Stop Procrastinating! Radiograph Contest Entries Due June 30May 23, 2011 Have you ever looked at a radiograph of an animal’s belly and wondered, “What the heck were they thinking when they swallowed that?” You’re not alone. In fact, we invite you submit your favorite have-to-see-it-to-believe-it radiograph for your chance to win cool prizes. But you better get moving. Entry deadline is June 30 for Veterinary Practice News’ sixth annual “They Ate What?” radiograph contest, which highlights the dietary indiscretions committed by veterinary clients’ dogs, cats, snakes guinea pigs, cows and horses. A Canon digital single-lens reflex camera is the grand prize. Two runners-up will each receive a point-and-shoot digital camera. Winners will be announced in the September issue of Veterinary Practice News. Sound-Eklin of Carlsbad, Calif., is sponsoring the contest. “With the proliferation of digital technology over the past few years, we expect to see many well-defined cases presenting an even greater variety of findings,” said Greg Stoutenburgh, vice president of marketing for Sound-Eklin. High-resolution radiographs must be submitted electronically to VPNeditor@bowtieinc.com. The submitter must include his or her name, the clinic name and address, a telephone number and a brief explanation of the case. Entries become the property of …
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Endoscopy: Not Just For SpecialistsMay 23, 2011 Endoscopy, commonly used for biopsies, gastropexies and laparoscopic ovariohysterectomies, is becoming more popular with veterinarians for more complex procedures. As the use of non-invasive methods increases, many veterinarians are learning to use endoscopic equipment. While a veterinarian investing in endoscopy equipment might not perform all possible procedures, he or she can offer many cutting-edge treatments. “There are many benefits to performing endoscopic surgery,” says Athens, Ga., surgical consultant Clarence Rawlings, DVM, MS, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVS. “The patient experiences less stress, less pain and can return to normal performance levels faster. Clients often have an aversion to major surgery but are often more comfortable with a less invasive procedure. As veterinarians, we feel like we’re doing a better job when using it for the right procedures.” Dr. Rawlings says new equipment is always exciting to use, but he warns against using endoscopic equipment for the wrong reasons. Other options may be available, he says, and sometimes a case may need to be referred. “I’m always asking myself if I should perform another physical exam, more blood work or perform an ultrasound,” Rawlings says. “Make sure you’ve run through those things first and, of course, have client …
It Might Be Time To Adjust Clinic FeesApril 22, 2011Top customer service can make clients feel higher fees are worth it. Veterinarians often wonder how to adjust their fees to compensate for losses attributed to clients’ postponing pets’ annual exams and vaccine updates. Many advisers recommend re-evaluating fees annually and adjusting rates accordingly, but advise against decreasing fees across the board. Packaging services and remaining competitive on shopped-for products and services, such as spays and neuters, veterinarians can help meet their bottom lines, say certified public accountants. The consultants add that maintaining customer service is priority. “We monitored a client’s practice for four months after she decreased her fees on flea and tick products and she didn’t sell more,” says Michael Porrello, a CPA at Lacher McDonald & Co. CPAs in Seminole, Fla. “This is a common outcome when fees are reduced. The clients who would have come to the practice even without the fee reduction are just getting a better deal, while the veterinarian loses revenue. Granted, the fee reduction in this case wasn’t heavily marketed, but marketing is often an area in which practices could use an improvement.” Possible to Lose Money Experts say the economy is just the current reason being …
Nutrigenomics Takes ‘You Are What You Eat’ To New LevelFebruary 14, 2011 Veterinary nutrigenomics combines genetics and nutrition to develop optimal diets for companion animals, a field in which researchers and pet food manufacturers are investing significant amounts of time and money. At the University of Illinois, Kelly S. Swanson, Ph.D., and his team are using DNA-based sequencing techniques to characterize the canine and feline gastrointestinal tracts. They are looking at what happens in tissue when animals are fed one diet versus another. The results may lead to a better understanding of the microbial profile and metabolic pathways of animals with varying dietary regimens and at different stages of health and life. Many questions need to be answered before the ultimate goal can be achieved: creating individual diets that make optimal use of, and even manipulate, gene expression. “The dog and cat genome sequence data is being utilized in research, taking genomic biology to gain a better understanding of dog and cat physiology and how nutrition contributes to health and disease,” says Dr. Swanson, an assistant professor of animal and nutritional sciences in the , department of animal sciences. “Genomics in pets is being used to study microbial populations and gene expression changes in blood and various tissues. …
Best ImmunityFebruary 14, 2011 Vaccines have come a long way since the first one was developed to prevent smallpox in the 1700s. Ongoing research has resulted in continuing advancements for humans and animals alike. Many of the most recent advancements have been in the realm of feline vaccines, enough that the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) plans to appoint a committee to establish its second set of guidelines for vaccinating cats. Elizabeth Colleran, DVM, president of the AAFP and owner of Chico Animal Hospital in Chico, Calif., says her organization last published recommendations for feline vaccines in 2006. “We’re due for an update and a review of all of the protocols that were recommended then,” Dr. Colleran says. “That work hasn’t been done yet.” Establishing best practices is a work in progress even five years later. “Up until then, there weren’t any science-based guidelines,” she says. “We’re still feeling our way.” While many veterinarians rely on the recommendations of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) for canine vaccines, no other major veterinary organization has issued guidelines for cats, Colleran says. She expects AAHA and other organizations to play major roles in the new AAFP guidelines. Colleran …
