Two Aspiring Vets Receive AVMA Funded FFA ScholarshipsJuly 7, 2009 The National FFA Organization, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, recently awarded two $1,000 American Veterinary Medical Association scholarships. The recipients were Alyzabeth Looney of Denton, Texas, and Megan Westerhold of Rich Hill, Mo. Looney plans to use the scholarship to pursue an undergraduate degree and then a veterinary degree at Texas A&M University. Westerhold plans to do the same at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Both are interested in practicing large animal veterinary medicine. Looney and Westerhold were chosen from 7,810 applicants from across the country. Selections were based on the applicant’s academic record, FFA and other school and community activities, supervised agricultural experience program in agricultural education and future goals. This is the second year that the AVMA has sponsored scholarships for aspiring veterinarians through the FFA. AVMA plans to offer them again in 2010. The AVMA and its charitable arm, the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, will distribute more than 23 scholarships this year, including 21 to students attending AVMA-accredited veterinary schools in the United States. The scholarships this year are aimed at students interested in large animal veterinary medicine, food safety, public health and shelter medicine.
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California Spay/Neuter Bill Moves ForwardJuly 2, 2009 California Senate Bill 250, which would require spay or neuter surgery for most of the state’s dogs and cats, recently passed the Assembly Business and Professions Committee by a 6-4 vote. The bill will be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on July 15. SB 250, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez, calls on cat owners to spay or neuter their cats at 6 months of age if the cats are allowed to roam at large. The bill also requires the sterilization of all dogs at 6 months old unless the owner gets an unaltered dog license. The bill has been amended to authorize local governments to use existing procedures to issue the intact dog licenses or to charge a fee for procedures related to the issuance, denial or revocation of unaltered dog licenses. Unaltered dogs used in legal hunting activities would be exempt from being cited. The sterilization of dogs found to be at-large continues to be a requirement under the bill. Click here for the most recent version of SB 250. <HOME>
VCA Antech Acquires Eklin Medical SystemsJuly 1, 2009 VCA Antech Inc. of Los Angeles, Calif. reported July 1 that it has acquired Eklin Medical Systems Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif. Eklin sells digital radiology, ultrasound and practice management software systems in the veterinary market. The company, founded by chairman and CEO Gary Cantu, was privately owned. Terms of the sale were not announced. VCA Antech also owns Sound Technologies Inc. of Carlsbad, Calif. Steve Eyl, president of Sound Technologies, will continue as president of Sound Eklin. “Sound Technologies and Eklin truly have revolutionized the veterinary care industry,” said Bob Antin, chairman and CEO of VCA Antech. “We believe that joining these two entities together will create a significant technology advantage. The combination of expanded services and talented people from both organizations create a far stronger and larger company, which will greatly benefit the profession.” Cantu will step down to spend time with his family, continue angel investments and work on outside board activities. “The combination of VCA Antech’s Sound Technologies Division and Eklin will provide the ability to offer veterinary care providers with much broader and deeper technology solutions, customer education and customer care,” Cantu …
UPDATE: California Senate Public Safety Committee Postpones Intact Animal Cap Bill HearingJune 30, 2009 Updated: Tuesday, June 30, 2009, 1:36 p.m., EDT The California Senate’s Committee on Public Safety is has postponed its hearing on AB 241, a bill that would limit the number of intact dogs and cats any person could own for breeding and selling as pets, from Tuesday June 30 to Thursday July 2. Assembly Bill 241 would prohibit any person from having more than a combined total of 50 unsterilized dogs and cats that are kept for breeding or raised for sale as pets. Those in possession of more than that would have to spay or neuter the excess animals or sell, transfer or relinquish the animals within 30 days. If necessary, any euthanasia procedures would have to be performed by a licensed veterinarian or other qualified person as pursuant to regulations adopted by the Veterinary Medical Board. AB 241 authorizes a peace officer, humane officer or animal control officer to take possession of any animal that is kept in violation. Violators would be guilty of a misdemeanor. The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) has issued an alert stating that AB 241 would impose an “irrational ban on the possession of …
Why Is Deception So Common?June 30, 2009 It has always bothered me when doctors and nurses blandly tell dying human patients that they will be “OK.” I am also bothered when I hear veterinarians and their support staff tell pet owners that their pet is going to be “all right” despite a poor prognosis looming overhead. We may feel guilty if we take away a person’s hope, but should we lie about reality? Deception is all too common a habit in the human health care field, but should veterinarians also support the false hopes of their clients? Should frank lies come straight from health care professionals who encourage terminal patients to thrash in the gears of the “mindless machinery” of medicine? Is there harm in giving clients the truth about their pet’s actual condition and probable prognosis, at least as a reality check? If veterinarians follow the pediatrician model, we need to inform the “parents” about their pet’s condition. Are physicians and veterinarians too blunt when they inform us with the statistical prognosis? Is there a more compassionate way to say, “You have six months to live”? How can this difficult information be gently delivered to the family without ripping their hearts out and …
