Published Date: 09 June 2009
By SHÂN ROSS

LEAPING over a row of hurdles and racing through the arena at breakneck speed, Scrooble was a star turn in last year's Crufts finals. But unknown to the cheering crowd, the Border collie was only there after completing a gruelling course of cancer treatment. Without help, vets had given him only months to live.

Yesterday, in a demonstration of the latest treatments now available to the nation's pets, Scrooble was the VIP guest at the official opening of Scotland's first £3 million cancer centre for animals.

The centre – at the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Roslin, Midlothian – offers the chance of a cure for pets that would once have been put down. It will deal with up to 20 cases of animal cancer a week.

Approximately one in three dogs and one in five cats will develop cancer, which is the main cause of death in pets. Cancer rates are increasing because animals are living longer, but new treatments have led to better survival rates.

Devoted owners with £1,000 to £4,000 to spare will be able to get a dog, cat, rabbit or ferret treated at the new centre within a week. At the formal opening by the Duchess of Hamilton yesterday, Professor David Argyle, the centre's director, said owners' attitudes to pet care had changed over the past 15 years.

"With access to the internet, people are much more aware of what is on offer and what can be achieved with treatment which can provide animals with a good quality of life," he said.

"There are more treatments available and more people have access to insurance that wasn't around ten or 15 years ago."

The centre's equipment includes a computerised tomography (CT) scanner which can even examine horses, and a linear accelerator allowing radiotherapy treatment to be given to animals for the first time.

The centre will offer the latest therapies and treatments and provide insight for the treatment of cancer in humans.

Prof Argyle added that the centre has the most sophisticated diagnostic procedures available and its research would include identifying cancer-causing genes, understanding tumour progression and analysing the role of stem cells in cancer.

"Our understanding in treating cats and dogs and how cancer takes hold will also pave the way for comparative research, relating what we know about the disease in animals to improve treatment for all," he said.

Scientists at the vet school have already discovered a rogue cancer stem cell in dogs that could help find new treatments for bone cancer in children and adolescents.

Scrooble, now aged seven, was diagnosed with lymphoma of the intestine and underwent eight months of treatment with chemotherapy via a drip of "cocktails" and steroids.

His owner, Sara Hawkswell, 42, from Armadale, West Lothian, said:

"Scooble got so used to treatment that he would look out for anyone he knew walking past in the waiting room and then, when it was time for his treatment, he would jump right up on to the table."

The centre forms part of a £100 million development on the Easter Bush site, which includes a research and teaching building.

Treatment costs up to £4,000

CANCER treatment for animals usually costs £1,000-£4,000. However, the cost can be significantly higher.

Part of the costs can be covered by pet insurance.

Petplan, Britain's biggest pet insurer, said insurance premiums varied depending on age, location and breed of animal. Based on their "Covered for Life Petplan", for which owners can claim up to £4,000 per year in vet fees, payments for a four-year-old mongrel dog in Edinburgh would be £19.92 a month – and £27.23 for a pedigree.

By Kelly House
The Courier-Journal
June 16, 2009

The Louisville Zoo is now home to a duckling of one of the world's rarest species, which was abandoned after its egg was laid.

Zoo bird curator Gary Michael said incidents of mothers dumping eggs outside the nest are not uncommon. When a zoo worker came across the egg, it was placed in an incubator immediately.

The duckling, Gerry, is a member of the endangered Madagascar teal species, whose numbers have dwindled to only about 2,000 in the wild and 200 in zoos, said Kara Bussabarger, Louisville Zoo spokeswoman.

"It's the first time in the Louisville Zoo that we've ever had this bird hatching," she said, "and we've been around for 40 years."

According to the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Madagascar teal, also known as the Bernier's teal, is native to the wetlands on the west coast of Madagascar. The duck's population has been reduced because of human encroachment on its habitat and hunting.

At the time the egg was dumped outside the nest, Gerry's parents were at the zoo on loan from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in the British Isles.

After incubating the egg for several weeks, Michael spent hours rubbing his fingernail against the shell to coax the duckling out. When Gerry had trouble cracking the shell, Michael poked a hole in it to help.

"It occurred to me that the bird needed assistance, so I provided that," he said. "As the hours went by and it didn't break the shell membrane, then I opened the shell up."

Gerry is being kept from public view in a special bird rearing area and fed a diet of grain, hard boiled eggs, insects and vitamins. Gerry will eventually be moved to another zoo to mate.

Zoo officials have not identified Gerry's gender, which must be determined by a blood test. Bussabarger said they are waiting until later this summer, when Gerry is older and stronger, to draw the blood.

Michael said he does not plan to make Gerry available to the public - although both of his parents are on display and he hopes they will breed again.

They will continue to stay at the Louisville Zoo after Gerry leaves.

By Jennifer Baker
jbaker@enquirer.com
June 12, 2009

A deer scampered into the Whole Foods store in Rookwood Commons in Norwood on Friday, forcing the business to close before the animal was tranquilized and carried out.

The 100-pound buck ran around the parking lot about 11 a.m. before winding up in front of the store's automatic sliding entrance doors.

As soon as they opened, he charged in, heading for the smell of baking chocolate chip cookies in the bakery section.

"He was hanging out next to the oven waiting for the cookies to come out," said Scott Hartman, the store's manager. "I think when he came in, he scared a lot of people, of course. It's not a normal thing."

In his rush to get to the bakery, the deer knocked over some cheese and cases of wine stacked on the floor, Norwood police said. He also bumped into a customer, who suffered a minor injury but waved off medical care, said Sgt. Lou Pauly.

At some point, the deer knocked his antlers off.

He hung out in the bakery some 25 minutes until the SPCA Cincinnati showed up. The SPCA tranquilized the deer, who by then was shaking and scared, Hartman said.

Once the tranquilizer took effect, police and the SPCA carried the animal out -- without a cookie.

Whole Foods briefly closed to clean up but has reopened. Hartman said this is the third time he's run a Whole Foods location that's hosted a deer.

"If you have a store that is near woods and people keep building houses on woods and stuff, sometimes it happens," he said. "If you take away their homes, they have to go somewhere."