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	Kennel Cough
	Kennel cough most commonly affects dogs, but is occasionally reported in cats.  The disease is caused by infection with one or more infectious agents, which can be viral (parainfluenza, adenovirus), bacterial (bordatella bronchiseptica), or a combination.  In most cases the infection remains in the upper respiratory tract, causing a distinct ronchus, sometimes gagging cough.  Often the patient exhibits clear to yellow or green nasal discharge, and the lymph nodes of the neck are enlarged.  Most dogs presenting with kennel cough have a history of being in situations that predispose them to infection with the disease.   The causative organisms can be present in the expired air of an infected dog, much the same way that human "colds" are transmitted.  The airborne organisms will be carried in the air in microscopically tiny water vapor or dust particles.  The airborne organisms, if inhaled by a susceptible dog, can attach to the lining of the trachea and upper airway passages, find a warm, moist surface on which to reside and replicate, and eventually damage the cells they infect.    The reason this disease seems so common, and is even named "Kennel" cough, is that wherever there are numbers of dogs confined together in an enclosed environment such as a kennel, animal shelter, or indoor dog show, the disease is much more likely to be spread.  The same is true with the "colds" spread from human to human... they are much more likely to occur in a populated, enclosed environment such as an airplane, elevator, or  office.  All it takes for contagion to occur is a single source (infected dog), an enclosed environment, and susceptible individuals in close proximity to the source of the infection.  Infected dogs can spread the organisms for days to weeks even after seeming to have fully recovered!   Kennel cough is treated with a combination of rest and antibiotics.  Left untreated, kennel cough may resolve on its own, but also has the potential to result in pneumonia and even death.  In cases where there is secondary pneumonia, or if kennel cough infection is causing debilitating fever, hospitalization with IV fluids, nebulization, and fever reducers is necessary.   Many dogs, exposed to all sorts and numbers of other dogs, will never experience the effects of kennel cough, while otheres frequently come down with the disease  It is impossible to predict whether or not a dog  will become infected, however, kennel cough is known to be highly contagious Therefore, many owners prefer to take advantage of the current vaccines available that are quite effective in preventing the disease.  Usually these dog owners will have to board, show, field trial, or otherwise expose their dog to populations of other canines.  Since the chances of exposure and subsequent infection rise as the dog comes in close proximity with other dogs, the decision to vaccinate or not to vaccinate varies with each individual circumstance.  Generally, if your dog is not boarded or going to field trials or dog shows, you may not have a high level of need for vaccinating your dog against Kennel Cough.  If your dog happens to acquire Kennel Cough, it will then have some immunity to subsequent exposures.  The length of time these natural exposures and the vaccinations will produce protective immunity will vary greatly.  How often to vaccinate seems to have a subjective and elusive answer.  Always keep in mind that vaccinating with just the commercial Kennel Cough vaccine alone (contains only the Bordetella agent) may not be fully protective because of the other infectious agents that are involved with producing the disease.  Some of the other agents such as Parainfluenza and Adenovirus are part of the routine vaccinations generally given yearly to tri-yearly to dogs.  The intra-nasal Bordetella vaccine may produce immunity slightly faster than the injectible vaccine, and remains my vaccine of choice for kennel cough
	Information source: Above artical by Maybeck Animal Hospital of Melbourne., Fl,
	Helpful Links:  Natural Home Treatment  http://dogs.lovetoknow.com Tips For Treating Kennel Cough In Dogs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ioahrk-I8cE

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Why Little Dogs Are Little

Researchers have finally solved one of the great canine mysteries: Why are small dogs small?   As it turns out, small dogs all bear a tiny piece of regulatory DNA that shuts off the gene that produces a powerful growth factor.   The gene regulator was probably inherited from a miniature wolf about 15,000 years ago, although it has since disappeared from the wolf population, and has spread rapidly throughout the dog world by human intervention.   "All dogs under 20 pounds have this – all of them," said biologist K. Gordon Lark of the University of Utah, one of the authors of the paper published today in the journal Science. "That's extraordinary."   The discovery helps explains the great diversity in size among dog breeds, the greatest diversity among any mammalian species. It also may have implications for humans.   "By learning how genes control body size in dogs, we are apt to learn something about how skeletal size is genetically programmed in humans," said geneticist Elaine A. Ostrander of the National Human Genome Research Institute, who led the study.   Researchers seeking to solve the riddle of why some dogs are little focused on a gene called IGF-1, the blueprint for a protein called insulin-like growth factor, which not only plays a role in human growth but also is implicated in cancer and certain skeletal diseases.   Learning how it is controlled will have many applications in humans, said Jeff Sossamon of the American Kennel Club's Canine Health Foundation, who was not involved in the research.   "The canine model is perfect for human research, because we share 85 percent of our genetic makeup with dogs," he said. "And we share 300 common diseases."   The study was triggered by biologist K. Gordon Lark of the University of Utah.   Lark speculated that small dogs arose because "a small wolf couldn't survive in nature, but it could survive in company with humans," or because an early human "wanted to domesticate a wolf and they didn't want to adopt a big sucker."   They spread rapidly because people liked them.   "Tiny dogs are not particularly functional," Kevin Chase colleague, biologist said.   "They don't hunt with you. They don't protect your house. They don't pull carts.   "They're just small and sweet."

Information source: From an article written by Thomas H. Maugh II. For the Los Angeles Times. Found in the Friday, April 6th. 2007 issue of The Arizona Republic newspaper.

"Affectionately Yours" Max

maxpchurchill@maxhasthefacts.com

Mycroft's Column Mycroft © Bert E. Kavich Productions. All Rights Reserved. Deaths To Short - Snout Dogs On Airplanes Show A Trend     WASHINGTON – Owners of bulldogs and pugs, beware: Short-snouted breeds accounted for roughly half the purebred-dog deaths on airplanes in the past five years, government data released Friday July 16, 2010 show.   That comes as no surprise to the owner of the University of Georgia's mascot, Uga, who has a surgical procedure done on the dog to help him fly safely.   Overall, at least 122 dog deaths were reported since May 2005, when U.S. airlines were required to start disclosing them, the Transportation Department says. The dogs died while being shipped as cargo.   English bulldogs account for the single highest number of deaths among the 108 purebreds on the list: 25. Pugs were next, with 11 deaths, followed by golden and Labrador retrievers, with seven deaths each, French bulldogs with six, and American Staffordshire terriers, four.   Boxers, cockapoos, Pekingese and Pomeranians accounted for two deaths each.   Owners should consult with veterinarians before putting their dogs on planes, the department says. It believes the deaths represent a tiny percentage of the pets shipped on airlines.   Short-nosed breeds, known as "brachycephalic" in the dog world, have a skull formation that affects their airways, said Dan Bandy of Shawnee, Okla., chairman of the Bulldog Club of America's health committee.   "The way all dogs cool themselves is basically through respiration," Bandy said. "A dog that has a long snout or a long muzzle has more surface area within its nasal cavity for that heat exchange to take place."   Sonny Seiler of Savannah, Ga., who owns the University of Georgia's English bulldog mascot, said he has a surgical procedure done on each Uga before it is a year old to enlarge the dog's airways.   "They go into the nasal passage and clip muscles and tissue and in essence, what they do is they make a bigger air passage," Seiler said. "It's a quick procedure, and once you have it done, it really eliminates a lot of the problems with the breathing."

Information source: The above is an article written by Sharon Theimer for the Associated Press found in the July 17, 2010 issue of The Arizona Republic newspaper

Please Be Careful When Flying With My Special Type Of Breed "Have A Smashing Good Day"   Regards, Mycroft

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