Winn’s 32nd Symposium Slated For June 24May 21, 2010 Winn Feline Foundation Symposium is scheduled for June 24 in Minneapolis, Minn. The symposium, held annually for veterinary professionals and pet owners, will be held in conjunction with the Cat Fanciers’ Association meeting. Jody Lulich, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, will present “Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Feline Urinary Stones.” Dr. Lulich is the co-director of the Minnesota Urolith Center and holds the endowed Hills/Osborne Chair in Nephrology and Urology at the University of Minnesota. Lulich is known for the technique of voiding urohydropropulsion, a nonsurgical method to remove uroliths from the urinary bladder. Meghan Herron, DVM, Dipl. ACVB, will discuss “Feline Elimination Problems: Back to Basics for Prevention and Management.” Dr. Herron is head of the Behavioral Medicine Clinic at The Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital. She provides behavioral rehabilitation services to owners of companion animals with behavioral issues, including, but not limited to, human-directed aggression, inter-pet aggression, separation anxiety, inappropriate elimination, fears, phobias, compulsive behaviors and cognitive dysfunction. The conference offers two hours of continuing education credit. Click here to register. In related news, the Winn Feline Foundation is now accepting applications for 2010 grants. The grants are …
SPONSORED CONTENTStart Treating Canine MMVD Patients at Stage B2Learn about early treatment with pimobendan for canine Stage B2 preclinical MMVD patients. + Learn More
Banfield Names VP’s Of Professional Relations And Medical OperationsMay 20, 2010 Banfield, The Pet Hospital of Portland, Ore., has named Bob Lester, DVM, as its vice president for professional relations and Lee Nelson, DVM, as its vice president of medical operations. Dr. Lester will strengthen and build Banfield’s relationships with academia, the profession, industry and local and national veterinary organizations. Prior, Lester served as vice president of veterinary selection, where he led Banfield’s recruitment efforts and student job programs. “Dr. Lester is such a valuable resource to our practice; his guidance, leadership and dedication to Banfield have helped us recruit and retain excellent veterinarians throughout his 16-year tenure,” said Jeffrey Klausner, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, senior vice president and chief medical officer for Banfield. “In his new role, Dr. Lester will help Banfield build awareness and understanding of our approach to preventive medicine and look for ways we can better collaborate with the industry and profession.” Dr. Nelson will provide leadership to regional medical directors, where she will aid in improving hospital operational efficiencies, doctor retention and client satisfaction. Prior, Nelson was a regional medical director, responsible for the medical quality and business performance of about 150 hospitals across nine states. “Dr. Nelson’s 10 years of exceptional …
Fellowships Aim To Boost Feline Health ResearchMay 19, 2010 The Morris Animal Foundation recently awarded two fellowships to promote feline health research. The Amanda Feline Fellowships were granted to Jessica Quimby, DVM, of Colorado State University, who will study chronic kidney disease therapy, and Smitha Pillai, BVSc, Ph.D., of The Ohio State University, who will study oral cancer treatment. Each will receive $100,000 for her two-year fellowship. The fellowships are fully funded by an anonymous cat enthusiast. “With this fellowship, I hope to discover why cats develop chronic kidney disease and to develop stem cell therapy for cats suffering from it,” said Dr. Quimby, a Ph.D. student who also works in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State. Dr. Pillai is working as a postdoctoral fellow in feline cancer pathogenesis and treatment. Specifically, she is examining a potential treatment for feline oral squamous cell carcinoma. Pillai hopes the drug combination she is studying will reduce tumor growth and bone invasion in cats suffering from this cancer. The fellowships are part of the foundation’s Happy Healthy Cat Campaign, which aims to raise pet owner awareness of feline health issues and to increase funding for feline health research and scientist training. …
Franck’s Suspends Veterinary Drug CompoundingMay 18, 2010 Franck’s Compounding Lab of Ocala, Fla., reported May 17, 2010 that it has voluntarily suspended all compounding drugs for veterinary use, pending the outcome of discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Customized veterinary medicine — which we had prepared pursuant to a verified prescription - meet the critical needs of veterinarians and their patients,” the company said in a statement. “We are working with the FDA to resolve this issue as quickly as possible to determine whether it will permit us to resume compounding of these important veterinary medicines.” The FDA is currently seeking a permanent injunction against the company to prohibit Franck’s and its CEO Paul Franck from compounding animal drugs from bulk ingredients without FDA approval. The U.S. Department of Justice filed the civil suit on behalf of the FDA mid April alleging that the company has been introducing adulterated, misbranded and unsafe drugs into interstate commerce as part of the company’s veterinary pharmaceutical compounding business. Franck’s maintains that its business is both legal and medically vital. The company drew media attention when 21 polo horses died shortly before the U.S. Open Polo Championship in Palm Beach County, Fla., in April …
Parasite Education Tour Hits Southeastern U.S.May 18, 2010 The Companion Animal Parasite Council is hitting the road once again to educate veterinarians, staff members and pet owners on the importance of year-round parasite control in dogs and cats. This year’s Parasite Education Road Show Tour will focus on the southeastern United States, starting July 15 in Memphis, Tenn., and concluding July 31 in Atlanta, Ga., prior to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s conference. Veterinary meetings and pet owner events are scheduled in 15 cities. Last year’s tour of the western United States drew in almost 500 individuals. During the tour, CAPC will meet with veterinarians, technicians and human health professionals to present a continuing education program on vectors, vector-borne diseases and internal parasites. The technical program will be presented by CAPC board parasitologists Byron Blagburn, Ph.D., of Auburn University and Dwight Bowman, Ph.D., of Cornell University. CAPC will also conduct interviews with local media and hold events to educate pet owners on the importance of parasite control in protecting their pets and their families from zoonotic diseases associated with parasites. Mike Paul, DVM, executive director of CAPC, said that from coast-to-coast, the response from veterinarians and staff has been overwhelmingly positive. …
