By Barbara Bouyet

This discussion of pesticides is excerpted from "Akita-Treasure of Japan, Volume II, The Natural Akita" to be released in Y2K.

Any discussion of chemicals includes the scientific names that exceed the limits of our brains to understand and our tongues to pronounce! I realize most if not all the names you'll see can induce heavy eyelids and instant sleep. Make up a name if it helps you to wade through long scientific labels to get the information. This article contains important stuff for our dogs. You have to make a decision about using chemicals that can destroy the health of your dogs, the children they play with, and yourself.

Enjoying the fruits of a technologically advanced society as we enter the next century most of us are focused on what lies ahead. Computers faster than the speed of light! Travel in space and time? Why not, we can do anything. Look how far we have come in just 75 years! Cars, planes, microwaves and computers. As Martha Stewart would say: "These are good things."

A few of us look back at the price we pay for our comfortable life style: A trail of chemicals and pollution now litters our world. As we move forward without having solved the problems from landfills, environmental estrogens and pesticides in the environment, our continuing progress will be marred by enormous challenges to maintain a healthy world.

Looking at our dogs we cannot imagine purposely putting their lives at risk. We take them to their veterinarians to be sure they're healthy. They are vaccinated, fed a good quality food, maintained on heartworm preventative, and treated for fleas, and ticks--they are well loved. Yes, but…..constant use of multiple pesticides has been linked to immune system breakdown, cancer, birth defects and innumerable health problems including hypothyroid disease and aggression.

Pesticides in one form or another have been around for centuries. For example: ancient Chinese used ants to protect trees from other insects. Extracts from olives were used to prevent blight in ancient Greece. In the mid 1800s it was discovered that dusting of grape plants with sulfur provided a cure for powdery mildew. Soon afterwards, an arsenic-containing compound called Paris green was introduced for control of the Colorado potato beetle. Chemical control of agricultural pests expanded rapidly after these initial discoveries, and by 1893 there were 42 patented insecticides offered by several manufacturers.

There's no doubt pesticides have been very useful in food production and disease control but we can no longer take for granted that only bugs are harmed by these chemicals. The sheer number of chemicals in use is frightening. Insecticides, repellents, herbicides, defoliants, and fungicides are widely used to control pests and weeds. These are used in parks, on crops and food animals, in our homes and gardens. Bactericides and disinfectants are used in soaps, detergents and hundreds of household products. By 1981, there were 1,200 pesticide chemicals combined into 30,000 different formulas. The United States used 900 million pounds of pesticides in that one year. In 1995 1.25 billion pounds of active ingredients were sold in the United States. (My mind stops when you add more than 6 zeros!)

In 1991 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded the National Pesticide Survey to evaluate the presence of pesticides, pesticide degradates, and nitrate in drinking water wells in the United States.

The results of the first phase of the Survey indicates that about 52.1% of the 94,600 community water system wells in the United States contain nitrate, about 10.4% contain one or more pesticides, and about 7.1% contain both. Of the approximately 10.5 million rural domestic wells, EPA estimates that about 57.0% contain nitrate, about 4.2% contain one or more pesticides, and about 3.2% contain both. EPA estimates that at most 0.8% of community water system wells (750 wells) contain one or more pesticides at levels above health-based limits and approximately 0.6% of rural domestic wells (60,900 wells) contain one or more pesticides above health-based limits. EPA also estimates that approximately 1.2% of community water system wells (1,130 wells) exceed the health-based limit for nitrate and that approximately 2.4% of rural domestic wells (254,000 wells) exceed the health-based limit for nitrate.

An update on pesticide use reported in the San Francisco Examiner, May 25, 1999:

"In California, a yearly dousing of more than 100 million pounds of the most toxic pesticides in city and farm settings are responsible for the deaths of many birds, fish and smaller aquatic animals that fish depend on for food."

"…In the United States, 672 million birds every year are exposed to agricultural pesticides and an estimated 10 percent, or 67 million, die, according to the study, "Disrupting the Balance: Ecological Impacts of Pesticides in California."

