SDMA testing key to better kidney diagnosesJanuary 31, 2023A robust kidney evaluation—from juvenile to geriatric—should include all reliable screening diagnostics. In addition to creatinine (CREA) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) testing now plays an increasingly important role in diagnostics.
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Are modified rabies recommendations backed by the latest scientific findings?January 31, 2023Rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) recommendations were recently amended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); they replace the previous three-dose PrEP schedule with a two-dose one.
Nutritional support for pets with cancerJanuary 31, 2023Cancer is common in pets and may result in metabolic changes that can lead to malnutrition. As cancer progresses, signs include decreased appetite, lethargy and weight loss, and, in advanced stages, a loss of body fat and lean muscle mass.
Put your veterinary knowledge to the test!January 30, 2023Can you solve this puzzle? A young Pomeranian presents four weeks after being stepped on. It has been managed in a splint bandage.
$510,000 grant helps address shortage of shelter veterinariansJanuary 27, 2023Shelter pets are soon to have access to timely and essential veterinary care with the funding of a shelter medicine internship program.
Tips on clinical sonography to improve the practiceJanuary 24, 2023Today’s technology offers a vast array of image quality advancements, workflows, and techniques. These machines have competitive factors that play a role in any ultrasound implementation on any given patient. Moreover, ultrasound has become extremely available in clinics.
Tendonectomy offers relief for chronic corns in sighthoundsJanuary 23, 2023A corn, also known as a paw pad keratoma, is a focal area of hyperkeratinization found in the digital foot pads of sighthound breeds—notably, the greyhound, whippet, and lurcher. It rarely occurs in other breeds or in the metacarpal/tarsal pads.
Genetic screening aims to reduce heart disease in Newfoundland dogsJanuary 19, 2023Reducing instances of a serious heart disease commonly found in Newfoundland dogs is the goal of new research underway at Michigan State University.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveFebruary pet- and vet-related calendarJanuary 19, 2023Welcome to 2023, the Year of the Rabbit! January highlights dressing pets up and traveling with pets. VPN Plus+ created this marketing piece for you to use freely in your clinics to provide your staff with fun ideas for in-clinic mixers, photo contests, or social medial posts.
The Wood's lamp versus M. CanisJanuary 18, 2023There were only a few percentages we were told to "memorize for boards" in veterinary school, a dozen years ago now. These included odds of malignancy in dog/cat mammary masses (50 percent/90 percent); canine splenic mass diagnoses (33 percent hematoma/hemangioma/ hemangiosarcoma); failure rates of TPLO versus TPP versus. lateral band in canine cruciate disease (now debunked); and, in dermatology, the sensitivity of the Wood's lamp in diagnosing dermatophytosis: less than 50 percent. Where did "50 percent" come from, and why has it been lodged so firmly in our heads? So firmly that I recently ran across this same number in the crisp 2022 edition of a small animal textbook. That number is wrong, and my veterinary friends, colleagues, students still quote it. It is also possible the first percentages quoted here need updating—they probably do (See: "When in doubt cut it out! But by how much?" by Brennen McKenzie, MA, MSc, VMD, cVMA on VPN Plus+). A closer look at M. canis Dermatophytosis in small animals is generally caused by one of three fungal organisms: Microsporum canis, M. gypseum, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. M. canis is the only one of these that produces pteridine …
