Pages

Monday, March 11, 2013

Louisville dental school to mark Women's History Month with women's art and oral-health fair and reception

The University of Louisville School of Dentistry will kick off its Women's History Month celebration March 18 with "Chew Art," an all-women's art and oral-health fair and reception.

In an effort to better engage with the community on issues related to oral health, increase oral health literacy and celebrate Women's History Month, the fair will focus on specific oral health care needs of women. The school will provide oral health information, and in some cases, limited screenings for women who live with diabetes, hypertension, who are pregnant or undergoing various treatments for cancer.

But the school says this event will not be like an ordinary trip to the dentist or health fair; it will be much more exciting! It is teaming up with Kristen Hughes, Arts in Healing manager at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, to employ an innovative Arts in Health Care approach. Unlike the normal clinical environment, original works of art, created by a group of local female artists, will be on display at the fair.

The "Chew Art" event will take place Monday, March 18, from 5 to 7 p.m. on the second floor of the newly renovated dental building at 501 S. Preston St. and will feature tapas, wine, sangria and live music in addition to the art displays.  To RSVP, email Deborah Wade at D0wade01@louisville.edu.
The University of Louisville School of Dentistry will kick off its Women's History Month celebration March 18 with "Chew Art," an all-women's art and oral-health fair and reception.

In an effort to better engage with the community on issues related to oral health, increase oral health literacy and celebrate Women's History Month, the fair will focus on specific oral health care needs of women. The school will provide oral health information, and in some cases, limited screenings for women who live with diabetes, hypertension, who are pregnant or undergoing various treatments for cancer.

But the school says this event will not be like an ordinary trip to the dentist or health fair; it will be much more exciting! It is teaming up with Kristen Hughes, Arts in Healing manager at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, to employ an innovative Arts in Health Care approach. Unlike the normal clinical environment, original works of art, created by a group of local female artists, will be on display at the fair.

The "Chew Art" event will take place Monday, March 18, from 5 to 7 p.m. on the second floor of the newly renovated dental building at 501 S. Preston St. and will feature tapas, wine, sangria and live music in addition to the art displays.  To RSVP, email Deborah Wade at D0wade01@louisville.edu.
Read More


Geographic variation in FeLV and FIV in the U.S.

Chhetri B, Berke O, Pearl D and Bienzle D. Comparison of the geographical distribution of feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus infections in the United States of America (2000--2011). BMC Veterinary Research. 2013; 9: 2. [free, full text article] 
 
Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) share many risk factors for infection in cats. However, infection rates are thought to vary depending on location. Geographical distribution of each may vary. These investigators looked at the geographical distribution of both viruses in the U.S. Testing results for over 17,000 (FIV) and 30,000 (FeLV) cats were analyzed for the 48 contiguous states. The results indicate that risk factors may vary in different geographic locales. There is a higher prevalence of FIV in the southeastern U.S. compared with FeLV. In contrast, FeLV occurred at a higher rate in the western U.S. compared with FIV. This may be due to geographic variations in virus strains, vaccination rates, or as yet unknown geographic risk factors for each virus. While more research is needed to understand the specific risk factors responsible, this knowledge could influence recommendations for testing, management, and prevention. [MK]

See also:
Levy J, Crawford C, Hartmann K, et al. 2008 American Association of Feline Practitioners' feline retrovirus management guidelines. J Feline Med Surg. 2008; 10: 300-16. [free, full text]

Little S, Bienzle D, Carioto L, Chisholm H, O'Brien E and Scherk M. Feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus in Canada: recommendations for testing and management. Can Vet J. 2011; 52: 849-55. [free, full text] 

More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Join us on Google+
Chhetri B, Berke O, Pearl D and Bienzle D. Comparison of the geographical distribution of feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus infections in the United States of America (2000--2011). BMC Veterinary Research. 2013; 9: 2. [free, full text article] 
 
Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) share many risk factors for infection in cats. However, infection rates are thought to vary depending on location. Geographical distribution of each may vary. These investigators looked at the geographical distribution of both viruses in the U.S. Testing results for over 17,000 (FIV) and 30,000 (FeLV) cats were analyzed for the 48 contiguous states. The results indicate that risk factors may vary in different geographic locales. There is a higher prevalence of FIV in the southeastern U.S. compared with FeLV. In contrast, FeLV occurred at a higher rate in the western U.S. compared with FIV. This may be due to geographic variations in virus strains, vaccination rates, or as yet unknown geographic risk factors for each virus. While more research is needed to understand the specific risk factors responsible, this knowledge could influence recommendations for testing, management, and prevention. [MK]

