Topical Therapy

 Hey everyone, welcome to Product360. We want to thank our friends from Nextmune, because we're gonna be chatting all things topicals and ear related with the one and only board-certified veterinary dermatologist Doctor Valerie Fadok. Morning, my friend. Thanks for being here. 

 This is a lot of fun, so you're gonna learn a lot today. So a little bit of information about wonderful colleague. Dr. Fadok is a graduate of Washington State University and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She's worked in multiple academic settings as a clinician and researcher, as well as in private specialty practice. She recently retired from Zoetis as a field specialist and now provides case consultations for Zoetis diagnostics, the Veterinary Information Network, and Nextmune. And ohh me. Yes, I'm Adam Christman, chief veterinary officer here at DVM360. And we're gonna be chatting about some of the things that can actually be a struggle sometimes for pet owners. So let's talk about bathing for a moment, because I just know as a general practitioner we talk about spectrum of care a lot. And we say gosh, you able to do it? It could be challenging, right? 

: Absolutely, absolutely. And in this day and age, when we are dealing with resistant bugs, topical therapy becomes more important than ever.

 And sometimes I feel like I don't know if you agree with me out there, but we sometimes forget as general practitioners to say, oh, shoot forgot about the topicals, right? It's a huge thing. But look at this wonderful portfolio that's out there and you know, frequency of bathing is equally important depending on the type of infection that might be present. And I tend to recommend, correct me if I'm wrong, but if we can get at least eight minutes of contact time, I figured that would be a home run. What are your thoughts on that?

: I think that's perfect, and it is so important that the materials in our products have time to sit on the skin and contact those pathogens. So, eight minutes is good. It's hard to do that, but it's a good time.

 And sometimes you'll see things as like three times a week, which may not be very easy to accomplish, but that's why we're chatting about certain things that we have here as well as the mousses and shampoos and otics. So OK, let's get into it. We have a lot to cover. So let's go into the first one that we have here. This is the BioHex shampoo. Tell me a little bit more about this. 

: So, dermatologists and general practitioners have loved this shampoo, and I'm so glad it's back. This is the flagship of the VetBioTek line and it is ideal for infections. It contains chlorhexidine and miconazole. So, we can kill bacteria and yeast. And actually those two synergize together so they help to kill both organisms, but the real magic in this line comes from the microsilver. This is the only veterinary topical line that contains microsilver and microsilver is a wonderful antimicrobial agent. It's also a biofilm buster. So you think about those Westies with the real greasy exudate on their skin, that's biofilm. And these products will help bust through it.

 Oh yes. Excellent. And there's also ceramide 3. 

: Yes. One of the things we know about dogs that have any kind of inflammation in their skin is that that skin barrier is broken and the skin barrier is the very surface of the skin. It's meant to keep out allergens. It's meant to keep out microbes, and it gets broken down, particularly in allergic dogs. But you know, whenever a dog gets an infection, that barrier is disrupted. Ceramide 3 is one of the many ceramides that's in normal skin actually, and by applying it to the skin, we can repair that barrier. And so to me, the magic of using these topicals is that we can prevent the infection from coming back in the long term.

 Yeah. Yeah, it is the goal. And now in general, does this affect the microbiome at all then when we're chatting about this?

: That's a great question and we all know that our lives are run by our little microbial friends. So there have been studies to show that microsilver is really good at killing pathogens. But it tends to leave that resident microbiome alone, and so that allows them to emerge and do their job.

 OK, so in this section here we have—I love a good mousse, by the way—so I'm sure some of you just love giving this out to your patients. So talk to me about using mousses. 

 I think a lot of dermatologists really love mousses. It allows us to provide the medicated product on the skin without necessarily having to bathe the dog. My favorite use of mousses is actually for cats because cats don't like baths. But you can massage this mousse into their skin and they think it's a spot treatment. I like the whole-body bath. I think that's really important, but a moose can be used in between on trouble spots. So, let's say feet that are infected with yeast or bacteria or facial folds. I used to put this in my Frenchies’ folds all the time.

 And a big misconception I know that a lot of pet owners say is I need to use a lot of shampoo, and a dollop will do it. Just a little bit in the palm of your hand goes a long way.

 Yes, absolutely. You know, I wanted to say a couple more things about the microsilver, too. People worry sometimes about silver penetrating the body. This is a very large particle and it's porous, so it's got a huge surface area and that allows the silver to be generated slowly over time. It reduces the need for those super frequent bathings. So maybe a bath once a week will do the job of a product that doesn't have microsilver where they would need three times a week. The mousse can be used in between. You have the wipes there. Every bully breed should be born with a bucket of wipes. You know, it'll prevent those dogs from getting pain in their facial folds. It'll clear out the infection, and the ceramides will help to repair the barrier in that fold. And so, it's really exciting. 

