Purina Life Span Study,Safe Handling of Chemotherapy at Home

Purina Life Span Study The Purina Life Span Study, conducted from 1987 to 2001, represents the first completed canine lifetime restriction study. Findings from he study proved that maintaining dogs in lean body condition extended their media life span by 15 percent or nearly 2 years, for the labrador Retrievers in the study. The study showed several benefits for feeding dogs to ideal body condition. “The Purina Life Span Study evaluated the effects of 25- percent diet restriction on body condition and a variety of health parameters, as well as life span,” says Melissa Kelly, Ph.D., Purina Research Scientist. “The study also evaluated the effects of diet restriction on potential markers of aging, such as the age when the dogs began requiring medical treatment for chronic conditions.” The 14-year study, which took place at the Purina Pet Care Center in Gray Summit, Mo., compared 48 Labrador Retriever dogs from seven litters. The dogs were paired within the litters by gender and weight and randomly assigned to a control group of restricted (lean-fed) group when they were 8- week-old-puppies. “The control group had ad libitum access to food for 15 minutes a day, and the lean fed litter mate was fed 25 percent less food that the control puppy” Kelly says. All dogs received the same dry, extruded 100 percent nutritionally complete and balanced diets, puppy then adult formulations- just the amount fed to the control-fed and lean- fed groups differed. Dogs were weighed weekly as puppies, periodically as adolescents and weekly as adults. Beginning at 6 years of age, the dogs were evaluated annually for body condition using the Purina Body Condition System, a validated standard used by veterinarians to evaluate body physique in dogs. Other health indicators were measured annually. These include: annual radiographs, body fat, lean body mass and bone mass, effective glucose and insulin use, serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels, cardiac parameters, immune and antioxidant variables, etc. Health-related events, as well as time and cause of death, also recorded. Additionally, the need for treatment of health conditions was delayed in the lean-fed dogs. The age at which 50 percent of the dogs required treatment for a chronic condition was 12.0 years among the lean-fed dogs compared to 9.9 years for the control-fed dogs. Related to body condition, the lean-fed group had a significantly greater mea percentag3e of lean body mass throughout the study. “The lean-fed group experienced a two- year delay in loss of lean-body mass, with the average onset of decline being 11 years vs. 9 years for the control-fed dogs. The lean-fed dogs also maintained significantly lower body condition scores,” Kelly says. Control-fed dogs were slightly to moderately overweight, and the lean-fed dogs were well within ideal body condition on the Purina Body Condition System (BCS). On the nine-point scale, a body condition score of four or five is considered ideal; 6 through 9 is considered too heavy; and one through three is considered too thin. Median life span, the age at which 50 percent of the dogs in the he group had died was 11.2 years in the control-fed group compared to 13.0 years in the he lean-fed dogs. Thus, median life span was increased by 1.8 years or 15 percent in the lean-fed dogs compared to the control fed dogs. At the end of the 12th year, 11 lean-fed dogs were alive but only one control-fed dog was surviving. Ultimately, 25 percent of the lean-fed group survived to 13.5 years, while none of the control-fed dogs lived to that age. “The Purina Life Span Study demonstrated that feeding to ideal body condition, which would be a body condition score of four or five on a nine-point scale – proves that lean dogs live longer and healthier lives,”Kelly says. *2003 National Parent Club Canine Health Conference, taken from Purina’s “Today’s Breeder Publication” Issue 46. Safe Handling of Chemotherapy at Home Since little is known about the potential harm, if any, to people who care for a pet that is receiving chemotherapy, unnecessary exposure to chemotherapy drugs should be avoided. Chemotherapy drugs are given to destroy cancer cells. While these drugs work on cancer cells, they may also affect normal cells. This causes some of the side effects some people and animals experience after treatment. Exposure to small amounts of chemotherapy drugs over a long period of time may prevent hazards to people who are not receiving the drugs for cancer treatment such as doctors, nurses, and pharmacists who prepare, transport, or administer the drugs. Using proper technique when handling, administering, or disposing of chemotherapy drugs will maximize the effect on the pet and minimize the risk to the caregiver. Handling of Chemotherapeutic Medications Always wear gloves when handling your pet’s medication, especially if