Sea Turtle Undergoes Hyperbaric TherapyApril 1, 2016A sea turtle is claiming the No. 1 spot as the first nonhuman to be treated in the United States in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle. Veterinarians are hoping to compress internal gas bubbles that are keeping the turtle from diving and staying underwater. According to the Seattle Aquarium: “The 70-pound olive ridley sea turtle, named Tucker by aquarium staff who have cared for him since December, is undergoing tests at the Seattle Aquarium this week to determine if ridley sea turtle, named Tucker by aquarium staff who have cared for him since December, is undergoing tests at the Seattle Aquarium this week to determine if hyperbaric therapy—which involved breathing 100 percent oxygen for about 2 ½ hours—corrected his buoyancy problem. The turtle cannot be safely released back into the Pacific Ocean until he is able to dive normally, which is important for him to find food and avoid predators and other threats, such as boats.” Virginia Mason, Seattle Aquarium partner to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy to help rescued sea turtle recover. It is believed to be the …
SPONSORED CONTENTDon't just protect. Triple protect.One tasty monthly chew. Approved for puppies as young as 8 weeks, weighing at least 2.8 lbs. + Learn more
Goldfish Gets Braces, Thanks to VeterinarianMarch 21, 2016While dogs with braces might be strange enough, the concept takes on a whole other level when it’s applied to fish. That’s right: A pet goldfish was recently outfitted with braces. Brian Palmeiro, VMD Dipl. ACVD of Lehigh Valley Veterinary Dermatology in Allentown, Penn. told Action News that the goldfish, named Mr. Hot Wing, “was born without a lower jaw bone and his mouth couldn’t stay open, which made it hard to eat and breathe.” Dr. Palmeiro performed the surgery on Mr. Hot Wing after researching the case and constructing the custom braces out of a credit card. The surgery reportedly cost around $150. Fish Braces!!?? Mr. Hot Wing came in today for trouble breathing and inability to eat. He was born without a lower jaw... Posted by Lehigh Valley Veterinary Dermatology on Thursday, March 17, 2016 Have you ever seen a fish with braces before?
Texas A&M Compares Chromosomes of Congo African Grey to Other ParrotsMarch 15, 2016Congo African grey parrots are considered one of the top 10 best pet birds to own according to BirdChannel.com, but little is known about their genetic makeup. But that’s all changing thanks to the researchers at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) who have been studying the parrot’s chromosomes. In a paper published in Cytogenetic and Genomic Research, scientists looked at the Congo African grey parrot’s chromosomes and compared them to other parrot species from South America and Australia. “This is the first study of its kind in true African parrots,” said Dr. Terje Raudsepp, associate professor and lead author of the study. “So far, analogous work in parrots has been done in three South American macaws, Australian budgerigars and cockatiels, and peach-faced lovebirds from Asia and Africa.” The study found that Congo African grey parrots were strikingly similar to Neotropical macaws found in South America. Unexpectedly, Congo African grey parrots were genetically more similar to Neotropical macaws, such as the scarlet macaw and the green-winged macaw, than parrots from Australia, such as cockatiels and budgerigars (budgies). …
Veterinarian Removes Purple Teddy Bear From SnakeMarch 3, 2016 Anything is tasty when you’re really hungry, even a small purple teddy bear. Given that winter is approaching in Australia, the snakes native to that country are feasting. Snake catcher Tony Harrison told 7News Brisbane, “Right now they’re really, really obsessively hunting for food… If it smells right, they’ll eat it.” Apparently the purple teddy bear smelled right to the 6-foot carpet python that gobbled it up. Harrison noticed the bulge and took the snake to The Vet Lounge veterinary clinic in Coomera on Australia’s Gold Coast. Reptile Relocation And Awareness/Facebook Reptile Relocation And Awareness/Facebook Reptile Relocation And Awareness/Facebook Reptile Relocation And Awareness/Facebook Reptile Relocation And Awareness/Facebook Reptile Relocation And Awareness/Facebook After an x-ray, it was determined that the snake had in fact swallowed the toy. A C-section was conducted, leaving the snake with 15 stitches. The surgery marked the first time Matthew Hollindale, BVSc had operated on a snake in his 16 years as a veterinarian. The snake will be on antibiotics for a couple of weeks before being released back into the wild.
