Proposed Changes To Controlled Substances Act Would Benefit VetsApril 16, 2013 Veterinarians could legally transport and dispense controlled substances away from their clinics under a bill introduced April 12 by two veterinarians, U.S. Reps. Kurt Schrader and Ted Yoho. The Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act of 2013 (HR 1528) would be of particular assistance to mobile and ambulatory practitioners, the American Veterinary Medical Association reported today. "As Congressmen Schrader and Yoho can attest, being a veterinarian does not start and stop within the walls of the veterinary clinic,” said Mark Lutschaunig, DVM, director of AVMA’s Governmental Relations Division. "To provide complete care for their animal patients, veterinarians must have the ability to transport the medications they need beyond their brick-and-mortar clinics.” Bureaucratic red tape hinders veterinarians’ ability to properly care for their patients, said Schrader, D-Ore. "As my fellow veterinarians know all too well, in the practice of veterinary medicine we are often required to provide mobile or ambulatory services in the field to treat our animal patients in a wide variety of settings,” Schrader said. "The Drug Enforcement Administration’s confusing interpretation of existing law makes little sense [and] is completely unreasonable. "We’re moving forward with …
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Improved Heartworm Test From Zoetis Available Starting TodayApril 15, 2013 The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved an enhanced Witness HW heartworm antigen test kit designed for dogs and cats, the manufacturer, Zoetis, reported today. Enhancements involving test antibodies, the buffer and sample pad, and the signal strength at the control line are designed to generate better confidence in the results, the Madison, N.J. company added. "The enhanced version...provides veterinarians with accurate, easy-to-interpret results in approximately 10 minutes so they can begin heartworm preventative treatment for their patients right away,” said J. Michael McFarland, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, the group director of Companion Animal Veterinary Operations for Zoetis. The new test is available to veterinarians nationwide starting today. Witness HW, introduced in 1997, is designed to detect adult Dirofilaria immitis antigens in dog or cat blood. One drop of anticoagulated whole blood, serum or plasma is needed for testing. Cats testing negative for heartworm antigen may benefit from other diagnostic tests, including heartworm antibody assays, Zoetis noted. Zoetis is the former animal health business of Pfizer Inc. …
Virbac Conducts Limited Recall Of Iverhart Plus Heartworm DrugApril 12, 2013 Six lots of Iverhart Plus Flavored Chewables, a heartworm preventive, have been recalled because of a stability issue involving the medication's active ingredient ivermectin, the American Veterinary Medical Association reported this week. The manufacturer, Virbac Animal Health of Fort Worth, Texas, did not issue a public recall notice. A spokesperson could not be reached to comment. A selected amount of Iverhart was recalled: Large dogs (51 to 100 pounds): lots 120076, 120086 and 120856. Medium dogs (26 to 50 pounds): lot 120202. Small dogs (up to 25 pounds): lots 120196 and 120844. Iverhart Plus, a generic equivalent to Merial Ltd.’s Heartgard Plus, is formulated for the prevention of heartworm disease and for the treatment and control of roundworms and hookworms. Stability concerns led Virbac to recall a single lot of Iverhart Max Chewable Tablets in April 2012. A lack of stability can reduce a medication’s efficacy. Veterinarians or pet owners who have questions may contact Virbac Technical Services at 800-338-3659, ext. 3052. <HOME>
Soring Opponents Get Another Chance To Enact Nationwide BanApril 12, 2013 The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Equine Practitioners today renewed their call for an end to soring, the intentional infliction of pain in Tennessee Walking Horses, spotted saddle horses and racking horses to produce a high-stepping, unnatural gait. The earlier bill, HR 6388, was introduced in September but died in committee. The latest effort, HR 1518, or the Prevent All Soring Tactics Act, was introduced Thursday as an amendment to the Horse Protection Act. HR 1518, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., would: • Make illegal the act of soring or directing another person to cause a horse to become sore. The Horse Protection Act merely bans showing, transporting or auctioning a horse that is sore, not the actual practice. • Prohibit the use of action devices such as boots, collars, chains and rollers that encircle or are placed upon a horse's leg. Protective and therapeutic devices would be permitted. • Increase the civil and criminal penalties for violations. • Give the U.S. Department of Agriculture more control over the licensing, training and assigning of …
Alabama Accepts AAHA Accreditation in Lieu of State InspectionApril 11, 2013Alabama veterinary clinics that pass an American Animal Hospital Association inspection will be exempt from redundant state inspections, official said. The new policy makes Alabama the first in the nation to accept AAHA accreditation in place of a state inspection, saving time and money, said Robert E. Pitman, DVM, president of the Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. “It can be considered a member benefit of AAHA and encourage other hospitals that may be considering AAHA membership to take the big step,” Dr. Pitman said. “Also, it allows for more efficient use of our evaluators' time by not having to inspect member hospitals that exceed state standards.” AAHA, based in Lakewood, Colo., has more than 900 standards for how animal hospitals should be run. “I am so pleased that Alabama recognizes the rigorous nature and the standard of medical excellence required to meet the AAHA accreditation standards,” said Kate Knutson, DVM, the organization's president. “We applaud Alabama and would encourage any other states to follow their lead.” A state surveyor will still visit every three years, but clinics that passed an AAHA evaluation will be exempt from a formal inspection. …
