Veterinary Diagnostics Institute

Recent study published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine looking at TK1 & CRP in dogs with various cancer types. Check out the full article! http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvim.13954/full

Just some light reading on Vitamin D for your Tuesday afternoon! http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.12458/full

We're not the only ones who see the importance of Vitamin D testing! http://fox40.com//ask-a-vet-supplementing-for-vitamin-d-i/

DO DOGS HAVE THE MOST CANCER? Does the dog, man’s best friend, have the highest rate of cancer out of any other mammal on the planet? Are they the most affected... by this terrible disease? Today’s researchers believe so: Yes, rates of cancer in dogs are higher- spectacularly so. I think dogs have much to tell us about this awful disease if we back away from addressing it as a breed problem resulting from genetic bad luck, and instead see it as evidence that there might be some unknown but fundamental process that is driving the risk of cancer in dogs. We just need to figure out what it is. - Carol Beuchat, PhD, Scientific Director, Institute of Canine Biology (http://ow.ly/VMgMf) Today, research points out that while 5% of all cancer cases are genetic, 95% are the results of lifestyle and environmental influences. Meaning we have the ability to help control a major portion of these influential factors! The next time someone tells you that pets and humans are living longer today, what they actually mean is they are living longer sicker, and that shouldn’t be the aim. Cancer is a leading cause of death globally: an estimated 7.6 million people died of cancer in 2005 and 84 million people will die in the next 10 years if action is not taken. - World Health Organization (WHO) Rodney Habib - Pet Nutrition Blogger

Vitamin D Factoid: 75% of dogs fed a commercial food diet are vitamin D insufficient. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1756-0500/8/442

Vitamin D Factoid: Vitamin D is the only vitamin that becomes an important hormone regulating not only calcium absorption, but regulating more than 2000 genes! Ramagopalan 2010 Genome Research

Ensuring your cat or dog has sufficient levels of vitamin D is important to preventing disease and maintaining a healthy pet. Checking VitD levels, however, shouldn't be reserved just for healthy animals. Vitamin D plays a vital role in repair and recovery from disease. Checking their levels when they are sick and at the vet for something else can prove just as beneficial. VDI Laboratory has a range of diagnostic tests that gain value by adding on a simple Vitamin D analysis. See our services page for more information: http://vdilab.com/services.php

Know someone with a dog or cat? Share some knowledge with them about Vitamin D and their companion!