Kansas State University experts confront African swine fever in AsiaAugust 28, 2018Jürgen Richt, DVM, PhD, Regents Distinguished Professor, KBA Eminent Scholar, and director of Kansas State University's Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), is providing guidance to officials in East Asia on the emerging problem of African swine fever. African swine fever is a highly contagious disease of domestic pigs and wild boar that causes high fever, respiratory problems, weakness, and stillbirths. Mortality rates among affected animals approach 100 percent. Dr. Richt was in Asia delivering a series of presentations when an outbreak of African swine fever was reported in China on Aug. 1, with a second outbreak reported on Aug. 16, and a third on Aug. 19. "Efforts to handle a potential outbreak have not succeeded, so we have to be concerned about the disease spreading across national boundaries," Richt said. "The first outbreak occurred only a little more than 120 miles north of North Korea." The disease presents trade problems for China and other Asian countries, Richt said. China produces nearly half the world's pork. Following his conversations with veterinary medicine faculty and students at Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea, and with members of South Korean media …
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Meet KC Animal Health Corridor Investment Forum 2018's 12 competitorsAugust 27, 2018Twelve emerging animal health companies from three countries vied last week for investment opportunities in a "Shark Tank" format with more than 200 animal health companies and 40 financial funds at the 10th annual KC Animal Health Investment Forum. "The Global Animal Health Investment Forum is the premier stage for emerging companies to showcase innovations and technologies that have the potential to revolutionize the animal health industry," said Kimberly Young, president of the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor. Each company is given 10 minutes to present their ideas in front of seven judges, including executives from Nestlé Purina PetCare, Bayer Animal Health, Ceva U.S. Holdings, and Petsmart, followed by a five-minute Q&A session. Presenting companies are seeking anywhere from $500,000 to $20 million in funding and have revenue projections of $20 million within five to seven years. "The Investment Forum is really unique," said Roy Stein, founder and CEO of BabelBark. "It gave us exposure to a mix of people with different backgrounds that were open minded and ready to listen to the newest technology. During Global Animal Health Week we connected with significant investors, potential partners and clients that provided us with enough traction to secure funding and …
Veterinary ethics group supports Veterinary Nurse InitiativeAugust 27, 2018The Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics (SVME), which promotes discussion and debate of ethical issues relevant to veterinary practice, has announced its support of the Veterinary Nurse Initiative to create a registered veterinary nurse credential. This initiative seeks to bring continuity to the title through a multiyear, state to state strategy to work within legislation overseeing credentialing for veterinary technicians. "The SVME fully recognizes the professionalism and essential knowledge and skill brought to the team by veterinary technicians as vital members of the healthcare team and has expanded its own executive board membership to ensure the inclusion of veterinary technicians, who face many different as well as many of the same ethical concerns as their veterinarian team members," the association said in a statement. Veterinary technicians currently are identified under various titles, including certified veterinary technician, registered veterinary technician, and licensed veterinary technicians, which leads to confusion and decreased public understanding of the education and skill required of the position, the group added. "The SVME is in support of title unification and consistent educational standards nationwide to reduce confusion from inconsistent nomenclature and to increase the awareness of the role of veterinary technicians, the profession of …
Banfield Pet Hospital welcomes CFO, manager of mental health servicesAugust 27, 2018Ludek Janousek and Lisa Stewart-Brown have joined Banfield Pet Hospital as CFO and program manager mental health services, respectively. Janousek, charged with shaping key business decisions, strengthening the company's long-term financial health, and driving hospital vision and purpose within the broader organization, holds a master's degree in International Business from University of Economics in Prague, Czech Republic. In her newly created role, Stewart-Brown will develop and implement mental health strategies and initiatives that support the emotional and mental health of Banfield associates, reinforcing Banfield's holistic approach to health and well-being. Stewart-Brown, a licensed clinical social worker, holds a master's degree in social work from California State University, Sacramento, and an MBA with health care emphasis from California Miramar University.
AVMA MyVeterinaryLife website supports early-career vets, studentsAugust 27, 2018MyVeterinaryLife.com, a new American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) website for early-career veterinarians and vet students, answers commonly asked questions about the industry and offers career tips, financial guidance, and ways to deal with work-related stress. MyVeterinaryLife.com is dedicated to offering a chance for trainees in the field to receive the critical resources veterinary students and young professionals need to support themselves and their well-being as the next generation of veterinarians, according to the AVMA. Organized based on career stage, the site includes sections for readers in veterinary school, in transition from school to the workforce, or already working as a veterinarian. The platform also provides access to a salary calculator, a student externship locator, and the ProQOL well-being assessment. Other tools on the site include financial tips for fourth-year veterinary students, a series of webinars exploring different veterinary careers, lessons on financial literacy, and more.