 Right. Yeah. Excellent. I love that. OK, let's kind of travel down over here if you will. We have the BioSeb shampoo. 

 The BioSeb shampoo also has microsilver. It has about half the percentage that our cadillac shampoo has, but this would be for those dogs with seborrhea. Maybe they don't have active infection. It contains ethyl lactate and salicylic acid. We know that those are really good to help normalize the skin turnover. It has the microsilver to help inhibit infection from developing and it has the ceramide 3 to repair the barrier. So maybe your greasy Cocker spaniels, they might not be infected, but they would really benefit and dry scaly dogs too. 

 That's a good thing, because you hear that a lot from pet owners. And again, we have also the mousse that's available. And then we also have it in two different sizes. I always have to recommend shake well before you use. Over here we have the aloe oatmeal shampoo. Oh, this is a good one. 

 Yes, this is a good one. So, this product does not contain the microsilver. This would be a great product for those pets that might have sensitive skin, you know, sometimes get a little irritated. It'll make the skin and the coat look really well, and it has the ceramides in it. 

 OK, again a big thing out there for pet owners to understand is use the medicated shampoo first and then follow through with the oatmeal. And over here we have BioCalm.

 This product is well beloved by a lot of dermatologists. It is meant to soothe irritated skin, so this is great for dogs with atopic dermatitis when they're just kind of hot and red and itchy, but they're not infected. It's got pramoxine in it, which is a topical anesthetic, but it also has the microsilver and the ceramides. One of the things that that I used to do in my practice is treat active infections with the BioHex and then maybe follow up with BioCalm. Again, we were talking about frequency of bathing. I think once we clear active infection, people could consider an all over body bath, maybe even once a month and use the mousse or the spray in between if they need to. 

 That’s a great point because we have so many atopic dogs that are out there and they have these flare ups and this could be on the weekend, maybe they run out of potential medications that they might need to settle down the itch. But you have something like this on board and it really helps calm them down, right?

 Yes, in fact, I always like my clients who have dogs that get hotspots to have the spray, especially at home. If they start to see the dog chew at a particular place, you know a hot spot is coming. If they wait until the office is open to get in, it's going to be bad. If they could start spraying that right as soon as they see the dogs start to chew, we can inhibit the development of those hotspots, so I used to love using that for that reason. 

 Oh, nice. This has 2.4%. lidocaine in there. A fun fact for these sprays as some dogs just do not like to have a spray on them, so I'll tell pet owners to either use like a napkin or paper towel to spray first and then apply.

 Yeah, I like that, especially around their face and feet. Having a spray is not popular. 

 So, we're going to travel over here and we now have the HexaDerm Max shampoo. 

 So this product, it contains again half the percentage of silver as the BioHex, but a lot of people like a 4% chlorhexidine shampoo. It’s effective against pyoderma. That percentage of chlorhexidine will actually kill malassezia yeast too. For folks who like, you know, just a bit higher, it's a great product. 

 It's nice that you get more bang for your buck with the chlorhexidine percentage in there, and then it comes in two different sizes for the shampoos. And then we have a spray. So, we covered a lot of the topicals which are so important, but we can't forget about the ears, and we have a boatload of great products over here. So, let's get into it. We got VetOtic.

 VetOtic is a product that is acidifying. And so, for those dogs, let's say, who get recurrent yeast infections in their ears, they can use this flush and inhibit the regrowth of the yeast. It lowers the pH and that can be effective against the yeast. 

 It has salicylic acid and lactic acid over in there too. We’ll have some pet owners that will get some things that they just should not be putting in the ears, but they don't realize how costly that could be to the ear canal itself.

 Yes, one of my favorite labrador patients, his owner, unbeknownst to me, was cleaning his ears with straight up alcohol, which is so painful. He was trying to do the right thing. So, it's a matter of having products that you can recommend that are safe and effective. 

 And you know what I love about ear cleaners? A little bit goes a long way. This lasts so long. Even for your clinic or hospital. You got two different sizes that I see here and then we have this one here which is milytic otic. 

 It is meant to help dewax ears. I think this could be a great Cocker Spaniel ear cleaner. We were talking about how hard it is to spray. Sometimes when you come at your patient or pet with a bottle of flush, they run. So, something that makes it easy is put it on a cotton ball and put that cotton ball in the outer ear canal and just gently massage. It gets the liquid down there and then they can shake, and they don't feel that fleshy sensation.

 Right. Yeah, that's true. They do see the nozzle and go running away. Okay, we also have BioTris. Good one. What's in this one? 

 We know Tris EDTA is an excellent key layer and it helps other products when they contain an antibiotic work better. And so, this does have miconazole in it. This might be something if you can't keep the yeast under control with the acidifying wash, people could consider using this as a maintenance therapy maybe twice a week. 

 Yeah. Excellent. These are great ear products here. I was looking at the ingredients. I don't see any microsilver in there, right? 

