HOD

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From:"Garver, Candra" <cgarver@yorkhospital.edu>
To:"'histonet@pathology.swmed.edu'" <histonet@pathology.swmed.edu>
Reply-To:
Content-Type:text/plain

I sent Cathie Crukley's request for info about HOD to my daughter, Elizabeth
L. Carney, DVM, who sends this reply:

Hi-

HOD is hypertrophic osteodystrophy, a disease that affects immature large
breed dogs (Great Dane most common).  Males are affected more than females.
Average age of onset is 3-4 months, range is 2-8 months.  Cause is unknown:
hypotheses as to cause have been proposed:
1.  Metabolic, such as hypovitaminosis C and hypocuprosis - both have been
eliminated as causes due to lack of reproducibility in research trials.
2.  Nutritional:  HOD often affects 1 or 2 puppies in the litter even though
all pups are receiving the same diet and supplements.  Puppies have
developed HOD without oversupplementation or overfeeding.
3.  Infectious:  bacterial or fungal organisms have not been identified
histopathologically in tissues in affected puppies.  Attempts to transmit
HOD hematogenously from affected puppies to nonaffected puppies have failed.
Canine distemper virus RNA has been detected in bone cells of dogs with HOD.
Blood taken from dogs with HOD injected into noninfected dogs resulted in
development of canine distemper in 3 of 7 dogs but did not cause HOD.  The
development of HOD secondary to an infectious agent may depend on the timing
of exposure to the neonate.

I know of no tests for carriers or probes for distemper/parvo.  Of course,
there may be a lab at one of the veterinary schools who is doing
experimental tests of that sort.  Dr. C. Guillermo Couto at Ohio State seems
to be doing a lot of Weimaraner/HOD research.  His info from the Ohio State
website:
   Published address  = Couto.1@osu.edu
  Current status = Currently employed
  Department (College) = Veterinary Clinical Scien (College Of
VeterinaryMed)
  Title = PROFESSOR
  Appointments:
    Veterinary Clinical Scien (College Of Veterinary Med)
       1010 Veterinary Hospital
        601 Vernon Tharp St
        Columbus, Oh 43210
        (614) 292-3551
    Veterinary Biosciences (College Of Veterinary Med)

If you would like to forward this info on to her that would be fine.

Hope this helps!
Dr. Beth



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