Sleepypod Dog Harness Wins Top Safety RatingJuly 16, 2015One of the top dogs in the pet harness industry is trumpeting a safety achievement for big dogs: a certified five-star crash test rating for the new Clickit Sport XL. The extra-large Clickit Sport, made by Sleepypod of Pasadena, Calif., is the only travel harness of its size to receive the Center for Pet Safety’s highest score, the company announced Wednesday. The Center for Pet Safety, based in Reston, Va., tests harnesses and other pet products submitted by manufacturers. The Clickit Sport XL is designed for dogs with a chest circumference of 34.5 to 40 inches, or up to about 90 pounds. The Center for Pet Safety used a 90-pound dummy canine model and a crash sled to measure Clickit Sport XL’s durability and protection. “Our research has returned findings that [extra-large] dogs can cause significant strain on the vehicle seat belt system,” said Lindsey Wolko, founder of the nonprofit organization. “Meeting the 90-pound crash protection level is a significant achievement.” Sleepypod holds a five-star rating for the Clickit Sport in all four sizes: small, medium, large and extra-large. Winning certification of the three smaller harnesses was easier, said Michael Leung, Sleepypod’s co-founder and lead product designer. The …
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Why You Should Consider Nonsurgical Care for CCL DiseaseJune 8, 2015Originally published by June 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News As someone who offers her thoughts on veterinary topics in print and online quite often, Narda G. Robinson, DO, DVM, MS, FAAMA, hears a great deal from pet owners and fellow practitioners about cranial cruciate ligament disease, a common aliment that can greatly impact a pet’s mobility and lifestyle. Just don’t try and tell her surgery is the “gold standard” for treating CCL disease. Nor should surgery always be presented as the best treatment, said Dr. Robinson, director at the CSU Center for Comparative and Integrative Pain Medicine at Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. “My first question is: ‘What constitutes a ‘gold standard?’” Robinson said. “Is this based on opinion or scientific evidence? I’d prefer to see whatever is a ‘gold standard’ supported by evidence of benefit, safety and the least invasive approach possible rather than often-held opinions.” She noted that there are many instances of pelvic limb lameness that don’t require surgery, yet there isn’t enough evidence to say how a comprehensive rehabilitation program compares to various surgical outcomes for cruciate injury. “Based on what I’ve seen and heard from folks around the country, and even from other countries, …
Do Dogs and Cats Get Cavities?June 8, 2015Originally published in the June 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Dental caries (the medical term for cavities caused by tooth decay) are common in people but rare in our veterinary patients. Dental caries were first described in domesticated dogs in 1962.1 The NIH reports that 92 percent of adult humans between the age of 20 and 64 have cavities of their permanent teeth. The prevalence of caries in dogs is low, having been documented at 5 percent in a study of 435 dogs.2 Caries in cats are very rare (almost nonexistent). Etiology What’s the difference between caries and the more commonly seen veterinary problem of tooth resorption? The etiology of caries is due to a combination of having the right bacteria in the mouth (usually a bug called Streptococcus mutans) and having carbohydrate substrates for S. mutans to form acids that eat away at the surface of a tooth. Often times, even that is not enough to cause cavities. Often there is a genetic predilection of a developmental abnormality of a tooth to allow the enamel to be penetrated by these acids. The most common type of caries lesions is referred to as “pit-and-fissure” caries, which most commonly occurs …
UC Davis Gives Cat New EyelidsMay 15, 2015Practice made perfect for UC Davis veterinary ophthalmologists, who after performing a rare transplant on feline cadavers were able to construct upper eyelids on a cat born without them. The surgery, called lip commissure to eyelid transposition, was successfully performed on a 9-month-old female domestic shorthair named Billie, who suffered from a congenital defect known as eyelid agenesis. The condition was a source of constant discomfort as hair around Billie’s eyes rubbed against the corneas, according to the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. The absence of eyelids also prevented Billie from blinking and lubricating her eyes. A surgery team made up of Ophthalmology Service veterinarians Ann Strom, DVM, MS, and Lionel Sebbag, DVM, knew about a procedure never tried before at UC Davis but documented in the journal Veterinary Ophthalmology in 2010. Drs. Strom and Sebbag practiced removing tissue from the cadavers’ cheeks and lips and transplanting it as an eyelid, the university stated. Once confident in their ability, the surgeons consulted with Billie’s owner, who gave the go-ahead for the transplant. Billie’s tissue grafts showed no signs of rejection or infection at one- and two-week checkups. After two months, the new eyelids were taking …
Blue Buffalo Faults Supplier for Wide Use of Byproduct MealMay 12, 2015Blue Buffalo Co., one of the world’s largest pet food makers, admitted in a courtroom May 6 that a substantial portion of its products at one time contained poultry byproduct meal, and the company blamed the situation on a supplier’s “mislabeling scheme.” The acknowledgment came as the Wilton, Conn., manufacturer asked a U.S. District Court judge in St. Louis to interrupt proceedings in a lawsuit filed by competitor Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. The judge granted a three-month delay to give Blue Buffalo time to sue Wilbur-Ellis Co. and draw the San Francisco animal feed supplier further into the case. Blue Buffalo and Purina have engaged in a long-running war of words and legal fight over allegations that some Blue Buffalo food was made with poultry byproduct meal contrary to the company’s labeling and advertising. A countersuit filed by Blue Buffalo accuses Purina, the world’s No. 2 pet food manufacturer, of defamation, unfair competition and false advertising. Both companies verbally attacked each other in the days after the court hearing. “Despite this admission, Blue Buffalo still has not informed consumers of the presence of poultry byproduct meal in Blue Buffalo pet food, refuses to accept responsibility for the product it …