Zoetis Core EQ Innovator equine vaccine fights five core diseasesAugust 24, 2018Zoetis' new Core EQ Innovator equine vaccine contains all five core equine disease antigens—West Nile, Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis, tetanus, and rabies—in one vaccine. Core EQ Innovator provides a safe and effective immune response against the five core equine disease antigens as demonstrated in safety and efficacy trials, Zoetis stated, adding that the vaccine has been field tested in more than 1,000 horses with 99.7 percent of horses being reaction free.2,3 "Viral respiratory and neurologic diseases are the leading preventable causes of death in horses," said Jacquelin Boggs, DVM, MS, DACVIM, senior veterinarian, Equine Technical Services at Zoetis. "While annual vaccination against the core equine diseases has long been an established standard of care, Core EQ Innovator will simplify compliance and help provide protection to all horses against these deadly diseases. We trust this vaccine will better equip veterinarians with the tools they need to help protect the health and well-being of horses." All of the disease antigens in Core EQ Innovator are backed by the Zoetis Equine Immunization Support Guarantee, which provides horse owners and veterinarians with vaccination support, including diagnostic testing and treatment, the company stated. Available in a 1-mL dose and safe …
New research for canine, human Type 1 diabetes holds promiseAugust 24, 2018Reversing Type 1 diabetes in dogs and humans without the use of daily insulin injections or pumps may become a reality, thanks to a collaboration between Purdue University and the Indiana University School of Medicine. In a preclinical study, researchers developed a mixture of collagen and pancreatic cells and engineered a delivery method that successfully reversed Type 1 diabetes within 24 hours and maintained insulin independence for 90 days. A clinical study in dogs with naturally occurring Type 1 diabetes in collaboration with Purdue's College of Veterinary Medicine is next. "We plan to account for differences from mouse to human by helping dogs first," said Clarissa Hernandez Stephens, first author on the work and a graduate researcher at Purdue's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. "This way, the dogs can inform us on how well the treatment might work in humans." Because diabetes in dogs and humans occurs the same, both potentially could benefit from the same cure: A new set of pancreatic cells to replace islets (clusters of cells) that aren't releasing insulin to monitor blood glucose levels. Islet transplantation isn't new, and it poses challenges: It requires multiple donors, it's invasive, and large numbers of transplanted …
NIH awards UF veterinarian five-year grant to study canine diabetesAugust 24, 2018Allison O'Kell, DVM, a small animal internal medicine specialist and clinical assistant professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, has received a Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health in support of her studies relating to canine diabetes. The five-year grant, known as a K08, will support Dr. O'Kell's career and research project. "The overall goal of my research is to study the causes of diabetes in the dog," O'Kell said. "We hope that the work will benefit dogs with this disease, but also to help us better understand whether studying the disease in dogs may be a novel way to understand the disease in humans." The disease has been increasing in prevalence over time in both dogs and humans, emphasizing the importance of research to determine the underlying causes of the disease as well as methods for prevention and treatment, she added. O'Kell's primary mentor is Mark Atkinson, PhD, the American Diabetes Association Eminent Scholar for Diabetes Research and Jeffrey Keene Family Professor in the UF College of Medicine. Atkinson also directs the UF Diabetes Institute and has been investigating human Type 1 diabetes for …
Blue Buffalo Co. launches canine obesity, joint health dietAugust 23, 2018Blue Buffalo Co. has launched BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet W+M Weight Management + Mobility Support for dogs. According to the company, the therapeutic diet contains L-carnitine, which has been shown to facilitate weight loss and help maintain lean body mass in dogs; betaine, which supports dogs' ability to metabolize fat; moderate levels of dietary fiber from powdered cellulose, pea fiber, dried tomato pomace, and chicory root, which promote satiety and weight loss; turmeric, vitamin C, and vitamin E to limit oxidative stress, which has been found to be involved in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. It also contains EPA, DHA, glucosamine, and chondroitin sulfate, as well as deboned salmon, fish oil, canola oil, flaxseed, and shrimp meal.
Joint program immerses high schoolers in veterinary scienceAugust 23, 2018In a three-week residential program presented by the Boston Leadership Institute and BluePearl Veterinary Partners, 16 high school students dissected eyes, learned how to perform physical examinations on dogs, presented research findings, and performed lab work. While summer educational institutes are plentiful, it's rare to find such an extensive program in veterinary science for teens. "The students have just been great," said William Snell, DVM, DACVS-SA, who is the medical director of BluePearl's Charlestown, Mass., hospital and who organized the curriculum and instructors. "They are really actively involved; they've been asking good questions. … They are like sponges soaking up knowledge." "The veterinary medicine program this summer in particular was extremely successful for a variety of reasons," said Makayla Karr-Warner, marketing assistant for Boston Leadership Institute, which offers several STEM-related summer institutes. "The students raved about the instructor lineup. They thoroughly enjoyed learning from different veterinary specialists, being exposed to a variety of specialties and potential career paths." While living in a nearby college dormitory for the duration of the program, students toured Southwick's Zoo and BluePearl's Waltham hospital, built mock …