3-Strain Avian Flu Vaccine on HorizonMarch 3, 2016Kansas State University researchers have produced an avian influenza vaccine they think could be administered in water, eliminating the need to immunize poultry one at a time by hand. The vaccine, called NDV-H5Nx, also might be used on eggs to inoculate chicks before they hatch. The discovery has the potential to save poultry producers billions of dollars in both time and inventory. An estimated 50 million U.S. chickens and turkeys died or were destroyed in 2015 during an outbreak of the H3N2 influenza strain. The KSU vaccine, developed with the assistance of microbiologist Adolfo García-Sastre, Ph.D., of New York’s Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, was found to protect against the H5N1, H5N2 and H5N8 strains. “The vaccine we produced is a live vaccine, which means it replicates in birds,” said Jürgen Richt, DVM, Ph.D., a Regents distinguished professor in KSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “Because it’s live,” Dr. Richt said, “we believe that the vaccine could be sprayed into the air or put in the water supply so that when the chickens need a drink, they could be vaccinated. A poultry farm could vaccinate all of its birds in a single …
Avian Veterinarian Nominated for Local TV Station's "Pay it Forward" AwardOctober 6, 2015 Julie Burge, DVM, recently received a $300 cash prize after a local pet owner nominated her for Kansas City's FOX 4's "Pay It Forward" award. Carl Bryant, the pet owner who nominated her, did so because of Burge's dedication to birds. "She goes out in situations and bird mills, just like puppy mills, she's called in to go in and basically rescue birds," Bryant told Fox 4. Fox 4 asks its readers to nominate people for their "Pay It Forward" award. The purpose of the award is to "show us what happens when someone you don’t expect steps up at just the right time to make someone else’s life a little easier." The chosen nominee gets $300. Burge is an avian veterinarian, and runs Burge Bird Rescue, along with the Burge Bird Services veterinary hospital. The avian-only veterinary practice was open in 1990, and offers a number of services, including grooming to complex medical and surgical case management. Why did Burge start rescuing birds on top of treating them? In a BirdChannel article titled "
Auburn University Vet Clinic Expands ServicesSeptember 24, 2015The Auburn University Veterinary Clinic has expanded its service to include avian and exotic animals. Expanding the avian and exotic creates opportunities for veterinary students to receive hands-on experience in exotic and avian animals while providing wellness and advanced veterinary care for these companion animals, according to the university. The service will see all birds, any non-venomous snakes and other exotics, but will not see primates. Exotics include reptiles, turtles, lizards, ferrets, guinea pigs, hedge hogs; birds include pet chickens. Seth Oster, DVM, an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences, oversees the Companion Animal Avian and Exotic Service and is the primary veterinarian for the service. He is also the primary veterinarian for the Southeastern Raptor Center (SRC) and oversees the birds of prey rehabilitation service of the SRC.
Veterinarians Thanked With Special Gift From PenguinSeptember 18, 2015Veterinary staff at the Foster Hospital For Small Animals at Tufts University recently had a penguin named Grey/Silver as a patient in their Harrington Oncology Ward. He was having radiation treatments and recently completed his last one. The hospital staff, including Michele Keyerleber, DVM, grew attached to the penguin from the Mystic Aquarium, developing a fondness for the little creature, their Facebook page states. As it turns out, Grey/Silver – and his caretakers at the Connecticut-based aquarium – grew fond of the veterinary staff as well. They “were so thankful for the specialized treatment that Grey/Silver received that they presented the staff with this one-of-a-kind painting created by Grey/Silver himself.” Have you ever received a gift from one of your patients? Share your story in the comments.
Texas A&M Develops Vaccine for PDDAugust 13, 2015Researchers at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences have developed a vaccine against Proventricular Dilatation Disease (PDD). It is caused by a virus called avian bornavirus. Use of the vaccine against this virus prevented the development of disease in captive birds with no obvious adverse effects. “Proventricular Dilatation Disease is an especially nasty infection that kills large numbers of captive birds each year,” said Dr. Ian Tizard, the project leader and director of the Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center at Texas A&M. “Parrot owners are naturally very distressed when their beloved pet dies in such a manner. The new vaccine is expected to stop the development of this disease and prevent much suffering.” The next step in the development of this vaccine will be to seek USDA licensure and then to manufacture the vaccine commercially. This will require extensive field testing to ensure that the vaccine is safe and that it is effective in many species of pet birds. Thus it will take some time before the vaccine becomes available to parrot owners. Current plans …
New Avian Health Complex Opens August 13 at Texas A&MAugust 11, 2015A new avian health complex will be formally opened Thursday, August 13, 2015, at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM), which hosts one of the top avian medicine programs in the nation. The ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. The new climate-controlled aviary will provide an environment for a variety of birds in various conditions, CVM officials note. Containing approximately 11,000 square feet of floor space, the state-of-the-art complex includes a functional hospital, receiving area with quarantine capabilities, three isolation rooms, a Biosafety Level 2 laboratory for infectious disease research and separate areas for infected and healthy birds, along with teaching, classroom and office space. The center conducts research into all aspects of diseases in wild and captive birds, as well as avian genetics, genomics, nutrition and behavior. The results of research at the center are already being applied to improve the health of birds kept by zoos, aviculturists and individual pet owners, as well as conserving threatened avian species in the wild, according to Texas A&M. Courtesy Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
