Page 25 - Chow LIfe - Spring 2020

Steven Friedenberg, DMV, PHD, DACVECC (Emer- soon to a puddle near you”. Two hundred and fifty
gency Care) started the day by presenting an update varieties of this bacterium have spread throughout
on Addison's disease, an autoimmune disease where the entire US with larger percentages in the Midwest
the body’s immune system attacks the outer layer and Texas. It exhibits a wide range of symptoms,
of the adrenal gland. This causes shock, vomiting, making diagnosis difficult, including vomiting,
electrolyte abnormalities and high potassium levels diarrhea, anorexia, and depression. Many affected
that affect the dog’s heartbeat. It’s called the great dogs experience severe, life threatening disease that
pretender because it mimics a lot of other diseases. requires urgent care and can pass the disease onto
His studies are working on earlier diagnoses through humans and other species (zoonotic). It is shed in
gene mapping, so hormone replacement therapy can the urine of carriers into open wounds or skin by
be started sooner. urine contaminated objects and wet, high precipita-
tion and stagnant water environments. There is a 25
Karen Muñana, DVM, MS, DACVIM presented Ste- times higher risk of catching Leptospirosis if a dog
roid Responsive Meningitis-Arteritis in dogs (swell- has “not” been vaccinated.
ing of the membranes covering the spinal cord, brain
and associated blood vessels) which is caused by Edward B. Breitschwerdt, DVM, DACVIM pre-
infection. While not specifically related to Chows, its sented the genus Bartonella and Vasoproliferative
causes 1.6% of neurological disorders predominantly Cancers in Dogs and Humans. This was a technical
in Beagles, Bernese Mountain dogs and Boxers and presentation which was tailored towards scientists in
results in fever, back pain and lethargy, though not the audience but there were some interesting facts to
necessarily any neurological signs. It can be treated note from his study. There are 36 varieties of Barton-
with corticosteroids and secondary immunotherapy ella bacteria and they are transmitted by blood suck-
for an extended period of time but the relapse rate is ing parasites, i.e. ticks, fleas, sand flies and possibly
16-32%. mites. It was determined that approximately 20%
of cancers in dogs and potentially up to 25-50% in
Anita Oberbauer, PhD presented Autoimmunity humans are caused by infections. For example, 74%
and Endocrine Disorders. She noted that most dogs of dogs with Hemangiosarcoma (cancer of the in-
presented to veterinarians have environmental re- ner lining of the blood and Lymphatic vessels) have
lated issues, ear inflammation/infections, periodon- Bartonella in their sample. This cancer is virtually
tal disease, impacted anal sacs or overgrown nails. unique to dogs and afflicts 5% of the population.
Endocrine disorders affect only 1.8-3.7% of dogs There is only a 9 day survival with surgery and a
but unfortunately Chows are included. There can be 4-6 month survival with surgery and chemotherapy.
devastating, life long consequences and are caused Bartonella Henselae is also detected in patients with
by both environmental and genetic factors. The most the highly aggressive form of inflammatory breast
common are hypothyroidism, hypoadrenocorticism cancer. Unfortunately, Bartonella is hard to detect
and diabetes mellitus but in my personal experi- and difficult to eliminate with antibiotics.
ence with Chows over many years, also sex hormone
imbalance and pituitary growth hormone deficiency. Steven Dow, DVM, PhD, DACVIM presented
Endocrine disorders are thought to be autoimmune advances in cancer immunotherapy. This is very
related, where the body attacks and destroys the tis- complex research which is only now starting to
sues of the Endocrine glands. Other (non-Chow) au- transition from human to canine use. Tumor im-
toimmune disorders are Multiple Sclerosis, Colitis, munotherapy is all about T-Cells and the associated
Crohn’s disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Anemia and checkpoint molecules that regulate T-Cell function
Hypoparathyroid (calcium regulation). It is know by reactivating and expanding their effectiveness.
that neutering/spaying increases Addison's in males They have seen an 80% response rate with this type
and hypothyroidism in females. of immunotherapy. Program Death Cell Protein 1
antibodies (a.k.a. PD-1) activate T-cells in 20% of
Linda Kidd, DMV, PhD, DACVIM (internal medi- patients. Surprisingly, the blood pressure medication
cine) presented the link between vector-borne (para- Losartan combined with Sunitinib has been shown
site) infections and autoimmune disease. She noted, to be 50% effective in treatments. Most importantly,
while it was originally thought that the immune multiple types of immunotherapy must be used to-
system was only to attack foreign antigens, it’s been gether for the most effective treatment protocol.
determined that it also attacks self antigens (e.g.
dying cells), but not attacking helpful bacteria that Erin Dickerson, PhD presented Propranolol and
makes up the microbiome. Therefore, the immune Hemangiosarcoma (HSA), using an old drug to
system must maintain a homeostatic balance (status learn new tricks. Propranolol is used as a beta-block-
quo) within the body by targeting what is harmful er to treat heart disease by reducing blood pres-
and preserving what is healthy. It has been deter- sure and slowing heartbeat. However, veterinarians
mined that if the homeostatic balance is disrupted noticed a correlation in the progression of breast,
by genetic, epigenetic or environmental (e.g. vector- colon, prostate, pancreatic and ovarian cancer with
borne) factors, immune dysregulation and immune- dogs on Propranolol. Subsequent research deter-
mediated diseases such as autoimmune disease can mined that Propranolol acts as a cytostatic agent
occur. (slowing or stopping tumor cell division, i.e.
growth). It also improved the survival rate for
Jason Still, VMD, MPVM, PhD, DAVPM presented 40-70% of dogs with HSA from 4-6 months
the emergence of canine Leptospirosis “Coming
to 6 months. Combining Doxorubicin with
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