Fluid Therapy Can Be Lifesaver If Done RightJanuary 17, 2011 Incorrectly determining that a patient is dehydrated when it is hypovolemic can cost the animal its life. This leads some professionals to stress the need for caution when prescribing fluids to small animals and for a possible review of a veterinarian’s fluid therapy protocol. “My primary concerns with the way fluids are administered to patients include incorrect volumes being given and improper selection of fluid type,” says Wayne E. Wingfield, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, Dipl. ACVECC, a professor emeritus of emergency and critical care medicine at Colorado State University. “Secondly, too much emphasis on use of subcutaneous fluids is given. Failure to properly assess electrolytes and lack of understanding of acid base in relation to electrolytes and fluid needs is also a problem,” says Dr. Wingfield, also a consultant for Abbott Animal Health. The lack of a step-by-step protocol for administering fluids is one reason missteps occur, says Elisa Mazzaferro, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVECC, of Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital in Wheat Ridge, Colo. “I see a lot of animals in need of fluid therapy, often referred to me by other practices,” Dr. Mazzaferro says. “Sometimes practices stabilize the animal before transferring it, other times they immediately …
Diabetes Emergency Preparedness As Important As InsulinOctober 18, 2010 Owners often are shell-shocked when they hear their pet has diabetes. But a veterinarian’s optimistic attitude can help a client successfully manage the disease. “It’s usually a traumatic piece of information for an owner when a veterinarian tells them their pet has diabetes,” says Randy Lynn, DVM, a technical service veterinarian with Intervet Schering-Plough Animal Health of Summit, N.J. “If the owner is handling the news well, you can discuss the emergency situations that may occur in a diabetic animal. If you’re speaking to them and their eyes gloss over, you might want to send them home with written information, and then have the owner return in a day or two once they’ve processed everything. “It’s a delicate balance that the veterinarian has to weigh. If you tell them too much on day one, you could tip them over the edge.” Dr. Lynn says a diabetes diagnosis gives veterinarians a “chance to shine,” noting that owners will rely heavily on them for information on choosing insulin, injecting insulin and monitoring the animal. Besides hearing the diabetes news, distressed clients also have to be warned about hypoglycemia, the No. 1 emergency concern of veterinarians who …
Size Doesn’t MatterOctober 18, 2010 Trader, a 7-year-old male golden retriever, kept losing weight despite a normal appetite. Long story short: Abdominal palpation, radiographs and ultrasound suggested a very large abdominal mass, presumed to be splenic in origin. Trader is a golden, after all. Since thoracic radiographs were normal, Trader’s owners elected surgery. We removed a 14-pound multilobulated ugly-looking mass. It had numerous adhesions to the pancreas, the duodenum, the jejunum and the omentum. A few days after Trader went home, histopathology revealed a leiomyoma, a perfectly benign tumor of the smooth muscle. Collin, a 12-year-old male intact German shepherd, had a large ugly-looking paraprostatic mass. It was as large as his head! Its inner wall was lined with cartilage. It was partially resected, omentalized and biopsied. Histopathology revealed dystrophic ossification of a perfectly benign periprostatic cyst. Lady, a 9-year-old Labrador retriever, appeared lethargic and weak. She was diagnosed with hypoglycemia. What is your differential diagnosis? (See “Differential Diagnosis of Hypoglycemia” at VeterinaryPracticeNews.com/DDHypo.) Palpation and X-rays revealed a large mass in the cranial abdomen. Exploratory confirmed a soft-ball sized mass attached to the pylorus. The mass was excised, and histopathology revealed a leiomyoma. Lady made a full recovery, and is …
Laser Vs. Acupuncture And MassageOctober 18, 2010 Laser therapy, the new kid on the block for non-drug management of pain and a host of other problems, has spawned persistent questions about how it works and whether the benefits justify the financial investment. Now that evidence-based education is becoming available for laser therapy1, facts can begin to replace the hearsay and hype that make many of us uncomfortable. Practitioners want to know how laser stacks up against the old favorites: acupuncture and massage. Measuring all three side by side in clinical trials would provide the best insight, but only sporadic comparisons of this nature are found, mostly in human medical literature. 2-3 What are the differences in how the therapies work? Laser, acupuncture and massage share the common mechanism of neuromodulation. That is, each activates somatic afferent fibers in the periphery. Peripheral nerves then deliver impulses to the spinal cord and brain to help normalize central, autonomic and peripheral nervous system function. All three have the capacity to beneficially affect local tissue as well, promoting blood flow and reducing inflammation. The differences relate to how each accomplishes these changes. The light energy from laser’s photoirradiation leads …
TKLs Studied In Mast Cell CancersOctober 5, 2010Oncologists foresee treatments from combined therapy research Only lymphoma is more common in dogs than malignant mast cell skin tumors, making MCTs of great interest to veterinary oncologists. Up to 80 percent of mast cell tumors are grade II but can act as grade I or grade III, experts say, citing the need for a better way to accurately diagnose and treat the cancer. Oncologists say being able to determine the path of a MCT earlier in treatment, along with a more clear-cut eradication method, would improve the odds for animal cancer patients. “If you ask 10 oncologists how to treat a grade II mast cell tumor, you’ll get 11 different answers, counting the indecisive one,” says Rance Gamblin, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM (oncology), of Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital in Akron, Ohio. “With the current understanding on mast cells, there isn’t one treatment plan that can work in each patient.” An added danger with MCTs is that they do not have a classic, easily identifiable appearance and can spread to additional skin sites, lymph nodes and the spleen, ultimately resulting in death. “In 10 to 15 percent of MCT cases, a tumor …
