Humane Society Opens ‘Green’ Animal Community CenterApril 17, 2009 Humane Society Silicon Valley in Milpitas, Calif., held an open house March 28 to celebrate the opening of what it says is California’s first regional Animal Community Center. The $25 million center, funded through donations, is expected to be the first Animal Community Center in the U.S. to earn Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Planning for the 48,000-square-foot center, which is situated on nearly five acres, began about 12 years ago. The building is designed to be much more than an animal shelter. It’s a destination for the community, said Christine Benninger, president of the HSSV. “Those words—Animal Community Center—were chosen specifically (to reflect that),” Benninger said. For example, the center incorporates: • An animal adoption program. • A community dog park and training center. • A spay/neuter medical center. • A veterinary hospital and public viewing room. • Doggie day care, boarding and grooming. • A pet store. • An education center offering programs for children, teens and families. • A community events room. • A pet-friendly café. The cage-less habitats for dogs, cats and rabbits simulate home …
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Carolina Prime Pet And Salix Add Peanut Butter Dog Treats To Recall ListApril 17, 2009 More dog treats containing peanut butter have been voluntarily pulled from the market, this time by Carolina Prime Pet and Salix. The companies said their recalls are a precaution following a U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation into potential salmonella contamination of peanut butter and paste made by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). Carolina Prime Pet is voluntarily recalling four of its dog treats that contain peanut butter made by PCA in Blakely, Ga. The products bear lot date codes of between 081508 and 010909 and are sold at various retailers in the U.S. and Canada. The products are: • 6-inch Beef Shank Peanut Butter, UPC 063725542007. (Also packaged as 6-inch Healthy Hide Beef Shank Peanut Butter, UPC 09109333479.) • 2-pack Hooves Peanut Butter, UPC 063725542000. • 4-inch Rawhide Bone Peanut Butter, UPC 063725542003. • 6-inch Rawhide Bone Peanut Butter, UPC 063725542005. Salix is voluntarily recalling its three-count, Healthy Hide Deli-Wrap 5-inch Peanut Butter-Filled Rawhide dog treats that contain peanut butter made by PCA. The rawhide treats are sold at PetSmart, Target and Wegmans Food Stores throughout the U.S. and Canada. The UPC of the …
North Carolina Vet College Receives Grant For Clinical Trials ProgramApril 17, 2009 North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine recently received a $625,000 grant from Novartis Animal Health U.S. Inc. of Greensboro, N.C., to support its Clinical Trials Program. The grant, which will be presented over a five-year period, will fund a clinical trial veterinarian, a veterinary research technician, laboratory space and equipment for studies involving patients in the college’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. “Clinical studies advance veterinary medicine by investigating risk factors for disease as well as methods to prevent, treat or cure illnesses that affect both animals and humans,” said Gregg Dean, DVM, Ph.D., director of the college’s Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research, which administers the program. “The Novartis grant will fund resources that are critical to helping the research center ensure an effective Clinical Trials Program.” <HOME>
President Bush Endorses FDA Recall PowerApril 17, 2009 After meeting with a Cabinet-level working group assigned to review the country’s safety measures for imports, President Bush endorsed the Food and Drug Administration’s right to recall all food products. “Specifically, the FDA would be empowered to order a recall when a company refuses to recall their product voluntarily or moves too slowly in removing the unsafe product from the market,” he said. “With this authority, the FDA will be in a better position to act quickly if any problem occurs.” The Interagency Working Group on Import Safety presented its 14-point action plan to the president today and the FDA released its Food Protection Plan simultaneously. Both reports recommend granting the FDA new authority to recall food products in the event a voluntary recall is ineffective. The new mandate would, however, “provide for appropriate due process rights for any firm subject to a recall order,” according to the working group’s report. "We need to do more to ensure that American families have confidence in what they find on our store shelves. They have the right to expect the …
FDA Seeks Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee NominationsApril 17, 2009 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is requesting nominations for voting members to serve on the Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee, Center for Veterinary Medicine. Nomination deadline is Oct. 30. The committee reviews and evaluates available data concerning the safety and effectiveness of marketed and investigational new animal drugs, feeds and devices for use in the treatment and prevention of animal diseases and increased animal production, and makes appropriate recommendations to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs regarding scientific issues and regulatory policies. The FDA is requesting nominations from the following veterinary specialties: companion animal medicine, food animal medicine (avian, bovine, porcine and minor species), microbial food safety and risk assessment, biometrics, toxicology, pathology, pharmacology, animal science and epidemiology. Nominations may be emailed to cv@fda.hhs.gov. For more information, call 240-276-9004, email aleta.sindelar@fda.hhs.gov or visit FDA Advisory Committees. <HOME>
