324 – Veterinary Voice: Allergies! Food, Inhalant, Fleas & More | Pure Dog Talk

09/20/19 • 32 min

Veterinary Voice: Allergies! Food, Inhalant, Fleas & More Food allergies are not as common as people believe, according to veterinarian Marty Greer. Inhalant, contact and flea allergies are more prevalent. Food allergy is mostly associated with chronic ear infections and recurrent skin problems. Conclusive diagnosis requires tedious food elimination diets. “Fall is a terrible time for allergies,” Greer noted. “Especially inhalant allergies and contact allergies of pollen in the grass. You can wash the dog’s feet at night to help reduce symptoms.” Foot chewing is the top symptom for inhalant/contact allergy, Greer said. She also observed that allergies can also be additive. A dog may have a food allergy that is only triggered by the addition of a seasonal contact allergy, for example. It only takes one! Flea allergy is signaled by dogs that are itchy around the rump, Greer noted. She added that one flea bite is all it may take to set off an allergic response. “Flea control products today are really good. Topical or oral, they are very effective. Vacuuming regularly is an important control system for fleas,” Greer said. Newer flea/tick control products affect the nervous system of only the parasite, Greer said. Older organophosphate-based products were not as good, she added. Pro/Con of flea/tick preventatives Oral meds are not recommended for patients with a history of seizures, Greer said. “They are not going to make a normal dog have a seizure. But they could trigger seizure sensitive dogs. Bravecto is the only oral medication labeled for breeding dogs,” she added. Advantages to the oral preventatives are that they leave no residue on coat, Greer said. The advantages of topical treatments is they are not a concern in seizure sensitive patients and they make a repellant shield to biting insects. Topicals also get rid of fleas/ticks more quickly. Anti inflammatory treatments “In the last 10-15 years, new products have come on the market to help to replace long-term steroid use,” Greer said. “Short course steroid use is effective and the side effects are minimal.” Links and information from Dr. Greer to learn more: Atopica https://www.elanco.us/products-services/dogs/atopica-cyclosporine-capsules-usp-modified (https://www.elanco.us/products-services/dogs/atopica-cyclosporine-capsules-usp-modified) Dog Quiz: https://us.atopica.com/survey-dog (https://us.atopica.com/survey-dog) , Cat Quiz: https://us.atopica.com/survey-cat (https://us.atopica.com/survey-cat) Apoquel https://www.zoetisus.com/products/dogs/apoquel/index.aspx Cytopoint https://www.zoetisus.com/products/dogs/cytopoint/the-itch-cycle.aspx Do not use APOQUEL in dogs less than 12 months of age or those with serious infections. APOQUEL may increase the chances of developing serious infections, and may cause existing parasitic skin infestations or pre-existing cancers to get worse. APOQUEL has not been tested in dogs receiving some medications including some commonly used to treat skin conditions such as corticosteroids and cyclosporine. Do not use in breeding, pregnant, or lactating dogs. Most common side effects are vomiting and diarrhea. APOQUEL has been used safely with many common medications including parasiticides, antibiotics and vaccines CYTOPOINT is a monoclonal antibody (mAb)* treatment for dogs that specifically targets and neutralizes canine IL-31,† an important cytokine‡ involved in sending the itch signal to the brain in chronic atopic dermatitis2 Because it is highly targeted to a specific cytokine involved in canine atopic dermatitis, CYTOPOINT has minimal impact on normal immune functions3 CYTOPOINT is eliminated via normal protein degradation pathways in the same way as naturally occurring antibodies; metabolism does not involve the liver or kidneys

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323 – Marketing Strategy Ensures Viability of Endangered Breed | Pure Dog Talk

