USDA program to funnel 2.4 Million dollars to bolster rural veterinary servicesApril 7, 2017The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has $2.4 million to dispense through its Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) in 2017.
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UC Davis to push for advanced disaster preparedness for pets, livestockFebruary 22, 2017The recent storms throughout California have stretched dams and levees to capacity and caused flooding throughout the state. This has led to declarations of emergency in 50 of California's 58 counties, and brought to light a big problem that has been answered yet: When there’s a natural disaster, what happens to pets and livestock?
Zoetis: Lepto vaccine may be used with all maresDecember 30, 2016The equine leptospirosis vaccine Lepto EQ Innovator is now approved for use in broodmares during the entire pregnancy, manufacturer Zoetis Inc. reported.
Henry Schein to celebrate large animal vets on Oct. 12October 6, 2016Henry Schein, Inc., wants to recognize the efforts of large animal veterinarians, so they are launching the inaugural National Livestock Veterinary Day on October 12.
Veterinary Service Grants Available from USDAMarch 4, 2016If you’re looking to expand your clientele to include more rural clients in underserved areas, then look into the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which is part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). What is the VSGP? According to the USDA website: “The purpose of the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) is to relieve veterinarian shortage situations and support veterinary services. Grants will be made available on a competitive basis to qualified entities to develop, implement, and sustain veterinary services through education, training, recruitment, placement, and retention of veterinarians and veterinary students. Grants will also be made to establish or expand veterinary practices … The Veterinary Services Grant Program is authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Initial funding for the program, $2.5 million, was appropriated in the FY 2016 budget.” There are two types of grants available: Education grants and equipment grants. Education grants can be used for recruiting, training programs in food safety or food animal medicine, programs to help enhance food safety and more. Equipment grants are “for establishing or expanding veterinary practices by equipping veterinary offices; sharing in overhead costs; or establishing mobile …
IAH Expands Sales Into Baltics, BelarusNovember 20, 2015A young company that moved its headquarters this year from Australia to Lawrence, Kan., is reaching into Eastern Europe with a distribution agreement covering some of its large animal products. Integrated Animal Health, which makes mastitis-fighting Udder-Mate for cows and toxin-tackling Scour-Mate for calves, announced a contract this month with Baltic Zoolife Ltd. The Latvian company will distribute IAH products in Belarus, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. IAH is tapping into what Baltic Zoolife’s founder, Victoria Podberezina, called significant growth in the region’s agricultural industry. Belarus and the Baltic countries, she said, have embraced “modern, state-of-the-art farming operations equipped with advanced technologies.” Overseeing IAH’s European operation is a new hire, Laszlo Kiss, DVM, MBA, who is based in Budapest, Hungary. “Agreements with strong, specialized companies in the industry, such as Baltic Zoolife, are critical to our global expansion,” Dr. Kiss said. IAH reinforced its Oceania roots by appointing Jo Wrigley as the New Zealand business development manager. Based in Auckland, she previously served as managing director of IAH’s recently signed New Zealand distributor, Domhealth, as a technical services manager at Merial Ltd. and as a territory manager at Elanco Animal Health. Established in 2013 in Queensland, Australia, IAH relocated to …
Merck Plans Takeover of HarrisvaccinesNovember 13, 2015Veterinary drug maker Merck Animal Health has agreed to acquire Harrisvaccines, an Ames, Iowa, company that has led the fight against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and avian influenza. The terms of the transaction, which was announced Thursday and is expected to close by year’s end, were not disclosed. Harrisvaccines Vice President Joel Harris said he and his father, company founder and CEO Hank Harris, DVM, Ph.D., aren’t going away anytime soon. “I’m staying on in my capacity and Hank is staying on in some capacity,” Joel Harris said. “That’s as much as I want to say.” Harrisvaccines will become a subsidiary of Merck, he said. “I think the plan is business as usual as we go through the integration process,” Harris said. Privately-held Harrisvaccines focuses on food animal vaccines. The company made headlines in 2013 upon winning government approval of a vaccine against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) and this past fall for the conditional license of a vaccine targeting highly pathogenic avian influenza. PEDv has killed millions of U.S. piglets since 2013, and avian flu has led to the death or destruction of an estimated 50 million American chickens and turkeys over the past year. On the …
Jaguar Optimistic About Diarrhea DrugOctober 30, 2015Jaguar Animal Health, which last year launched its initial gastrointestinal product, over-the-counter Neonorm Calf, expects to enter the prescription drug market in the first half of 2016. The San Francisco company has submitted data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in support of Canalevia, which would be used to treat chemotherapy-induced diarrhea in dogs. Jaguar is requesting MUMS (minor use in a major species) status. Also in the prescription pipeline is a formulation of Canalevia to treat acute diarrhea in dogs. A pivotal efficacy trial could begin by year’s end, and Jaguar hopes to file a New Animal Drug Application (NADA) in 2016. Both Canalevia versions contain the active ingredient crofelemer, a botanical extract of the Croton lechleri tree. Jaguar is investigating Canalevia formulations for cats and horses. The manufacture of enteric-coated crofelemer tablets would be done by Patheon Inc. of Durham, N.C., under a contract signed in mid-October. Patheon makes a similar product for human HIV patients suffering from noninfectious diarrhea. In other news announced this month, Jaguar: Signed a four-year supply agreement with India-based Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. for the production of crofelemer. Completed an additional field study of Neonorm Calf, an enteric-coated tablet administered …
Zoetis Expands Nebraska Drug FactoryAugust 24, 2015A Zoetis Inc. plant that makes Rimadyl (carprofen) for dogs along with a variety of other animal drugs and vaccines has undergone a 19,000-square-foot expansion. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Aug. 20 at the Lincoln, Neb., factory, which employs 500 people and has room for an additional 30 at peak production times. “Zoetis is excited to expand its footprint in Lincoln and provide veterinarians, livestock producers, pet owners and the animals in their care with a reliable, consistent supply of quality animal health products,” said Zoetis site leader Betty Mason. “The entire community can be proud of our expanded manufacturing operations, which enable us to produce 1,200 finished goods for more than 100 markets around the world.” Zoetis, based in Florham Park, N.J., makes a number of flagship products in Lincoln. Among them are the pain medication Rimadyl, the livestock vaccines Bovi-Shield Gold and Respi-Sure One, and a swine vaccine formulated to fight porcine epidemic diarrhea virus. The expansion will allow for full production of the beef cattle weight-gain drug Synovex and the manufacture of the new Canine Atopic Dermatitis Immunotherapeutic, which is scheduled to roll out later this year.
EMS: Another Case for Diet and Exercise in EquinesSeptember 11, 2014 Veterinary experts say it’s best to avoid any temptations to take an easy road to a cure when dealing with equine metabolic syndrome. “Dietary restriction and exercise are certainly the preferred and ideal treatments for EMS, and the use of pharmaceutical agents to avoid these hard management changes is not recommended,” said Rose Nolen-Walston, DVM, assistant professor of Large-Animal Internal Medicine at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pa. Dr. Nolen-Walston stressed the importance of exercise in dealing with EMS. “Exercise can be as simple as pasture turnout if grass consumption can be limited, especially in a herd of horses including some youngsters who keep the herd active,” Nolen-Walston said. “Additionally, gradual increases of ridden, driven or longeing work should be added as appropriate for the horse if no laminitis signs are present. Swimming is ideal but not available to most owners, and so the goal of slow, steady exercise is usually the best way to go when trying to reduce weight and improve insulin sensitivity.” Describing the disease and the number of ways it can affect patients is a starting point for Nicholas Frank, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM. “EMS is …