: No microsilver yet, but it's possible to be in in the future. You know, whenever you compound liquid things or shampoos, you have to look at how all the chemicals play with each other. In the future, that's going to be huge.

 Wow, that will be huge. So microsilver does play a huge role in the skin barrier it sounds like?

 Well, the nice thing about microsilver is when it is in a product like this, it sticks to the skin and coat. And it is able to release silver ions overtime. So silver ions have been detected on the skin for up to four days after one application. And that's very different from our other ingredients, which we tend to rinse off. So, the safety profile is excellent because the particles are so large. They're 10 microns and so nothing gets absorbed into the skin and avoids some of the toxicity problems that colloidal silver and nanosilver have had in the past.

 I understand microsilver can kill pathogens in three ways. Right?

 This is why it's going to be extraordinarily difficult for these microbes to become resistant. First, it's going to disrupt the cell wall. And when we disrupt the cell wall, the bacteria kind of blows up, but it also affects the DNA in a way that prevents the bacteria from being able to replicate. It also has some inhibitory effects on some of the intracellular enzymes. So, it's kind of this mega potent but incredibly safe way to kill microbes. 

 In veterinary medicine, like many of you out there, we want to match the bug to the drug and use our antimicrobial stewardship. And this is an excellent way of doing so. 

 Yes. I think so. You know, I don't have a published data on this, but I was always impressed in practice. Particularly with the resistant bugs, we often have to choose toxic antibiotics, and I could get away with a shorter course of antibiotics if people could commit to bathing. And, you know mousses and sprays, whatever can get the job done for them. 

 Yeah. I also understand with microsilver too, it's been shown effective against resistant pathogens for MERSA.

 Yes, MERSA, the veterinary methicillin resistant staph, malassezia, pseudomonas. So, you know when microsilver goes into ear products, it's going to be awesome and a whole slew of human pathogens, many of which cause death in people because of their resistance. 

 Wow, excellent information here my friend. So hopefully we learned quite a bit about this fantastic portfolio that's here courtesy of Nextmune. And Dr. Valerie Fadok, thank you so much for being here too.

 Thank you for the great work you do in our profession. Thank you for joining us on Product360 and we'll see you next time right here DVM360. Take care everybody. 

Articles

Creating an awareness around antimicrobial stewardship with products from VetBiotek. 

The latest in topical therapy

Feline lower urinary tract disease, also known as feline interstitial or idiopathic cystitis (FIC), is more than just a primary bladder disease, according to a lecture presented at the Fetch Kansas City in Kansas City, Missouri.

 Now referred to as Pandora syndrome, the term encompasses felines that are experiencing chronic lower urinary tract disease symptoms, but do not have urinary tract infections, crystalluria, or uroliths. Pandora syndrome is a systemic disease that includes cats that have recurring clinical episodes along with other underlying health problems. 

In her lecture, Lisa Restine, DVM, DABVP (feline), associate feline professional veterinary affairs manager at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, talked about the link between stress and Pandora syndrome in cats.

“We still use [the term] FIC today to talk about this [condition], but what we're kind of trying to lean more into is Pandora syndrome, and this is the most recent term that has been coined…. The goal behind this name change is to recognize that this is not a primary bladder disease. This is a systemic disease that affects the bladder, but there's other things that are occurring as well that are linked. And we want to think about that big picture instead of just thinking about this as a bladder problem,” explained Restine in her lecture.

 “Hopefully that will help guide our treatment,” she added.

Stressors are events that occur internal and external to the body that activate the central threat response system (CTRS), also known as the central stress response system (CSRS). According to Restine, Pandora syndrome arises from continuous stress, and therefore constant activation of the CTRS. As a result, the CTRS becomes hypersensitized, which triggers changes in the endocrine, autonomic nervous, and immune systems. This leads to the development of disease in one or more organ systems, or Pandora syndrome.

In felines with chronic stress, the hypothalamic-pituary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is responsible for the stress response, can become dysfunctional. “Persistent stress will lead to the hypersensitization of [the CTRS], and what [researchers] found in these cats is [that] there's actually a change within their brain on how they process stress,” explained Restine.

Stress can be categorized into various types, including acute stress, which is brief and temporary; and chronic stress, which persists over a longer period. Additionally, stress can be positive, arising from enjoyable experiences; or negative, which causes negative emotions.

During her session, Restine informed attendees of some signs of stress. “What happens with cats if they're having a lot of mental health issues [due to] stress, it's hard to quantify, but these cats might be scratching a lot, they are more aggressive, both at home or in a veterinary clinic, or they're experiencing self-mutilation, overgrooming, barbering, or they're inappropriately eating—either over or under eating,” she said. “Those [behaviors lead] to physical problems because of that kind of stress.”

