Western University Researchers Receive Grant To Improve Endangered Species Breeding ProgramsSeptember 29, 2009 A team from Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Veterinary Medicine recently received a grant of $100,000 to improve the breeding programs of captive endangered species. The grant was administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Specifically, Margaret Barr, DVM, Ph.D., Kristopher Irizarry, Ph.D., and Janis Joslin, DVM, faculty members and co-principal investigators, will develop a strategy for using genetic analysis to maximize the breeding of snow leopards to enhance species diversity and robustness. Results from the research are expected to be applicable to other endangered species as well. The researchers chose snow leopards because they are on the brink of extinction—about 550 are maintained in captivity worldwide—and they are susceptible to a number of infectious diseases. Snow leopards have been managed by an international studbook since 1976. The studbook is used to maximize genetic diversity of the population, similar to dog breeders who look to pick the most unrelated pair of dogs to breed, according to Western University. The project aims to give zoos another tool to identify the best breeding pairs to sustain the captive breeding populations. The research team will collect DNA samples of snow leopards …
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Cancer Drug For Companion Animals In The WorksSeptember 28, 2009 MBF Therapeutics Inc. (MBFT) and Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) have partnered to develop a drug treatment for common and aggressive cancers in dogs and cats. MBFT will have exclusive access to preclinical data from research being conducted by Thomas O’Brien, Ph.D., a professor at LIMR and Thomas Jefferson University’s Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology. Dr. O’Brien is a member of MBFT’s Clinical Advisory Board. The drug, called MBFT-101, is described as a combination of two drug molecules that act in concert to kill cancer cells by starving them of nutrients essential for cell growth and survival, with no effect on normal cells. The companies reported that the therapy is intended to be administered orally, at home, for four to six weeks. A pilot clinical study using MBFT-101 is under way at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Clinical Investigation Center. The study, made possible through a grant from Ben Franklin Partners Technology Concept Network to both MBFT and O’Brien, is evaluating the drug in cats with oral squamous cell carcinoma. MBFT will initiate a pilot clinical study using dogs later this year. …
U.S. Senators Introduce Legislation To Help Vet Workforce NeedsSeptember 28, 2009 U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and John Thune (R-SD) on Sept. 24 introduced legislation to help confront the veterinary service shortages. It was then referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Senate Bill 1709, the Veterinary Services Investment Act, is a companion bill to H.R. 3519, which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in July. Specifically, the act would establish a new grant program to assist states in addressing their unique veterinary workforce needs. Grants awarded under the program could be used for activities such as recruiting veterinarians to work in underserved areas, strengthening food safety and conducting surveillance of animal disease. At press time, 89 veterinary and agricultural groups had joined the American Veterinary Medical Association in support of the legislation. “Senators Stabenow and Thune and their colleagues are voicing support for maintaining public health, food safety and animal health by bolstering the veterinary workforce,” said Ron DeHaven, DVM, chief executive officer of the AVMA. “The Veterinary Services Investment Act will significantly help bring much needed veterinarian services to areas of our country in need.” Veterinary clinics in rural areas and state, national, allied or regional veterinary organizations, specialty …
Oct. 11-17 Marks National Vet Tech WeekSeptember 28, 2009 The theme for this year’s National Veterinary Technician Week is “Linking the Veterinary Healthcare Team,” scheduled to take place Oct. 11-17. The week-long celebration will be sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition of Topeka, Kan. The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America Inc., which began the annual celebration in June 1993, said the theme is appropriate since veterinary technicians work closely with veterinarians, veterinary assistants, practice managers, patients and their owners to provide the essential link with all involved in the care process. The observance allows veterinary technicians to focus favorable attention on their profession through a variety of activities, according to NAVTA. These activities serve to educate the public about the medical team, reinforce the value and professionalism of veterinary technicians to veterinarians and the public, provide an opportunity for veterinary technicians to salute one another for excellent performance in their work and to acknowledge veterinarians for hiring veterinary technicians. A true celebration of National Veterinary Technician Week, according to NAVTA, relies on participation of state associations, student chapters and NAVTA members. As such, the nonprofit organization has compiled professional development and fundraising/awareness ideas. Professional Development: Host an open house …
Military Spouses Eligible For Animal Behavior College ScholarshipsSeptember 24, 2009 Animal Behavior College reported Sept. 24 that it has been approved to participate in the Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) program. The program, run by the Department of Defense, provides up to $6,000 of financial assistance for military spouses who are pursuing degree programs, licenses or credentials leading to employment in portable career fields. Currently, there are more than 1,200 schools participating in the program. These schools, according to Animal Behavior College, are ideal for military spouses because they provide a flexible curriculum and specialized support. “The MyCAA provides a great service to military spouses by paying for their career training education,” said Steven Appelbaum, president of Animal Behavior College, which offers a Certified Dog Obedience Instructor training program and a certified Veterinary Assistant program. “Animal Behavior College allows military spouses to train for careers that are in demand everywhere in the United States. Becoming a professional dog trainer, veterinary assistant or groomer is ideal for anyone who needs to set their own schedule to accommodate the needs of their unique family life.” More than 130 people have already enrolled in Animal Behavior College’s animal career training programs …
