A study is now in progress at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison to determine how long a new, more potent rabies vaccine protects dogs from the virus.

The Rabies Challenge Fund study, headed by veterinarian Ronald Schultz, aims to find out if the vaccine provides immunity in canines for as long as seven years. The vaccine’s name is withheld and marked as confidential, as it is yet to be licensed and is not yet on the market.

Most states and local authorities currently require owners to vaccinate their dogs every three years.  If this study proves the current law wrong then animal advocates whose pets were harmed by rabies vaccinations and helped raise money to conduct the study plan to make a nationwide push to extend mandated intervals for boosters.

The two-phase study should be completed in 2013 and 2015.

Jean Dodds, DVM, of Garden Grove, Calif., is one of the researchers involved in the study. She says allowing dogs to be given fewer rabies boosters during their lifetime would significantly reduce adverse the most common vaccine reactions, including seizures, rashes, tumors at the injection site and even death.

Doods reported that “a lot of people have not associated the sudden death or illness of their pet with the vaccination because they weren’t motivated to look at the association.” She added that’s why many veterinarians have not recognized the link between dogs’ death and rabies vaccine.

Currently 14 rabies vaccines for canines are on the market. Vaccines must be shown safe for use before a license is granted by the federal government’s Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB), a regulatory procedure that’s been in place since 1922.

In a special report, however, published in April’s edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA), veterinarian Timothy Frana and his colleagues said evaluations of rabies vaccines before licensure “may not detect all safety concerns” for a number of reasons, including insufficient duration of observation and interactions with products administered at the same time.

Based on the report, during a three-year period (from April 1, 2004 to March 31, 2007), nearly 120 million doses of rabies vaccine (for all species) were distributed in the United States. During that time frame, manufacturers of rabies vaccines received nearly 10,000 adverse reports concerning their products, according the JAVMA report. Out of the 10,000 adverse reports, 65 percent involved dogs.

Due to the large volume of reports, the paper’s authors did not review individual cases.
Instead, they turned their attention to 246 adverse event reports filed for dogs with the CVB during the same period, where rabies was identified as one of the products administered.

About two dozen symptoms were reported including, vomiting, facial swelling, injection site pain, lethargy and circulatory shock. In 12 cases, lack of consciousness and death occurred.

Still, the authors concluded the report’s findings “do not suggest a high frequency or unexpected pattern of adverse events associated with the use of rabies vaccines in veterinary medicine.”

Nonetheless, Shawn Messonnier who is a holistic veterinarian in Plano, Texas, looks forward to the new study’s results and a time when dogs can undergo dramatically fewer rabies vaccinations in their lifetimes.
“It’s important to determine the maximum duration of effectiveness so that we do not over-vaccinate pets,” he said.

(News courtesy of Maryann Mott, Special to LiveScience)

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Watch out for these signs.

Something could be wrong with the food you are feeding your English bulldog when it suffers from constant shedding or is hyperactive or even inactive. If your pet has problems with gas such as burping or large smelly stool or perhaps signs of ear or skin infections then these signs are tell tale of a weak immune system. These signs or a combination of them may occasionally show up but a constant occurrence is often a cause of concern. The first issues you should look into are to review the diet of your pet dog.

Animals require forty five nutrients to function properly. There are several major groups of nutrients consisting of water, protein, minerals as well as carbohydrates, fats, and vitamins. All these nutrients are properly digested as well absorbed by the body in correct amounts.

Protein

Canines including your dog are carnivore which means their body primarily uses meat as its fuel source. It measures in that vegetables and grains do not have major contribution to a dog’s diet.

Protein is likely indicated on the packaging of dog food where amount of protein is shown. The importance of knowing the source of protein is as important on determining the amount of protein the dog food contains.

Dog food labels

Meat products intended for canine consumption are made from chicken, lamb, and beef as well as several other sources of grains namely soy, corn or wheat and other plant life.

The can label of manufactured dog food includes the ingredients list which ascertain the sources most used in the package of dog food you bought. The ingredient listed first is by law the largest amount in the product. The items listed after the first one are in decreasing in amount. It is understood that there should always be at least three source of meat in the first five items listed. Anything less than three means the product fails to meet the proper amount of protein needed to raise a healthy bulldog.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates as we all know are a source of energy. While the masters of dogs (yes we are talking about you) need a great deal of carbohydrates to be healthy. It is not the same case of dogs whose food sources should be high in protein as well as low in carbohydrates.

Diets high in carbohydrates take longer to digest. It results in large unpleasant gas and stool for most dogs since dogs are canines which are meat eaters. You may start to notice that your English bulldog has overly sore and achy gums from excessive chewing while their breaths develop with an unpleasant odor. It is then your pet’s best interest as well as your own to feed them a diet consisting of carbohydrate sources such as grains in smaller quantity.

Fats

Two types of fat are known such as animal fat and vegetable fat. An optimum health your pet needs a supply of both fats as a whole of the essential fatty acids.

Always strike a healthy balance of fats in the food of your bulldog. A diet low in fat will cause low levels of energy, skin problems, and heart problems. On the other hand, your dog can develop obesity, tumors, and even cancer when too much fat is fed. Always check the food label and search for a product that serves an equal measure of balance between animal and vegetable fat.

The Natural Pet Food Cookbook: Healthful Recipes for Dogs and Cats

Vitamins

Vitamins are categorized into fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins. Vitamins are a necessary part of a diet as they are required for the release nutrients for the use of food in the body.

Fat soluble vitamins are vitamins A, D, E, and K which are stored in the body’s fatty tissues and in the liver. Vitamins B and C are water soluble vitamins that are expelled from the body by urine every four to eight hours. When excessive amount of water soluble vitamins are in the body then no harm is done since they are excreted as urine.

You should bear in mind that vitamins are lost easily in the manufacturing of dog food. As soon as the package is open then vitamins are exposed to the air and light that breaks them down. The most sensitive vitamins are B and C which are broken down easily.

A strong immune system of your dog calls for Vitamin C to wad off diseases as well as for healthy gums and teeth. Dogs are very much capable of producing their own vitamin C however is not enough for their best health therefore are required as a part of their daily diet. Vitamin B must also be a part of your bulldog’s diet to help break down carbohydrates and protein as well as source of energy.

Minerals

Minerals are also essential element in a dog’s diet but are found to be less than two percent in most formulated dog food products. It is advised to dog owners to enrich your dog’s food with mineral supplements given more than half of the minerals are lost in the process of production.

Water

Strive to keep your dog hydrated during hot weather. It does not only provide refreshment to your dog but also is necessary to maintain the proper body functioning for your pet as well as supports the body in break down of food.

Little things make a huge difference on the well being of your dog. You may choose to make your own dog food or purchase commercially prepared food products but one thing is certain. That is to include all the proper nutrients and in right amounts to feed your pet. Strive to make it your conscious effort to lead a happy and healthy both for you and your English bulldog.

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