This week, the Genome Barks Podcast Series welcomes Dr. Greg Keller, Chief of Veterinary Services with the Orthopedic Foundation For Animals (OFA).  Dr. Keller shares with us the history of the OFA and discusses the many health databases that the OFA manages.  Dr. Keller also explains the OFA process for evaluating radiographs and the differences between OFA evaluations and those of PennHip.

The AKC and Canine Health Foundation Genome Barks Podcast series welcomes Dr. Deborah Greco, Senior Research Scientist at Nestle Purina PetCare Company.  Dr. Greco has spent her 30 years in practice studying endocrinology, reproduction and nutrition.  In this interview, Dr. Greco discusses the art and science of supplementation and pro-biotics, as well as optimum proteins and general nutrition as they pertain to developing and maintaining good haircoat.

Genome Barks welcomes Dr. Jaime Modiano, a member of the faculty of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota.  Dr. Modiano has spent the last 15 years of his career looking at the mechanisms that are responsible for the origin and progression of canine cancer.    Dr. Modiano’s current research focuses on better cancer therapies, singling out the canine immune system as a treatment for cancers that are in the process of spreading to various regions of the body.

This week, the Genome Barks podcast series welcomes Dr. Simon Gregory, a human cancer researcher at Duke University.  Dr. Gregory is working with Dr. Matthew Breen of North Carolina State University on brain tumors.  This podcast discusses the similarities between human and canine disease.

This week on Genome Barks, we welcome Dr. John Tegzes of Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California.  Dr. Tegzes is Professor of Toxicology and has specialized in clinical toxicology.  In this podcast, we discuss the number one poison to watch for, as well as the dangers of chocolate and plants.  Dr. Tegzes also talks about the warning signs that your animal has been poisoned.

This week, the Genome Barks podcast series welcomes Dr. Curt Bird of Auburn University in Alabama.  Dr. Bird discusses mammary cancer in dogs, including age of onset and potential preventive measures.  Dr. Bird also talks about genetic predispositions to mammary cancer.

Dr. Leslie Monroe joins us this week on Genome Barks.  Dr. Monroe is currently doing a residency in nutrition at the University of California, Davis.  She discusses bloat and the research that has been done in recent years.

This week on Genome Barks we welcome Dr. Keith Murphy, the Director of Clemson University’s Genomics Institute.  Dr. Murphy talks about canine hereditary nephropathy in English Cocker Spaniels, known as Alport Syndrome in the human.  In the human, the cure for Alport Syndrome is kidney transplant; not a viable option in the dog.  Dr. Murphy and his team have determined the genetic cause of hereditary nephropathy in the English Cocker Spaniel, and Dr. Murphy discusses the use of the genetic test by breeders.

This week on Genome Barks, we are pleased to present Dr. William Kisseberth of the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.  Funded by the Canine Health Foundation, Dr. Kisseberth’s team is working to determine the genetic components of canine cancer for potential targets for new cancer therapy drug development.

This week on Genome Barks, we welcome Dr. Richard Goldstein, a faculty member at Cornell University with a specialty in genetic and infectious diseases of the kidney.  Recorded at the August Breeders’ Symposium held in Syracuse, New York, Dr. Goldstein discusses vaccination protocols, including maternal antibodies in the puppy, timing of vaccinations (both in the puppy and in the dam), frequency of vaccine boosters and geriatric care.  Dr. Goldstein also explains the difference between “core” and “non-core” vaccines and other various elements of canine vaccinations.

This week on Genome Barks, we welcome Dr. Adam Birkenheuer, a member of the faculty of North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine.  Dr. Birkenheuer is a specialist in infectious disease, and will be discussing “bugs” that can make our dogs sick, including parvovirus, kennel cough, mange and tick borne disease.  Dr. Birkenheuer will also discuss the management of infectious disease in multiple dog homes or kennel situations.

This week on Genome Barks, Dr. Gillian McClellan talks about canine eye disease.  Dr. McClellan, an ophthalmologist for the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin – Madison College of Veterinary Medicine, discusses some of the differences between human and canine eyes, as well as things to watch out for that could threaten a dog’s vision.  Finally, Dr. McClellan speaks to the various inherited canine ophthalmic diseases that breeders should be aware of.

This week on Genome Barks, we welcome Dr. Cheryl London, a faculty member at the Ohio State University with a specialty in veterinary oncology.  Dr. London discusses her research in canine cancer, including malignant histiocytosis, mast cell tumors and osteosarcoma.  A recipient of several grants from the AKC Canine Health Foundation, Dr. London has recently focused her research on osteosarcoma with a collaboration at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH.  Dr. London also discusses how her research will benefit children as well as dogs. This podcast brought to you by the American Kennel Club and the AKC Canine Health Foundation.

This week on Genome Barks, we welcome Linda Bell, of PetPartners Inc. who talks about the American Kennel Club’s pet healthcare plan.

The American Kennel Club^® selected PetPartners, Inc. as the dedicated provider for the AKC Pet Healthcare Plan.  Increasing numbers of pet owners are finding that pet health insurance is a more secure way of planning for unexpected veterinary bills, to avoid counting on unreliable credit options in these uncertain times.

Linda Bell, Chief Marketing Officer at PetPartners, added, “The holiday season is a perfect time to consider the gift of a healthcare plan for your pet.  Should your pet have an unexpected accident or illness, knowing that you will be able to provide the best veterinary care could be the greatest present for the whole family.”

During the busy holiday season when family and friends visit, it is easy for dogs to get up to mischief behind their owners’ backs, with tempting food, candies, toys, and tree ornaments in all too easy reach – often with expensive outcomes, such as these real claims for veterinary bills, paid by PetPartners:

• Ate a kitchen towel                                           $3,738 paid
• Ingested a chicken bone                                     $2,699 paid
• Swallowed a rubber chew toy                            $1,552 paid
• Ate Christmas garland                                       $3,325 paid
• Slipped on ice and tore cruciate ligament             $3,279 paid
• Chewed on a hand warmer                                $1,424 paid

In this week’s Genome Barks podcast, CHF Director Lee Arnold welcomes Bruce Hammerberg, DVM, PhD, a professor of immunology and parasitology at the College of Veterinary Medicine North Carolina State University.  Funded in part by the AKC Canine Health Foundation, Dr. Hammerberg has spent the last decade studying the function of mast cells and IgE in allergic diseases.

The essential cause of the itching skin that starts atopic dermatitis reactions has been well known for decades, yet we do not know why there is an alarming increase in the number of dogs afflicted with this disease and we do not know why some dogs suffer much more than others living in the same environment.  The cause of the itching skin is histamine and other mast cell products that are released when mast cells coated with the immunoglobulin IgE binds allergens such as house dust mite or pollen proteins.  All dogs have mast cells in their skin and many without the disease have IgE that specifically bind allergens.  The ever increasing numbers and complexity of genetic factors being discovered that predispose humans to allergic diseases are likely to be found as similarly daunting obstacles to fully understanding the genetic basis for canine atopic dermatitis.

Working with breeds as diverse as the West Highland White Terrier and the Rhodesian Ridgeback, Dr. Hammerberg has focused his attention on atopy (allergies) in genetically susceptible dogs, working to develop markers to predict disease development in puppies.