See also:
Levy J, Crawford C, Hartmann K, et al. 2008 American Association of Feline Practitioners' feline retrovirus management guidelines. J Feline Med Surg. 2008; 10: 300-16. [free, full text]

Little S, Bienzle D, Carioto L, Chisholm H, O'Brien E and Scherk M. Feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus in Canada: recommendations for testing and management. Can Vet J. 2011; 52: 849-55. [free, full text] 

More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Join us on Google+
Read More


Sunday, March 10, 2013

Probiotics are not only powerful gut-healers - they improve bone density, study shows


A doctor of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) once told this author that "disease begins in the gut." Ayurvedic medicine also has a similar premise. Bad or sub-optimal digestion leads to all sorts of disease. That includes disease beyond the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride and others in Western medicine have taken this premise beyond physical ailments into the mind-body relationship with GAPS, or Gut and Psychology Syndrome, by treating mental disorders from ADD to Autism.

Their success has come from altering the diet to allow the gut to heal and good bacteria in the intestinal flora to thrive.

So there's more to the good bacteria in the gut than most think. Even more than digestion, as important as that is. These supportive bacteria in the gut also signal different parts of the immune system in other areas of the body. It's estimated that up to 80 percent of the immune system is involved with the gut's good bacteria.



The word probiotic means pro-life. These friendly, life-supporting critters are killed off by antibiotics. They're absent in dead foods that comprise the standard American diet (SAD), and are genetically disturbed by GMO transfer genes and viruses.


Yes, GMOs destroy the immune system through the gut and more. And when is the last time you were advised to take probiotic supplements when you were prescribed an antibiotic? That's just not part of the medical monopoly's protocol, despite ongoing research that keeps finding different important aspects of probiotic bacteria.

Mainstream research into probiotic benefits

The study "Probiotic use decreases intestinal inflammation and increases bone density in healthy male but not female mice" was recorded in the Journal of Cellular Physiology late January 2013.

The University of Michigan State researchers fed mice Lactobacillus reuteri for a period of four weeks. Lacobacillus reuteri has been determined from other research to be effective at reducing gut inflammation and effective for treating inflammatory bowel disease.

The fact that inflammation in the gut has been associated with osteoporosis led the researchers to explore what improves gut inflammation as a possible application for bone disease.

The researchers discovered that male mice had improved bone density after ingesting Lacobacillus reuteri, but oddly; female mice did not demonstrate improved bone density. The tacit implication is females may need a variation of the probiotic used.

More research was called upon after discovering this link of probiotics and bone density to determine which probiotics would be the most appropriate for each person to prescribe as a medication for osteoporosis.

Other studies have discovered the importance of probiotics for improving health in different areas.

For example, in 2011 The Cochrane Library reviewed several studies and determined that probiotics such as lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria could help resist or resolve upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) from colds, flus, and even pneumonia.

Several studies have confirmed the efficacy of probiotics for prolonged infectious diarrhea among children and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Obviously, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand does as more and more dead food, GMOs, and antibiotics are pushed by the food and medical industry.

You would be wise to stay away from the dead and genetically engineered foods and avoid synthetic antibiotics. At least dose heavily with probiotic supplements if forced into antibiotics.

Some natural antibiotics aren't so selective with what mini-critters they kill too. You may need probiotic supplements more than once in a while.

But for probiotic maintenance, search for raw dairy, create fermented foods, and consume prebiotic superfoods that encourage probiotic bacteria to flourish.

We all need to get by with a lot of help from our little friends.




About Dr Kevin Lau


Dr Kevin Lau is a Singapore chiropractor and the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition. He is a member of International Society On Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT), the leading international society on conservative treatment of spinal deformities. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to:

Website - http://www.hiyh.info.
ScolioTrack Website - http://www.ScolioTrack.com.
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HealthInYourHands.
Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/user/DrKevinLau.
Twitter - http://www.Twitter.com/DrKevinLau.

A doctor of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) once told this author that "disease begins in the gut." Ayurvedic medicine also has a similar premise. Bad or sub-optimal digestion leads to all sorts of disease. That includes disease beyond the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride and others in Western medicine have taken this premise beyond physical ailments into the mind-body relationship with GAPS, or Gut and Psychology Syndrome, by treating mental disorders from ADD to Autism.

