Merial Launches Equine Outbreak Alert ProgramJune 9, 2011 Merial today launched the Outbreak Alert Program to help build awareness of equine diseases and emphasize the importance of prevention. The program will be used to notify veterinarians and horse owners about reports of equine disease throughout the country. Diseases such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), rabies, Potomac Horse Fever and West Nile virus (WNV) are dangerous to the infected animal as well as surrounding horses, so Merial says being armed with information provided by the outbreak alert program can help minimize the risk of disease. “The primary focus of the program is to help keep horse owners informed about the threat of disease in the area where they live or where they may be traveling,” says Beckie Peskin, product manager, equine vaccines and dewormers, Merial. “Owners want the best for their horses and knowing where the threat of disease exists will help them take the appropriate preventive measures to help protect their horse - whether it is in their own barn or competing halfway across the country.” When a disease report occurs, those who have signed up for the notification and live within a 250-mile radius of where the report occurred will receive a text …
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Education Is KeyJune 9, 2011 The American Assn. of Equine Practitioners has set its own Equine Veterinary Compounding Guidelines. The organization wants to educate veterinarians on compounded drugs so they can make the best choice for patients, says Eleanor Green, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ABVP. “Veterinarians need to be aware that compounded products are not FDA-approved products and that they have not gone through the rigorous testing nor have they gone through the rigorous quality assurance process that FDA-approved drugs do,” she said. “They also need to educate their clients when they are faced with picking a drug for their patient to weigh the benefits versus the risks. And it is a risk because there is a larger percentage (of compounded products) that do not contain what the label says, so it can either be insufficient treatment or it can be toxic.” Prescribing veterinarians should understand that their professional liability policy may not respond to allegations of negligence arising from the use of compounded drugs, according to the AAEP’s guidelines. The organization encourages veterinarians insured with the AVMA-Professional Liability Insurance Trust to review comments at AVMAplit.com. In addition, veterinarians need to be aware that compounding, including formulation in a …
NAVRMA And Equine Practice Host Educational Forum In KentuckyJune 9, 2011 To increase horse owners’ awareness and understanding of regenerative medicine, the North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association (NAVRMA) and Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital is hosting “The Horse Owner’s Guide to Regenerative Medicine,” an educational forum from 2-5 p.m., June 4 at the Marriott Griffin Gate Hotel in Lexington, Ky. The forum will offer information about regenerative medicine and help owners understand what has been achieved with regenerative therapies, what current research reveals and what still needs to be explored. Discussions about veterinary use of advanced scientific therapies for previously untreatable joint disease and equine injuries will take place. The focus will be on therapies such as nterleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein (IRAP), platelet-rich plasma and stem cell therapies to manipulate horses’ biological mechanisms to stimulate healing. Research for these therapies is ongoing, but equine veterinarians say it is important for horse owners to understand the science behind each therapy in order to have reasonable expectations for success. The program will be moderated by Gregory Ferraro, DVM, president of NAVRMA, and it offers four presentations with opportunities for attendees to ask questions after each presentation. The meeting will conclude with an open question and answer forum …
Parasite Resistance On The UpswingJune 9, 2011 Equine parasites are becoming more resistant to dewormers, several veterinarians and equine parasitologists say. They differ on how to handle the problem. “Multiple studies across the country are showing that entire classes of dewormers are no longer working against small strongyles,” says Frank Hurtig, DVM, MBA, director of Merial Veterinary Services of Duluth, Ga. “The threat of parasites is nothing like it was through the 1980s,” Dr. Hurtig says. “The difference between then and now (is that) small strongyles are not as pathogenic as large strongyles, especially bloodworms. “We have to make sure that we preserve the effect of dewormers in the future,” he says. “Anthelmintic resistance is a problem. We are just now learning about drug resistance from other species—specifically, sheep and goats.” Of the three major chemical classes of dewormers, Hurtig says, well-documented resistance to small strongyles has been demonstrated against benzimidazoles, one of the older classes of dewormers. He also cites a study led by Ray Kaplan, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. EVPC, of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine, that showed 40 percent of the farms surveyed had small strongyles that were resistant to …
APHIS Delays Published Interim Rule On Equine ImportationJune 9, 2011 The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) published an interim rule in the Federal Register on the importation of horses from contagious equine metritis-affected countries. The interim rule was published March 25. Implementation of the rule has been delayed until July 25. “We consider the U.S. to be contagious equine metritis (CEM) free,” says Dr. Ellen Buck, senior staff veterinarian, Equine Imports, National Center for Import and Export, VS, APHIS. “This is why the rule doesn’t include U.S. states. The 120-day delay will end July 25.” APHIS’ rule change amending 9 CFR part 93, published at 76 FR 16683-16686 will now incorporate an additional certification requirement for imported horses 731 days of age or less and adding new testing protocols for test mares and imported stallions and mares more than 731 days of age. “This action is necessary to provide CEM testing facilities time to make adjustments to their operating procedures that are necessary for the rule to be successfully implemented,” Dr. Buck says. “Once in place this will add security and protection against CEM to U.S. equine.” <Home>