Other cats may exhibit social-related responses, like hiding, freezing, fidgeting, or fleeing, according to Restine. Additionally, chronic bacterial infections or flare ups can be indicators of stress, as well urinating outside the box and chronic sneezing.

“Our signs are pretty self-explanatory. They are the lower urinary tract signs that we see, but the key, the key is that they last…This is not just something [where the] cat is going to have urinary issues all the time. And a lot of times, what happens is [the cat] may have an FIC flare up, [urinate] outside of the box for a few days, and be fine for 3 or 4 months. And [then the cat will] do the same thing [again], and that owner might not even get to your clinic because they don't even think it's a problem,” explained Restine.

“So that's something you want to ask [the client] about and make sure that you're paying attention to. You want to look for these comorbidities. Look for vomiting. Look for hairballs. Look for alopecia. Is this cat this licking its belly a lot…? Is it a chronic sneezer…? And…do the signs go away if they change the environment?” Restine continued.

Although a cat’s environment may contribute to or be the cause of its stress, some cats are predisposed to systemic changes before birth. Restine explained that research on cats and humans shows that significant stress experienced by a mother during pregnancy can impact fetal development. In essence, chronic or extreme stress before birth or in early life can lead to changes that can also make cats more susceptible to Pandora syndrome later on.

Pandora syndrome is a diagnosis of exclusion, according to Restine. Diagnosing this condition requires ruling out other causes of urinary issues. In her session, Restine explained that the diagnosis procedure involves imaging of blood and urine analysis for patients with bladder issues. Moreover, ultrasounds and x-rays can be conducted. Restine also emphasized doing a manual sediment to ensure visibility of potential crystals under the microscope. Blood work may also be carried out.

It is also important to gather complete background information about the cat. This includes factors like the cat’s pre-adoption history and medical history, habits, routine, eating patterns, and more.

“This is a self-limiting disease,” said Restine of Pandora’s syndrome. As such, treating felines with Pandora syndrome primarily consists of controlling pain and decreasing recurrence.

Restine cautioned against the use of antibiotics, explaining that an overuse of these medications could hurt the cat’s microbiome and create side effects. “What you have to remember is every pill, when you are giving [it to] a cat, is a stressful event. And now you're saying, ‘here are 3 medications to give this cat’—you are now creating stressful events at home for 3 to 5 days,” emphasized Restine.

To manage the disease, Restine explained that increasing moisture intake is the “proven management.” However, it “is not just about adding more water sources,” Restine said. “A canned diet is key, and making sure that they have a lot of access to water as well, but adding extra water to that food is helpful too.”

“Another interesting thing about cats, about that moisture content, is that [what] cats…actually like more…is the novelty of having a new water source, so it's actually more beneficial to move the same water sources around the house and keep them new and exciting, to increase the amount that they're drinking,” Restine explained.

The last key component of Pandora syndrome management is providing a stress-reducing environment. This includes reducing stress at hospitals where a cat might be spending time. This can be done by providing the cat with blankets with bedding from their home and places to hide or sit on top of, as well as maintaining a routine.

Restine L. Opening pandora’s box: Feline idiopathic cystitis – it’s more than just the bladder. Presented at: Fetch dvm360 Conference; August 23-25, 2024; Kansas City, MO.

A lecture at the Fetch dvm360 Conference in Kansas City explained how stress can cause feline interstitial cystitis and explored its diagnosis and management

How stress can cause Pandora syndrome in cats

CyberKnife at the BluePearl Veterinary CyberKnife Cancer Center

Blue Pearl veterinary hospital in Malvern, Pennsylvania, has become the only veterinary clinic in the world to use the CyberKnife, a state-of-the-art equipment that provides treatment and care to patients with cancer. According to an organizational release,

 CyberKnife is a noninvasive treatment for tumors that are cancerous or noncancerous as well as other conditions that utilize radiation therapy.

The CyberKnife is currently the only radiation delivery system that features a linear accelerator directly mounted on a robot to deliver patients high-energy x-rays or photons used for radiation therapy. The technology works by the robot moving and bending around the patient to deliver a radiation dose from possibly thousands of different beam angles.

 Through this process, it provides real-time imaging guidance to expand the positions available to concentrate radiation to the tumor and minimize the dose to healthy tissue surrounding it.

“What we're able to do is visualize a tumor and then deliver anywhere from 1 to 5 treatments of CyberKnife radiation therapy, where we're able to concentrate the dose of radiation within the tumor, and very little radiation is received by the outside, healthy surrounding structures,” Siobhan Haney, VMD, MS, DACVR (RO), MBA, radiation oncologist, BluePearl Malvern, explained in an exclusive interview with

“So this really works out favorably in so many ways because it means less toxicity for our patients, [and] fewer radiation side effect. In fact, in some cases, there are even no radiation side effects, fewer times under anesthesia, and we're really able to accomplish historically what we would do over a 4-week period with anywhere from 16 to 20 treatments of radiation. Now, we can consolidate that down and do it in less than 1 week,” she continued.

