Dogs taking chemotherapy drugs excrete residues from the drugs in their bodily fluids, but what sorts of risks do these residues pose? A recently published German study on cytotoxic drug residues in dog urine attempts to answer that question. A team of researchers at the Hannover University of Veterinary Medicine Small Animal Hospital studied urine samples from client-owned dogs with lymphoma or mast cell tumors that were being treated with standard chemotherapy protocols.

A recent study suggests that female dogs that keep their ovaries through their whole lives are more likely to live longer than those that don’t. The study, “Exploring mechanisms of sex differences in longevity: lifetime ovary exposure and exceptional longevity in dogs,” says that female dogs, like women, are more likely to achieve “exceptional longevity” than their male counterparts. The researchers collected information on Rottweilers that lived to be 13 or older, which is more than 30 percent above the average life expectancy for that breed. Female dogs in general lived longer, but the researchers found that removal of the ovaries in the first four years of life “erased the female survival advantage.”

When veterinary professionals consider the question of pets traveling on airplanes, the first thing that comes to mind may not be human allergies. But that is a major concern for the authors of a recent editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). According to the article, Canadian air travelers “lost their access to dander-free flights in July 2009,” when Air Canada did away with a ban on small pets in the cabin. “It’s understandable that owners prefer to keep their small pets close when travelling and that airlines are keen to compete for their business,” the article reads. “But about 1 in 10 people have allergies to animals. Many will have an allergic reaction when they’re trapped in an enclosed space, often for hours, close to an animal.” The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) said it recognizes that pet allergies can be a serious health concern for some people, but it does not have a position on pets in airplane cabins.

A new method of stabilizing viral vaccine vectors in sugar glass could lead to easier transportation of vaccines, and potentially help veterinarians working in the field. The so-called “cold chain,” where vaccines must be transferred from one refrigerated environment to the next until they are used, can sometimes be difficult to maintain, especially in remote, tropical or resource-poor areas. But now, a team of British researchers has developed a method of immobilizing viral vaccine vectors in sugar glass on a membrane. The resulting product can be stored at up to 45 degrees C (113 F) for six months with minimal losses in titer or immunogenicity, according to the study. The research team also devised a way to quickly reconstitute the vaccine with an attachment that fits between the syringe and the needle.

A short-term study on the supplement glucosamine-chondroitin sulfate (Glu-CS) in dogs found no link to diabetes mellitus or to an increase in serum fructosamine. The researchers gave 12 healthy adult dogs Glu-CS supplements and a placebo orally for 21 days each. They found that the supplements did not significantly change the serum fructosamine levels of the dogs. The study cites some concern among veterinarians that glucosamine supplements can either affect glycemic control in diabetic patients, or may even cause diabetes mellitus. However, none of the dogs in the study developed diabetes mellitus, and the changes noted in serum fructosamine concentration after the supplements were given did not differ significantly from the effects of the placebo.

The fight against pet obesity is not as straightforward as finding a low-calorie or reduced calorie pet food. A new study from Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine found a wide variation in calorie density and recommended intake in so-called “low-calorie” dog and cat foods. The researchers studied nearly 100 commercially available diets with either weight management claims and specific feeding instructions, or foods with implied weight management claims that did not carry feeding instructions. They found that more than half of all foods in the study had a calorie density greater than the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) maximum calorie density for light diets.

In a mere century and a half of selective breeding, humans have managed to create a range of creatures within a single species that are more diverse than the members of an entire biological order. In a new study, a pair of researchers measured the diversity among skull shapes in dogs, from the pushed-in face of a Pekingese to the long slender skull of a collie. And astonishingly, the differences in skull shape between these two breeds is more extreme than the most disparate animals in the order Carnivora (namely the walrus and the falanouc, similar to a mongoose), which has been evolving for about 60 million years. The authors of the study, biologists Christian Klingenberg, PhD, of the University of Manchester and Abby Drake, PhD, of the College of the Holy Cross, say the study is important because it furthers our understanding of microevolution and selective breeding as an evolutionary force.

Cats suffering from asthma may be able to breathe easier soon, as a research team nears completion of a study to find a cure for the disease. It has been estimated that feline asthma affects 1-5 percent of all cats, meaning that up to 4.1 million cats may suffer from asthma. Current treatments reduce clinical signs and inflammation, but do not provide a cure. “We are working hard to develop a cure for asthma in cats,” said principal investigator, Carol Reinero, DVM, DACVIM, PhD.  “And since ‘allergy shots’ are the only available treatment with the potential to cure allergy in any species, we have developed and are testing protocols for allergic asthma in cats.”  The three-year study is being funded by the Morris Animal Foundation. So far the team has published two manuscripts and is working on the third and last part of the study right now. Reinero said the entire study would be complete in about six months.

Navigation and spatial cognition in mammals is thought to be related to the hippocampus, which helps animals form a spatial map. But reptiles lack this seahorse-shaped brain structure, so how do they navigate? A tortoise will actually use different methods of navigation depending on the presence or absence of visual cues in its environment, according to a new study. The study, “Visual and response-based navigation in the tortoise (Geochelone carbonaria),” was designed to investigate whether the reptilian medial cortex plays a similar role to the mammalian hippocampus in navigation and spatial cognition. For the study, a red-footed tortoise was placed in an eight-armed radial maze, with food at the end of each arm. In the first part of the experiment, a black curtain was placed around the maze to obstruct the tortoise’s view of the room. Four large geometrical shapes of different colors were placed on the curtain to act as visual cues. Lead researcher Anna Wilkinson of the Department of Neurobiology and Cognition, University of Vienna, said the tortoise, Moses, appeared not to use these cues, and instead adopted an interesting navigational method, called the “turn-by-one-arm strategy.”

Testing for canine deafness is a desirable diagnostic for dog owners and breeders, but the cost for veterinary clinics can be prohibitive. A study on a different, less costly test could pave the way for practices to perform this test in-house. The currently accepted method for diagnosing deafness in dogs is the brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) test, which detects electrical activity in the cochlea and auditory pathways. However, the equipment required for the test is expensive and testing sites are limited.