Microsoft word - crvc newsletter nov10 p2.doc

After writing up today’s medical records I read a back issue of the Journal of the Ameri- I treat canine and feline patients with serotonin precursors such as 5-hydroxy- can Veterinary Medical Association from July 15, 2009 and came across a couple ex- tryptophan (5-HTP), or at earlier stages of the synthesis pathway with these co- amples of interesting papers with conclusions that meet the criteria for treatment but of- factors: magnesium, vitamin B6, niacinamide (vitamin B3), and vitamin C. fer little explanation of how to prevent disease. Veterinarians interested in preventing disease often are left having to figure that out for themselves compared to the availabil- Using Prozac can maintain a pool of serotonin in the CNS but the dog still ity of advice on treatments from drug companies, advertising and seminars that focus needs to synthesize the neurotransmitter, the primary deficiency. Failing to ad- dress this weakness is one reason why patients may not respond well to Prozac or relapse despite taking the medication. By employing nutritional support one Use of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor for treatment of episodes of hy-
avoids the expense and side effects of Prozac including potential adverse be- pertonia and kyphosis in a young adult Scottish Terrier. Kelly M. Geiger and Lisa
havioral events if the drug is suddenly withdrawn. Furthermore, allowing the dog S. Klopp. JAVMA, Vol 235, No. 2, pp168 – 171. to produce more serotonin as he needs it helps avoid the on-again, off-again ef- fect of drug clearance and helps meet the need for serotonin throughout the In this report the authors describe a 2.5 year-old castrated male Scottish Terrier with body. Not discussed in the article was why this dog was affected just in the episodes of kyphosis (hunched lumbar spine) and spasm in his hind legs that were caudal spine and pelvic limbs rather than other areas. Chiropractic evaluation worse with exercise or excitement. The clients were using a stroller to take the dog on may have provided an additional perspective on treating this dog’s condition long walks as the episodes of muscle spasms could occur after just 2 – 10 minutes of since misaligned vertebrae can lead to similar clinical syndromes in any breed exercise. On the author’s evaluation of the dog during exercise, within 15 seconds of starting to run his hind legs began to stiffen and he began to ‘bunny-hop’. Severe polymyositis and neuritis in a cat. Adam A Ginman, et al. JAVMA,
A variety of tests were done and medications administered to see if the condition could be induced or suppressed. The current body of research had implicated the neuro- transmitter serotonin as being transiently deficient (or unavailable) in the central nerv- This report describes a 4-year old domestic shorthair cat with a 1-week history ous system (CNS) during exercise. The authors found that administration of a drug of shifting leg lameness that progressed to weakness of all 4 legs. The cat had (parachlorophenylalanine) that blocks synthesis of serotonin increased the severity of no prior history of medical problems, trauma, or exposure to toxins. It lived in- signs, i.e. caused the muscles to be hypertonic and the spine to contract or arch up- doors and had been routinely vaccinated. A variety of tests were run and finding wards. Tryptophan, the amino acid precursor to serotonin, ameliorated these clinical no infectious agent, cancer, or other etiology the clinicians treated with an im- signs. The authors concluded that a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, Fluoxetine (Prozac) mune-suppressive dose of prednisone and the cat fully recovered in 12 weeks. was effective at treating episodes of Scottie cramp and was safer than controlled sub- The authors wrote: “Although an inciting cause of polymyositis and neuritis was not identified in the cat described here, it is possible that an infectious agent What is missing from this report is a discussion of how to prevent this disorder or pro- could have acted as a trigger for an autoimmune reaction or that occult neopla- mote the patient’s self-maintenance. Nutritional therapy for serotonin deficiency is safe sia could become evident later in the course of the disease. The improvements and effective. Diagnosis of serotonin deficiency has been performed at CRVC through of the cat with corticosteroid drug treatment and the relapse after dosage taper- plasma and urine amino acid testing, or fecal serotonin measurements at human diag- ing are most consistent with the diagnosis of an immune-mediated disease.” Curiously there was no mention of vaccines as a possible cause of polymyosi- tis. If veterinarians don’t look for vaccine side effects, they won’t find any. old River Veterinary Center Tel. (802) 747-4076 November 2010

Source: http://crvetcenter.com/oldsite/images/Newsletters/crvc%20newsletter%20Nov10%20p2.pdf