Canine influenza

Canine influenza or dog flu is influenza occurring in canines. Canine influenza is caused by varieties of Influenzavirus A, such as equine influenza virus H3N8, which in 2004 was discovered to cause disease in dogs. Because of the lack of previous exposure to this virus, dogs have no natural immunity to this virus. Therefore, the disease is rapidly transmitted between individual dogs. Canine influenza may be endemic in some regional dog populations of the United States. It is a disease with a high morbidity but a low mortality.

History

The highly contagious equine influenza virus H3N8 was found to have been the cause of Greyhound race dog fatalities from a respiratory illness at a Florida racetrack in January 2004. The exposure and transfer apparently occurred at horse racing tracks, where dog racing also occurs. This was the first evidence of an influenza A virus causing disease in dogs. However, serum collected from racing Greyhounds between 1984 and 2004 and tested for canine influenza virus (CIV) in 2007 had positive tests going as far back as 1999. It is possible that CIV caused some of the respiratory disease outbreaks at tracks between 1999 and 2003.^[2]

H3N8 was also responsible for a major dog flu outbreak in New York state in all breeds of dogs. From January to May 2005, outbreaks occurred at 20 racetracks in 10 states (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Texas, and West Virginia.)^[3] As of August 2006, dog flu has been confirmed in 22 U.S. states, including pet dogs in Wyoming, California, Connecticut, Delaware, and Hawaii.^[4][5] There is no evidence that the virus can be transferred to people, horses, cats, or other species.^[6] There are three areas in the United States that may now be considered endemic for CIV due to continuous waves of cases: New York, southern Florida, and northern Colorado/southern Wyoming.

H5N1 (avian influenza) was also shown to cause death in one dog in Thailand, following ingestion of an infected duck.^[7]

[edit] The virus

Influenza A viruses are enveloped negative sense single-stranded RNA viruses.^[8] Genome analysis has shown that H3N8 was transferred from horses to dogs and then adapted to dogs through point mutations in the genes.^[9] The incubation period is two to five days and viral shedding may occur for seven to ten days following the onset of symptoms.^[10]carrier state. It does not induce a persistent

[edit] Symptoms

About 80 percent of infected dogs with H3N8 show symptoms, usually mild (the other 20 percent have subclinical infections), and the fatality rate for Greyhounds in early outbreaks was 5 to 8 percent,^[11] although the overall fatality rate in the general pet and shelter population is probably less than 1 percent.^[12] Symptoms of the mild form include a cough that lasts for ten to thirty days and possibly a greenish nasal discharge. Dogs with the more severe form may have a high fever and pneumonia.^[13] Pneumonia in these dogs is not caused by the influenza virus, but by secondary bacterial infections. The fatality rate of dogs that develop pneumonia secondary to canine influenza can reach 50 percent if not given proper treatment.^[5] Necropsies in dogs that die from the disease reveal severe hemorrhagic pneumonia and evidence of vasculitis.^[14]

[edit] Diagnosis

The presence of an upper respiratory tract infection in a dog that has been vaccinated for the other major causes of kennel cough increases suspicion of infection with canine influenza, especially in areas where the disease has been documented. A serum sample from a dog suspected of having canine influenza can be submitted to a laboratory that performs PCR tests for this virus.


source :: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canine_influenza

Anatomy of the Dog Book

• Publisher: W. B. Saunders Company
• Number Of Pages: 941
• Publication Date: 1964-06
• ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0721663605
• ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780721663609

Contents

Chapter 01 The Skeletalsystem
Chapter 02 Arthrology
Chapter 03 Myology
Chapter 04 The Heart and Arteries
Chapter 05 The Venous System
Chapter 06 The Lymphatic System
Chapter 07 Introduction to the Nervous System
Chapter 08 The Brain
Chapter 09 The Spinal Cord and Meninges
Chapter 10 The Cranial Nerves
Chapter 11 The Spinal Nerves
Chapter 12 The Autonomic Nervous System
Chapter 13 The Digestive System and Abdomen
Chapter 14 The Respiratory System
Chapter 15 The Urogenital System and Mammary Glands
Chapter 16 The Endocrine System
Chapter 17 The Sense Organs and Integument
The Eye, Orbit and Adnexa
The Ear
The Nasal Cavity
The Organ of Taste
The Integument
Index

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How smart is your dog?

British Columbia -- Dogs' mental abilities are equivalent to a 2- or 2.5-year-old child, according to psychologist and canine researcher Stanley Coren, PhD, of the University of British Columbia.

