New SARDS Treatment

[glencorgi]

From a regional biomedical research newsletter:

Blind Dogs Can See After New Treatment
If two dogs are any indication, Iowa State University veterinary
researchers may have found a cure for a previously incurable disease that
causes dogs to go blind suddenly. In the past six weeks, two dogs have
been successfully
treated for sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) by a
research team led by ISU veterinary ophthalmologist Dr. Sinisa Grozdanic in
the College of Veterinary Medicine. The experimental treatment is the first to
reverse blindness and restore sight to dogs diagnosed with SARDS. The
treatment restored sight to the two dogs that were treated on April 12 and
April 27. "This is the first small sign of hope that actually something can
be done," Grozdanic said. The dogs were treated with intravenous
immunoglobulin (IVIg), a human blood product that
contains antibodies from the plasma of thousands of blood donors. It is
used to treat immune deficiencies, inflammatory diseases and autoimmune
diseases. "Although the dogs won't be catching any Frisbees, they can
navigate and not bump into objects," Grozdanic said. SARDS was first
identified in the 1980s and blinds as many as 4,000 dogs each year in North
America, he said. The dogs have a sudden loss of vision despite no
structural changes to the eyes or damage to the retinas in the early stages
of the disease. Their eyes appear completely normal, but their retinas
show no electrical activity. Grozdanic and his colleagues wanted a better
understanding of the molecular mechanisms that cause SARDS. They worked
with the University of Iowa's Department of Ophthalmology and Vision
Sciences to conduct genetic testing of SARDS tissue, cross referencing the
results with the U of I's datebase of
genetic information from different human ocular diseases. "We saw that the
molecular profile of SARDS eyes is very similar to immune mediated
retinopathy in humans, which is usually antibody induced. That was the key
factor," Grozdanic said. Immune-mediated retinopathy in humans was not
treatable until about 10 years ago when IVIg was
found to show results in some patients. Although the treatment has worked
in two SARDS dogs, not every dog is a good candidate, Grozdanic cautions.
Dogs with severe cardiac or kidney disease cannot tolerate IVIg. And it
won't work in a dog whose retina degeneration is advanced. "Once a dog gets
SARDS, the retina degenerates quickly, so it's important the dog is treated
with IVIg very soon after diagnosis," he said. "Usually dogs that have
SARDS for longer than two months have severe retinal changes. The sooner
it's treated, the better chance it will work." An optical coherence
tomography scan is needed to confirm the condition of a dog's retina. Iowa
State University's Veterinary Medicine Hospital is the only veterinary
institution using this advanced diagnostic technology, which is more
commonly found in large ophthalmology centers for humans. Diagnostic tests
cost about $700. If the dog is a good candidate for treatment,
hospitalization and intensive care fees will be about $1,200. The IVIg cost
will be between $35-40 per pound of the dog's body weight. "At this point,
the biggest unknown is how long the treatment will last. It could be
anywhere from a few weeks to a few years," Grozdanic said. Grozdanic
recommends owners visit the nearest
veterinary ophthalmologist as soon as a dog exhibits any loss in vision.