Saving Pets with Blood, Sweat and Thyroids
..Dr. Jean Dodds............................
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The current buzz word in human and veterinary medicine is ‘wellness’. But for my guest, Dr. Jean Dodds, it has been her passion since she graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in Toronto, Canada. For Dr. Dodds, it has been a matter of blood-human and animal, a lot of sweat in the hours spent in research and ground breaking work in a common canine condition, under active thyroid disease.
Questions or comments? Email Dr.Cruz at: thepetdoctor@petliferadio.com.
Dr. Jean Dodds received the D.V.M. degree with honors in 1964 from the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Toronto. In 1965, she accepted a position as a Research Scientist with the New York State Health Department. She began comparative studies of animals with inherited and acquired bleeding diseases. Eventually, her position culminated as Chief, Laboratory of Hematology, Wadsworth Center. In 1980, she also became Executive Director, New York State Council on Human Blood and Transfusion Services.
This work continued full-time until 1986 when she moved to Southern California to establish Hemopet, the first nonprofit national blood bank program for animals.
The diagnostic division of Hemopet, Hemolife, provides the most advanced comprehensive diagnostic profiles for identifying canine thyroid disease, performs titer testing, as well as a wide range of other diagnostic services. Hypothyroidism is the most common endocrine disorder of dogs. More than 80% of cases result from autoimmune thyroiditis, the heritable autoimmune disease that progressively destroys the thyroid gland. Classical clinical signs of hypothyroidism only appear once more than 70% of the gland is destroyed. Accurate diagnosis may be difficult because thyroid dysfunction produces a wide range of clinical signs, many of which are subtle and mimic those of other causes.
Dr. Dodds also assisted Antech Diagnostics to establish its IFA testing method (published in JAVMA 2000) and with its thyroid testing antibody profiles.
Dr. Dodds is very well-known for her minimum vaccine protocols and as Co-Trustee of The Rabies Challenge Fund. She provides an FAQ on the subject and has authored several articles such as "Changing Vaccine Protocols".
Dr. Dodds co-authored The Canine Thyroid Epidemic: Answers You Need for Your Dog, which was rewarded the Dog Writers Association of America, Best Care and Health Book for 2011 and the Eukanuba Maxwell Canine Health Award. Her second book, Nutrigenomics: Foods that heal your dog, was published in January 2015.
In 2011, Dr. Dodds released NutriScan, a food sensitivity and intolerance diagnostic test for dogs. NutriScan tests for twenty of the most commonly ingested foods.
