Volunteer Veterinary Dentists, Techs, Provide Dental Care to Big CatsApril 18, 2016If you have dreams of being a veterinary dentist for the big cats, keep an eye on the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point, Ind., and the Peter Emily International Veterinary Dental Foundation for opportunities. You could take part in volunteer events, such as one that was held this past weekend, where more than 15 volunteers headed over to the Exotic Feline Rescue Center to spend two days doing dentistry work for eight big cats. The volunteers consisted of veterinary dentists, technicians and other professionals from around the United States, according to Fox 59. The animals treated included a lion, a puma and several tigers. brightcove.createExperiences(); This was thanks to the Peter Emily International Veterinary Dental Foundation (PEIVDF). According to their ‘About Us’ page: “Our mission is to provide life improving advanced veterinary dental care and treatment to exotic animals located in US (and in the future, overseas) captive animal facilities and animal sanctuaries, which are under funded and/or understaffed from a veterinary perspective. Through these missions, we are also increasing …
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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 …
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?
Cheetah Cubs Born Via C-Section Receiving Critical Care at ZooMarch 18, 2016A 5-year-old cheetah named Willow had to have a rare C-section last week at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. The birth took place on March 8 at the zoo’s regional cheetah breeding facility. Following the birth, the cubs — which consisted of three boys and two girls — were taken to the Cincinnati Zoo Nursery where they have been receiving around-the-clock veterinary care and bottle feeding. They will remain in the nursery for a minimum of eight to 12 weeks. “The cubs were born under difficult circumstances,” said Dr. Mark Campbell, Director of Animal Health at the Cincinnati Zoo in a press release. “For puppies and kittens the vast majority of their passive immunity comes from their mom’s milk especially the colostrum. Their immune systems are not developed very well at all at this time so they are unable to actively ward off infections. We are doing all we can to keep them healthy and strong, but it will be a challenge for these cubs moving forward.” Campbell, who has been with the zoo for 25 years, said that this is only the third C-section he’s been involved with. A true …
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 …
Check Out This Red Panda’s Visit to the VeterinarianMarch 2, 2016When you’re a red panda living at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo in Canada, you have to get a veterinary checkup. Staff from the zoo took the male red panda, named Phoenix, to Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada for his exam. His eyes were checked, as were his teeth (there was a small fracture) and bones. X-rays, ultrasounds and blood tests were conducted, as well as a small art project of sorts at the end (Phoenix’s paws were painted and placed on canvas for study and fundraising purposes). Phoenix was not awake during the visit to reduce the risk to the veterinarians conducting the exam. Luckily, Phoenix’s trip to the vet was filmed: </center> According to the YouTube description, the exam was filmed for educational purposes and provides benefits “from teaching skills to veterinary students for their future careers to showing school students how in-depth an annual physical examination for a wild animal is.” As Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo manager John Moran says in the video, the visit was also a learning experience for the veterinarians. “It contributes …
Veterinarian Removes Rooster Foot from Python's BellyNovember 6, 2015A wild python in Australia decided to eat a rooster, but it seems the rooster would have got the best of the python had it not been for Nikki Tapp, B.V.Sc, at the Marlin Coast Veterinary Hospital in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Marlin Coast Veterinary Hospital/Facebook Dr. Nikki Tapp working on removing a rooster's foot from a wild python's belly. The wild reptile was brought into the hospital October 26 with a puncture wound and a huge belly. The rooster’s spur had pierced the skin of the python, from inside the snake’s belly. Tapp had to open the snake up. She had to use a pair of surgical scissors to cut the entire foot off the rooster, leaving the rest of the rooster in the belly of the python. Tapp said on Facebook that the snake is doing well and will be released once it finishes digesting the huge bird. Story originally posted on ReptilesMagazine.com.
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 "
