Ongoing quest for immunityJune 12, 2018Vaccines are a staple in preventive medicine, and every year more are added to the arsenal. Here’s what’s going on now in this sector of the profession.
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Why annual screening for exposure to infected ticks is vitalApril 18, 2018It's important to remember that a single tick can transmit multiple infectious agents that may cause or contribute to serious illness, including kidney disease. And because dogs don't always show clinical signs, it can be challenging to understand the true harm of any given infection to a pet's health. This makes regularly screening pets—including asymptomatic or seemingly healthy ones—to identify exposure to infected ticks all the more important. Here's a quick look at why regular, comprehensive screening is critical, and what veterinarians can do to help keep dogs healthy. All dogs need to be screened annually for exposure to infected ticks It's quite possible a patient could be fighting an infection without showing any signs of disease. That is why limiting screening to symptomatic pets and those known to have had a tick on them is too restrictive—it will miss infections. All dogs need to be tested, and pet owners need to be reminded that negative results are the goal in order to verify that preventive measures against ticks are working. A new study reinforces the importance of detecting exposure The study, found at idexx.com/tickrisk, showed two key findings: 1) dogs with Ehrlichia antibodies …
Forensic files: Veterinary editionMarch 22, 2018Like Liam Neeson in “Taken,” Christina Lindquist, MS, touted her “particular set of skills” in 2006 when she visited the veterinary genetics laboratory (VGL) at the University of California, Davis, in search of a job.
BluePearl addresses shortage of ER clinicians with EmERgeMarch 5, 2018BluePearl Veterinary Partners has launched a new program—EmERge—that provides intensive training, one-on-one mentoring, and three years of employment to aspiring ER clinicians. It's also aimed at developing more ER clinicians, both for BluePearl and the veterinary profession as a whole, said Rita Hanel, DVM, DACVIM-internal medicine, DACVECC, who is BluePearl's vice president for clinical operations and recruiting. EmERge is a program with a three-year commitment open to recent veterinary school graduates, as well as doctors who have worked in general practice or other veterinary fields who want to move into emergency medicine. Participants are paid throughout their training, which works like this: Participants start with an intensive four-week boot camp at BluePearl's Tampa, Fla., hospital. The camp includes classroom instruction and labs, and covers emergency medicine, communication skills, and clinical leadership techniques. In the fifth week, EmERge members are sent to one of BluePearl's more than 65 hospitals throughout the country, where individual mentors provide hands-on training. In the 16th week, participants begin working full-time ER shifts. They continue to meet virtually through web-based seminars and rounds. After the first full year in the program, participants are considered fully trained and are paid …
How veterinarians can best manage the opioid shortageMarch 2, 2018Veterinary Practice News organized an exclusive roundtable with five anesthesiologists and pain management experts to discuss the reasons behind the opioid shortage and best practices for identifing solutions to the problem.
Why do we run diagnostic tests?February 7, 2018The purpose of any diagnostic test should be to improve the outcome for our patients. Tests should be selected so that they give us information that leads to reduced morbidity and mortality. Testing has risks, as well as benefits, so if the results of a test will not meaningfully affect our clinical decisions or the wellbeing of our patients, then it should not be run.
Equipment focus: Cardiac diagnosticsFebruary 6, 2018What’s one of the most frequent questions associated with a patient in respiratory distress? More often than not, it’s whether the issue is cardiopathic, according to Eric Lindquist, DMV, DABVP, Cert. IVUSS.
What is Pickwickian Syndrome?February 1, 2018Q: What is the Pickwickian syndrome? In which type of patient does it occur? How can it be addressed?
Tufts veterinarians treat canine cancer with experimental drugJanuary 18, 2018When Edward Sloan's dog, Dozer, a 7-year-old bull mastiff went blind seemingly overnight, a devastating diagnosis revealed Dozer had cancer. Desperate to save his best friend, Sloan found a clinical trial at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, where Abbey Sadowski, DVM, found that Dozer had "lost a lot of weight [and] had several weeks of history before he even saw us." Dr. Sadowski and Cheryl London, DVM, Ph.D., are testing an experimental drug—called KPT-9274—combined with just one round of chemotherapy to treat lymphoma. "We had this remarkable response … when you combine these two things together you can get a dramatic reduction in disease," Dr. London said. Early results of the small study have been promising, especially for Sloan and Dozer. "A single heroic dose … the next day he was able to see," Sloan said. Dozer is three months in remission, and his medical reversal of fortune could eventually lead to a breakthrough in human medicine. London said the outcome of a canine trial is a valuable piece of the research puzzle. "The benefits to the human side are that you get a drug into humans that's actually much …
Let there be lightDecember 13, 2017Veterinary professionals say laser therapy can provide clinically significant benefits and expand options for delivering compassionate care with fewer drugs and less surgery.
