AKC Gazette Column A Dachshund By Any Other Name

TESTING FOR HEARTWORM RESISTANCE 10/01/2020, from the AKC CHF site Author: Sharon M. Albright, DVM, CCRT

Canine heartworm disease has been diagnosed in all 48 states of the contiguous U.S. It is caused by infestation with the parasite Dirofilaria immitis and spread through the bite of a mosquito. Once injected into the dog host, heartworm larvae mature in the blood stream and eventually establish residence in the heart and large blood vessels as 6 to 12-inch adult worms. These worms and the associated inflammation prevent normal function of the cardiovascular system and result in clinical signs such as cough, fatigue, decreased appetite, and reluctance to exercise. In advanced cases, heartworms can cause heart failure and cardiovascular collapse.

The cardiovascular damage caused by heartworms is irreversible. Therefore, management of this disease has relied heavily on prevention with the use of antiparasitic drugs known as macrocyclic lactones. These drugs prevent the larval heartworms from maturing into adult worms. Low doses given at regular intervals have been very safe and effective at preventing heartworm disease in dogs for decades. Recently there have been increasing clinical reports and laboratory confirmation that some heartworms are resistant to these preventive medications – a definite threat to canine health.

There is no reliable test for heartworm resistance to currently used preventives. Without such a test, we don’t know how many heartworms are resistant to macrocyclic lactones. How common is this problem? Veterinarians also need a test to help treat heartworm disease in their individual canine patients. Are the heartworms affecting this particular dog resistant to common preventive medications? With funding from AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF) grant 02458-A: A Laboratory Test for Detecting Drug Resistance in Canine Heartworm Disease, investigators at Iowa State University evaluated various tests that could help distinguish susceptible and resistant heartworms and recently published their results.

Investigators ran tests of cell membrane permeability, metabolic activity, and enzyme activity which could easily be run on a blood sample collected in the veterinary clinic. They tested four different heartworm populations – two known to be resistant and two known to be susceptible to macrocyclic lactones. Their goal was to determine if any of these tests could accurately identify resistant heartworms. While each of the heartworm populations studied showed some unique characteristics in their test results, none of the tests clearly predicted susceptible or resistant behavior.

While no obvious test for heartworm resistance resulted from this research, valuable information was obtained. Future studies on heartworm resistance must include multiple populations of the parasite. Because the heartworm populations examined in this study varied in their biochemical processes, we cannot assume that the mechanisms of resistance are the same in all heartworms. Investigators did find variations in the locations and types of metabolic enzymes present in heartworms. A more detailed look at their different functions might reveal clues for testing and management of resistance. The AKC Canine Health Foundation and its donors remain committed to addressing the ongoing threat of heartworm disease and heartworm resistance to currently used preventatives. Veterinarians and dog owners need new tools and strategies to combat this common and deadly parasite. In a novel approach to managing canine heartworm disease, CHF-funded investigators at Texas A&M University are studying mosquitoes that spread this parasite (CHF grant 02821-A: Investigating the Role of Aedes aegypti in Dog Heartworm Transmission in Communities along the U.S.Mexico Border). Results could identify if and how mosquito control can impact the prevalence of canine heartworm disease.

Dog owners should follow their veterinarian’s recommendations for regular heartworm testing and prevention. Learn more about CHF-funded research on this and other canine health threats at akcchf.org/research.!

A Dachshund by any other name… By Trudy Kawami, from the AKC Gazette

It is pretty well known by Dachshund enthusiasts that the breed’s name means literally Badger Dog in German. Badger is the quarry that it was most notably used for in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The badger is a tough & cunning underground foe and any dog brave enough to face and bolt a badge was highly respected The breed’s name reflects the respect the hunter had for the fierce badger, though the Dachshund was used on other game, for trailing wounded deer and even for flushing and retrieving game birds.

In the US the badger is not the primary focus of hunting Dachshunds but the name continues as the breed’s formal moniker. Some Americans found “Dachshund” hard to wrap their tongue around and a variety of vernacular or nicknames arose like “Dash-hound” which does at least evoke the active dog. The commonly used “Dachsie” or “Doxie” are clearly diminutive version of the longer name. But other names like “Hot Dog”, Wiener Dog” “Frankfurter Dog” and “Sausage Dog” play not only on the breed’s long body but also refer to the German sausages of the same name. They link the breed at least subliminally with its German origins. The sausage parallel carries over to other languages as well. In Spanish-speaking North America the breed is called “Salchicha” or “little sausage”.

In modern Germany the Dachshund is sometimes called “Dachshund,” but more usually it is called a teckel or dackel. The formal name of the German national breed club is Deutsche

Teckel Klub. Both “teckel” and “dackel” are diminutives for badger, that is they mean “little badger [dog]”. The difference between the “t” and “d” spellings are just regional variations in pronunciation that go back a long time. Linguistically they are the same word. So it is not surprising that in neighboring France the breed is also called “Teckel”. As the Dachshund moved farther from its region of origin the name “teckel” went through some changes. In Russia the breed is called “taksa” and in Sweden the Dachshund is a “tax”. You can still hear the Dachs (badger) in both these names. Poland has two separate names for the breed. One is, of course, “taks”, but the other is quite different –“jamnik” or burrower, and “jamniczka”, little burrower. And it is this action, the working to earth, that is so distinctively Dachshund. Denmark, too, focuses the dogs’ actions as well, calling it “gravhund“, literally digging or burrowing dog. In all these countries the Dachshund has long been used to work quarry to earth, and is valued as both a working dog and a loving companion in the home.

In southern Europe the Dachshund was also known and used for hunting but the breed’s name lost the “dachs” sound. In Spain the breed is called “perro tejonero” which is a literal translation of “badger dog.” In Italy the Dachshund is “il Bassotto”, the low one, a nice literal description but one that leaves out the hunting aspect.

Just to confuse us when we think we understand the changes in the breed’s name as it moves away from its place of origin, the Norwegians called a Dachshund – a Dachshund! Anyway you say it, Dachshund, teckel or bassotto, it’s one heck of a good dog!!