An earlier study: March 11, 1998's "Pesticides Analyzed in NAWQA Samples:

Use, Chemical Analyses, and Water-Quality Criteria" includes an "Overview of Results" section which states that at least one pesticide was found in EVERY stream and in half the ground water wells tested in 20 major watersheds around the country. Other key findings included the presence of low levels of several high-risk organophosphate insecticides in urban and suburban drinking water wells.

Birds and dogs may be effected in different ways but any chemical dangerous to humans would be dangerous to dogs. I leave it to you to decide your comfort level in exposing yourself and your dogs to these pesticides.

Chemicals are sprayed, dropped as granules or pellets and dusted as powder, every living thing in this country is exposed to pesticides. They enter the body through inhalation, absorption and ingestion. Pesticide residue is a genuine problem in the United States. Chlorpyrifos, diazinon, DCPA, metolachlor, and simazine were detected in almost every sample of water taken in California so let's take a look at these chemicals found in our environment. If you check your local newspaper's archives, it's a good bet you'll find these chemicals in your own neighborhood.

Chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate is popularly known as Dursban. It's used on grain, fruit, nut and vegetable crops as well as in homes, buildings, lawns and gardens. It's used directly on turkeys and sheep, in farm buildings, storage bins, and as a flea spray. To prevent termites, Dursban is mixed into the soil under the concrete foundations in homes throughout the United States. Chlorpyrifos or Dursban is moderately persistent in soils, remains as a residue on plant surfaces and can accumulate in certain crops. It's a nerve toxin causing cholinesterase impairment and/or liver malfunction. Symptoms can be of delayed onset beginning 1 to 4 weeks after exposure.

Diazinon, is another organophosphate chemical used to destroy pests around the home and on lawns. According to the EPA, 95% of the pesticides used on residential lawns are carcinogens, meaning they cause cancer. In March of this year, diazinon was found in nine out of ten neighborhood streams in King County, Washington in amounts exceeding recommended standards of exposure. Diazinon is popular with growers of fruit trees including almond trees in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California. Every year the chemical washes from the trees during rainstorms, which explains why it shows up in nearby creeks and streams. It was detected in 54 wells in California and in tap water in Ottawa, Canada, and in Japan.

Diazinon is a highly toxic chemical remaining for up to a month in the environment. It's absorbed through the skin and by inhalation. It is used on rice, corn, tobacco, sugarcane and potatoes. Diazinon is absorbed by plant roots when applied to the soil and translocated to other parts of the plant. This chemical is often added to pyrethrin and pyrethroid formulas to make them more effective.

Like most organophosphate pesticides, diazinon is a nerve toxin, a cholinesterase inhibitor. Animal studies show diazinon itself is not a potent cholinesterase inhibitor but it’s converted to another chemical (diazoxon) that is a strong enzyme inhibitor. Teratogenic or developmental studies conducted on dogs produced gross abnormalities.

DCPA is an herbicide used to control weeds in strawberry fields, vegetable, cotton and bean fields. In animal studies this chemical causes thyroid tumors and liver tumors. The government has established maximum residue tolerances in food. That means an acceptable amount of the chemical remains on the food we eat exposing us to its carcinogen effects. Since it's also used as an herbicide on ornamental plants, it can be on lawns and in flower gardens.

Not a great deal is known about this fairly new chemical though it has been judged "of low acute and chronic toxicity" by the EPA which mandates users of DCPA must wear "long sleeve shirts and long pants, socks plus shoes, and chemical-resistant gloves. DCPA is used as an aerial spray though an EPA regulation states: "Do not enter or allow others to enter treated area until sprays have dried."

Metolachlor is found in the tap water of 27 communities in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio and Louisiana. It's agricultural uses are corn, soybeans, and sorghum. It's used on ornamental plants and rights-of-way. A popular chemical, 65 million pounds of metolachlor is used annually.

