Articles published in this Newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor. Nothing may be copied unless the Editor grants permission. 

Dates & News:

ZimDog News, can be accessed from: www.vanerp.net.

Zimbabwe Kennel Club:

The Zimbabwe Kennel Club office will now only be open on a Tuesday and Friday each week, 14.00-16.00 CAT.  Also they will come to Kennel Club every LAST SUNDAY of each month

Local Shows and Fairs

27.06.2010 Mashonaland Ladies' Kennel Association Mrs. S L Tarr CH BR                 12.06.2010
27.06.2010 Hatfield Kennel Club Mrs. S L Tarr CH BR                                                12,06.2010
25.07.2010 German Shepherd Dog Club of Harare  Miss S Fernandes CH OB             12.07.2010

News Flash:

29 July. I was just told that Joh Paar has passed away two days ago. A German Shepherd breeder since the 1980 years. He was a member of ZKC all that time, but did not renew his membership for a few decades.

He was the Chairman of the GSD Club for some years, and then took over the Chairmanship of the GSD League and we ran that club on the grounds of the Vainona Junior School. He also started the GSD Council with the help of Peter and Rosemary Dryden 

News:

Helen, Doug & Dougal have settled in Aberdeen. Helen loves her rides to the shops and Doug sounded very happy with the fact that they decided to go back to the UK. Give them a ring, they will appreciate that very much: Doug Brown +44 0787 79243386 

Champion Breed Shows: MLKA & HKC

Gundog group competing for their placings

Working Group competing for final placings

The youngest and new handler of the shows. To the right: trying to bribe the judge? Under left: Under control and looking fabulous Under right: The final decision

(Article taken from KUSA Dogs In Africa magazine - April, 2010)
Infection in dogs

Spirocercosis

Introduction
Spirocercosis is caused by a nematode called Spirocerca lupi. This nematode is found worldwide, especially in the warm climates of the tropical and subtropical regions. It is mainly a parasite of the domestic dog, but it does also infect other members of the family Canidae and natural infections have been reported in coyotes, wolves, foxes and jackals. There is no age or sex predilection for infection, but there seems to be a breed predilection as hounds and large breed dogs have a higher incidence of spirocercosis than other breeds. Recently there has been growing concern over the upsurge in the number of reported spirocercosis cases in dogs in South Africa.

Life cycle
Adult Spirocerca lupi worms are pink-red in colour. Females are 6 to 7cm in size whereas males are 3 to 4cm in size. The dog is a final host, a host within which the parasite passes its adult and sexual existence. The adult worms are found coiled up within nodules located in the wall of the oesophagus of the dog. The adult worms may remain in the oesophagus for up to 2 years. The female perforates the mucosa (inner lining of the oesophagus) to establish an opening into the lumen (the inner cavity of the oesophagus) through which embryonated eggs are passed. A female worm may produce up to 3 million eggs per day. The eggs are voided in the faeces or vomitus of the dog. The eggs are ingested by coprophagous beetles (beetles feeding on excrement), which serve as intermediate hosts (the host within which a parasite passes its larval or non-sexual existence). The larvae encyst within the tissues of the coprophagous beetle and develop to infectivity within 2 months. The beetle in turn is ingested by either the final host (the dog) or a paratenic host (an animal acting as a substitute intermediate host). Paratenic hosts include poultry, wild birds, lizards, rodents, hedgehogs and rabbits. The dog, being the final host becomes infected by ingesting either the infected beetle or the paratenic host. The paratenic host is a more probable source of infection for carnivores. After ingestion of the paratenic host or infected beetle, stage 3 larvae excyst in the stomach and penetrate the stomach wall from where they migrate to the caudal thoracic aorta (part of the aorta situated within the thorax closest to the tail or hind parts) via the gastric, gastroepiploic and coeliac arteries. Within the caudal thoracic aorta, the stage 3 larvae mature to stage 4 larvae, where after their final moult, they migrate as immature adult worms from the caudal thoracic aorta to the caudal oesophagus. Aberrant migration of larvae is however fairly common and nodules have been found in the stomach, intestine, mediastinum (the pleural sacs containing the heart and all of the thoracic viscera except the lungs), lumbar fascia (a sheet of fibrous connective tissue that covers the lumbar region), rectum, trachea, interdigital tissue, thymus, diaphragm, kidney, subcutis (a loose fibrous envelope beneath the skin) and urinary bladder.

Pathogenesis (the development of disease)
The larvae cause necrosis (morphological changes indicative of cell death) and haemorrhage (bleeding) within the blood vessel walls as they migrate, but these lesions usually heal completely. Within the thoracic aorta however, aneurysms (a sac formed by localized dilatation of the aorta) may form which may result in aortic rupture. Nodules within the oesophagus may transform into malignant sarcoma (a malignant tumour arising from connective tissues).

The infection may either be sub-clinical (no clinical signs are present although the dog is infected) or the dog may show vomiting or regurgitation, weight loss" dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing), hypersalivation, odynophagia (repeated attempts to swallow), melaena (blood in the faeces), decreased appetite, dyspnoea (difficulty in breathing), coughing, fever, lameness, paraparesis (partial paralysis of the lower limbs), swollen distal limbs, salivary gland enlargement. Rupturing of the aorta may result in haemothorax (blood in the thorax) and sudden death.

Diagnosis
Making a diagnosis may involve the following: faecal analysis; clinical pathology; serology; diagnostic imaging (radiography, computed tomography); oesophagoscopy (examination of the oesophagus using a thin, lighted instrument).

Treatment
Treatment currently exists of the off-label use of doramectin or ivermectin. Specific breed specific toxicity has been reported to occur with the use of these drugs and treatment should therefore only be undertaken by veterinarians. Surgical removal of the oesophageal masses, whether nodules or tumours, has been largely unsuccessful.

Prevention
Disposal of faeces, preventing dogs from hunting, scavenging and eating uncooked viscera and decreasing egg shedding by infected animals.  

I am because my little dog knows me [Gertrude stein] 

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