Why Compliance Tops Flea and Tick Control MustsMay 11, 2015Originally published in the April 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News The most effective flea- and tick-control products are the ones that pet owners will actually use according to the label recommendations. So believes Michael Murray, DVM, technical marketing director for U.S. Pet Parasiticides at Merial Ltd. of Duluth, Ga. “While that may seem simple and obvious on the surface, many important factors influence the outcome,” said Dr. Murray said. By probing into a pet’s routine with a few questions, veterinarians can ferret out those factors and help ensure compliance – leading to what is likely to be a better outcome for patients, Murray said. “First, what is the pet owner’s perception of the value, not the cost, of using flea and tick control for their pet?” he said. “This differs among pet owners, and finding out how clients spend time with their pets can provide important insights into how a parasite infestation would affect the relationship between the owner and their pet.” One question he suggested be posed to clients is whether a pet sleeps with a family member and how a flea or tick infestation would affect that interaction. He also suggested that veterinarians should find out if …
Cerclage Wire for Rostral Mandibular InstabilityMay 6, 2015Originally published in the April 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Last month we discussed iatrogenic mandibular fractures of the rostral mandible, specifically the iatrogenic parasymphyseal fracture. One of the repair techniques for this fracture, and for traumatic symphyseal separation, is use of a cerclage wire placed behind the canine teeth. Though most practitioners are familiar with this seemingly basic procedure, there are subtle nuances of placement that will help your patients thrive following placement of the cerclage. No. 1. Not every patient with instability requires placement of a cerclage wire Some animals, especially brachycephalic small-breed dogs and some cats, may have significant symphyseal laxity as an incidental finding on anesthetized oral examination. If the patient is not showing signs of discomfort or jaw locking, symphyseal laxity is not likely causing any problems. In cases with no recent history of trauma, placement of a cerclage wire will likely not allow for a long-term decrease in laxity without a more invasive procedure such as symphysiodesis (cutting into the fibrous joint of the symphysis and encouraging scar tissue formation), and this is often not necessary. No. 2. Step-by-step: placement Before placing a cerclage wire, the intraoral soft tissues dorsal to the …
Careless Dog Owners Could Be in Mess of TroubleMay 4, 2015Dogs can run, but they can’t hide from PooPrints. BioPet Vet Lab, which specializes in canine genetic testing, is partnering with the appropriately named London borough of Barking and Dagenham to track down dog owners who fail to remove their pets’ public deposits. Starting in September 2016, people who don’t pick up after their dogs could be fined 80 pounds, or about $125. The registration of dogs’ DNA could become mandatory five months earlier if a pilot program proves successful. That’s where BioPet and its U.K. licensee, Streetkleen Bio, come in. Canine cheek swabs will be taken and sent to BioPet’s Knoxville, Tenn., laboratory for identification and registration of the dogs. When Barking and Dagenham party poopers come across a pile of dog doo, a sample will be shipped to BioPet in an attempt to identify the canine offender. “Wardens will patrol the borough’s 27 parks and open spaces and test any rogue mess,” the BBC news agency reportedly bluntly. Borough leaders decided to enforce a Public Space Protection Order, a quality-of-life measure that allows governments across the United Kingdom to crack down on anti-social behavior in public areas such as parks, cemeteries and beaches. The effort in Barking and …
Why the Basics Still Apply to Canine Skin AllergiesMay 4, 2015Originally published in the April 2014 issue of Veterinary Practice News Prevention, diagnosis and good management are still the most important elements of treating a dog with allergic skin disease, experts say, despite the presence of a potentially game-changing medication. “Apoquel has helped a lot of dogs, but you still need to implement good parasite control, including flea prevention, and you still need to ID the potentially underlying adverse reactions,” said Jeanne B. Budgin, DVM, Dipl. ACVD, president of the American Academy of Veterinary Dermatology. “In my opinion, Apoquel is not a replacement for diagnostics directed at identifying the cause of allergic skin disease,” Dr. Budgin said. Apoquel soared in popularity upon its release in January 2014. Many practitioners experienced a shortage of the drug when manufacturer Zoetis of Florham Park, N.J., ran low on supplies and faced production issues. Shortage Dr. Budgin, who works at Animal Specialty Center in Yonkers, N.Y., said she hasn’t experienced the shortage. She said she’s been able to keep patients that were started on Apoquel on the treatment. For others, the shortage has been an issue. One such affected practitioner is Christine Zewe, DVM, a resident in dermatology at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine …
Survey: Clients Want to Know About ParasitesApril 30, 2015Originally published in the March 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Tens of thousands of dollars in additional revenue may be a series of phone calls away for U.S. veterinary hospitals. The Companion Animal Parasite Council and Bayer Animal Health in January released the results of a survey that found that 90 percent of U.S. pet owners want to hear about local spikes in pests such as disease-carrying ticks and heartworm-transmitting mosquitoes. Pet owners are willing to open their wallets, too, with 89 percent saying they likely would schedule an appointment to get their pet tested if a heightened parasite risk was communicated. The survey’s sponsors forecast that a two-doctor practice that informed clients about urgent parasitic risks in their home county and delivered related services could generate from $163,000 to $789,000 a year in extra revenue, depending on the level of pet owner response. “It’s amazing what some fairly simple changes can do financially for our profession,” said Karen E. Felsted, MS, DVM, CPA, CVPM, founder of president of PantheraT, a practice consulting firm in Dallas. She is the former CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues. Dr. Felsted was joined by CAPC leaders Susan E. Little, …