Their success has come from altering the diet to allow the gut to heal and good bacteria in the intestinal flora to thrive.

So there's more to the good bacteria in the gut than most think. Even more than digestion, as important as that is. These supportive bacteria in the gut also signal different parts of the immune system in other areas of the body. It's estimated that up to 80 percent of the immune system is involved with the gut's good bacteria.



The word probiotic means pro-life. These friendly, life-supporting critters are killed off by antibiotics. They're absent in dead foods that comprise the standard American diet (SAD), and are genetically disturbed by GMO transfer genes and viruses.


Yes, GMOs destroy the immune system through the gut and more. And when is the last time you were advised to take probiotic supplements when you were prescribed an antibiotic? That's just not part of the medical monopoly's protocol, despite ongoing research that keeps finding different important aspects of probiotic bacteria.

Mainstream research into probiotic benefits

The study "Probiotic use decreases intestinal inflammation and increases bone density in healthy male but not female mice" was recorded in the Journal of Cellular Physiology late January 2013.

The University of Michigan State researchers fed mice Lactobacillus reuteri for a period of four weeks. Lacobacillus reuteri has been determined from other research to be effective at reducing gut inflammation and effective for treating inflammatory bowel disease.

The fact that inflammation in the gut has been associated with osteoporosis led the researchers to explore what improves gut inflammation as a possible application for bone disease.

The researchers discovered that male mice had improved bone density after ingesting Lacobacillus reuteri, but oddly; female mice did not demonstrate improved bone density. The tacit implication is females may need a variation of the probiotic used.

More research was called upon after discovering this link of probiotics and bone density to determine which probiotics would be the most appropriate for each person to prescribe as a medication for osteoporosis.

Other studies have discovered the importance of probiotics for improving health in different areas.

For example, in 2011 The Cochrane Library reviewed several studies and determined that probiotics such as lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria could help resist or resolve upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) from colds, flus, and even pneumonia.

Several studies have confirmed the efficacy of probiotics for prolonged infectious diarrhea among children and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Obviously, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand does as more and more dead food, GMOs, and antibiotics are pushed by the food and medical industry.

You would be wise to stay away from the dead and genetically engineered foods and avoid synthetic antibiotics. At least dose heavily with probiotic supplements if forced into antibiotics.

Some natural antibiotics aren't so selective with what mini-critters they kill too. You may need probiotic supplements more than once in a while.

But for probiotic maintenance, search for raw dairy, create fermented foods, and consume prebiotic superfoods that encourage probiotic bacteria to flourish.

We all need to get by with a lot of help from our little friends.




About Dr Kevin Lau


Dr Kevin Lau is a Singapore chiropractor and the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition. He is a member of International Society On Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT), the leading international society on conservative treatment of spinal deformities. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to:

Website - http://www.hiyh.info.
ScolioTrack Website - http://www.ScolioTrack.com.
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HealthInYourHands.
Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/user/DrKevinLau.
Twitter - http://www.Twitter.com/DrKevinLau.
Read More


Thursday, March 7, 2013

Nightmare, drug-resistant superbugs, including one that kills half the people who get it, are a big threat

"Nightmare bacteria" leading to deadly infections that are difficult and sometimes impossible to treat are on the rise in American hospitals, and threaten to spread to otherwise healthy people outside of medical facilities, according to a federal Centers for Disease Control Vital Signs report published Tuesday.

These superbugs, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, have become resistant to nearly all the antibiotics available today, including drugs of last resort. According to the report, CRE infections are caused by a family of germs that are a normal part of a person's healthy digestive system, but can cause infections when they get into the bladder, blood or other areas where they don't belong.

The report says almost all CRE infections are found in patients receiving serious medical care, and they kill up to half of patients who get bloodstream infections from them. In addition to spreading among people, CREs easily spread their antibiotic resistance to other kinds of germs, making those potentially untreatable as well.

Only 10 years ago, such resistance was hardly ever seen in this group of germs. Although these superbugs are uncommon, their prevalence has quadrupled in the past decade in medical facilities in 42 states, the CDC says.

The report calls for immediate action to stop the spread of these deadly infection; it is a critical time for U.S. doctors, nurses lab staff, medical facility leaders, health departments, states, policymakers and patients to help fight the spread through coordinated and consistent efforts.

The report asks patients to do three things: Tell your doctor if you have been hospitalized in another facility or country, take antibiotics only as prescribed, and insist that everyone wash their hands before touching you. For more details, click here for the Vital Signs report.
"Nightmare bacteria" leading to deadly infections that are difficult and sometimes impossible to treat are on the rise in American hospitals, and threaten to spread to otherwise healthy people outside of medical facilities, according to a federal Centers for Disease Control Vital Signs report published Tuesday.