Free Eye Exams To Be Offered To Service Animals In MayApril 9, 2013 Board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico are preparing to provide free eye exams in May to thousands of service animals. Advance registration is available through April 30 at www.ACVOeyeexam.org. Owners will receive a registration number that may be used when scheduling an appointment with a participating ophthalmologist. To qualify, patients must be working service animals certified by or enrolled in a formal training program. The sixth annual National Service Dog Eye Exam event is sponsored by the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) and the animal health company Merial Ltd. of Duluth, Ga. “Our hope is that by checking their vision early and often, we will be able to help a large number of service animals better assist their human friends,” says Stacee Daniel, executive director of the ACVO. Among the groups supporting the effort are the American Society of Veterinary Medical Association Executives and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). “Service animals are one of the best examples of the benefits that the human-animal bond brings to people, and they need excellent vision to …
Texas Court Rejects Claim For Emotional Damages In Death Of PetApril 8, 2013 Overturning an Appeals Court ruling, the Texas Supreme Court on April 5 reaffirmed a 122-year-old declaration that pets are personal property and that owners of a deceased animal may not sue for emotional or sentimental damages. The Texas Veterinary Medical Association applauded the decision, saying that had the appellate ruling stood, the cost of ownership and care of a pet would become prohibitive for many people. The case stemmed not from veterinary malpractice but from a Fort Worth animal shelter's mistaken euthanizing of a mixed-breed dog. The animal, Avery, had been picked up as a stray and was tagged to be held until his owners, Kathyrn and Jeremy Medlen, could pay the required release fees. Shelter worker Carla Strickland erroneously put Avery on a euthanasia list, and he was killed before the Medlens returned. A trial judge dismissed the Medlens' lawsuit because of the century-old court ruling, but the case was revived on appeal in 2011, creating what the state Supreme Court called “a novel--and expansive--tort claim: loss of companionship for the wrongful death of a pet.” Writing for the Supreme Court, Justice Don R. Willett …
Owners Fond Of Mixed-breed Pets, Royal Canin Survey FindsApril 5, 2013 Dog and cat owners agree on at least one thing: They like mixed-breed pets. A wide-ranging survey conducted for pet food maker Royal Canin found that 28 percent of dog owners and 40 percent of cat owners identified “mixed breed” as their favorite type of cat or dog. While the numbers may not be dramatic, the responses were the highest overall. Labrador retrievers were the second favorite among dog owners (15 percent), followed by the German shepherd (10 percent). Cat owners selected the tabby—not a true breed—at 20 percent, followed by the Maine Coon (15 percent). Choosing an actual canine or feline companion was a different matter all together. While an animal's temperament was the starting point for both groups, 55 percent of cat owners took appearance into account as the second factor and 62 percent of dog owners looked at size. “It's interesting to learn how different cat and dog owners can be when choosing, and making decisions for, their pets,” said Dr. Brent Mayabb, DVM, manager of education and development at St. Charles, Mo.-based Royal Canin. “Whatever factors come into play, understanding an …
PurinaCare Selling All 12,000 Pet Insurance Policies To PethealthApril 4, 2013 Pethealth, based in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, will pay up to $800,000 for the PurinaCare policies. The transaction is expected to close May 1. The sale makes financial sense for PurinaCare and parent company Nestlé Purina PetCare, spokeswoman Jill Winte said. “It's a business decision based on economics and months of careful analysis,” she said. PurinaCare policies will be honored until renewal time, Winte said. Policyholders will be allowed to transition to a similar Pethealth policy if they choose, she added. PurinaCare, which wrote its first policy in 2008, employs about two dozen people, most of them in San Antonio. Some employees may be able to transfer to Nestlé Purina's Partners in Wellness program, Winte said. Partners in Wellness helps veterinary practitioners create customized preventive-care plans. Idexx Laboratories Inc. of Westbrook, Maine, is a program partner, providing consultants to develop diagnostic protocols and practice work flow for practices. Nestlé Purina handles client billing and administrative tasks. About 1 million pets are insured in North America, according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association. Among the largest providers …
Stem Cells Might Help Intestinal HealingApril 4, 2013 One of the latest developments in equine colic and gastrointestinal research, according to Anthony Blikslager, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVS, is his lab's study of isolating stem cells in the intestine, with the idea of ultimately using them to repair injured tissue after colic surgery. Dr. Blikslager is a professor of surgery and gastroenterology at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He and his lead researcher, veterinary surgeon Liara Gonzalez, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, a Ph.D. candidate, are studying stem cells from normal intestine and intestine that has been resected to understand what happens during intestinal ischemia. Ultimately, the goal is to take stem cells from resected intestine and return them to the anastomosed section of intestine to hasten mucosal recovery. Although resected intestine is likely to be severely injured, stem cells are relatively protected deep within the mucosal crypts and may therefore be available for use. “No one has done this before in horses,” Blikslager says, “Perhaps not in any other species. It's entirely new research.” The intestine is “highly organized,” he says, “so we know where to look for the stem cells.” Promoting Self-renewal Blikslager is hoping that the normal stem …
