ASPCA Celebrates 142 YearsMay 17, 2010 The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals celebrates its 142nd anniversary in April, also known as Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. To commemorate the event, the organization will host the third annual ASPCA Day on April 10 with a combination of civic and community events. “While we fight animal cruelty day in and day out, April, and specifically ASPCA Day on April 10, is a great time for us to take stock of our progress, and celebrate our bond with animals as a nation,” said Ed Sayres, ASPCA president and chief executive officer. Landmarks in cities across the country will light up in orange, ASPCA’s signature color, to show support. Several national icons have already confirmed their participation, including the Empire State Building, Niagara Falls, the Los Angeles Coliseum and the Sears Tower in Chicago. The ASPCA Day Festival will take place in New York City’s Union Square that evening, with live music by the X Brothers featuring Joe Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult. This year also marks the second annual Community Leader of 2008 announcement, a contest where animal enthusiasts show how they “Go Orange for Animals.” The most …
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Senior, Arthritic Dogs Get Moving With Step InitiativeMay 17, 2010 More than 3.7 million steps were tracked by pet owners as part of the nine-month program Steps to Play More, an initiative sponsored by Novartis Animal Health US Inc. and canine arthritis medication Deramaxx (deracoxib) to get senior and arthritic dogs moving again. The participants used a dog pedometer to track the daily activity level of their dogs and then recorded the number of steps online at www.stepstoplaymore.com. The pedometer and online tracker provided a week-by-week gauge of each dog’s progress toward getting back to playing again. “It’s great to see these dogs walking and playing again,” said Bernadine Cruz, DVM, of California’s Laguna Hills Animal Hospital, who spearheaded the effort by more than 4,000 veterinarians nationwide. “Keeping pets active and on their paws is the best way to get them in shape and keep them healthy longer. With Deramaxx, the pedometer and the Steps to Play More program, pet owners saw firsthand how each step makes a healthier dog.”
Anxiety Drug For Dogs Nears FDA ApprovalMay 17, 2010 The U.S. Food & Drug Administration will soon announce its approval of Eli Lilly & Co.'s Reconcile (fluoxetine hydrochloride), perhaps as soon as Monday. The tablets are for use in dogs and puppies 6 months of age and older and 8.8 pounds or heavier, according to FDA-established guidelines. The flavored, chewable drug will be approved "for the treatment of canine separation anxiety in conjunction with a behavior modification plan." The drug, based on the active ingredient in Prozac, is not for use in people. Behavior modification uses could include counseling, such as rewards for good behavior, and training for a dog to be content alone, according to the drug’s prescribing information. Reconcile will not be the first anxiety medication for dogs on the market. Clomicalm was approved by the FDA in 1999. Reconcile will, however, be Lily's first drug approved for its new companion animal business. Reconcile is expected to be available within the next several weeks.
Heartworm Society Unveils Educational Web Site For KidsMay 17, 2010 The American Heartworm Society launched a new grammar school section on its Web site at the American Veterinary Medical Association's annual convention. The new site, sponsored by Fort Dodge Animal Health, is designed to teach children ages 5 through 15 about heartworm disease in pets. "Teaching children the responsibilities involved in taking care of a pet is one of the many steps in developing the young person into a caring and compassionate individual," said Sheldon Rubin, DVM, secretary-treasurer of the American Heartworm Society. "The dangers of heartworm disease and the proper care of pets are just a few of the many lessons our Web site will teach children." The grammar school section, linked from www.heartwormsociety.org, offers several downloadable coloring pages and games focused on pet care and heartworm prevention. The activities feature two new cartoon characters, Jake the dog and Ginger the cat. Along with nutrition and exercise, the activities emphasize the need for twice-a-year veterinary appointments, which is the impetus behind Fort Dodge and the AVMA's partnership for Pet Wellness Month, also launched at the convention. <HOME>
$24 Million Settlement Reached In Pet Food Recall CaseMay 17, 2010Canada-based Menu Foods and other companies that were involved in last year’s massive recall of pet foods have agreed to pay a combined $24 million to pet owners. The settlement, which was outlined in papers filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Camden, N.J., still needs court approval. A hearing has been scheduled for May 30. Under the settlement, the companies will pay all of the pet owners’ documented expenses for the injury and death of their pets as a result of consuming the recalled products, Reuters reported. The recalls were first announced in March 2007 after dogs and cats became ill or died as a result of eating the tainted food. The contaminants were discovered to be melamine and cyanuric acid, which were in ingredients from China that went into pet food in the United States. <HOME>