tablets are cut in half. Make sure the animal swallows the medication and does not spit it out. Store pet’s medication away from food areas and in its original container. After use, dispose of gloves in a closed plastic container like a zip-lock bag or a sealed plastic box. Wash hands after removing gloves. Pregnant women should not handle chemotherapy medication. Keep all medication, containers, and waste away from children. Disposal of Contaminated Bodily Waste Always wear gloves when coming in contact with pet waste products such as feces, urine, or vomit. Dispose of feces by flushing down the toilet. Clean up household areas that have been soiled with vomit, feces, or urine with household cleaning products like bleach or Lysol. Dispose of soiled paper towels in closed plastic container. Rags or towels used should be laundered separately from other laundry. If clothes, bedding, throw rugs, etc. are soiled, launder separately as previously discussed. For cats, clean litter box often. Remove feces and flush down toilet. Dispose of litter in closed, plastic container or sealed plastic bag. Keep children away from litter box. For dogs, leash animal to one are of yard to decrease exposure of yard to contaminated waste. Clean up fecal material as soon as possible as stated above. Keep family, visitors, and other pets away from this designated area. Duration of Precautionary Measures The precautionary measures stated above should be continued during therapy and 2-3 days after the animal has received the last dose. This 2-3 day time period is approximately how long it takes for the drug to be eliminated from the animal’s body. Photo source: SEM Lymphocyte” by Unknown photographer/artist (False color modifications made by myself–DO11.10) – Dr. Triche National Cancer Institute. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. Information source: Info taken from the University of Wisconsin – Madison Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital Pharmacy. Selfmedicating pets is not a good idea There are several reasons why we ask pet owners to not give their pet ANY medication unless under the direct treatment of Doctor Neumeister or an other veterinarian. You may believe the ailment in your pet is one thing, but the doctor could find it to be something else altogether. The medication you were giving prior to diagnosis could be useless or even harmful, plus your pet might suffer until getting correct treatment. This week a client brought in a 50 pound, 10-year-old Shar Pei. The owner had been treating the dog with Tylenol (Acetaminophen) because he assumed she had arthritis. Doctor Neumeister diagnosed the dog with Shar Pei fever.The symptoms of Shar Pei fever include fever, swelling, and pain in the hocks that usually resolves within two days. To learn more about Shar Pei fever click here. Fortunately the dog was only given small doses of Baby Tylenol, therefore the main disadvantage for the dog was the delay of diagnosis and correct treatment. If the dog would have received a higher dose of Tylenol it could have been toxic or even deadly because its metabolism ( = mechanisms for breaking down and removing the drug from the body) differs from humans. Symptoms begin within hours of ingestion. They include depression (progressive), vomiting, abdominal pain, dark-colored urine and serum, and death. If you suspect that your dog ate Tylenol (or any other kind of medication) please call us IMMEDIATELY. Dog breeds and characteristics Working Group Dogs of the Working Group were bred to perform such jobs as guarding property, pulling sleds and performing water rescues. They have been invaluable assets to man throughout the ages. The Doberman Pinscher, Siberian Husky and Great Dane are included in this Group, to name just a few. Quick to learn, these intelligent, capable animals make solid companions. Their considerable dimensions and strength alone, however, make many working dogs unsuitable as pets for average families. By virtue of their size alone, these dogs must be properly trained. Akita Alaskan Malamute Anatolian Shepherd Dog Bernese Mountain Dog Black Russian Terrier Boxer Bullmastiff Cane Corso Doberman Pinscher Dogue de Bordeaux German Pinscher Giant Schnauzer Great Dane Great Pyrenees Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Komondor Kuvasz Leonberger Mastiff Neapolitan Mastiff Newfoundland Portuguese Water Dog Rottweiler Saint Bernard Samoyed Siberian Husky Standard Schnauzer Tibetan Mastiff Herding Group The Herding Group, created in 1983, is the newest AKC classification; its members were formerly members of the Working Group. All breeds share the fabulous ability to control the movement of other animals. A remarkable example is the low-set Corgi, perhaps one foot tall at the shoulders, that can drive a herd of cows many times its size to pasture by leaping and nipping at their heels.

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