Santa Monica Votes To Draft Ordinance On Declaw BanSeptember 23, 2009 The Santa Monica City Council voted Sept. 22 to draft an ordinance that would ban declawing in the city. It passed with a 5-1 vote. The motion was brought by City Council Members Kevin McKeown and Gleam Davis, who requested that the ordinance, if passed, be enacted before Dec. 31 since Senate Bill 762 takes effect Jan. 1. SB 762 was signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on July 2, and in short, will not allow cities and counties to pass ordinances to ban medical procedures. The legislation, supported by the California Veterinary Medical Association, was in response to West Hollywood’s ban on the procedure, which the city passed in 2003. The CVMA contends that there should be a statewide uniformity of standards for medical professionals. Groups such as The Paw Project claim that declawing causes crippling effects and in the end provides no therapeutic benefit for the animal or cat owner. The anti-declawing organization recently unveiled a new billboard in West Hollywood as part of a campaign to make “people realize that declawing is inhumane and should be illegal.” The billboard, which may soon be displayed in other cities, depicts a human hand …
New Online Microchip Tool Aims To Help Reunite Lost Pets With OwnersSeptember 22, 2009 The American Animal Hospital Association reported Sept. 22 that it has created the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool. The free Internet-based resource is designed to help veterinary hospitals, animal control facilities and shelter staff members reunite lost pets with their owners by checking participating pet recovery services’ registries to determine which registry should be contacted. Participating companies include the American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery, HomeAgain by Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, Petlink by Datamars and resQ by Bayer Animal Health. Although Jason Merrihew, communications coordinator at AAHA, said that he can’t comment on individual companies that have not yet agreed to participate, he did say that more companies are anticipated to come on board within the next couple of weeks. “We’ve had amazing collaboration with the participating companies, but the tool is still a work in progress,” Merrihew said. This means that AAHA will seek continued collaboration from microchip companies as well as implement feedback derived from veterinary hospitals, animal control facilities and shelter staff members. AAHA has been working with microchipping and pet recovery industry leaders for about a year to get the tool up and running, said …
New Benchmarking Tools Available For Referral PracticesSeptember 22, 2009 The National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues and VetPartners have released financial and operational metric benchmarking tools designed specifically for referral practices. The collaboration was sparked because of the lack of comparative metrics available for referral centers, according to the two groups. It is difficult to gather benchmarking data for referral practices because their size, shape and business models vary greatly, the groups said. “Our goal is to provide referral practices with the same level of data and benchmarks as general practices, but tailored just for them,” said Karen Felsted, DVM, CPA, MS, CVPM, the CEO of NCVEI. “And our hope is that armed with this information, referral practices will continue to grow and improve, even in these economic times.” Two sets of tools will be available at NCVEI's re-launched website NCVEI.org: one for the referral practice and one for board-certified specialists and emergency doctors. The practice tools include data such as revenue per doctor, compensation, benefits, management techniques and number of referring DVMs. The specialty doctors’ tools include information on production, compensation and benefits categorized by specialty. Phase two of the referral practice tools, which will be available by the end of September, …
Boehringer Ingelheim To Boost Companion Animal, Cattle PortfoliosSeptember 22, 2009 Boehringer Ingelheim, the parent company of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc., has reached an agreement with Pfizer to acquire certain assets of Fort Dodge Animal Health upon the closing of the Pfizer-Wyeth merger. Wyeth is the parent company of Fort Dodge Animal Health. The merger is expected to take place in the fourth quarter. The agreement, subject to anti-trust clearance, is anticipated to boost Boehringer Ingelheim’s companion animal and cattle portfolios. For instance, in the U.S. and Canada, the company will own and market the pet and cattle vaccine lines as well as a range of pharmaceuticals for pets, cattle and other species. In Canada, several swine vaccines are part of the package. In Australia, Boehringer Ingelheim will own and market Fort Dodge pet vaccines, and in some European countries and South Africa, certain cattle vaccines. The deal would give way for Boehringer Ingelheim to acquire manufacturing and research facilities in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Boehringer Ingelheim is based in Germany and Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica in St. Joseph, Mo. Pfizer is based in New York, Wyeth in Madison, N.J., and Fort Dodge Animal Health in Overland Park, Kan. <HOME>
California Intact Animal Cap Bill One Step Closer To Becoming LawSeptember 16, 2009 California Assembly Bill 241, which would limit the number of intact dogs and cats any person could own for breeding and selling as pets, received the needed concurrence vote in the Assembly on Sept. 8 to be sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk to be signed into law. The bill moved to the Assembly floor for the concurrence vote after the Senate passed an amended version of the bill on Sept. 2. The most recent amendment reads, “No person or business entity, as defined, shall own, possess, control or otherwise have charge or custody of more than a combined total of 50 adult unsterilized dogs and cats, in the state, at any time used for the purpose of breeding or raising dogs or cats for sale as pets.” The bill previously did not include the term “business entity,” which is defined as any company, firm, association, partnership, business trust, corporation, limited liability company or other legal entity. This does not apply to public animal control agencies, shelters, rescue groups, veterinary facilities and research facilities. In addition, AB 241 would make it a misdemeanor to act in concert with another person or to voluntarily assist a …
