present in the gut. Dogs with bloat have a significantly lower intake of dietary fiber than non-bloat control dogs, sug- gesting a diet containing more complex fiber may provide some preventive mea- sures against bloat. In addition, some genes of the immune system responsible for detect- ing and targeting foreign cells for destruction and suspected of regulating the gut microbiome, appear to predis- pose some dogs to both IBD and GDV. Three of these suspect genes was found to significantly increase a Great Dane’s chance of bloating. Of dogs that carried a risk allele, 62 percent had bloated. Of the dogs that did not carry one, only 20 percent had bloated. In other words, Great Danes that had at least one risk allele had a three times higher risk of bloat.
“DOGS WITH BLOAT HAVE A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER INTAKE OF DIETARY FIBER THAN NON-BLOAT CONTROL DOGS...”
to almost 100 genetic disorders. About 1 in 6 dogs carried at least one of the tested disease mutant genetic variants. Also, 1 in 6 of the tested genetic vari- ants was also found in a breed in which it had not previously been reported. This indicates that these hereditary disease are more widespread among dog breeds than previously believed. Like humans, every dog likely car- ries genetic predisposition for some inherited disorder. Reference: Jonas Donner, et al. “Genetic Panel Screening of Nearly 100 Mutations Reveals New Insights into the Breed Distribution of Risk Vari- ants for Canine Hereditary Disorders”. PLOS ONE, 2016; 11 (8). BPA IN CANNED ter known as BPA) is a widely used industrial chemical found in many household items, including resins used to line metal storage containers, such as food cans. Now, researchers have found that short-term feeding of canned dog food resulted in a significant increase of BPA in dogs. Dogs fed either of two commercial canned diets (including one claim- ing to be BPA-free) for two weeks had BPA levels in their blood nearly triple. The increased plasma BPA correlated with gut microbiome and metabol- ic changes. Increased BPA may also reduce one bacterium that has the ability to metabolize BPA and related environmental chemicals. Reference: Zoe L. Koestel, et al. “Bisphenol A (BPA) in the serum of pet dogs following short-term consumption of canned dog food and potential health consequences of exposure to BPA”. Science of The Total Environment, 2016. DOG FOOD IS REFLECTED IN BLOOD LEVELS Bisphenol A (bet-
Reference: Jenni Puurunen, et al. “A non-targeted metabolite profiling pilot study suggests that tryptophan and lip- id metabolisms are linked with ADHD- like behaviors in dogs. Behavioral and Brain Functions”, 2016; 12 (1)
HEAVY-DUTY RETRIEVING STRAIN FORELIMBS
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out
that dogs asked to carry heavy loads in their mouth can put a strain on parts of their body. But a motion study from the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna shows just how that strain is distributed. Dogs carrying various loads in their mouths were walked over a pressure plate. Without a load, dogs carry 60 per- cent of their weight on the forelimbs and 40 percent on the hindlimbs. Car- rying weight causes the dog’s weight load to shift to the front in a see-saw type effect. The researchers cautioned that while a healthy and conditioned dog could carry fairly heavy loads, trainers should be careful not to over- load young or unconditioned dogs, and to have their dogs regularly checked for joint problems. Reference: Barbara Bockstahler, et al. “Compensatory load redistribution in Labrador retrievers when carrying different weights—a non-randomized prospective trial”. BMC Veterinary Research, 2016; 12 (1). CANINE
A BLOOD TEST FOR HYPERAC- TIVITY? First I’m not sure why anyone would need this. It seems like a better clue would be
whether your coffee cup’s been over- turned, your cat’s being chased and your command to “sit” was interpreted as “whirl in 20 circles.” But researchers at the University of Helsinki decided we needed a blood marker so we can legiti- mately label our dogs as ADHD and maybe get them on some medication so they can go to school. They examined blood metabolites in normal and hyper- active German Shepherds and found the hyperactive ones had significantly lower levels of blood phospholipids. This corresponds to human studies that have found lower blood lipids levels in ADHD people. The results were not sig- nificantly affected by the dog’s age, sex, diet or fasting. There was, however, a negative asso- ciation between hyperactivity and tryp- tophan metabolite levels, suggesting differences in the gut bacteria of nor- mal and hyperactive dogs. This makes sense in light of recent studies uncov- ering the influence of gut microbiota on the production of neurotransmitters that regulate mood and behavior. Earlier this year this same research group revealed differences in the blood markers of normal versus fearful dogs, but that research is still in its pilot stage.
HEREDITARY DISORDERS MORE WIDESPREAD
Genoscoper Ltd. has published, in cooperation with the researchers of University of Hel- sinki and Pennsylvania, that they tested nearly 7,000 dogs representing around 230 different breeds for predisposition
74 • S how S ight M agazine , M arch 2017
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