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A novel vaccine for Lyme disease led to the production of antibodies against the borrelia organisms that cause the disease in the U.S. and Europe, without sparking major side effects, according to new research. The vaccine must undergo Phase III trials, but the research team is hopeful it will become a tool to help prevent Lyme disease in people. Dogs and humans contract Lyme disease from ticks, and the incidence of Lyme disease in the U.S. is increasing. Medical News Today (5/14)

A vaccine for Lyme disease may be on its way, following a promising phase 1/2 clinical trial from investigators at the Stony Brook University School of Medicine and Brookhaven National Laboratory.

The finding was published online in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, and revealed that the vaccine resulted in significant antibodies against all targeted species of Borrelia – the agent that causes Lyme disease in the United States and Europe.

Lyme disease, contracted via ticks, is an infectious disease that can cause the following signs and symptoms:

• skin rashes
• headaches
• fevers
• depression

This disease can often be overlooked and go untreated, leading to complications – making it crucial for people to protect themselves from this disease.

The research team consisted of scientists from Stony Brook University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Baxter International Inc. They analyzed the safety and immune response potential of the vaccine in a range of doses among 300 people living in Germany and Austria.

Study volunteers received three primary immunizations and one booster. All types and doses – some of which had an adjuvent, an additive that triggers an immune response to the vaccine – resulted in significant antibodies against all species of Borrelia.

The vaccine caused mostly mild adverse reactions. No-vaccine induced serious events were documented in the sample population.

Dr. Luft, a co-author on the paper explained:

“The results of the clinical trial conducted by Baxter are promising because the vaccine generated a potent human immune reaction, covered the complete range of Borrelia active in the entire Northern hemisphere, and produced no major side effects. We hope that a larger-scale, Phase 3 trial will demonstrate not only a strong immune response but true efficacy in a large population that illustrates protection against Lyme disease.”

One of the long-time challenges of creating a Lyme disease vaccine has been to find a technique that can develop a vaccine that is effective against all Borrelia species.

Using technology and the expertise of all scientists involved in the study, Dr. Luft and his colleagues were able to aim vaccine development on the most prominent Borrelia outer surface protein found when the spirochete bacteria live in ticks – which normally transmit the disease.

By using the scaffold of this protein, known as OspA, the experts were able to bioengineer a set of specific OspA proteins that do not exist in nature. The new OspAs contain different components from different species of Borrelia. The new proteins are named chimeras.

Dr. Luft concluded, “After a series of experimentations and refinements, formulations consisting of these new OspA proteins were shown to protect against a broad spectrum of Lyme disease spirochetes.”

How to Prevent Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is passed through infected Ixodes dammini ticks. They can be found in grassy areas including lawns, woodlands, and shrubs.

May is Lyme disease awareness month and the following are recommendations to prevent Lyme disease:

• Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass.
• Apply tick repellent and wear long sleeves, pants, and socks.
• Regularly check your skin and clothes for ticks
• Acaricide application in your home to eliminate ticks.
• Be extra careful in the hot summer months of May, June, July, and August
• Check with local authorities about tick infested areas around where you live.

Last month, a report conducted by the University of Toronto revealed that rates of lyme disease are rising in the U.S.

In the UK, a study of pet dogs last year showed that a person’s risk of becoming infected with Lyme disease is much greater than previously thought. Many pet dogs carry the ticks that transmit the disease.

Therapy dogs have been shown to decrease cortisol levels in children with autism and ameliorate pain in chronic pain patients, according to this report. The video features the story of how a therapy dog helps one war veteran cope with severe pain and physical therapy after debilitating injuries incurred when he stepped on an explosive device. WFTV-TV (Orlando, Fla.)

Pet owners can add “heart health” to the list of reasons they love their animals. According to the American Heart Association, owning a pet is associated with more physical activity, lower blood pressure, better lipid levels and better acute coronary syndrome survival. “Pet ownership is an important nonhuman form of social support and may provide cardioprotective benefits in patients with established” cardiovascular disease, according to the AHA. USA Today (5/9), MedicalDaily.com

Pets don’t just make lives fuller. They may help make them longer, says an official statement from the American Heart Association.

Owning a pet – especially a dog – seems to have heart health benefits, the group says in the statement published Thursday in the medical journal Circulation.

“The data is most robust for people who own a dog,” says Glenn Levine, a cardiologist with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. But he says there’s reason to believe cats and other pets are helpful, too.

Levine led a scientific committee that reviewed the research on pets and heart health. The group says the studies are not definitive but do suggest:

• Dogs may keep owners active (with all those walks). In one study, dog owners were 54% more likely than other adults to get recommended levels of exercise.

• Interacting with a pet can lower stress responses in the body.

• Pet ownership is associated with lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and less obesity.

In one of the best-designed studies, Levine says, researchers compared people with borderline high blood pressure who adopted dogs with others who also wanted dogs but were randomly assigned to delay the adoptions for purposes of the study. Those who brought home their dogs saw declines in blood pressure and were less likely to see their blood pressure and heart rates rise in response to stress. A study with cats and dogs produced similar results in people with high blood pressure and high-stress occupations, he says.

Most other studies involved comparing pet owners with those who did not have pets, meaning researchers could not rule out the possibility that people who had pets were just healthier to start with.

In any case, the experts don’t recommend that people with heart health problems adopt, rescue or buy pets just for the potential heart health boost.

The main reason to get a pet should be “to give the pet a loving home” and enjoy the relationship, Levine says.

“We also not do not want someone to go out and buy a dog and then be content to sit on the couch and smoke.”

The Larchmont Animal Clinic reached out to the Angel fund to help pay for the repair of the Gillin family’s red eared slider turtle’s shell.  Tesla is recovering nicely!

This is a first for the Angel Fund!

Click Red Eared Slider for more information about this turtle.

Ticks carry diseases that affect humans and canines, but dogs fare better when it comes to detection and prevention. A rapid blood test identifies Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis in dogs. Vaccines are also available to help protect dogs from Lyme disease, while tick-protection products help keep ticks from biting in the first place. Parasitologist and veterinarian Michael Dryden urges owners to have at-risk dogs vaccinated and emphasizes the importance of choosing the right tick-prevention product. ChicagoNow.com/Steve Dale’s Pet World blog (5/14)

Where there are ticks, there’s bound to be tick disease. According to veterinary parasitologist Dr. Michael Dryden, the tick population in America has exploded in recent years. Curiously, dogs enjoy more benefits than people when it comes to identifying tick disease, as well as protection to prevent disease transmission in the first place. For people, there’s no accurate test to determine tick-borne disease. For dogs, however, an inexpensive blood test can identify three tick diseases (Lyme, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis), plus heartworm disease.

“Tick disease is sometimes there without a pet showing clinical signs,” says Dryden. “It’s important to know if a dog’s been exposed. Very often, the general signs (of tick disease) can show up later, and they’re often mistaken for other conditions.”

For example, one symptom of Lyme disease may be lameness. It’s not unusual for dogs, especially older individuals, to simply be given pain relief for what’s assumed to be arthritis.

For people, there are steps to avoid ticks, but in dogs there are many choices for tick protection. “Protection is key,” says Dryden, University Distinguished Professor of Veterinary Parasitology in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology at Kansas State University, Manhattan. Unfortunately, not all products work well.

“Sometimes consumers make impulsive purchases which may not be the most informed choices,” says Dryden. “Not all over-the-counter products are truly all that protective. It’s important that the product you choose is appropriate for the lifestyle of your pets, as well as where you live. By choosing the wrong product, not only may people waste money, but the pet may then be at increased risk for potential tick disease, which can debilitate the pet and cost money to treat. This is why veterinary advice on what product to purchase is so important.”

Lyme disease is a particular risk for people. Using death records collected from 45 states, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that between 1999 and 2003, there were 114 records listing Lyme disease as a cause of death. Lyme may also trigger a lifetime of chronic, debilitating illness, and weaken the immune system, allowing other diseases to take hold.  So, while the official cause of death may not be listed as Lyme disease – truly it was Lyme that allows for perhaps thousands of untimely deaths to occur annually in people in the U.S.

In dogs, Lyme rarely causes death, but like all tick-borne diseases it’s likely under-diagnosed, and may cause a lifetime of chronic problems.

Making matters worse for both people and dogs, ticks sometimes inflict a cocktail of nasty pathogens, including Lyme disease, all at once.

At least for Lyme disease, dogs have still another layer of protection not yet unavailable for humans. “The Lyme vaccines for dogs are both safe and effective, and should strongly be considered if you live where Lyme disease occurs,” Dryden advises.

Is there truly more tick-related disease today than, say, a decade ago, or have veterinarians simply become better at discovery and diagnosis? “Now, there’s a good question,” says Dryden. “There’s no doubt that the new testing for tick disease is helpful. But ticks are flourishing.”

So, why are there so many? “Look at this year’s weather,” says Dryden. “Throughout most of the nation, it was wet. Much of the country experienced record rain. Now, it’s warming up, and all after a relatively mild winter. We’ll see ticks from about now to well into the fall and even into early winter.”

Weather isn’t the only factor. Wildlife numbers are rising. Animals like deer and fox carry ticks from more wooded places right into our backyards, even in many urban areas.

Learn more about tick protection here.

 ©Steve Dale, Tribune Media Services

Cicadas do not pose a major health risk for pets, according to experts including veterinarian Padma Yadlapalli, who says pets will likely spit out any cicada they try to eat. If ingested, gastrointestinal upset or possibly blockage could occur, so veterinarians advise discouraging ingestion. However, there is no danger of disease: “While they might be a nuisance, they don’t sting, they don’t bite, and they don’t carry disease,” says veterinarian Shelly Rubin. The Baltimore Sun (5/15), DogChannel.com (5/15)

As these red-eyed screechy little bugs begin emerging from the ground, concern among pet parents rises as well. This brood is different from the one we saw in 2004 and its appearance in this state will be limited to parts of Southern Maryland, which is good news. There are several thing pet owners should keep in mind during cicada season:

1.They are not toxic to pets. Most of the time, they are more of a nuisance than a health hazard.

2.Your pet might be interested in trying to eat one, but most likely would spit it back out right away. Cicadas might cause upset like vomiting or diarrhea if eaten, but this would be temporary and respond to conservative treatment.

3.Rarely, if your pet decides to overindulge and eat them like chocolate, they could technically cause an obstruction because your pet would not be able to digest them. But most likely they will just pass on and be seen in the stool.

4.Cicadas cannot transmit any diseases.

5.They do not bite or cause any skin irritation or other dermatological issues

The bright side of all of this is that cicadas are beneficial to the environment because they aerate the soil as they emerge. Our guests are only here for a short stay!

This week’s expert is Dr. Padma Yadlapalli with Freetown Animal Hospital in Columbia. Send your questions to sun.unleashed@gmail.com.

Coonhound paralysis, also known as acute canine idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis, struck 4-year-old Labrador retriever Kahlua seemingly without warning, but she persevered with the help of veterinarians and her family. The cause is unknown, but the disease involves an immune-mediated attack on the nervous system that may be triggered in some dogs by contact with raccoon saliva. The condition can debilitate dogs, and intensive physical therapy and supportive care are needed to give dogs a shot at recovery. Kahlua’s case has a happy ending. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (5/16)

By Karl Polacek

March 8 was a difficult day for Michele Piper and her family from Upper Tyrone. Kahlua, their 4-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever, started losing control of her hind legs.

Piper immediately sent a text to her veterinarian, Dr. Justin Kontir of Mt. Pleasant Animal Hospital, who had her bring Kahlua to his office.

During the examination, Kontir noticed the same problem was beginning to affect the dog’s front paws. At first, Piper said Kontir thought the problem might be caused by a spinal blood clot.

“There is a list of things, 25 things, from botulism, a herniated disk, spinal cord stroke, even arthritis,” Kontir said. “In a young dog, they can herniate a disk. In a young to middle-age dog that is active, arthritis didn’t seem very likely.”

He had Piper take Kahlua to Dr. Kendra Mikoloaki, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Neurology) at Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty Services, located on Camp Horne Road, north of Pittsburgh.

“The only place to diagnose this type of problem is the specialty clinic in Pittsburgh,” Kontir said.

Mikoloaki examined Kahlua. By the time Mikoloaki saw the dog, she didn’t have a patella reflex (in humans, checked by striking the kneecap).

The signals (from the dog’s brain) weren’t getting through to her legs,” Mikoloaki said.

She diagnosed the illness as acute canine idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis (ACIP), commonly known as Coonhound paralysis.

Kontir and Mikoloaki said the problem is rare.

Kontir said he vaguely remembered hearing about Coonhound paralysis when he was in school, eight years earlier. He had never seen one in his practice.

Mikoloaki said she sees just a few cases each year.

The actual cause of the disease is unknown. Kontir said one possibility is contact with raccoons or raccoon saliva. Whatever the cause, the disease triggers the autoimmune system that attacks the nerves.

Initially, Piper was worried she might have to have Kahlua put down. Mikoloaki said that is not necessary in a young, otherwise healthy dog. The treatment involves no medication, only intense physical therapy.

