HealthGene's Canine Bulletin
(10.10.2007)
IN BRIEF
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HEALTHGENE BREEDERS' MATCH 2007
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Belleville & District Kennel Club and HealthGene Laboratory invite you to participate
in HealthGene Breeder's Match at the All Breed Championship Shows in Belleville, ON on October 20, 2007.
This year we have added a new class - Best Veteran. Come and enjoy the excitement of the competition.
Win and be rewarded:
Best In Show - $500.00 CDN;
Best of Opposite - $250.00 CDN;
Best Puppy - $100.00 CDN;
Best Veteran - $100.00 CDN.
Dogs must be handled by the Breeder/co-Breeder, or an immediate family member of the Breeder/co-Breeder.
The Breeder/co-Breeder must be the Owner or co-Owner.
For more information, contact Belleville & District Kennel Club (http://www.bellevilledogclub.com).
Entries for the competition will be taken at the show.
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NEED A COMPANION? TRY RENT-A-DOG SERVICE
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Too busy to own a dog? A Delaware-based company Flexpetz has the solution - 10 dogs are available
to be rented for periods ranging from one day to a week. The rental service is now available
in Los Angeles and San Diego and is planned to be expanded to New York, San Francisco, Boston,
Washington, D.C., and London. Even though the company's representatives provide information and
training on how to handle a newly rented friend during the introductory session for new customers,
not everyone agrees with this business idea. "Flexpetz is a business so it's out to make money, but
we believe it does so at the expense of the psychological well-being of the animals it uses to make
profit," said Daphna Nachminovitch, a spokesperson for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
in Norfolk, Virginia. Flexpetz response to this is that the dogs are carefully selected for temperament
and personality to ensure that they are highly social dogs.
Source: New Zealand Herald (nzherald.co.nz)
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HEALTHGENE'S HIGHLIGHTS
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HEALTHGENE'S NEW CANINE VACCINATION PROGRAM
Introduction
Among dog caretakers few topics are more debated than vaccination.
Many dog owners and breeders have concerns about over-vaccination due mostly to information they gather
from the Internet, radio, television or numerous other publications. At this point there is no universally
accepted standard vaccine protocol to turn to. Even so vaccination is a medical decision and a medical
procedure that should be individualized based on the risk and lifestyle of individual animal.
An evolution in vaccination programs for dogs has been started and is underway. The duration of immunity
that particular vaccines provide can last for many years, and the practice of revaccinating dogs annually
with all available vaccines is changing. An increasing number of researchers and experts recommend that
vaccines offering long-term immunity can and ought to be administered no more than every three years. If
veterinarians are going to vaccinate patients less frequently, they need a way to evaluate immunity on an
individual basis and to be confident in their recommendations. Another concern will be differentiating between
actual infection and previous vaccination or exposure.
Why Not Just Vaccinate?
Decades-old guidelines called for dogs to be vaccinated annually. This is understandable since vaccines
have helped prevent and in some cases eliminate disease and suffering. However, duration of immunity - especially
for the most essential vaccines - often lasts much longer than one year. If the animal already has immunity and is
subsequently vaccinated it can experience an “Adverse Reaction” or “Serious Adverse Reaction” (SAR). The most common
clinical signs recorded for vaccine SARs in dogs are systemic, digestive, neurological and skin disorders.
It is interesting to note that young animals are over-represented with respect to vaccine SARs since 47.2% of dog
vaccine SARs reported were in animals less than six months of age. Some of these apparent reactions may be due to
coincidental infection with field viruses. A risk/benefit assessment should be made for each individual animal by
the veterinary staff in consultation with the owner so that, if required, an informed choice may be made by the owner
with respect to the necessity for a particular vaccine and the frequency of its use. The assessment should include
discussion on the likelihood of exposure, available data on duration of immunity, and the risks related to vaccination.
HealthGene’s Canine Pre/Post-Vaccination Program should help facilitate such decision-making.
Pre/Post Vaccination Program
HealthGene’s Pre/Post-Vaccination Program consists of two components which can be used to fully asses the immunity and
infection status of the dog. The first component is a DNA Profile which includes Canine Parvovirus (CPV-2) and Canine
Distemper Virus (CDV). The second component is an Antibody Titer Profile which includes Canine Parvovirus (CPV-2) and
Canine Distemper Virus (CDV). The CPV-2 and CDV DNA profile is used to determine the infectious status of the dog.
Previous vaccination or exposure will not interfere with the DNA test because it does not detect antibodies.
A positive result means that the dog is infected. A negative result means that the dog is not infected. The CPV-2 and CDV
Antibody Titer Profile is used to determine the dog’s immunity. A high antibody level correlates with protection from infection
and/or protection from disease. A low or none existent antibody titer indicates the dog may be susceptible to infection and disease.
These profiles can be used together as a package to obtain a full immune status report of the animal.
Ask your veterinarian about HealthGene's Canine Vaccination Program
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ARCHIVES
===========
HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR PREVIOUS BULLETINS
--------------------------------------
- SWAB SAMPLES COLLECTION VS BLOOD SAMPLES IN GENETIC TESTING (09/08/06)
(http://healthgene.com/canine/arch_bull_0906.asp)
- HEALTHGENE INTRODUCES NEW FAMILY PROTECTION PROGRAM (02/22/06)
(http://healthgene.com/canine/arch_bull_0206.asp)
- A MYSTERY OF DRUG SENSITIVITY IN DOGS CAN BE PUT TO REST! (09/28/05)
(http://healthgene.com/canine/arch_bull_0905.asp)
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HealthGene offers lectures for kennel clubs
in Ontario, Canada. For more information, call 416-658-2040
or e-mail info@healthgene.com
If you would like to use any information available
on www.healthgene.com or in this bulletin for your club's
newsletter, please contact us by e-mail at info@healthgene.com
or by phone - 416-658-2040.
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