The author of numerous books on dogs, including The Modern Dog and The Pawprints of History: Dogs and the Course of Human Events, presented his findings at the American Psychologists Association's 117th annual convention Aug. 8.

In an interview with DVM Newsmagazine, Coren explained that he adapted communication tests used for nonverbal children. He found the average dog understands 165 words, gestures, signs and signals. The most intelligent breeds understand up to 200 or 250. "Over 15,000 years or more, humans have been systematically modifying dogs so they're better at understanding us," he says. "If I point at something, a dog will look at what I'm pointing at. A wolf raised in the wild who sees me point will look at my hand."

Coren also used data from more than 200 dog-obedience judges to figure the relative intelligence of different breeds, developing a top-seven list. Border Collies came first, followed by Poodles, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Dobermans, Shetland Sheepdogs and Labrador Retrievers.

Scientists have realized that consciousness is not an "on-off switch," Coren says, and that dogs fall on a continuum of sentience with humans and other animals. This understanding benefits future researchers who won't be studying blind. "Psychologists interested in the emotions of dogs can ask, what emotions does a 2-year-old have? Fear, anger, happiness, surprise, but not complex emotions like guilt," he says.

Some of dogs' developed abilities cater especially to humanity's hunting interests, Coren says. With the start of the Ice Age, large prey were scarcer, and hunters found themselves needing to use bow and arrow to catch smaller animals. Dogs were invaluable in finding, catching and retrieving wounded prey. At first, hounds sniffed out prey for hunters without long-distance weapons. With the development of the slow-reloading musket, hunters used setters to quietly find, point at prey and freeze for a close shot. Later, setters were used in pairs to improve trajectory from a distance.

When hunting rifles really improved, relatively undisciplined spaniels were sent into fields and marshes to frighten birds into flight and into range. Today, Coren says, one of the best dogs for hunters with multiple-shot shotguns is the Nova Scotia Duck-tolling Retriever. It bounds up and down the edges of a lake or field, acting erratically. Birds will move to get a view of the dog's crazy movements, putting them in the hunter's sights.

The future of dog breeding, however, will lie more in the world of companion animals, Coren says. Breeds like the Coton de Tulear are "little pieces of empathy. That dog resting on a sofa makes a whole lot of friends," he says. Future research into the health benefits of owning dogs will be Coren's focus. "We know that elderly or socially isolated people with dogs need less medical services and live longer," he says. "Dogs are going to have a newer niche there."

Why (and what) is my senior dog "leaking"?

"My 11 year old female, spayed dog was laying peacefully on the floor. When I bent down to pet her, I discovered a puddle of liquid on the floor under her hindquarters. It did not smell of urine, but there was a very mild odor and it was clear. I lifted her tail to see where it could have come from and it seemed to come from her vagina. The opening seemed very expanded, but not dilated. Her appetite is good and her bowel functions are fine. Is this an age-related issue or something requiring immediate medical attention?"

Answer: It may be both of the problems you mentioned; age-related and something requiring medical attention. Without going into major canine anatomy, the female dog has one urogenital opening, commonly referred to as the vulva. Both the urethra and vagina open in a common area, called the vestibule, which then opens to the exterior what you see as the vulva (actually the labia).

As dogs age, urinary incontinence can result, especially in females. This is most likely what you are seeing in your dog, although an examination by your veterinarian is still in order to confirm.

In an age-related incontinent dog (versus a congenital problem), muscles and sphincters aren't as "tone" as they once were, and urine leaks a bit into the common vestibule area. The urine may pool there, causing a "dilated" appearance. This stalled urine can lead to localized infections and may ascend up into the bladder, causing a urinary tract infection. As the dog gets up/lays down, a small pool of urine may be released.

In addition to loss of tone in the urogenital system, diseases such as diabetes or kidney problems often lead to increased urination (and thirst), exacerbating the urine pooling and potential urinary tract infection problem.

I would recommend making a geriatric exam appointment with your vet for a physical exam, to check the urine, and bloodwork to make sure that there aren't any other disease issues to deal with.

Hopefully, this is a case of "simple" incontinence and can be managed medically.

For more information, here is a good article from Washington State University Veterinary School:
Urinary Incontinence

Standard disclaimer: anytime that your pet is not well, not eating, can't urinate or defecate, is painful or "leaking" something, please call your veterinarian immediately. This FAQ is not meant to diagnose or treat your pet; this can only be done with physical examination and proper veterinary care .

