The Briard Medical Trust
| ESTABLISHED BY THE BRIARD CLUB OF AMERICA |
AND
| DEDICATED TO THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF THE BRIARD |  
 
 
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Health and Medical Articles

 

Many of these articles below are in PDF format. They can be downloaded to your computer and viewed with Adobe Reader. If you don't have Adobe Reader installed, you can download it here.

Dr. Breen has updated the consent forms for his soft sarcoma (including lymphoma) research. He has also prepared new instructions for your veterinarian describing how biopsy tissue should be prepared for shipping to his lab. Go to http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/apr/breen_m_recruit01.htm and click on the briard. You can also contact Stephanie Katz at jsskatz@aol.com or (313) 368-3123 for information and the forms.

Canine Squamous Cell Carcinoma - Dr. Elaine Ostrander's lab at NIH is beginning a new study on the genetic susceptibility to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the digit (toe) in the Briard. SCC of the digit is a highly breed specific skin cancer with increased risk found in black dogs, including the Standard Poodle, Giant Schnauzer, Gordon Setter and the Briard.

SCC of the digit is a type of skin cancer that differs from other SCCs as it is more aggressive, often involving bone loss and recurrences in multiple toes. When invasive, it can metastasize  to the lung or lymph nodes and can be fatal. Other SCCs, occurring in dogs of any color can arise in tissue such as the nose or ears, are less aggressive and tend not to spread to other tissue. SCC is a form of skin cancer also diagnosed in humans.

For this breed specific research, Dr. Ostrander and Dr. Parker are recruiting blood samples from Briards of any age who have been diagnosed with Digital SCC. While not the immediate focus of the study, they will accept blood from Briards with other SCCs. Additionally, blood samples from healthy Briards over the age of 5 and with no known cancer are needed as normal controls for this study.

Dana Mosher, Samples Manager for the Ostrander Lab, has prepared a short article about this research and how to submit samples for the BMT web site. Please read her artilce here for more information.

 

What Everyone Needs to Know about Canine Vaccines and Vaccination Programs - Dr. Ronald Schultz' presentation to the 2007 National Parent Club Canine Health Conference
(October 19, 20, & 21)

Vaccine FAQ - The questions from the audience at the Canine Health Conference to Dr. Schultz, followed by Dr. Schultz' professional biography
Canine Hemangiosarcoma - The Road From Despair to Hope - a new article from the Modiano and Breen labs describing the current state of knowledge for canine hemangiosarcoma, including what it is, why it may happen, and how it can be managed. In addition, the authors present recent findings from their programs that promise to help improve the ability to diagnose, treat, and prevent this disease. This article is provided courtesy of the AKCCHF.
 
Update on the Briard Medical Trust Activities - researchers with whom we have established relationships for study participation and sample submission

 
New Requests for tissues for cancer studies

 
Why and When is a Biopsy Necessary - by Jaime F. Modiano, VMD, Ph.D.

 
BLOAT ARTICLES:

 

 

 Information about bloat - symptoms, treatment, prevention, and other general information

Non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs - Dr. Larry Glickman, et al.

This link will take you to the web site of the Journal of the American Veterinary Association. There, you may read the abstract of the article for free. The entire article is available for purchase on the JAVMA web site.

 

ASPCA Poison Control Center - learn about surprising house hold items (onions! grapes and raisins! OTC meds!) that can sicken or poison your dog.

 
New Lymphoma clinical study in Texas - looking for participants

 
Canine Genome Primer - basic information on DNA and the methods used in its sequencing. Reprinted with the permission of the National Human Genome Research Institute

 
The OFA's CHIC DNA repository is now accepting Briard DNA

 
Canine Influenza Virus information - the latest information on canine influenza, including submission of samples for testing, on the Cornell University Veterinary School web site.

 
Disaster Preparations - how to plan in advance in the event that you and your animals are caught in a disaster situation. This is in PDF format so that it can be easily downloaded. Please feel free to do so. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open this file. If you don't have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, you can download it from Adobe.)