The CyberKnife Cancer Center, located next to the BluePearl Malvern main hospital, is a dedicated facilities that provides treatment for patients with cancer. Through the CyberKnife, patients receive pain-free and nonsurgical option the team can give to patients with cancerous, noncancerous, inoperable, and surgically complex tumors with no recovery time needed.

“If your pet is diagnosed with cancer, it can be an incredibly traumatic time, full of uncertainty and fear” Richard Stone, DVM, chief medical officer at BluePearl, said in the release.

 “Our team in Malvern is providing the highest quality of care to pets that are diagnosed with cancer, with our Veterinary CyberKnife Cancer Center using industry leading treatments that are designed to improve the lives of pets that are diagnosed. The fact that we are home to the world’s only CyberKnife that is solely used in veterinary medicine speaks to the highest level of care that we can provide to pets when they need us most.”

In 2021, because there is somewhat limited data about the efficacy and prognostic factors that influence the outcomes of canine patients with intracranial neoplasia treated with CyberKnife, investigators set out to determine the prognosis and associated factors for canine patients that were imaged, determined to have primary intracranial tumors, and then treated with CyberKnife radiotherapy.

The investigators reviewed medical records of cases from January 2010 to June 2016 and extracted medical data including signalment, weight, seizure history, tumor location and type, gross tumor volume, planned tumor volume, treatment date, radiation dose, recurrence, date of death, and cause of death of 59 dogs, according to the study.3 The study found that the progression‐free interval (PFI) for canines with intracranial tumors treated with CyberKnife was 347 days, and the median survival time (MST) was 738 days. Tumor location was significantly associated with PFI when comparing cerebrum (median PFI 357 days; range 47‐1529 days) versus cerebellum (median PFI 97 days; range 97‐168 days) versus brainstem (median PFI 266 days; range 30‐1484 days), P = .03. Additionally, the presumed tumor type was significantly associated with MST (P < .001).

The researchers also noted that only 1 adverse effect was reported but the protocols of CyberKnife have demonstrated to have improved adverse effects when compared to fractionated radiation protocols, with their findings lower than anticipated. Researchers believe that this finding may because of lack of follow up data rather than a truly lower risk of adverse effects. The investigators also disclosed that the study had limitations because of the retrospective nature of the study but concluded that the use of CyberKnife and Stereotactic radiotherapy might improve MST compared to radiation therapy.

Although this is a new product in the veterinary space, research has been done on its efficacy on the human side of medicine. In a study evaluating the safety and efficacy of the CyberKnife for meningiomas, on February 21, 2024, researchers conducted a comprehensive investigation across PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Sciences, Google Scholar, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature to gain access to relevant literature discussing the use of CyberKnife radiosurgery for meningioma treatment within the last 20 years. The investigators noted that their search strategy was to include terms related to meningioma and CyberKnife without combining them with other treatments, focusing on tumor control rate, survival rate, symptom relief, quality of life, and adverse events.

From the 21 studies the researchers utilized, they found that this treatment modality is a significant advancement, especially for those contraindicated from surgery or have tumors in an anatomically challenging position. Investigators also found that the CyberKnife is playing an integral role in the management of meningiomas, is safe, successful, and has a positive impact on the patients outcome.

“If somebody had told me 15 years ago that I would be treating [patients with] a CyberKnife today, I probably would have laughed at them and said, ‘no way we're going to be able to get that in veterinary medicine.’ But here we are today, and we're super proud of being the only site [using it] and just able to really offer very comprehensive care,” Haney conclued.

“It's not just the CyberKnife that we have available here. We've got a traditional, standard linear accelerator. We also have a very comprehensive oncology group, because radiation can't be taken just simply by itself. We've got to work as a team,” Haney added.

that Blue Pearl Malvern staff can continue their work thanks to partnerships with referral veterinarians, because they rely on them heavily for care after CyberKnife treatment. Any interested veterinarians can learn more about the CyberKnife and referral information on the BluePearl Veterinary CyberKnife Cancer Center 

The World’s Only Veterinary CyberKnife is Used at BluePearl Malvern. News release. BluePearl Pet Hospital. September 4, 2024. Accessed September 4, 2024.

How it Works. CyberKnife. Published 2020. Accessed September 4, 2024. 

https://cyberknife.com/cyberknife-how-it-works/

Carter GL, Ogilvie GK, Mohammadian LA, Bergman PJ, Lee RP, Proulx DR. CyberKnife stereotactic radiotherapy for treatment of primary intracranial tumors in dogs. 

. 2021;35(3):1480-1486. doi:10.1111/jvim.16086

Bin Sumaida A, Shanbhag NM, Balaraj K. Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of CyberKnife for Meningiomas: A Systematic Review. 