Metolachlor is moderately persistent in the environment leaching into streams, rivers and reservoirs. The EPA states it is not carcinogenic in mice but it does cause cancer in rats and is "believed" to cause cancer in humans. Metolachlor's toxicity is related to skin sensitization and corneal damage in the eyes.

Simazine is another herbicide used on corn, orchard fruits and nuts and in professional lawn care. This class of herbicides (the triazines) is "persistent in water and mobil in soil." They are the most frequently detected pesticides in ground water and cause mammary gland tumors in laboratory animals. Our exposure comes from residues on food and in drinking water. Studies by the National Cancer Society have discovered a definite link between fatal non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and exposure to triazine herbicides. (Pesticides and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Cancer Research 1 October 1992)

In February 1999, a study based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was published in newspapers nationwide. USDA sampled 27 food categories covering 27,000 samples from 1994 through 1997, checking for pesticide residue. The results:

"Seven popular fruits and vegetables--apples, pears, green beans, peaches, pears, spinach and winter squash--had toxicity scores up to hundreds of times higher than other foods analyzed. "

"The insecticide methyl parathion accounts for the majority of the total toxicity."

" DDT and other pesticides banned for decades, including dieldrin, still show up in residue tests."

Methyl parathion, mentioned above, is a restricted use pesticide because of its extreme toxicity. It's rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream through all normal routes of exposure; it's a nerve toxin or cholinesterase inhibitor.

Do you need more proof of pesticide residues on and in food supplies? On June 11, 1999, the ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) published Regulation "40 CFR Part 180 Sulfosate; Pesticide Tolerance."

"This regulation establishes tolerances for residues of sulfosate (the trimethylsulfonium salt of glyphosate, also known as glyphosate trimesium) in or on poultry meat by-products (mbyp) and in cattle, goat, hog, sheep, and horse kidney and mbyp, except kidney. This regulation increases the tolerances for residues of sulfosate in cattle, goat, hog, sheep, and horse fat and meat; in milk; in eggs; in or on soybean seed; in soybean hulls; and in aspirated grain fractions. This regulation revokes the existing tolerances in poultry, cattle, goat, hog, sheep, and horse liver and mbyp (except liver). Zeneca Ag. Products requested this tolerance under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996."

Perhaps, one of the most frightening affirmations about pesticides in our environment comes from a short article in the Los Angeles Times, June 15, 1999:

"A preliminary study of 53 pregnant women in the Los Angeles area had detected for the first time traces of pesticides and other manmade chemicals in amniotic fluid, raising questions--and perhaps undue alarm--about the possible health risks to developing babies."

Pesticide residues are commonly found in human tissue, breast milk and cow's milk. During the 1970s, pesticides were found in the tissues of everyone in this country. The result of allowable chemical residues in our food and environment means your Akita is as contaminated with pesticides as your neighbor or yourself. An important difference is we do not coat ourselves with yet another pesticide, nor take a monthly dose of still another pesticide.

Dogs are more intensely exposed these chemicals. Our dogs live in closer proximity to their environment--i.e. they sleep on grass, eat off grass, play on lawns, walk in parks and have more direct contact with environmental hazards. Most dog foods are made with ingredients "not fit for human consumption," meaning you can guess why folks won't eat it themselves! Our dogs' exposure to the chemical dangers mentioned above is compounded by constant bombardment with pesticides used specifically on dogs. "Repeated or prolonged exposure to organophosphates may result in the same effects as acute exposure, including the delayed symptoms." (Toxicology Information Briefs; Extension Toxicology Network)

It's important to look at some of the pesticides repeatedly used on dogs:

Dichlorvos, an organophosphate chemical, is commonly used in flea collars and fly strips. It can be fed to livestock to control botfly larvae in the manure, is used on many crops and as a fumigant in silos, stables and areas of grain storage. It is readily absorbed through the skin and acts as a cholinesterase inhibitor. In chronic effect studies in dogs, dichlorvos caused adverse liver effects and lung hemorrhages.

