Avivagen Explores Possible Breakthrough in Female SterilizationJuly 30, 2014 A Canadian animal health company wants to do for female dogs and cats what Ark Sciences Inc. is doing for male dogs. Ark Sciences this year began shipping to veterinarians an FDA-approved nonsurgical sterilization drug, Zeuterin Injectable Solution, that is formulated to permanently cease canine sperm production. Seizing an opportunity on the female side, Avivagen Inc. of Ottawa, Ontario, is partnering with University of Saskatchewan veterinarian Duncan Hockley, DVM, who invented what the company calls a drug-based alternative to surgical spaying. The agreement puts Avivagen first in line for an exclusive license to a technology designed for the permanent sterilization of female mammals, starting with dogs and cats and potentially extending to livestock, wild animals and even humans. The technology, which for now goes by the name “Sterilis Project,” is a long way from hitting the veterinary market. Avivagen hopes to finish proof-of-concept work by year’s end and at some point launch trial studies. “We estimate that a nonresource-constrained project could attain registration in about five years, absent technical hurdles and delays in reviews,” said Avivagen’s CEO and president, Cameron Groome. How the “Sterilis Project” drug would work on females is …
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Humane Alliance Spay/Neuter School ExpandsJuly 30, 2014 A clinic designed to teach spay and neuter procedures to hundreds of veterinarians and fourth-year veterinary students each year opened Tuesday in Asheville, N.C. The Humane Alliance Spay/Neuter Training Center, which was funded through a $1.5 million grant from PetSmart Charities, features six surgical bays and enough kennels to accommodate 140 feline and canine patients. The host, Humane Alliance, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching high-volume, low-cost sterilization techniques. “The support of PetSmart Charities allows us to increase the number of veterinarians who will take back new skills to their community to save more pets and make an impact nationwide,” said Quita Mazzina, executive director of Humane Alliance. The 12,400-square-foot training center includes office space for 16 staff members. A separate, 2,200-square-foot dormitory houses up to 20 students. PetSmart Charities, the charitable arm of the Phoenix-based PetSmart chain, has given more than $4.5 million to Humane Alliance since 2010. “When organizations come together and collaborate as we’ve done with Humane Alliance, the results can be transformational,” said Julie White, the charity’s senior director of programs, grants and field initiatives. Humane Alliance has helped create a network of 137 low-cost
3-Year Nonadjuvanted Rabies Vaccine Available for CatsJuly 29, 2014 Merial Ltd. has released what the Duluth, Ga., drug maker is calling the world’s first nonadjuvanted feline rabies vaccine with a three-year lifespan. Other three-year rabies vaccines are made with an adjuvant that increases a cat’s immune response but that has been blamed for causing vaccine-related fibrosarcoma, a rare disease. The new vaccine is part of the PureVax family, which includes a one-year nonadjuvanted rabies vaccine. “The recombinant technology that has also been used to produce other vaccines such as the one-year PureVax rabies … allows the development of effective vaccines for feline viral diseases without the need for adjuvants,” said Leigh O’Mara, Ph.D., PMP, an associate director of technical marketing for Merial. The three-year duration of immunity makes the vaccine a good choice for cat owners who don’t schedule regular veterinary checkups, Merial stated. “Veterinarians now no longer have to choose between a multiyear adjuvanted rabies vaccine and an annual nonadjuvanted rabies vaccine for clients who do not reliably return to the clinic annually,” the company reported Monday. PureVax Feline Rabies is recommended for healthy cats 12 weeks or older. A one-year booster vaccination is required after the initial shot. Rabies …
How Pain Management In Small Animals Has GrownJuly 29, 2014For Duncan X. Lascelles, a professor of small animal surgery at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, understanding pain is the cornerstone to building a better foundation for treating it in small animals. And Lascelles, BVSc, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVS and ECVS, is encouraged by the improvements in recognizing pain being made in veterinary medicine and at institutions like NC State. "I think the first breakthrough I see is the increasing amount of information regarding pain assessment," Lascelles said. "We're seeing more tools for practitioners and also for clinical researchers." Better assessment tools enable practitioners to know whether non-drug therapies are working, and they enable practitioners dealing with pain management to better monitor the efficacy of their treatments Lascelles suggested that practitioners dealing with perioperative pain in dogs use the Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale Short Form. The same group that came out with the scale is soon to publish the feline version, Lascelles noted. For chronic pain in dogs, Lascelles likes the University of Pennsylvania's Canine Brief Pain Inventory and the Helsinki Chronic Pain Index. There are also a number of new tools that can help pet owners measure chronic pain, or can assist veterinary technicians with measuring …
Abbott Wins Approval of Daily Feline Pain DrugJuly 28, 2014 Simbadol, a pain-control drug designed to minimize the need for overnight dosing after feline surgery, has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Abbott Animal Health reported today. The medication is the first and only FDA-approved opioid analgesic for cats to provide 24-hour pain control in a single dose, the Abbott Park, Ill., drug maker noted. Simbadol (buprenorphine injection) is indicated for the control of postoperative pain associated with surgical procedures in cats. The drug has the backing of pain specialist Robin Downing, DVM, CVPP, CCRP, Dipl. AAPM, the hospital director at Windsor Veterinary Clinic and The Downing Center for Animal Pain Management in Windsor, Colo. “For the first time veterinarians have a once-daily opioid to provide 24-hour surgical pain control for their feline patients, even through the night,” Dr. Downing said. A randomized blinded clinical program involving more than 200 cats found Simbadol to be safe and effective, she said. Simbadol’s approval was the second this year for an Abbott veterinary drug. The FDA in February approved Paccal Vet-CA1 (paclitaxel for injection), which is indicted for the treatment of canine mammary carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Abbott obtained the …