Hartville Group And ASPCA Renew PartnershipJune 9, 2011 The Hartville Group, Inc., and The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) today, renewed their partnership for pet insurance. Initially established in 2006, the partnership allowed the Hartville Group to develop and launch ASPCA Pet Health Insurance. The ASPCA says the society chose Hartville Group because of its commitment to pet health and humane coverage philosophy. “By renewing our strategic partnership, Hartville and the ASPCA will continue to educate pet parents about the value of pet health insurance and to design coverage worthy of the ASPCA’s humane goals,” says Dennis Rushovich, CEO of the Hartville Group. “The ASPCA’s mission is paramount in the design of our plans and we work very closely with the ASPCA as our coverage evolves to remain the best value to pet parents and the best coverage for pets. We look forward to continuing to contribute to the ASPCA’s worthy mission in this way for the long term.” According to Hartville, rising veterinary costs and more sophisticated treatments equates to more pet owners needing help to afford pet care. U.S. pet owners are expected to spend $14.1 billion on veterinary care this year—up 53 percent from 2006, according …
Lyme Disease Bacteria Take Over Lymph NodesJune 9, 2011 The bacteria that cause Lyme disease appear to hide in the lymph nodes, triggering a significant immune response, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis. However, the triggered immune response isn’t strong enough to destroy the infection. The National Institutes of Health –funded study conducted at the university, may explain why some people experience repeated infections of tick-borne Lyme disease. “Our findings suggest that Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease in people, dogs and wildlife, have developed a strategy for subverting the immune response of the animals they infect,” says Nicole Baumgarth a professor and authority on immune responses at the UC Davis Center for Comparative Medicine. “At first it seems counter intuitive that an infectious organism would choose to migrate to the lymph nodes where it would automatically trigger an immune response in the host animal, but B. burgdorferi have apparently struck an intricate balance that allows the bacteria to both provoke and elude the animal’s immune response.” The UC Davis research team explored the mechanisms that cause enlarged lymph nodes and determined the nature of the resulting immune response. Using mice, researchers found when animals were infected with B. …
New Novartis Flea And Tick Products To Hit MarketJune 9, 2011 Novartis Animal Health US, Inc. today launched new EPA-approved flea and tick control products for dogs and cats to be available through U.S. veterinarians this summer. Parastar for dogs and EasySpot for cats are species-specific formulations of fipronil, a flea and tick adulticide. Parastar and EasySpot topicals are designed to offer fast-acting, waterproof, 30-day control of fleas, chewing lice and all major ticks, including those that may carry Lyme disease. Parastar is made especially for dogs and puppies 8 weeks of age and older. EasySpot is designed exclusively for cats and kittens 8 weeks of age and older. “The Novartis family of parasiticides is defined by best-in-class medicine, so Parastar and EasySpot fit perfectly,” says Jason Drake, DVM, director of professional services at Novartis. “Together with the heartworm preventive medicine that veterinarians choose most for their own dogs and the only systemic flea product with an insect growth regulator, the proven power of fipronil found in Parastar and EasySpot is a natural addition to the family.” Parastar and EasySpot are registered in more than 40 states. Visit ParaStarPet.com or EasySpotPet.com for more information. <Home>
AVMA Looking For Talent To Perform At St. Louis ConventionJune 8, 2011 The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is opening auditions for the first time for talented members, friends and family of the AVMA to perform at the annual convention as an opening act for comedian Jay Mohr. Mohr, known for his performance in Jerry Maguire, and as a Saturday Night Live alumnus, will be doing a comedy show at the Sunday Night Live event July 17. “We know we have talented members and friends at the AVMA,” says Ron E. Banks, DVM, Dipl. ACLAM, Dipl. ACVPM and chair of the AVMA Convention Management and Program Committee. “This is a great opportunity to showcase that talent. Up to three finalists will serve as warm up acts for Mohr. The winner will receive free registration for the 2012 convention in San Diego, Calif.” Talent can range from singing, dancing, playing an instrument, telling jokes or anything else that can entertain an audience. Video submissions must be posted on the AVMA’s Facebook page by 11:59 p.m. July 1. Finalists will be judged on the quality, creativity and the appropriateness of their act for the audience. The number of votes their act receives on the AVMA’s Facebook page will also factor …
Pfizer Unit Suspends Sale Of Poultry DrugJune 8, 2011 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that Alpharma, a subsidiary of Pfizer Inc., will voluntarily suspend U.S. sales of the animal drug 3-Nitro (Roxarsone), an FDA-approved product used by poultry producers since 1944. A recent FDA study of broiler chickens using a new analytical detection method revealed low levels of inorganic arsenic in edible tissue. Scientists from the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine and the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition developed this detection method. Inorganic arsenic, a known carcinogen, was found at higher levels in the livers of 100 chickens treated with 3-Nitro compared with untreated chickens. FDA officials stress that the levels of inorganic arsenic detected were very low and do not pose a health risk. “FDA detected increased levels of inorganic arsenic in the livers of chickens treated with 3-Nitro, raising concerns of a very low but completely avoidable exposure to a carcinogen,” says Michael R. Taylor, FDA deputy commissioner for foods. “We are pleased to announce that the company is cooperating with us to protect the public health.” Arsenic is in the environment as a naturally occurring substance or as a contaminant and is found in water, air, …