Carbaryl is a carbamate chemical widely used on citrus, fruit, cotton, nuts, and other crops. It's also used on lawns, shade trees and ornamental plants. Carbaryl is an ingredient in flea control formulas. Ingestion of carbaryl affects the lungs, kidneys and liver; several studies indicate carbaryl can affect the immune system in animals and insects. In rat studies, carbaryl was shown to affect cell division and chromosomes. It's touted as a "safe" chemical for flea control.

Pyrethrins and pyrethroids are the most common flea control products available and perhaps among the safest depending on formulations. Pyrethrins are natural insecticides produced by certain species of chrysanthemum plant. It is a contact poison quickly penetrating the nervous system of insects causing an immediate "paralysis." However, some insects produce an enzyme that neutralizes the poison. For this reason, pyrethrins are formulated with more lethal chemicals from the organophosphate or carbamate families.

Pyrethroids are the synthetic chemical and notably more toxic depending on the product. Some of the more toxic synthetic pyrethroids include lambda cyhalothrin applied to cotton, cereals, hops, ornamentals, potatoes, vegetables or others. It may also be used against cockroaches, mosquitoes, ticks and flies. In a 26 week feeding study on dogs the chemical disrupted water absorption from the small intestine resulting in liquid feces and at higher doses neurological effects were evident. Lambda cyhalothrin is moderately persistent in the soil.

Cyfluthrin is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide that has both contact and stomach poison action. It is used to control cutworms, ants, silverfish, cockroaches, termites, grain beetles, weevils, mosquitoes, fleas, flies, and many other insects on crops such as cotton, hops, cereal, corn, deciduous fruit, peanuts, potatoes, and other vegetables. It's used on lawns and ornamental plants and in for pest control. Cyfluthrin is considered moderately toxic to mammals

Permethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid used on nut, fruit, vegetables, cotton, ornamental plants, mushrooms, potato, and cereal crops. It is used in greenhouses, home gardens, and for termite control and against flies and fleas.

What happens to these chemicals when they are absorbed into the bloodstream? "In many cases it is rapidly removed from the body through the urine or feces. In other situations, it may be stored in various parts of the body, such as fat or bone, and remain in the individual for many years. A compound may also lead to a toxic effect through interaction with certain organs or tissues in the individual or with other compounds in the body." (Toxicology Information Briefs; Extension Toxicology Network)

One of the newest flea products in the market today is Advantage. The main ingredient in Advantage is Imidacloprid a systemic, chlorinated derivative of nicotine, another cholinesterase inhibitor. Nicotine extracts are one of the oldest insecticides known. The nicotine mimics acetylcholine at the neurotransmitter junction resulting in twitching, convulsions and death.

Imidacloprid is commonly used on rice, cereal, maize, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, fruit, cotton, and hops. The chemical works by interfering with the transmission of stimuli in the insect nervous system. "Specifically, it causes a blockage in a type of neuronal pathway (nicotinergic) that is more abundant in insects than in warm-blooded animals (making the chemical selectively more toxic to insects than warm-blooded animals). This blockage leads to the accumulation of acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter, resulting in the insect's paralysis, and eventually death. A 1-year feeding study in dogs resulted in adverse effects including increased cholesterol levels in the blood, and some stress to the liver. Imidacloprid tested negative for mutagenic effects in all but two of the assays. In some laboratory tests imidacloprid did test positive for causing changes in chromosomes in human lymphocytes, as well as testing positive for genotoxicity in Chinese hamster ovary cells." (Extension Toxicology Network Pesticide Information Profiles)

If you're thinking that simply washing these chemicals from your food and pets is a solution, you have not heard about bioaccumulation. Constant exposure to chemicals results in "bioaccumulation," an important concept in understanding the capacity of a chemical to cause harm. "Bioaccumulation means an increase in the concentration of a chemical in a biological organism over time, compared to the chemical's concentration in the environment. Compounds accumulate in living things any time they are taken up and stored faster than they are broken down (metabolized) or excreted." (Toxicology Information Briefs; Extension Toxicology Network)

Organophosphates are the most widely used class of pesticide. There are about 45 important organophosphates and carbamate insecticides currently registered by EPA . A 1993 National Academy of Sciences report concluded that these compounds pose risks to pregnant women, infants and children through a common mechanism of action of cholinesterase inhibition. Imidacloprid is another cholinesterase inhibitor, therefore, an explanation of this mechanism is important.

