MELATEK, LLC HAS ANNOUNCED TWO NEW DISTRIBUTORS OF DERMATONIN!
All veterinarians must now order thru one of the two distributors listed below. Both are nation wide veterinarian product distributors and will give you the professional service you have come to except.
MWI Veterinary Supply A family of over 750 employees responds quickly to customer needs. This "What Ever It Takes" attitude is proudly felt by all departments within the company. Staff members work together to uncover opportunities for improvement and develop forward thinking solutions. We like to think that we can solve any problem, no matter how large or small. MWI constantly strives to improve the service provided to its customers. 1-800-824-3703
Professional Veterinary Products, Ltd. (PVP) provides outstanding value for our customers and shareholders by offering products and services to improve the health of animals. Through exceptional relationships, knowledgeable employees, and efficient distribution systems, we strive to be our customers? only choice. 1-800-228-0077
Melatonin implants (Dermatonin)have been used by several veterinary dermatologists over the last few years in canines with alopecia X. It has apparently been successful in approximately 53% of the cases. Therefore, in spite of this modest success rate, melatonin is a valuable therapeutic alternative to try because of its safety: being a 100% natural product, and low cost. It is been found that the hair growth observed in alopecic dogs treated with melatonin implants (Dermatonin) might be due to either modulation of sex hormone levels, action at the hair follicle level by blocking estrogen receptors (estrogen can inhibit anagen initiation) or actual melatonin deficiency. Also note Dermatonin can be used in conjunction with other drugs; i.e. lysodren, prednisone, anipryl, leuprolide and cimetidine.
I think your Melatonin implants (Dermatonin) can provide a needed treatment for dogs that have Atypical Adrenal Disease. This is a condition with increased adrenal intermediate and sex steroid levels that gives you a variety of clinical presentations; one of them being the haircoat changes (or hair loss) referred to by veterinary dermatologists as Alopecia-X. There are also many dogs that have these hormonal changes that don't have haircoat changes, but one or more of the clinical signs usually associated with hyperadrenocorticism or Cushing's disease (liver changes {hepatomegaly, steroid hepatopathy, increased alkaline phosphatase and alanine aminotransferase enzyme levels}), polyuria and polydypsia, panting, etc. Though I don't have research data to prove the effectiveness of melatonin in these disorders (except in the one study done in ferrets several years back at the University of Wisconsin by Dr. Jan Ramer), many veterinarians do try melatonin in dogs with signs of Cushing's where cortisol is not increased, but rather adrenal intermediates (androstenedione, progesterone and17-hydroxyprogesterone) and sex hormones (estradiol), and subsequent adrenal steroid panels run through our Clinical Endocrinology Service shows that some of these hormone levels decrease when clinical signs improve.
I think melatonin implants will prove superior to oral treatment with melatonin because of the bioavailability problems with oral administration, because of the loss of melatonin by "first pass" effect when melatonin is given orally, and because the drug is metabolized rapidly; thus, the probable need of a continuous release product for effectiveness. Elevated adrenal intermediate steroids, and sex steroids (mainly estradiol), give you all the clinical signs of dogs with the well-defined Cushing's disease syndrome.
I'm going to suggest to veterinarians with selected cases of Atypical Cushing's Disease that they consider trying your melatonin implants (Dermatonin). Dr. Jack oliver University of Tennessee
As the name Castration-Responsive Alopecia implies, some dogs will regrow hair following neutering of the male dog or spaying of the female dog. Therefore, this is usually recommended first. You need to give the coat a few months to see if it will regrow before proceeding with other treatments.
Another treatment that works in about 30-40% of dogs is oral melatonin., a new product (Dermatonin) a melatonin implant is been shown to work in 60-70% of the treatment cases. This is a very safe treatment; however, it can affect a diabetic dog. Again, I can?t stress enough the importance of having your veterinarian first rule out any other diseases that can affect other systems before assuming your dog has Alopecia X.
THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HORMONE PROFILE
One option in the pursuit effective Alopecia X therapy is the Adrenal Sex Hormone panel available at the University of Tennessee. This test is done by drawing a baseline blood panel, administering a pituitary hormone called ACTH, and drawing a second blood sample an hour later to compare. Samples are shipped to Tennessee for evaluation for numerous adrenal sex hormones. The results show not only what hormones respond abnormally but the university will make suggestions as to which therapy might be likely to work. Testing is not expensive and results only take a week to obtain so this will help in selecting what therapy makes sense to try next.
METHYLTESTOSTERONE THERAPY
Click here for more infomation from MELATEK Customer Service For Questions on Dermatonin, pricing or further research please e-mail us. Note you must have your Veterinarian inquire about pricing. Call Melatek's customer service 1-877-MELATEK (635-2835).
PLEASE NOTE: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information published. However, it remains the responsibility of the readers to familiarize themselves with the product information contained on the product label or package insert.
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