AVMA House of Delegates Backs New Dentistry, Declawing PoliciesJuly 25, 2014 The American Veterinary Medical Association’s House of Delegates today approved revised policies on veterinary dentistry and cat declawing and chose the organization’s 2015-16 president. Meeting in Denver at the annual AVMA convention, the delegates followed the lead of the American Animal Hospital Association in advocating the use of anesthesia when dental procedures beyond an oral examination are performed. AAHA in June 2013 passed a rule requiring member hospitals to anesthetize and intubate all dental patients under the group’s updated Dental Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. Kate Knudson, DVM, the past president of AAHA and an alternate delegate, urged the House to pass Resolution 6. “The only way you can provide dental diagnostics and come up with a therapeutic plan is to do dental radiography,” Dr. Knudson said. “We have many, many, many studies … demonstrating how something that looks normal when you’re just looking at it with your eyes is abnormal once you take radiographs. “The only way you can look your client in the eye and give them the confidence that you indeed are giving the best therapeutic and diagnostic plan is to take full-mouth X-rays,” she added. “As of this time …
N.Y. Clinic Gets Facelift Courtesy of NovartisJuly 22, 2014 Cats visiting Village Vet of Lewiston can rest easy now and forget about the dogs traipsing through the waiting room. The western New York hospital has opened two feline-only examination rooms after winning Novartis Animal Health’s Onsior Clinic Makeover contest. The $20,000 in upgrades also includes the purchase of spay and neuter equipment used in partnership with Community Cats Alive, a group that operates a sterilization and vaccination program for feral cats. Some 964 clinics entered the contest sponsored by Novartis’ Onsior brand. Onsior (robenacoxib) tablets are indicated for the control of postoperative pain and inflammation in cats. “Creating a feline-friendly clinic goes beyond the functional clinic elements and includes feline-friendly products, practices and protocols,” said Juan Angel, associate brand manager with Novartis Animal Health US Inc. of Greensboro, N.C. Village Vet, operated by sole practitioner Kristen Ruest, DVM, also received new roll-up window blinds and two fish aquariums—one in the waiting room and another cut into an exam room and hallway. The feline-only rooms feature wall décor, climbing trees and examination baskets, which cats are placed in to help steady their nerves. BDA Architecture, an Albuquerque, N.M., firm that specializes in veterinary …
Drug Makers, Compounders at Odds Over FDA OversightJuly 17, 2014 The Animal Health Institute, a trade group representing pharmaceutical manufacturers, is demanding that the Food and Drug Administration crack down on the illegal compounding of veterinary drugs, saying the practice puts animals at risk and jeopardizes the development of new medications. The appeal was made during a media conference call Wednesday and at a recent meeting in Washington, D.C., involving stakeholders and organizations such as the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Equine Practitioners and the American Animal Hospital Association. The Animal Health Institute is not asking for the elimination of all drug compounding. The group supports a pharmacist’s manipulation of FDA-approved drugs to meet individual patients’ needs and the occasional compounding of bulk, active ingredients under FDA’s discretionary powers. “The third type of compounded drugs … is dangerous and illegal,” said Richard Carnevale, VMD, the Animal Health Institute’s vice president for regulatory, scientific and international affairs. “These are dangerous drugs crafted by pharmacies acting as manufacturers and often promoted to veterinarians as a way to increase profits. “They are not looking to help Mrs. Jones’ cat,” Dr. Carnevale said of such companies. “They even offer disclaimers that they are not responsible for …
Sterilization Effects Worse for Golden Retrievers Than LabsJuly 15, 2014 Golden retrievers are more likely than Labrador retrievers to be diagnosed with joint disorders or cancer after the animals have been spayed or neutered, according to the results of a study published Monday in the online journal PLOS ONE. Intact members of both breeds enjoy lower rates of joint disorders and cancer, researchers at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine added. The researchers did not take a stand on spaying and neutering, which is done to an estimated 83 percent of all U.S. dogs to control the pet population and prevent unwanted behaviors. Instead, they stated that the study served to measure the long-term health effects of sterilization and to educate breeders and dog owners who are deciding when, and if, to spay or neuter their animals. When a golden or Labrador retriever is sterilized can play a role in the onset of joint disorders and cancer, the researchers stated. A connection was found between early sterilization—before the animal is 6 months old—and the appearance of joint disorders. About 5 percent of intact golden and Labrador retrievers of both genders suffer from a joint disorder, the researchers determined. The rate in dogs …
How To Extract Teeth In CatsJune 20, 2014 I recently had an opportunity to help a referring veterinarian with her surgical extraction technique. Extracting teeth in cats was causing her much grief, so we discussed tips to transform the act of extracting firmly rooted feline teeth from a dreaded task to a satisfying part of veterinary practice. First, let’s discuss the decision-making approach based on dental radiographs and clinical exams in the context of one of the most common dental problems in cats that create challenging extractions: tooth resorption. Dental Rads First! Feline extractions should not be attempted without preoperative dental radiographs. Tooth resorption may occur in varied manifestations, and the approach to treatment depends on the radiographic appearance of the affected tooth. Tooth resorption in cats is commonly external tooth resorption starting on the root surface, resulting in focal tooth resorption where the crown meets the root, often referred to as Type 1 resorption. Teeth affected by Type 1 resorption require extraction, and these extractions can be challenging because in some areas, the tooth may be “spot welded” to the surrounding alveolar bone. Type 2 external resorption is seen on radiographs as root replacement resorption, in which the radiographic density of …