Marketing Strategy Ensures Viability of Endangered Breed Dandie Dinmont Terrier Jody Moxham is a Dandie Dinmont Terrier fancier and a globally successful marketing professional. She was asked by her club to create an ad for the breed. She refused. And created far more than just an “ad.” DDTCA created the Strategic advisory committee, which Moxham chairs, exclusively dedicated to ensuring the long-term viability of the Dandie Dinmont Terrier. Surging numbers In three years, the work of the committee has increased registrations of the breed by more than 150 percent. Membership in the club is surging to the point it can’t keep up with printing the membership roster, Moxham noted. According to AKC statistics, the breed has risen six points in popularity after years of decline. “I asked myself, ‘How would best marketers address this.’ There is a thing called the product life cycle in marketing,” Moxham said. “A lot of breeds are in the “decline” phase…. Marketers reposition a “product” and put it back in to introductory stage. That’s what we’re doing. Product marketing techniques “I created a methodology for forecasting success of marketing communications while they were just ideas on paper. We marketed it to multi-national corporations and helped them strengthen the persuasiveness of their strategies and their communications. We were proven effective in 40-some countries, according to the tough measures marketers use. A month after 9/11, the US Government called and asked if we would be willing to see if the methodology that worked so well in the commercial world could also work for national security interests. We gained contracts from across all arms of the USG – Defense, Military, Intelligence, and State. “It has been a fascinating journey. What drives me is making a difference. I thrive on doing things that have never been done before. Or that are super tough. Easy can be done by anyone. Really hard piques my interest. “We will not stay vulnerable” Betty-Anne Stenmark and Jody Moxham bred Dandie Dinmont Terriers together for many years. “That is the background that I brought to tackling the objective of ensuring the viability of the Dandie Dinmont Terrier for generations to come. You probably know we are a highly vulnerable breed. But we will not stay vulnerable. “We started this program three years ago and formed the Strategic Advisory Committee as an action arm of the DDTCA. “The first of four surveys has been released, each dealing with a specific area of breeding and raising healthy litters. Collectively they will be the foundation for mentoring programs for DDTCA and other breed clubs that want to use our findings. We want the DDTCA to be known as the innovator of support programs for breeders … and as a sponsor of best breeding practices.” To learn more about the DDTCA visit: https://www.ddtca.org/ (https://www.ddtca.org/) To hear conversation with legendary Master Breeder Betty-Anne Stenmark about the Dandie Dinmont Terrier and its “gene puddle,” click to listen https://puredogtalk.com/31-not-a-gene-poola-gene-puddle-betty-anne-stenmark-on-dandie-dinmont-terriers-2/ (here).

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325 – Dog Judging, Rumors and Reality Checks | Pure Dog Talk

Dog Judging, Rumors and Reality Checks AKC judge Lee Whittier, founder of https://puredogtalk.com/blog/49-winning-from-the-judges-perspective-dog-show-mentor-lee-whittier/ (Dog Show Mentor) and a former AKC Field Rep, and host Laura Reeves talk turkey about judging, judges, the process and the results. Some of the key take-aways from the conversation: Judges are not all created equal. Some ARE better than others. Judges WANT and TRY to do a good job. Judges spend a LOT of time, money and grief to earn the honor of presiding from the center of the ring. Check out the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6VaQ5j8ECQ (YouTube) video of the PureDogTalk Friday Night Forum panel discussion. Current AKC Executive Field Representative Bryan Martin, and AKC judges Brian Meyer and Sylvie McGee share a TON of information about the process of becoming an AKC approved judge. What a judge sees in the center of the ring is often WAY different than what you see outside the ring. When you see a dog week in and week out, the accumulated knowledge may, in some cases, create a different picture than what the judge has during his/her 2 minutes in the ring. Judges are NOT hatched from an egg! I say this all the time at the panel discussions. I think exhibitors forget this part. All judges started at basically the same place you are today. They showed dogs, they bred dogs, they schlepped the gear and scooped the poop, they drove the miles and slept in the sketchy hotel rooms. Every single judge in the ring has been there, done that and most likely a whole lot more. Lee and I agree that we risk accusations of being a bit Pollyanna and acknowledge that bad apples exist, but that we, the exhibitors, should not allow them to spoil the whole basket. Exhibitors will get the most enjoyment from their dog show experiences if they choose a positive social group, do a little research about their judges and try not to get wrapped up in the rumor-mongering when it happens. Make sure you download and listen to the episode for more “inside insights”… Pure Dog Talk is sponsored by: