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Novel Immunotherapy Gives New Lease of Life to a Dog Who had Rare Cancer

Waking up dog’s immune system worked wonders.

Sydney, January 3, 2020: A novel immunotherapy treatment has saved family dog Griffin from a rare type of cancer, thanks to collaborative research at The University of Queensland. The Rottweiler was diagnosed with T cell lymphoma in December 2017 and given three months to live. UQ’s Dr. Rachel Allavena and her Ph.D. student, veterinarian Dr. Annika Oksa, enrolled Griffin in a medical trial that had helped around 30 percent of dogs suffering from cancer.

Immune system was waked up

“This is a revolutionary step forward in cancer treatment,” Dr. Allavena said. “T cell lymphoma is usually a death sentence for dogs, so Griffin is incredibly lucky to be alive. “Our immunotherapy treatment works by ‘waking up’ the dog’s immune system, helping the animal’s own body destroy the cancer. “It’s very different to the way we’ve treated cancer in the past, where we’ve used surgery, or chemotherapy or radiation, both of which are quite toxic to normal cells. “Chemotherapy was off the table for Griffin, as it would have made his waste poisonous, which would be dangerous since Griffin’s owner, Adam, had a young daughter who played in the backyard.”

Tumor was removed

As per the report published in Phys Org, once a dog is diagnosed with the cancer, the researchers remove a small piece of the tumor and mix it with an adjuvant—a chemical—to bolster the dog’s immune response. “This gets injected with the vaccine over a number of weeks or months; a process that’s very straightforward, much like the regular needles a dog would receive as a puppy,” Dr. Oksa said.

Effective Vaccine

“We then check the dogs very carefully when they visit to see how the cancer is responding to the treatment and make sure they’re doing well.” The researchers have found the vaccine to be extremely safe and easy to administer, with any veterinarian able to do the surgery required to source the tissue for the vaccine. “We’ve treated more than 170 dogs, with no bad side effects in any of them,” Dr. Oksa said. “It’s also safe to do it in combination with other treatments like chemotherapy or radiotherapy. While in some cases, like Griffin’s, it works well by itself. In the meantime, the treatment has been a gift for Griffin’s owner Adam and his family. “It’s great that a medical trial like this exists,” he said.

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Living With A Diabetic Pet

Finding out that your pet has diabetes doesn’t have to spell doom.

New Delhi, September 14, 2019: Believe it or not, the recent surge in the occurrenceof diabetes isn’t limited to humans – it is also being found in dogs in rapidly growing numbers. Mostoften, diabetes in older dogs is identified as Diabetes Mellitus, and happens because your dog’s pancreasbecomes unable to produce enough insulin tomaintain healthy blood sugar levels. 

  Diagnosis & Symptoms
 The earliest signs of diabetes in dogs is an increasein thirst and urination. However, by the time thesesymptoms are noticed, often the pet has had highblood glucose for a while. Hence routinely checking theblood glucose in older dogs as a part of regular annualscreenings is advisable. When your pet’s blood reportshows a high glucose value, your vet may want tocheck for other conditions before concluding that yourpet is diabetic. Other signs of diabetes include loss ofappetite, lethargy, vomiting, rapid weight loss. As soonas you see any such symptoms in a middle-to old-agepet, please consult your veterinarian immediatelyand check your pet’s blood glucose as well as otherparameters as suggested by your vet. The mean ageof onset of diabetes in dogs is eight years. Juvenilediabetes can occur in dogs, but is quite rare. Diabetesis seen more in certain breeds (Dachshunds, MiniaturePinschers, Labradors) than others and hence doesseem to be influenced by genes.

  Treatment & Management
 The treatment of choice for all diabetic dogs isInsulin injections given subcutaneously at 12-hourlyintervals. Your veterinarian will prescribe the idealinsulin for your pet and will teach you how to measurethe dose accurately and inject your pet. Sometimesfluid therapy and other treatments are required inthe early stages to address secondary conditionsresulting from prolonged high blood glucose.

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