Tobacco Plants Yield First Vaccine For Dreaded 'Cruise Ship Virus'

Scientists have used a new vaccine production technology to develop a vaccine for norovirus, a dreaded cause of diarrhea and vomiting that may be the second most common viral infection in the United States after the flu. Sometimes called the "cruise ship virus," this microbe can spread like wildfire through passenger liners, schools,
offices and military bases

The new vaccine is unique in its origin — it was "manufactured" in a tobacco plant using an engineered plant virus. Researchers are enlisting plants in the battle against norovirus, swine flu, bird flu, and other leading infectious diseases. This plant biotechnology opens the door to more efficient, inexpensive ways to bring vaccines quickly to the public, especially critical in times when viruses mutate into unpredictable new strains, said Charles Arntzen, Ph.D., who reported on the topic today at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

"The recent outbreak of H1N1 influenza virus has once again reminded us of the ability of disease-causing agents to mutate into new and dangerous forms," Arntzen points out. "It will be at least six months until a vaccine for this new strain will be available, and it will take even longer to create large stock piles of vaccine. For a case like the H1N1 influenza virus, you want to be able to move very rapidly and introduce a commercial vaccine in the shortest possible time. We think we have a major advantage in using engineered plant viruses to scale-up vaccine manufacture within weeks instead of months."

Noroviruses are always mutating, making it a moving target for vaccine developers. Arntzen says this has presented an obstacle for big pharmaceutical companies who might have considered developing a vaccine. Production costs can skyrocket when a single disease may frequently require new vaccines that must be developed and tested for safety and effectiveness. As a result, vaccines do not exist for many diseases that sicken enormous numbers of people each year. Arntzen notes that plant biotechnology could create a cheaper, quicker vaccine manufacturing technique uniquely suited to combat mutating viruses like norovirus and the flu.

Norovirus temporarily disables its victims, giving them severe diarrhea or nausea for up to three days. While not as life-threatening as the flu, Arntzen says it is equally important.

"It essentially closes down wings of hospitals, schools, day care centers and homes for the elderly. In the case of the military, it can shut down an entire ship and delay military operations while there is a cleanup in process. Because the disease spreads so rapidly, the major economic consequences are caused by the disruption of normal daily life and commerce," says Arntzen.

Norovirus will continue to evolve new strains, so Arntzen's team designed a vaccine manufacturing process quick enough to keep up with it and other shape-shifting viruses.

"With plant-based vaccines, we can generate the first gram quantities of the drug and do clinical tests within eight to 10 weeks… We could easily scale that up for commercial use in a two to four month period," explains Arntzen.

Plant-based vaccine production also offers cost advantages. Building greenhouses is more cost effective than the sterilized facilities, expensive manufacturing technology and stainless steel tanks required for the insect or mammalian cell cultures used in most traditional vaccines.

"The other cost advantages relate to vaccine purification and formulation. Purification from plant extracts is simpler because there are no infectious agents to clean up. There are no viruses in plants which can infect humans, so you don't have to worry about viral removal," notes Arntzen.

The team re-engineered plant viruses to produce high levels of specially designed "virus-like" nanoparticles in tobacco plants. At about 25 nanometers in diameter, the particles are about the same size as the norovirus, but they consist only of the outer surface protein — the portion of the virus recognized by the human immune system. The particles contain none of the infectious material of the original virus, but they stimulate a robust immune response to fight off an actual infection.

To battle each new strain of the norovirus and to keep full resistance to older strains, Arntzen says the vaccine could be administered as a booster every 12 to 18 months. After successful experiments in mice, his team is developing a nasal delivery system for the virus-like particles. Arntzen expects to start clinical trials in late 2009 or early 2010.

Several companies, most notably pharmaceutical heavyweight Bayer, are investing in new facilities to create plant-based vaccines for cancer, as well as other pharmaceutical proteins. He suggests the first plant-based vaccines should be publically available within four to five years.

"Mammalian and insect-based vaccines are tried and true — some have barely changed in nearly 60 years," says Arntzen. But that doesn't necessarily mean they are the best in terms of manufacturing costs or flexibility. It simply means that the industry is not accustomed to using plant biotechnology.

"Among other factors, the uncertainty on how such products would be viewed in the FDA approval process has created uncertainty in big pharma companies, and uncertainty is often a 'kiss of death' in product development that can involve hundreds of millions of development cost." But, he adds, "the current pipeline of new products now working their way to FDA approval is sure to change these opinions in coming years."