Cell Culture and Immune Laboratory Four Rivers Kennel’s cutting-edge immunology and mammalian cell culture laboratory has been specifically designed for assaying, quantifying, and profiling an array of immune signaling, membrane permeation, and proliferative response. Our trained technicians can evaluate and measure contrasting immune responses to stimuli in vitro, minimizing in vivo risk to the research canine. Our cell culture and immunology lab is equipped with liquid nitrogen cryopreservation storage for your long-term or short-term focus on finite or continuous cell lines of interest. Multiparametric flow cytometry, utilizing the newest laser technology, allows our laboratory to collect a wide range of immunological data simultaneously for accurate and complete analyses.
Instrumentation kept on-site at the Four Rivers Cell Culture lab includes a flow cytometer, fluorescence microscope, Magpix multiplex assay system, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). This instrumentation allows us to perform a wide range of testing and experiments.
Performance and Exercise Nutrition Performance and exercise based canine nutrition is our emphasis and we strive for accuracy and sound results. We have the ability to free run our dogs for prescribed distances on our large acreage. Available on-site equipment for performance evaluation includes a DXA body composition scanner for monitoring changes in lean and fat mass, Actical accelerometer and Garmin GPS collars for monitoring activity output, and Gait4Dogs pressure walkway for gait analysis, among much more!
We are able to run trials on performance, activity, weight loss, inflammation, mobility, gait, etc. We also have panels of dogs that are trained for duck retrieving and odor detection to be able to mimic those activities in the research setting.
Calorimetry Four Rivers Kennel has a high performance treadmill, Oxymax open circuit indirect calorimetry machine, and chamber system to evaluate oxygen and energy metabolism in a variety of different types of trials.
Stool Quality One of the biggest concerns among pet owners is the quality of their dogs stool. At Four Rivers Kennel our highly trained staff use a scoring scale and special protocols to evaluate stool quality during trials. We are also able to test fecal pH and run fecal biomarkers on-site.
Digestibility We offer digestibility trials using a modified indicator method which falls with AAFCO recommendations. Samples are sent to an outside laboratory for analysis.
AAFCO Trials We are able to perform AAFCO adult canine maintenance and digestibility trials at Four Rivers. Often we can also add additional types of testing concurrent with AAFCO trials.
Palatability Think Labradors will eat whatever is put in front of them? Think again! Our hand-picked and accuracy tested panel of palatability dogs are guaranteed to help you determine the tastiest kibble or palatant. Studies have proven there can be differences in taste preferences between small and large breed dogs, and even by region or housing setup. Have your kibble taste tested by the most popular breed in the United States!
Toy and Treat Testing Chew time, palatability, and field testing are just some of the things we can look at when testing treats or toys.
Specialized Dog Panels Unique to this industry, we keep all of our dogs for their entire lives and provide the care and comfort they require as they age. This allows us to use our older dogs in senior specific trials, which is esepcially useful for immune function, mobility, and inflammation types of trials.
We are always interested in partnering with companies for long term or longevity types of studies with our dogs.
Equipment at Four Rivers Kennel
On-Site laboratory for sample collection and processing, bloodwork, biomarkers, etc. Services available vary, please inquire.
High performance treadmill and Oxymax calorimetry system for evaluating oxygen and energy metabolism
GE Lunar DXA body composition scanner for the quantification of bone density, fat mass, and lean mass
Gait4Dogs pressure walkway for analyzing gait in dogs. Parameters include both temporal and spatial measurements to compare the effect of treatments on mobility, inflammation, and gait.