. 2024;16(3):e56848. Published 2024 Mar 24. doi:10.7759/cureus.56848

A BluePearl hospital in Malvern, Pennsylvania, is the first veterinary hospital to utilize this technology 

CyberKnife makes its veterinary medicine debut 

Photo: Abbie Lankitus/University of Missouri

University of Missouri (MU) researchers have created the first vaccine proven to protect cattle from bovine anaplasmosis.

 The vaccine was the product of a study led by Roman Ganta, a McKee endowed professor in UM’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and Bond Life Sciences Center researcher. In the study, researchers genetically modified the pathogen that causes bovine anaplasmosis, 

. Deleting a specific gene, then injecting the modified pathogen into the cattle, left the vaccinated cattle immunized against the disease.

“I often receive calls from cattle producers who are excited about our research and want to know how soon they can get the vaccine,” Ganta said in a news release.

 “There is currently no effective, widely available vaccine for the disease, and cattle farmers are very worried about the disease harming or killing their cattle. We want to help farmers in Missouri and around the world and are working hard to come up with a viable solution.”

Bovine anaplasmosis infects the red blood cells of cattle and is typically transmitted by tick vectors.

 Once infected, cattle typically remain carriers for the rest of their lives. The most common clinical signs of cattle infected with the disease are anemia and jaundice, with additional signs potentially including rapidly decreased milk production and/or weight.

 The clinical disease can only be confirmed by identifying the organism, and identification of infected cattle is dependent on the detection of specific antibodies through serological tests, or rickettsial DNA, through molecular amplification techniques.

Valued at $1.6 billion, the cattle industry is crucial to Missouri’s economy. Bovine anaplasmosis causes millions of dollars in economic losses across the United States each year, and almost $1 billion in losses worldwide.

 These losses can be attributed to reduced cattle production, treatment costs, and deaths caused by the disease.

“Missouri is a hotbed for tick-borne diseases, and bovine anaplasmosis causes massive economic losses both here in Missouri and around the world,” Ganta said.

 “[MU] has already made substantial contributions to protecting cattle against ticks. For example, many farmers currently give their cattle an antibiotic called chlortetracycline, which was first discovered at [MU]’s Sanborn Field in 1945. While effective, that medicine doesn’t fully eliminate the infection, so this new vaccine is an innovative step forward to fully eliminate the infection.”

According to Ganta, the new vaccine has been proven to protect immunized cattle against bovine anaplasmosis for at least 1 month.

 Ganta and his team of researchers are excited to conduct further research to confirm the true duration of the immunity provided by the vaccine. The vaccine has already been patented, and Ganta is currently working with industry partners on plans to distribute the vaccine to cattle producers.

New vaccine created by Mizzou researchers protects cattle from deadly tick-borne disease. News release. The University of Missouri. August 28, 2024. Accessed September 3, 2024. 

https://showme.missouri.edu/2024/new-vaccine-created-by-mizzou-researchers-protects-cattle-from-deadly-tick-borne-disease/

Bovine anaplasmosis. Woah. Accessed September 3, 2024. 

https://www.woah.org/en/disease/bovine-anaplasmosis/

The preventive therapy is the first-ever proven against bovine anaplasmosis, which costs the global cattle industry $1 billion, annually.

New vaccine protects cattle from a common tick-borne disease

Boehringer Ingelheim, a biopharmaceutical company involved in both human and animal health, has acquired Saiba Animal Health (SAH), a company that develops therapeutic vaccines, targeting unmet needs in veterinary medicine.

In the purchase, Boehringer Ingelheim adds SAH’s novel technology platform, which uses a therapeutic vaccine approach to induce an immune response, targeting chronic diseases in companion animals like allergies, inflammation, and pain, to its’ portfolio.

SAH’s therapeutic vaccines contain virus-like particles that stimulate an animal’s immune system and produce neutralizing antibodies against the animal’s disease-causing proteins. Results of the approach include a longer duration of action and better treatment outcomes, while making things easier for pet owners, increasing both convenience and adherence.

As the life expectancy of pets increases, there has never been a greater need to manage their chronic diseases. An article by 

 estimates that the life expectancy of dogs has doubled in the past 4 decades, and domestic felines now live twice as long as cats in the wild.

Similarly, US households with senior dogs (age 7 years or older) increased from 41.6% in 2012 to 52.5% in 2022, and households with senior cats increased from 46.1% in 2012 to 51.7% in 2022.

 These feats are widely attributed to advancements in veterinary care and better diets for companion animals.

“Our pets live longer which creates different needs for their medical care, and often without good existing treatment options,” Eric Haaksma, PhD, head of global innovation at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, said in a news release.

“As a research-driven company, we are very excited about the potential of [SAH]’s groundbreaking technology platform, which could result in a more specific and longer-lasting therapeutic response to chronic diseases in companion animals than current approaches.”