"Cholinesterase is one of many important enzymes needed for the proper functioning of the nervous systems of humans, other vertebrates, and insects… While the effects of cholinesterase-inhibiting products are intended for insect pests, these chemicals can also be poisonous, or toxic, to humans in some situations. Human exposure to cholinesterase inhibiting chemicals can result from inhalation, ingestion, or eye or skin contact during the manufacture, mixing, or applications of these pesticides."

"Electrical switching centers, called 'synapses' are found throughout the nervous systems of humans, other vertebrates, and insects. Muscles, glands, and nerve fibers called 'neurons' are stimulated or inhibited by the constant firing of signals across these synapses. Stimulating signals are usually carried by a chemical called 'acetylcholine.' A specific type of cholinesterase enzyme, acetylcholinesterase, which breaks down the acetylcholine, discontinues stimulating signals. These important chemical reactions are usually going on all the time at a very fast rate, with acetylcholine causing stimulation and acetylcholinesterase ending the signal. If cholinesterase-affecting insecticides are present in the synapses, however, this situation is thrown out of balance. The presence of cholinesterase inhibiting chemicals prevents the breakdown of acetylcholine. Acetylcholine can then build up, causing a "jam" in the nervous system. Thus, when a person receives too great an exposure to cholinesterase inhibiting compounds, the body is unable to break down the acetylcholine." (Toxicology Information Briefs)

Most of us give little thought to pesticides. We use them, they kill bugs--no one wants an apple with a worm or a dog with fleas. Pesticides solve our problems--or do they create more problems than we can imagine?

A few months ago a group of biologists and researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, led by Warren P. Porter completed a 5-year study of these chemicals by putting mixtures of low-levels of chemicals into the drinking water of male mice. The combinations of chemicals were similar to those found in groundwater throughout the United States. They mixed a cocktail of carbamate insecticides, the triazine herbicides, and *nitrates. Government scientists searching for the causes of cancer have extensively tested these chemicals declaring each of them an "acceptable risk," at the levels found in groundwater.

Using chemical levels routinely measured in Wisconsin and throughout the U.S. the study was carefully designed to reproduce chemical exposures in as natural way as possible, unlike most experiments that simply seek a lethal dose level. The experiment was intended to examine the simultaneous effects of agricultural chemicals on three body systems--the immune system, nervous system and endocrine system. These three systems work symbiotically together, therefore, if one is damaged it will adversely affect the others. Measuring the antibody response to foreign proteins assessed immune function; measuring thyroid hormone levels in the blood assessed the endocrine system. To assess the nervous system, they measured aggressive behavior within the mice colony. The experiments were replicated many times to make certain they were reproducible.

"Earlier work had shown that thyroid hormone typically changed when exposure to these pesticides occurred. Thyroid hormone not only affects and controls your metabolic rate, that is, how fast you burn food, and it also controls your irritability level. For example, Type A personalities are more assertive, more aggressive, and more hyper. These people tend to have higher levels of thyroid hormone. Type B personalities--people that are really laid back, really take things very easily--have lower levels of thyroid hormone. We expected that changes in thyroid [would] change irritability levels. This was a concern because there was information that kids are getting more hyper and [that their] learning abilities are going down.

When we looked at single chemicals, which is the standard toxicology testing protocol, almost never did we see any effects. As soon as we started looking at mixtures, especially of nitrate plus something else, we began to see affects that we wouldn't see just with nitrate, or just with the herbicides, or just with the insecticide

…Scientists had looked at the ingredients, but not the cocktail? Current toxicology testing, as done by the Environmental Protection Agency, is appropriate for the laboratory, but when you start considering the real world where real exposures occur, there are just so many shortcomings it's not a very realistic test.