Herb-Drug Interactions For CancerJune 30, 2009 The high-stakes drama in the news this spring told the tale of a teen with cancer leaving town with his mother, who wanted him to have alternative treatment instead of court-ordered chemotherapy.1,2 The panoply of cures peddled for both human and veterinary cancer patients can end up consuming the most limited resources: time and money. People’s allegiance sometimes splits between the tried and true and the too good to –be true. Many pick the middle ground of choosing both, hoping to offset the envisioned misery of chemotherapy with feel-good supplements. All too often, however, fact-based information about supplements and cancer becomes buried in the chaos of the Internet. In truth, herbs and supplements can often improve well-being and even outcomes when given appropriately. When administered injudiciously, however, they risk lowering the therapeutic value of chemotherapy and radiation.3 The oft-touted garlic, for example, induces the P-glycoprotein drug efflux transport system to aid the body in ridding itself of perceived toxins such as chemotherapeutics.4 In addition, antioxidants can counter the pro-oxidant effects of chemotherapy and radiation, and plant-derived anticoagulants can predispose patients to unexpected bleeding. Antioxidants Megadose vitamin regimens occupy center stage …
Practitioners Should Consider Professional And Personal Insurance NeedsJune 29, 2009 Veterinary practitioners may well prefer handling unruly animals to handling their own insurance. But insurance smarts are as crucial to sustaining a successful practice as is knowledge of animal diseases and vaccines. Purchasing veterinary insurance is “all about planning for the unknown or planning for surprises,” says Thomas McFerson, a partner with Gatto McFerson, CPAs, a veterinary consulting firm in Santa Monica, Calif. Such surprises might include: Losses to buildings, business vehicles or clinic equipment taken on house calls. Losses of animals in a clinic’s care. Claims of malpractice by an animal’s owner. The death of a practice owner. Protection typically starts with a business owner’s basic policy covering physical damage to a veterinary office or clinic and on-site, non-employee accidents. The policy also should cover specialized veterinary tools such as radiographic equipment, says Rodney Johnson, DVM, a representative of the American Veterinary Medical Assn.’s Professional Liability Insurance Trust (PLIT). Indeed, “The dilemma the veterinarian faces is finding an insurance agent who is knowledgeable about his unique exposures,” says Brent Allen, the owner of Allen Financial Insurance Group of Phoenix. Those exposures, or risks, loom large. “We’re not seeing any large increase in …
PetMed Express Reports Sales Increase In Q4June 29, 2009 PetMed Express Inc. of Pompano Beach, Fla., recently reported net income of $5.6 million on revenue of $48.1 million for its fourth quarter ended March 31, compared to net income of $4.9 million on revenue of $40.4 million in the year-ago period. The company acquired about 142,000 new customers during the quarter, compared to 126,000 for the same quarter the prior year. Reorder sales increased 20 percent for the quarter to $37.2 million, compared to $31 million in the year-ago period. Year to date, PetMed Express reported net income of $23 million on revenue of $219.4 million, compared to net income of $20 million on revenue of $188.3 million in the year-ago period. The company acquired about 802,000 new customers during the year, compared to 710,000 in the year prior. New order growth accelerated to 16 percent in fiscal 2009 compared to 5 percent last year. Reorder sales year to date were $156.8 million, compared to $134.3 million in the year-ago period. New order sales year to date were $62.5 million, compared to $53.8 million in the year-ago period. <HOME>
Webster Veterinary Sees 33% IncreaseJune 29, 2009 Webster Veterinary, a unit of Patterson Companies Inc. of St. Paul, Minn., recently reported revenue of $158.5 million for its four quarter ended April 25, compared to revenue of $119.5 million in the year-ago period. The 33 percent increase is due primarily to the October acquisition of Columbus Serum. Year to date, the unit reported revenue of $550.6 million, compared to revenue of $446.4 million in the year-ago period. Overall, Patterson reported net income of $54 million on revenue of $779.9 million for its fourth quarter, compared to net income of $63.2 million on revenue of $778.4 million in the year-ago period. Year to date, the company reported net income of $199.6 million on revenue of $3.1 billion, compared to net income of $224.9 million on revenue of $3 billion in the year-ago period. <HOME>
VCA Registers Stock For Future AcquisitionsJune 29, 2009 VCA Antech Inc., a Los Angeles-based chain of animal hospitals and laboratories, registered $200 million of common stock with the U.S. Securities and Exchange commission to be used for future acquisitions, thereby conserving cash for other uses. It plans to acquire hospitals with aggregate annual revenues of $60-70 million each year, but is also trying to accumulate cash. It currently holds about $521 million in bank debt, with notes coming due in May 2011. The company acquired 51 hospitals and four labs in 2008, 73 hospitals and two labs in 2007 and 22 hospitals and three labs in 2006. The company does not expect its long-term cash flow from operations to be sufficient to pay its long-term debt at that time, according to its SEC filing. <HOME>