The acquisition follows several past collaborations between the 2 companies, working towards their shared goal of improving chronic disease management in companion animals. Those developmental and licensing collaborations have advanced multiple species-specific product candidates thorough SAH’s technology platform.

“We are thrilled that our long-term partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim has evolved to this agreement,” Gary T. Jennings, PhD, CEO of SAH, said in the release.

“Joining forces will pave the way for a whole new class of therapeutic medicines for pets, with a true impact on the lives of animals and their owners.”

SAH was founded in 2013 as a spin-off company from the University of Zürich in Switzerland.

 In the years since, the company has developed and utilized their patented vaccine platform to improve companion animal’s quality of life. Now, acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim, SAH will contribute their therapeutics to the company’s research and development portfolio.

Boehringer Ingelheim acquires Saiba Animal Health, adding innovative technology platform to its pet therapeutics R&D portfolio. News release. Boehringer Ingelheim. September 3, 2024. Accessed September 3, 2024. https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/animal-health/boehringer-ingelheim-acquires-saiba-animal-health-adding-innovative-technology

Grimm D. Feature: A dog that lives 300 years? Solving the mysteries of aging in our pets. American Association for the Advancement of Science. December 3, 2015. Accessed September 3, 2024. https://www.science.org/content/article/feature-dog-lives-300-years-solving-mysteries-aging-our-pets

Zilien C., Pidlubnyy O. Pet longevity: lengthening the life span of our furry companions. Allianz Global Investors. March 10, 2023. Accessed September 3, 2024. https://www.allianzgi.com/en/insights/outlook-and-commentary/pet-longevity

Saiba Animal Health. Saiba Animal Health AG. Accessed September 3, 2024. https://www.saiba-animalhealth.com/

The acquisition of Saiba Animal Health is expected to contribute to BI’s animal health research and development pipeline

Boehringer Ingelheim acquires innovative pet therapeutics company

With intravenous (IV) fluid therapy being an integral part of veterinary medicine, veterinarians across Australia are being impacted by a critical shortage of intravenous fluid supplies – an issue which is also affecting the human health system.

“Manufacturing issues, increased demand and supply chain disruptions have meant human and veterinary hospitals around the country have been forced to ration IV fluid supplies and some veterinary clinics have postponed elective procedures,” said Sally Colgan, BVSc, DipVetClinStud, Diplomate ACVS, MAICD, president of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA), exclusively to 

“We now understand this supply disruption seems to have disproportionately affected the Australian market. [Veterinarian’s] access and use the same types of fluids and many of the same manufacturers as human medicine. As [veterinary] practices are much smaller than human hospitals, their budget and capacity to maintain large stocks of IV fluids is limited.”

Sally Colgan, BVSc, DipVetClinStud, Diplomate ACVS, MAICD, president of the Australian Veterinary Association (Image courtesy of the Australian Veterinary Association) 

Veterinary clinics have been impacted to varying degrees across the country. Colgan said the AVA understands that the supply situation is patchy and while some practices have been able to implement measures to manage supplies, others are at critically low levels.

Since June, the AVA has been working with manufacturers, suppliers, regulators such as the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, the respective state and territory veterinary boards, and regulatory professionals to source and share information and advocate for the supply of IV fluids for the veterinary profession.

“In late August, we met with a range of Australian Government Ministers and Shadow Ministers at Parliament House in Canberra, stressing the impact of the supply crisis on the veterinary profession and advocating for better supply chain management and increased transparency on supply issues,” explained Colgan.

“We have connected with our Australian Medical Association counterparts and conducted numerous media interviews on the issue. We continue to provide weekly information and guidance to vets, including sharing Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists 

, algorithms to help inform optimum fluid use, and 

 is accessible to all veterinarians, ensuring the profession is kept up to date with any developments on this critically important matter,” she continued.

After their meeting with the Federal Health Minister Mark Butler's office, the AVA has now been included in the National IV Fluids Working (Response) Group. The Minister's office has also recently announced an extra 22 million IV fluid bags have been secured over the next 6 months.

Funding boost for Veterinary and Community Care charity

The Perth-based Veterinary and Community Care (VaCC) charity has received a AUD $50,000 Animal Welfare Grant from the Western Australian Government, to help support the groups community centered veterinary practice for animal custodians experiencing vulnerabilities, which works to improve the health and wellbeing of animals and all who care for them.

Paul Davey, OAM, BSc, BVMS, one of the founding directors of VaCC, explained to 

 that the Animal Welfare Grant will be a critical part of the charity’s planning and resource management, and will support the Perth Street Vets operation and the Directed Care Program for the next year and a half.

“We are very grateful for the support that the Animal Welfare Grant offers, and we feel it validates our work, and is acknowledgment of the need. The most critical part of VaCC’s strategic planning is to create Australia’s first collaborative training program for Veterinary Social Workers,” said Davey.

