Purdue News

January 28, 2000 Purdue vet school seeks old dogs for nutrition study WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Owners of older dogs have an opportunity to earn free food and a rabies vaccination for their pets by participating in a nutrition study at Purdue. The researchers at Purdue's School of Veterinary Medicine want to determine if aging has a negative effect on the immune response of dogs to vaccines, and if certain dietary changes can prevent those negative effects. "Decreased immune responsiveness would leave older dogs less protected against the infectious diseases we routinely vaccinate for," explained Dr. Steve Thompson, director of the Wellness Clinic. "Now that dogs are living longer than ever, we need to look at new ways of keeping them in optimum health as they age." Dogs participating in the study must be in good general health and be at least 9 years old if they weigh more than 100 pounds, or 11 years old if they weigh less than 100 pounds. Owners will be charged $90 for a standard geriatric health screening at the beginning of the study, at which point a blood sample will be drawn. Each dog will receive food for three months and will return to Purdue for another round of blood tests and the free vaccination after two months on the special diet. A final blood sample will be taken two weeks after the vaccination. For more information, contact Purdue's Small Animal Clinic at (765) 494-1107. CONTACT: Thompson, (765) 496-3399, sthompso@vet.purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page