And the cocktail is much more than even just the active ingredients. The so-called inert ingredients are in fact equally biologically active. For example, imagine you're a chemist and your job is to get this [chemical] into the plant as fast as you can. There are only two primary routes that will get you the fastest entry and they're both through the leaf. One is through the waxy surface. So what you do is add organic soaps to make these active ingredients much more soluble, easier for them to get through the waxy surface. Unfortunately, our skin is also a waxy surface, which you'll see if you dump any water on your skin: it beads up. So if you've got organic soaps in there and this stuff lands on your skin, even in minute amounts, you may very well get much more rapid penetration through your skin.

Consider the other route, through the breathing pores of the leaf, which have a watery film inside directly analogous to the watery film that lines the respiratory surfaces in our lungs. [Some chemicals have an ingredient] designed to weaken the surface tension of a watery film, [which] would normally act as a barrier. So when you breathe it in, entry is much more rapid.

These two routes of entry are much more significant than if you ingest something into your gut, because, in effect, these two routes sidestep your body's natural defense mechanisms. You see, in an evolutionary sense we're designed to deal with something [toxic] that we might eat.

[To defend the body], the liver will try to mount enzymes [that] break down fat-soluble compounds coming in. It's a normal system of filtering that might be able to defend against incoming chemicals. But if they come in through the skin or the respiratory system, they don't [come up against] those same kinds of defenses. They bypass the line of defenses and get into the body, and have the potential for effecting bodily functions without having first faced the challenges of a defensive system.

The ability to produce [these defenses] is dependent on a whole lot of things. For example, if you're taking certain kinds of medication, it can suppress your ability to even [put up defenses].

Imagine [that] you're standing in a boxing ring and a boxer jumps in with you, and he walks toward you smiling with his hand outstretched. And you reach out to shake his hand and he smacks you in the stomach as hard as he can. And when you bring your arms up to defend yourself, he backs away. Finally you get tired of holding your defenses up and you drop them and he rushes in and smacks you again. That's the physical equivalent to a "pulse dose," which is normally what we tend to get exposed to.

The defenses we have take a while to induce, just like it takes a while to bring your arms up. It takes anywhere from a half a day to five days to induce those [defenses] to appropriate levels. If you're in a particular stage of your hormone cycle or you're taking some antibiotics, it can compromise your ability to defend yourself even if you did have enough time to induce your defenses. If you've got pulse doses coming in under your defenses or coming in faster than you can bring your defenses up then you've got a situation where you're totally vulnerable.

If you've got a pregnant mom, for example, in day 20 when the fetus's neural tube is closing and she gets an exposure, she hasn't had enough time to induce her defenses. Her thyroid level goes up or goes down, the hormone crosses the placenta and can permanently alter the developmental pattern of the fetus's brain. And then the pulse dose is gone, you have no detection, mom doesn't even know she's pregnant, and you may have an offspring that is neurologically compromised and wonder, "How did this happen?" ("What's In The Mix?" by Keith Hamm, Santa Barbara Independent, April 15, 1999)

The majority of us never dwell on environmental safety issues. We assume that our government who has our best interests at heart protects us. If a product is sold in open markets and feed stores, it is safe, legal and approved by countless government agencies. After all, isn't that why we pay taxes?

"For decades, the Westinghouse Corporation disposed of its toxic waste at several 
dump sites in Bloomington, Indiana. In the early '80s, the dumps came under the aegis 
of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund program. While negotiations 
with Westinghouse over how to cleanup the waste dragged on for years, EPA, in order 
not to upset the negotiations, kept from the public the fact that toxic air levels near the 
sites were more than 15 times greater than the Superfund target risk level. At the same 
time that EPA was secretly recommending to its staff that they wear respiratory protection 
whenever on-site, it was assuring the people of Bloomington that they were in no immediate 
danger." 