These superbugs, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, have become resistant to nearly all the antibiotics available today, including drugs of last resort. According to the report, CRE infections are caused by a family of germs that are a normal part of a person's healthy digestive system, but can cause infections when they get into the bladder, blood or other areas where they don't belong.

The report says almost all CRE infections are found in patients receiving serious medical care, and they kill up to half of patients who get bloodstream infections from them. In addition to spreading among people, CREs easily spread their antibiotic resistance to other kinds of germs, making those potentially untreatable as well.

Only 10 years ago, such resistance was hardly ever seen in this group of germs. Although these superbugs are uncommon, their prevalence has quadrupled in the past decade in medical facilities in 42 states, the CDC says.

The report calls for immediate action to stop the spread of these deadly infection; it is a critical time for U.S. doctors, nurses lab staff, medical facility leaders, health departments, states, policymakers and patients to help fight the spread through coordinated and consistent efforts.

The report asks patients to do three things: Tell your doctor if you have been hospitalized in another facility or country, take antibiotics only as prescribed, and insist that everyone wash their hands before touching you. For more details, click here for the Vital Signs report.
Read More


Commission says drastic changes to doctor pay and cuts to wasteful services can fix Medicare problem without tax hikes

A national advisory panel says “drastic changes” in how Medicare reimburses doctors and other providers are needed to shore up Medicare's finances, improve patient outcomes and rein in health care costs, and there is no need to seek more taxpayer money.

Medicare needs $138 billion over the next decade to avoid steep cuts in physician pay, and avoiding those cuts has become an annual scramble in Congress known as "the doc fix."  A panel dominated by internal-medicine specialists, The National Commission on Physician Payment Reform, has concluded that reduction of wasteful medical services can help solve the problem and "our nation cannot control runaway medical spending without fundamentally changing how physicians are paid," it says in its report.

Source: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Congressional
Budget Office
, Budget and Economic Outlook, January 2011

The U.S. spends nearly $3 trillion a year on health care, and that level of spending is unsustainable. The report says that as a proportion of the federal budget, the cost of Medicare has risen from 3.5 percent in 1975 to 15.1 percent in 2010 in 2010). In 2020, it is projected to consume 17 percent, or 4 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product.

Recognizing the way that physicians are paid contributes substantially to the high cost of health care, The Society of General Internal Medicine convened the commission in March 2012 to make recommendations for payment reform. According to the report, some of the factors that drive up health care expenditures are:
  • Fee-for-service reimbursement
  • Consolidation in the health-care industry
  • Reliance on technology and expensive care
  • Reliance on a high proportion of specialists
  • Paying more for the same service or procedure when done in a hospital setting as opposed to an outpatient setting
  • A disproportionate percentage of health care spending directed to a small number of people who are very sick and costly to treat
  • High administrative costs
  • Fear of malpractice lawsuits
  • Fraud and abuse
The commission says increased taxes are not needed to fix the Medicare problem, and the Medicaid shortfall could be entirely found by reducing overuse of services within Medicare. See the chart to the right for a breakdown of those excess medical costs.

The commission developed 12 recommendations to reduce health costs, calling for drastic changes to the current fee-for-service payment system and a five-year transition to a physician payment system that rewards quality and value-based care and not the volume of care.

The 12 recommendations were based on the principles that payment reform should improve care quality and efficiency, encourage care for the medically disadvantaged, reduce marginal and ineffective services, increase transparency to the public and should reward patient-centered comprehensive care. (Click here to see those recommendations)
A national advisory panel says “drastic changes” in how Medicare reimburses doctors and other providers are needed to shore up Medicare's finances, improve patient outcomes and rein in health care costs, and there is no need to seek more taxpayer money.

Medicare needs $138 billion over the next decade to avoid steep cuts in physician pay, and avoiding those cuts has become an annual scramble in Congress known as "the doc fix."  A panel dominated by internal-medicine specialists, The National Commission on Physician Payment Reform, has concluded that reduction of wasteful medical services can help solve the problem and "our nation cannot control runaway medical spending without fundamentally changing how physicians are paid," it says in its report.