The Perth Street Vet work (Image courtesy of Veterinary and Community Care)

“We strongly believe that veterinary social workers are the most important part of any program that supports the veterinary needs of the animals in the care of people experiencing vulnerability, such as the people at risk of homelessness whose animals are cared for by the Perth Street Vet team.” 

Davey said that the fundamental role that veterinary social workers provide is to assist with the personal challenges of people who are experiencing vulnerabilities, which then enables the veterinary teams to focus on the animal problems.

“This will ultimately make veterinary teams more sustainable, functional and resilient, particularly when managing the more stressful aspects of their work. Once we have veterinary social workers on the ground, our plan is to expand these support activities beyond the limited services of the Perth Street Vet team, and create support hubs all over Western Australia,” explained Davey.

“Unfortunately, we will need substantially more funding than what the Animal Welfare grants can offer once we have the veterinary social workers in place, and so we see this is as small win on the way towards more challenging battles. We feel we have the people, culture and systems in place ready for those conversations, and welcome anyone who would like to help to contact us through our website.”

Wendy Till, another VaCC director, is Australia’s only formally qualified veterinary social worker and will be working with Murdoch University and the University of Tennessee to collaboratively deliver the veterinary social worker training, along with an extensive queue of qualified and experienced social workers keen to up-skill themselves.

“An advanced society can be measured by the way they care for their less fortunate people and the animals in their care. VaCC are focussed on enhancing the human animal bond that exists between people experiencing vulnerability and the animals that are their companions. With our natural resources, affluent circumstances, peaceful international relationships and high class education, health care and governance - Western Australia should be showing the world how to navigate this challenging space,” explained Davey.

“VaCC gives government a ready-to-go pilot program to explore this further, and genuinely change lives with a relatively small outlay. The environment has never been better to get behind this concept, with the Federal Animal Justice Party working towards a Medicare equivalent for animal owners, the WA Labor Party working hard on Animal Welfare reform, and the current economic pressures in Australia leading to high rates of neglect and dumping of animals as a result of escalating costs of veterinary care, and shrinking household disposable income.”

Perth Street Vets run a monthly clinic in inner city Perth and Davey said the Animal Welfare Grant will secure the immediate future of that program.

“The pet owners in danger of homelessness that can access that service will be very grateful to the state government for this, and will be greatly relieved that the wellbeing of what is often the most important thing in their lives, will continue to receive excellent medical care,” said Davey.

“However, we are laser focussed on the bigger picture and want to take every opportunity to demonstrate that this is a small part of a much larger jigsaw that we are determined to complete. We are optimistic that the state government is aware of the importance of this work and is in the process of securing additional support, but until we have a comprehensive program that covers all Western Australian animal caregivers that might be experiencing vulnerabilities such as homelessness, we will continue to raise awareness, demonstrate the need, and be receptive to any offers of assistance,” Davey concluded.

First veterinary practice in Australia achieves Fear Free Veterinary Practice Certification

The veterinary team at Avoca Drive Animal Hospital (Image courtesy of Fear Free, LLC) 

Avoca Drive Animal Hospital in Erina, New South Wales, has become 

the first veterinary practice in Australia to achieve Fear Free Veterinary Practice Certification

"Having drilled down to what drove us to become veterinarians in the first place—seeing pets healthy and happy—it seemed clear that there was a significant component missing in our veterinary curriculum: animal emotional wellbeing," said Elizabeth O'Connor BVSc, FFCP-V, the owner of Avoca Drive Animal Hospital, in a statement.

"Achieving this milestone of being Australia's first fully Fear Free Certified Veterinary Practice means the world to us. It strengthens our bond as a team, connects us to our mission, and aligns us with clients who deeply care about their pets' emotional wellbeing."

The entire team at Avoca Drive Animal Hospital became Fear Free Certified individually while the practice worked to incorporate all 36 mandatory Fear Free standards into their workflows and patient care.

The process to become Fear Free Certified then involved an assessment of the practice’s facilities, protocols, and team dynamics to ensure a comprehensive and consistent Fear Free experience for all patients.

"The certification of Avoca Drive Animal Hospital is a significant step forward for Fear Free and the veterinary community in Australia. By becoming the first Fear Free Certified Veterinary Practice in the country, Avoca Drive is enhancing patient care and inspiring other practices in the Oceania region to adopt Fear Free methods,” said Randy Valpy, CEO of Fear Free.

Avoca Drive Animal Hospital Becomes First Fear Free Certified Veterinary Practice in Australia. News release. Fear Free, LLC. August 20, 2024. Accessed September 3, 2024.

Updates on the intravenous fluid shortage impacting Australian veterinary practices, a welcome funding boost for the Veterinary and Community Care charity, and Australia’s first Fear Free Certified veterinary practice.