dogs, as well as in people, with bone cancer. What can you do to help? You can have your Greys participate in this study. AKC will be contacting veterinarians and rescue groups in the near future with more details, but blood samples need to start being collected and sent off now, especially if you have a Grey with osteosarcoma. Blood is to be drawn from Greys that are diagnosed with osteosarcoma (any age) and Greys without osteosarcoma (9 years of age or older) and shipped to the Broad Institute. The latter group of dogs can be on any medication or have any other disease. They hope to test approximately 120 dogs from each of these two categories above. This is a very simple procedure done by your vet or their technician in your vet’s office. Additionally, there is some paperwork that needs to accompany the blood samples—I’ll be happy to provide it to you, as well as provide additional information and answer any questions you may have. If you have a Grey that has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma (any age) or a 9-year old or older Grey without osteosarcoma and are interested in furthering knowledge and treatment of this disease, please consider participating by contacting Donna Arcaro by e-mail at: vims@sbcglobal.net, or by phone at: 626-568-6657 (daytime) or 818-352-6320 (evenings—please leave a message on the answering machine if I’m not available to take your call, and you will promptly receive a call.) Important--for either method of contact, please leave your phone number. Thank you in advance for your consideration in playing a part in this important health study.  Tawny’s Cure By Vicki Pedrín Tawny came to us in 2002 as a Greyhound Pets of America foster. She came off the track on Pearl Harbor Day, jumped into my lap, and landed in my heart. I knew she was here to stay. What a greyt Christmas gift! |
During the past two years, Tawny has had recurring problems with her “girl parts.” She’s had several bacterial infections of her vulva area. Her urine was tested, but she never had a bladder infection. We’d often catch her frantically licking herself. Our vet suggested gently cleaning the area and administering antibiotic ointment. This was a challenge, but we did it. Tawny would seem to get better, but before long we’d notice her frantically licking down there again. Eventually we could see her vulva area was swollen. She began sitting down after urinating. A couple of times when I tried to get her to stand up and walk, she’d whine. Tawny is very stoic, but it was clear she was in pain. She became so sore that it was impossible to clean her. After two rounds of oral antibiotics, there was still not much improvement. Our vet suggested seeing a surgeon about vulvaplasty or episioplasty. This is a surgical procedure to remove a fold of skin covering the vulva area. I was familiar with this because it was mentioned as a possibility with the first grey we adopted seven years ago. Leeloo had the same physiology as Tawny. This abnormality, not uncommon with female greyhounds, may be caused by testosterone given to them on the track to prevent them from going into heat. Leeloo, now nine years old, had a couple of infections when we first got her, but since then she’s been fine. When all this started happening with Tawny, I kept thinking she’d be okay too. I resisted surgery. It sounded so drastic, although apparently from a surgeon's standpoint it's a fairly simple procedure. I kept thinking if I could just get Tawny "well," then maybe she wouldn't need surgery. Even when our vet pulled back Tawny’s skin fold to reveal raw skin, I wasn’t convinced. Somehow I thought she’d made herself raw by licking. What I learned later, is that the erosion was caused by urine trapped under the extra fold of skin. After meeting with the surgeon, I reluctantly consented to Tawny’s episioplasty. In hindsight, it's abundantly clear to me this was the right thing to do. My only regret is not doing it sooner. Now I realize some of Tawny's early behavior that we attributed to her being goofy was actually because she was uncomfortable. Looking back, I realize her condition was chronic long before we recognized it as such. Tawny had surgery in January, 2005. Within a couple days post-surgery, we knew it was a greyt success! She recovered rather quickly. Her sutures were above where she urinates, so that was not a problem during recovery. Since her surgery, there’s been no frantic licking, discomfort, swelling, or infections. Tawny’s always been a wiggly, happy little girl, but now she’s even happier - and so are we! Medicine Alert By Linda Brown Moving to Colorado has been exciting and enlightening. In the interim of starting a new rescue program, I have had much time to do research on alternative medications and medications currently being distributed by our vet clinics around the United States. It is very important to ask your vet questions about the medications prescribed... just as you would question your own personal doctor about any medications or treatments. |
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I get frequent calls from greyhounds owners that have been given a “new” medication for various maladies their hounds have contracted. Some are easily found on the internet and are basically a new form of an old, reliable antibiotic or anit-inflammatory. Then came Rimadyl... to this day, I haven’t found out how it works or where it is derived from. I’m still looking for the “ingredients”. All I know, is that it’s side effects are kidney and/or liver failure. The new “drug of choice” for pain is Deramaxx. I couldn’t find much on that either, so I took a ride to Denver to visit the Alameda East Vet Clinic (the clinic featured on Emergency Vets on Animal Planet). I spoke with the orthopedic veterinarian there as I knew he had prescribed pain relievers after surgeries. What he prescribed the most was Rimadyl. “How did that work?” I asked. He responded that it was “non-steroidal”. Well, I knew that, so I asked again... He dodged the question and said there was a new pain relief on the market that he also liked... Deramaxx. Again, I asked, “How did that work?” With no hesitation, he replied, “It’s a form of Vioxx.” My mouth must have hit the floor because he immediately replied, “I know they took it off the market for humans, but we are finding it doesn’t have the side effects on dogs.” It just came on the market for dogs... how would he know that? Please, please, be wary of any and all new drugs for your best friend. Note from your Editor... The Needle Nose Crew is continuously asked by various greyhound owners for advice concerning general and specific health issues. In order to help out with these problems, we are happy to suggest sources for information and actual specific information. Many of you have used these sources and this information and are pleased with the results. Remember that, although you may be pleased with our suggestions, there are other sources and information available that might not agree with these recommendations. Please understand that the final choice of how to treat our individual greyhounds is each of our own responsibilities, and not that of the Needle Nose Crew.
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