"Congress and the White House have tended to view polluters, especially the big 
corporations, the way the Salvation Army might regard a sinner: "He's not really bad. 
He just needs to be reformed, shown the light and set on the path of righteousness." 
This attitude filters down through all levels of EPA."  (By William Sanjour, an employee 
of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since the early '70s, originally as a 
manager in the hazardous-waste office. In 1980, he testified before Congress on illegal 
EPA efforts to quash hazardous-waste regulations.)

"Of the 70,000 chemicals in commercial use in 1995, only 2% had been fully tested 
for human health effects, and 70% had not been tested for any health effects of 
any kind.  At least 1000 new chemicals are introduced into commercial use each 
year, largely untested.  If all the laboratory capacity currently available in the U.S. 
were devoted to testing new chemicals, only 500 could be tested each year, the 
study notes.[pg.14]  Therefore, even if the necessary funding were made available, 
there would be no way of ever testing all the chemicals that are currently in use, or 
all of the new ones being introduced each year."  ("INDEX OF ENVIRONMENTAL 
TRENDS" published in April 1995 by the National Center for Economic and Security 
Alternatives in Washington, D.C.   The study relied on the best available data, most of 
it gathered and maintained by national governments.)

After researching and writing this article I was struck by a bizarre similarity between the health effects of these widely used pesticides and the increasing number of Akitas diagnosed with myasthenia gravis. In myasthenia gravis, antibodies in the serum block the interaction between acetylcholine and its receptor. These auto- antibodies bind to the acetylcholine receptors and cause destruction at the tips of the folds of the muscle where the receptors are concentrated. The condition is always classified as "acquired" and is one of "hyper-autoimmunity." You tell me if there is a direct link.

If we're being honest, we should admit the incidence of hypothyroid disease in the Akita is significant. (My veterinarian tells me she is seeing an equally high occurrence in all other breeds in her practice.) The number of unprovoked aggressive attacks by Akitas against people has increased substantially in recent years. Even if you factor in an increased population of Akitas, considering the comparative newness of the breed, we are looking at an extraordinarily high number of attacks. It has been my experience these attacks do not fit the usual categories for dog bites.

Now what? That's entirely up to each individual Akita fancier. I have stopped using pesticides on my dogs and in their environment. We use filtered water and I purchase organically grown food whenever possible. I cannot control their exposure to pesticides in parks or air-borne sprays but I will not add to their bioaccumulation.

*Nitrates are mentioned because it is a common groundwater contaminant. The main sources of nitrate contamination of drinking water are animal feedlots, agricultural fertilizers, manured fields, and septic systems. Ammonia fertilizers readily breakdown in the presence of oxygen to form nitrates. Nitrates are very water soluble, and can easily move through the soil into the groundwater. It is estimated that up to 40 percent of the nitrogen applied to fields as fertilizers is converted into nitrates and enters water sources.

Nitrates themselves are not toxic in the amounts we normally encounter. The toxicity of nitrates is a result of their conversion into nitrites within the body causing anoxia (a lack of oxygen to the brain). Factors directly affecting the conversion of nitrates into nitrites include:

…the amount of nitrates in the water supply,

…the amount of water consumed each day,

…the amount of gastric acid in the stomach, (A pH range of 5-7 allows growth of bacteria that covert nitrates into nitrites.)

…an individual's ability to adapt to nitrates and nitrites and to develop tolerances to them.

Another class of compounds associated with nitrates and nitrites are nitrosamines. Nitrosamines are formed when nitrites react with secondary and tertiary amines on food in the stomach. The main sources of amines in our diet are fish, vegetables, and fruit juices. Seventy-five to eighty percent of the nitrosamines studied have been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. These include cancers of the liver, respiratory tract, kidney, urinary bladder, esophagus, stomach, lower gastrointestinal tract, and the pancreas.

Acute symptoms of nitrate poisoning in farm animals include gastrointestinal problems, vomiting, salivation, diarrhea, colicky signs, and frequent urination. Inconsistent signs of chronic poisoning include abortion, decreased milk production, infertility, decreased milk fat, Vitamin A deficiency, and slow weight gain. Sudden changes in nitrate levels can bring on a toxic reaction.

© 1999 By Barbara Bouyet