Source: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Congressional
Budget Office
, Budget and Economic Outlook, January 2011

The U.S. spends nearly $3 trillion a year on health care, and that level of spending is unsustainable. The report says that as a proportion of the federal budget, the cost of Medicare has risen from 3.5 percent in 1975 to 15.1 percent in 2010 in 2010). In 2020, it is projected to consume 17 percent, or 4 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product.

Recognizing the way that physicians are paid contributes substantially to the high cost of health care, The Society of General Internal Medicine convened the commission in March 2012 to make recommendations for payment reform. According to the report, some of the factors that drive up health care expenditures are:
  • Fee-for-service reimbursement
  • Consolidation in the health-care industry
  • Reliance on technology and expensive care
  • Reliance on a high proportion of specialists
  • Paying more for the same service or procedure when done in a hospital setting as opposed to an outpatient setting
  • A disproportionate percentage of health care spending directed to a small number of people who are very sick and costly to treat
  • High administrative costs
  • Fear of malpractice lawsuits
  • Fraud and abuse
The commission says increased taxes are not needed to fix the Medicare problem, and the Medicaid shortfall could be entirely found by reducing overuse of services within Medicare. See the chart to the right for a breakdown of those excess medical costs.

The commission developed 12 recommendations to reduce health costs, calling for drastic changes to the current fee-for-service payment system and a five-year transition to a physician payment system that rewards quality and value-based care and not the volume of care.

The 12 recommendations were based on the principles that payment reform should improve care quality and efficiency, encourage care for the medically disadvantaged, reduce marginal and ineffective services, increase transparency to the public and should reward patient-centered comprehensive care. (Click here to see those recommendations)
Read More


Vaccines causing seizures is more common in U.S. than ever


 
 
Vaccines were once undoubtedly regarded as the first line of defense against diseases and internal infections, but it is now being reported that vaccines do no good to  human health. Natural News reports that vaccines nowadays contain a large number of toxic agents that make the body sick instead of helping it recover from illness. A Madison-based vaccine company is all set to introduce a new vaccine called Redee Flu, which the company claims to be more efficient in resisting the advent of flu. But this vaccine is also likely to contain harmful and toxic chemicals like all other flu shots as revealed in the news article posted in


 

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has been able to establish a direct link between the tetanus and whooping cough vaccines and seizures in babies. In this study, almost 380,000 children who were born in Denmark between 2003 and 2008 were studied by Yuelian Sun and her colleagues from Aarhus University in Denmark. These children were given vaccines regularly. Over two percent of these children were reported to have suffered  seizures from fever by the time  they were one-and-a-half years old and the risk of having fever related seizures increased each time they were vaccinated. Read more in


 

On one hand, vaccines do little to save the public from the onslaught of diseases and on the other hand, injecting the wrong vaccine worsens the problem. Natural News reports that a British doctor has been charged with giving the wrong vaccines to children for over three years and the worst part is that the children now face serious health risks. Since January 2009, at least 221 children in the Barnsley area in United Kingdom have been subjected to the wrong vaccines and a faulty vaccination procedure. Instead of giving individual vaccines, the doctor is reported to have given the children a combination of whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, Haemophilus Influenza Type B, rubella, mumps and measles vaccines which has now placed their health in serious jeopardy. The story is covered in the link  http://www.naturalnews.com/038034_vaccines_children_health_risks.html

 

 
 
Vaccines were once undoubtedly regarded as the first line of defense against diseases and internal infections, but it is now being reported that vaccines do no good to  human health. Natural News reports that vaccines nowadays contain a large number of toxic agents that make the body sick instead of helping it recover from illness. A Madison-based vaccine company is all set to introduce a new vaccine called Redee Flu, which the company claims to be more efficient in resisting the advent of flu. But this vaccine is also likely to contain harmful and toxic chemicals like all other flu shots as revealed in the news article posted in


 

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has been able to establish a direct link between the tetanus and whooping cough vaccines and seizures in babies. In this study, almost 380,000 children who were born in Denmark between 2003 and 2008 were studied by Yuelian Sun and her colleagues from Aarhus University in Denmark. These children were given vaccines regularly. Over two percent of these children were reported to have suffered  seizures from fever by the time  they were one-and-a-half years old and the risk of having fever related seizures increased each time they were vaccinated. Read more in


 

On one hand, vaccines do little to save the public from the onslaught of diseases and on the other hand, injecting the wrong vaccine worsens the problem. Natural News reports that a British doctor has been charged with giving the wrong vaccines to children for over three years and the worst part is that the children now face serious health risks. Since January 2009, at least 221 children in the Barnsley area in United Kingdom have been subjected to the wrong vaccines and a faulty vaccination procedure. Instead of giving individual vaccines, the doctor is reported to have given the children a combination of whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, Haemophilus Influenza Type B, rubella, mumps and measles vaccines which has now placed their health in serious jeopardy. The story is covered in the link  http://www.naturalnews.com/038034_vaccines_children_health_risks.html

 
Read More


Opinions about early castration of cats

PernestÃ¥l K and Axnér E. An internet survey of breeders’ and cat rescue organisations’ opinions about early castration of cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 2012; 14: 849-56. 