CATalyst Council Receives $25,000 Donation To Help Raise Image Of CatsMay 17, 2010 Veterinary Pet Insurance has donated $25,000 to the CATalyst Council, a nonprofit group founded to promote the health and welfare of cats. The CATalyst Council will use the funds to create and distribute educational materials to cat owners through veterinary clinics and shelters in conjunction with the American Humane Association’s Adopt-a-Cat-Month in June. Although cats are America’s No.1 companion animal, they often receive a far lower level of veterinary care than pet dogs, according to research conducted by the CATalyst Council. The group hopes to raise the level of care and welfare of cats supported by the highest quality veterinary care, preventative medicine and cat specific products. VPI’s data is consistent with the CATalyst Council’s research, according to the Brea, Calif.-based company. For example, despite the large population of cats in the United States, VPI reports that only about 13 percent of its pet insurance policies are for felines. As such, the pet insurance company recently began a nationwide rollout of its Feline SelectSM plan to help improve the opportunities for cats to be protected. The plan has benefits available for the 15 conditions most common to cats, according to VPI, including upset stomach, bladder infections, …
Idexx Reports Revenue Increase In Companion Animal DivisionMay 17, 2010 Idexx Laboratories Inc.’s companion animal division recently reported revenue of $221.4 million for its first quarter ended March 31, compared to revenue of $193.7 million in the year-ago period. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates and revenue from a business acquired in the second half of 2009 contributed about 4 percent and 1 percent, respectively, to revenue growth. Overall, the Westbrook, Maine-based company reported net income of $33 million on revenue of $268.5 million for its first quarter, compared to net income of $26.1 million on revenue of $236.5 million in the year-ago period. <HOME>
Sales Down At HeskaMay 17, 2010 Heska Corp.’s companion animal health division on May 6 reported revenue of $15.8 million in the first quarter ended March 31, compared to $18.1 million in the year-ago period. Overall, the Loveland, Colo., company had a first-quarter net loss of $331,000 on revenue of $17.7 million. That compares to a net income of $460,000 on revenue of $20.1 million in the year-ago period. “We knew we would face a difficult comparison this quarter as we had exclusive rights to our former handheld blood analysis instrument in the first quarter of 2009 and sold the last of our remaining inventory in this area in the first quarter of 2010,” said Robert Grieve, Heska’s chairman and CEO. “Sales of consumables in this area declined by $2.7 million on a year-over-year basis as a result. Total revenue from other core companion animal health products was up year over year. “We also recognized a reserve of $1 million due to unexpected production issues in our OVP (other vaccines, pharmaceuticals and products) segment. We have been focused on resolving the current issue and preventing future problems.”
Bayer Brings Vets To Forefront With New Customer Service TeamsMay 17, 2010 Bayer Animal Health of Shawnee, Kan., has created two new teams to bring its customers—veterinarians—to the forefront: an employee-driven Customer Focus Task Force and a Customer Advisory Board, both of which are under the direction of Christine Pierson, vice president of sales. “We’re looking how we can differentiate ourselves in the animal health industry,” she says. The task force, made up of Bayer Animal Health employees, is designed to improve internal cooperation throughout the company to ensure positive customer impact. It began with 18 people within the sales group and has grown to 30 employees from various company divisions, such as the product supply group and veterinary services group. Four targeted sub-groups were created: improving customer feedback (getting feedback from customers and building on it), strengthening internal linkages (working together in a synergetic fashion), enhancing product support (based on the idea that supporting veterinarians in turn helps veterinarians support their customers, the pet owner) and increasing sales representative face time with customers. The group is already looking into implementing new and creative strategies, Pierson says. For instance, creating a rewards system to recognize employees that demonstrate customer focus, hosting training sessions and beginning a job …
Bernese More Prone To Bacteria That Causes Lyme DiseaseMay 17, 2010 More than half of the 160 Bernese mountain dogs examined by researchers from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, tested positive for the spiral-shaped bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, compared with only 15 percent of the 62 control dogs, which were not of Bernese descent but of comparable size and coat length. Using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a Western blot test, the Swiss researchers found that 58 percent of the Berners had developed antibodies against B. burgdorferi. Neither living in rural areas where ticks might be more prevalent noire more frequent walking explained the dogs’ tendency to acquire the bacteria, according to lead researcher Dr. Bernhard Gerber. Neither did its dark coat color; researchers assume darker coats make it harder for dog owners to spot ticks before they burrow in. Although the scope of the study did not allow them to explore the biological reasons behind the infection rates or the possible consequences for the dogs, Gerber did say they suspect a breed predisposition to the bacteria in Bernese. The study was published July 11 in the online journal BMC Veterinary Research.