Piper opted to take Kahlua to Woodlands Animal Care Center in Farmington, where Shari Facchine, certified K9 rehabilitation therapist, began therapy on March 16. Facchine said the clinic was built by Joe Hardy as part of his pet-friendly Nemacolin Woodlands Resort.

“At that time she (Kahlua) wasn’t able to hold her head up or eat and drink on her own,” said Facchine, who used a syringe to give her water and food. “She was not strong enough to use her tongue to drink from a bowl.”

Facchine worked with Kahlua during the days, giving her range-of-motion exercises and cold laser treatments, putting her in a “quad cart” and having Kahlua work on an exercise ball.

According to Facchine, the process involved teaching the dog to use her body again, from using her legs, to learning to drink and eat to going to the bathroom.

Facchine explained that the Cutting Edge Class 4 cold laser helps regenerate nerves. The device is rarely used on humans because insurance companies consider it an experimental therapy.

Facchine said therapy for Coonhound paralysis normally takes up to six months. However, Kahlua’s rehabilitation was accelerated by what Facchine and both vets said was the dog’s happy and energetic nature, a motivated animal.

Eventually, Facchine discharged Kahlua, who is at home, completely free of the condition that once took away her ability to move.

For Michelle Piper and her family, the process has been rewarding, but expensive. She said the vet bills and therapy have cost approximately $3,000. But she would have found it difficult to end Kahlua’s life.

Now, even her husband, Varden, whom she described as “not an animal lover,” is happy with Kahlua. Kahlua will go to the refrigerator, take a beverage handed to her to Varden in another room, then wag her tail and bark at him, Michelle Piper said.

Karl Polacek is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at kpolacek@tribweb.com or 724-626-3538.

Last June, Rosemary Chen left her Anaheim home for a wedding in Big Bear. She was suffering from a headache so she put several Advil capsules in a plastic bag and took them with her. When she returned home a couple of days later, she brought several of the capsules – still in the plastic bag – with her.

When she got home, she tossed the bag with the pills in a large basket. One evening a few days later she came home from work to find Advil capsules and the plastic bag scattered around the floor – and her black and white cat Simon acting strangely.

“The basket is pretty big and he just got them [the pills] out and played with them. He was sleeping and he didn’t want to eat.  He usually eats a lot. And I thought, ‘Oh, maybe it has something to do with the pills.’  I think he ate at least one or two of them.

“So I called the cat clinic and they said to bring him there right away. They checked Simon and said that he needed treatment. It was going to cost a lot so I called around and asked for help because I couldn’t afford to pay that much. The pet clinic helped me and they found one organization [Angel Fund] that would help me, too.  I really did appreciate that!”

The hospital, The Cat Care Clinic in Orange, diagnosed Simon with acute renal failure because of ibuprofen toxicity. They treated him for several days at the hospital. When Chen took him home he was the old Simon – curious, playful and affectionate.

The clinic and Angel Fund each contributed $250 to Simon’s care.  Chen, who is a single mother with a modest income, paid off the balance over time.

Simon is “back to normal now,” she said. “I am happy and I really appreciate the help I got.”

The AHF is a collaborator with the Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF) by supporting needy veterinary students in Aceh, Sumatra. The AHF provides scholarships within the OURF’s Orangutan Caring Scholarship program to students who might otherwise be unable to attend veterinary school. The AHF funded four new five-year scholarships in 2011 & 2012 covering the cost of tuition and the internship required to become a practicing veterinarian.

To read OURFs annual report, please CLICK HERE

The AHF received a request from the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur (MMCC) in San Pedro, CA telling us that it has received over 400 malnourished sea lion pups since January and the MMCC  neds to provide the care necessary to rehabilitate and release these animals.

Additionally, every dollar that we or the public donates will be matched by the Waitt Foundation up to $25,000.

In March, NOAA Fisheries declared an Unusual Mortality Event for California sea lions. Los Angeles County is experiencing more strandings than any other county. Even as intake numbers decrease, these animals need up to one to two months of rehabilitation. With MMCC being the lead facility in Los Angeles County rehabilitating these animals.

Researchers speculate that warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures have dispersed prey fish, causing female sea lions to spend more time away from their pups, resulting in malnourished and dehydrated pups. Their immune systems become compromised, their health deteriorates, and they ultimately strand themselves on Southern California beaches.

Once rescued, seals and sea lions are brought to MMCC. Intake and treatment protocols call for initial and follow-up blood work, appropriate medications, and may require radiographs and sometimes surgery. The amount of food required to feed our patients is up about 30% from this time last year. In short, the MMCC is experiencing a significant increase in operating costs.