Practices Should Honor The Technician-Animal BondApril 17, 2009 Practices Should Honor the Technician-Animal BondPractices Should Honor the Technician-Animal Bond12-29-2008By Katherine Dobbs, RVT, CVPMweb exclusives, practicemgmt A lot is said and written about the human-animal bond these days. Typically the focus is on the ways in which the veterinary staff can and should both support and respect clients’ bonds to their pet. There is no question that this is necessary for the improved compliance of the owner and the overall profitability of the practice; great client service should equal big profits. But what about other the high turnover rate among technicians, the attrition rate of veterinary professionals in general and the pervasive compassion fatigue that is affecting our teams? Can this human-animal bond, or technician-animal bond as it were, provide answers? Typically the people who go into veterinary medicine have a powerfully strong attachment to their own pets, from childhood on up. Their desire to help both their own pets and other animals is so strong they decide to pursue a career helping animals. This is particularly true of technicians, who tend to gravitate toward the nursing care of animals rather than the diagnosing and treatment challenges of veterinary doctors. Then they …
Two Full-Timers Watch Country’s Pet Food Supply, Report FindsApril 17, 2009 Despite being a $15 to $20 billion industry, the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) devotes only two full-time employees to pet food issues, according to a recent report. “The recent pet food safety crisis has strained this overtaxed system. CVM received more than 18,000 telephone calls concerning melamine pet food contamination,” the authors wrote. The report found the agency is equally challenged by “an explosion of new pet-animal drugs that are essentially a microcosm of the human drugs.” The pet industry, however, was only a minor concern in the report. Overall it found that a decrease in funding during the past 35 years has caused a 78 percent reduction in food inspections despite an increase in imports. In addition, the FDA estimates it inspects food manufacturers, at most, once every 10 years. Retail food establishments and food-producing farms are never inspected. Scientific and technological knowledge and resources also lagged behind at the agency, the report found. “Without a substantial increase in resources, the Agency is powerless to improve its performance, will fall further behind, and will be unable to meet either the mandates of Congress or the expectations of …
Vets Financially Tied To Manufacturers Could Be Banned From FDA Advisory CommitteesApril 17, 2009 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed a new draft guide that would implement tougher procedures for membership on advisory committees. Veterinarians, physicians and other medical experts with a financial interest in a manufacturer would not be allowed to vote on advisory panels assessing whether drugs, vaccines, devices or other products made by that company are safe and effective. Financial interests include, but are not limited to, gifts, stock ownership, grants, related research and consulting arrangements. “FDA is committed to making the advisory committee process more rigorous and transparent so that the public has confidence in the integrity of the recommendations made by its advisory committees,” said Randall Lutter, Ph.D., FDA’s acting deputy commissioner for policy. “The draft guidance document should provide more consistency in the consideration of who is eligible to participate in advisory committee meetings and would simplify the process.” Currently, the FDA screens all prospective advisory committee participants before each meeting to determine whether the potential for a financial conflict of interest exists. Under law, the FDA may grant a waiver when certain criteria are met, such as when the need for an individual’s expertise outweighs the potential for a conflict …
Scientists Say Fish Suffer From InsomniaApril 17, 2009 Some zebrafish have a genetic disposition toward sleep problems just like some humans, according to researchers at Stanford University’s School of Medicine. A study published in the Oct. 16 issue of the Public Library of Science-Biology, tracked the behavior of fish kept awake at night by researchers. Fish lacking hypocretin receptors experienced something similar to insomnia when allowed to return to sleep, getting only half as much as zebrafish without the mutation. Their sleep patterns were short and fragmented compared to the excessive sleepiness exhibited in mammals with a hypocretin mutation. Future studies will search for fish that oversleep or lack sleep completely. The research team included Emmanuel Mignot, who is credited with discovering the genetic cause of narcolepsy in dogs. <HOME> Posted November 26, 2007, 8:30 a.m., EST
Dog, Cat Sterilization Program Targets Pet Population In GeorgiaApril 17, 2009By purchasing one of two pet-themed license plates, Georgia residents are making an impact on the state's cat and dog overpopulation, according to Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin, who recently unveiled updated figures on the statewide Dog and Cat Sterilization Program. Since January, more than $198,000 has been raised through sales of dog and cat "Buddy" plates and donations to the program. Georgians may buy one of the license plates for their vehicles from county tag offices throughout the state for a $25 one-time fee. One plate features a large retriever who is carrying the message that Georgians should spay and neuter their animals to prevent dog and cat overpopulation. A second design displays an image of a cat and a dog framed inside of a peach and the words "Animal Friend." A third version, to feature a cat, is in the works. From each plate sold, more than $22 directly benefits the sterilization program. The funds are used only for spay/neuter procedures and educational outreach on this choice. Since its inception in November 2003, the program has distributed more than $1,886,345 to subsidize 35,764 spay/neuter procedures performed by 751 licensed veterinarians. Licensed, accredited veterinarians perform low-cost sterilization procedures and …