$24 Million Menu Foods Settlement Gets Preliminary OKMay 17, 2010$24 Million Menu Foods Settlement Gets Preliminary OK$24 Million Menu Foods Settlement Gets Preliminary OKpet food recall, settlementThe U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey has given preliminary approval for a $24 million settlement agreement involving last year’s massive pet food recall.The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey has given preliminary approval for a $24 million settlement agreement involving last year’s massive pet food recall.newslinePosted June 2, 2008, 9:02 p.m., EDT The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey has given preliminary approval for a $24 million settlement agreement involving last year’s massive pet food recall. Canada-based Menu Foods was slapped with more than 100 class-action lawsuits after dogs and cats became ill or died as a result of eating the tainted food. The contaminants were discovered to be melamine and cyanuric acid, which were in ingredients from China that went into pet food in the United States. The settlement agreement creates a settlement fund that will allow pet owners to potentially recover up to 100 percent of all economic damages, subject to certain limitations. The fund, administered by a neutral claims administrator, will be available to persons in the United States and …
Southern California Wildfire CoverageMay 17, 2010 10/25/2007 - Many Pet Hospitals Escape SoCal Fires Although 11 large fires wildfires are still burning across in Southern California, the Santa Ana wind event is over, making it easier for firefighters to contain them... More >> 10/24/2007 - Vet Clinic in the Burn Zone is Spared Rancho Bernardo Veterinary Clinic lies in the heart of the burn zone of what is being called the Witch Creek fire in central San Diego County, Calif. The clinic is owned by Robert Chung, DVM... More >> 10/24/2007 - Banfield Mobile Unit to Aid in Southern California Fires Banfield’s mobile emergency pet hospital is getting ready to assist with pet emergencies related to the fires taking place in Southern California. An exact location where the mobile unit will be set up... More >> 10/24/2007 - UPDATED: Available Resources for Fire Victims With fires taking over the southland, several Web sites are providing information about assisting people and pets affected by the California wildfires. More >> 10/23/2007 - Southern California Equine Evacuees in Need of Supplies Since mandatory evacuations began in …
Who Cares About The Diagnosis?May 15, 2010Siouxsie is a 9-year-old female standard poodle who presented with dysuria and stranguria. Her diagnostic workup, which included an abdominal ultrasound, revealed an obstructive mass near the neck of the bladder. Traumatic catheterization and cystoscopy were unsuccessful at getting diagnostic biopsies. Exploratory laparotomy was recommended to obtain both a diagnosis and a treatment. The owner agonized about what to do. To make things worse, she had adopted the dog just three weeks before presentation. She wondered about the rationale of spending "so much money" to find out that her brand new dog had transitional cell carcinoma. What else could it possibly be? Granted, Siouxsie could do well for a while on piroxicam. Ultimately, the owner decided that she had a responsibility toward Siouxsie when she rescued her, and she elected to do surgery. Cystotomy revealed a pea-sized mass in the neck of the bladder. It was clearly impairing urine flow into the proximal urethra. Since aggressive surgery was likely to cause incontinence, the mass was debulked. A cystostomy tube was also placed. It was removed a few weeks later, once we were reassured that she could urinate normally. We are happy to report that Siouxsie is still alive one year …
California Bill May Stop Landlords From Requiring Declawing Or Devocalization Of AnimalsMay 14, 2010 The California Assembly on May 13, 2010 passed a bill that would prohibit landlords from requiring tenants or potential tenants to declaw or devocalize their animal as a condition of occupancy. “Animal” is defined as any mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian. AB 2743, which was introduced by Assemblyman Pedro Nava in February, claims that such procedures have irreversible effects on the animals. In addition, the bill states that declawing and devocalizing may have the unintended consequence of creating potential public health and safety concerns. For example, there may be a safety risk to police officers posed by a devocalized attack dog present on property that law enforcement officers have legal cause to enter, according to the bill. Furthermore, “the permanence of these surgical procedures contrasts with the temporary nature of the occupancy of real property owned by another, which generally lasts only for a fixed term and may be terminated upon notice by one of the parties.” The California Veterinary Medical Association, which has long been against legislation pushing for declaw bans, agrees with the bill’s concept but officially opposes it due to certain language. “Landlords should not be making these medical decisions,” …
ImproMed Human Resources Webinar Series To Begin July 15May 14, 2010 ImproMed Inc. of Oshkosh, Wis., will sponsor a four-part human resources webinar series beginning July 15. “Performance Management” will run consecutive Thursdays at 2:30 p.m. CST through Aug. 5. Participants will be eligible for four RACE-approved continuing education credits. Host Katherine Dobbs, RVT, CVPM, PHR from interface Veterinary HR Systems LLC, will focus on the following topics: The Performance Management Cycle—How to Get Your Team to Do Their Job; The First Building Blocks—Mission, Policy Manual and Job Descriptions; Taking it to the Next Level—Training People and Evaluating Performance; and Endings and Beginnings—Progressive Discipline, Effective Termination and Recruiting New Hires “In my series, I will be showing how to utilize your company’s mission to the fullest, and how to weave this vision into the building blocks of human resources and specifically performance management,” Dobbs said. “I will also detail the necessary components of a good job description delving into the issue that job descriptions are so much more than a list of duties, the importance of coaching, counseling and feedback, performance evaluations and the significance of documentation.” ImproMed clients can register here. Non-customers can register here. Read Katherine Dobbs weekly staff …