Early castration, usually suggested to be castration before 4 months of age, is the only method to make sure that a cat will not produce a litter. Breeders of pedigree cats may use early castration as an effective means of preventing a kitten from breeding before it goes to a new home. There has been a concern that early castration may lead to depletion of gene pools leading to future inbreeding and health problems. Because of this concern in Sweden, it is one of the reasons for not recommending castration before a cat is 6 months old.
 
Responses by 66 breeders (covering a total of 17 breeds) and 29 cat rescue organisations were obtained by using a web-based questionnaire asking them to choose perceived advantages and disadvantages to castration. While the reasons to apply early castration differed between breeders, the possibility of counteracting irresponsible breeding (such as overuse of strains within the breed or production of cross-breeds) seemed to be one of the main reasons. Of all the pedigree kittens covered in the study, 45.1% were kept intact while 54.9% were neutered before re-homing. Few breeders had experienced any negative side effects of early castration; overweight being mentioned by four breeders. Though the questionnaire was emailed to 102 cat rescue groups, 29 responded with 19 (65.5%) believing that early castration could be beneficial in reducing the number of homeless cats. Only six (20.6%) of the groups had applied early castration. 

The authors considered the poor response rate by cat rescue groups may be due to the fact that the issue had not been discussed in all organisations and that these cats do not have one specific owner.
The authors conclude from evaluating the responses there was no evidence in this study that early castration of pedigree kittens will inevitably cause a depletion of gene pools. They did not believe there were conflicting interests between keeping genetic variation in pedigree breeds and the possibility of limiting the population of homeless cats by castrating kittens before they are re-homed. [VT]

See also: Joyce A and Yates D. Help stop teenage pregnancy! Early-age neutering in cats. J Feline Med Surg. 2011; 13: 3-10.

Related blog posts:
The best age to spay and neuter (March 2008)

More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Join us on Google+
PernestÃ¥l K and Axnér E. An internet survey of breeders’ and cat rescue organisations’ opinions about early castration of cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 2012; 14: 849-56. 

Early castration, usually suggested to be castration before 4 months of age, is the only method to make sure that a cat will not produce a litter. Breeders of pedigree cats may use early castration as an effective means of preventing a kitten from breeding before it goes to a new home. There has been a concern that early castration may lead to depletion of gene pools leading to future inbreeding and health problems. Because of this concern in Sweden, it is one of the reasons for not recommending castration before a cat is 6 months old.
 
Responses by 66 breeders (covering a total of 17 breeds) and 29 cat rescue organisations were obtained by using a web-based questionnaire asking them to choose perceived advantages and disadvantages to castration. While the reasons to apply early castration differed between breeders, the possibility of counteracting irresponsible breeding (such as overuse of strains within the breed or production of cross-breeds) seemed to be one of the main reasons. Of all the pedigree kittens covered in the study, 45.1% were kept intact while 54.9% were neutered before re-homing. Few breeders had experienced any negative side effects of early castration; overweight being mentioned by four breeders. Though the questionnaire was emailed to 102 cat rescue groups, 29 responded with 19 (65.5%) believing that early castration could be beneficial in reducing the number of homeless cats. Only six (20.6%) of the groups had applied early castration. 

The authors considered the poor response rate by cat rescue groups may be due to the fact that the issue had not been discussed in all organisations and that these cats do not have one specific owner.
The authors conclude from evaluating the responses there was no evidence in this study that early castration of pedigree kittens will inevitably cause a depletion of gene pools. They did not believe there were conflicting interests between keeping genetic variation in pedigree breeds and the possibility of limiting the population of homeless cats by castrating kittens before they are re-homed. [VT]

See also: Joyce A and Yates D. Help stop teenage pregnancy! Early-age neutering in cats. J Feline Med Surg. 2011; 13: 3-10.

Related blog posts:
The best age to spay and neuter (March 2008)

More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Join us on Google+
Read More