VPN Plus+ ExclusiveAntimicrobial stewardship: What it is and why it mattersAugust 4, 2020By Brennen McKenzie, MA, MSc, VMD, cVMAAntimicrobials have tremendous therapeutic benefits in human and veterinary patients. After vaccination, antibiotics are probably the most important medical intervention of the 20th century in terms of reducing suffering and death. Of course, antimicrobials can also have significant adverse effects. And any use of antimicrobials, including appropriate therapeutic use, creates a selection pressure that can result in emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) or an increase in the abundance of resistant bacteria. Adverse effects and the development of resistance reduce the potential benefits of antibiotics. Antimicrobial stewardship is the concept of using antibiotics in a manner that maximizes their benefits, minimizes risks, and conserves the effectiveness of these important drugs.1 Changing when and how we use antibiotics is the key to achieving these goals. Antimicrobial stewardship involves three general strategies: 1) Preventing infectious disease occurrence 2) Reducing overall antimicrobial use 3) Using antimicrobials in ways that maximize the benefits, minimize the adverse effects, and reduce the development of antibiotic resistance Preventing infections Preventing bacterial infections automatically reduces the need for, and hence the use of, antimicrobials. This involves encouraging clients to provide appropriate husbandry and preventive care, including vaccination, proper nutrition, isolation of sick animals, and other prophylactic measures. Prevention of …
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Is glucosamine effective for treating osteoarthritis?July 27, 2020As trained members of a scientific profession, it is best to understand why anecdotal evidence supporting the use of glucosamine is not a sufficient justification for recommending or selling it to client.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveImproving the outlook for brain tumor patientsJuly 21, 2020The path to discover and perfect new cancer treatments is long and expensive. It can take more than a decade and cost over $2 billion to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of a new therapeutic before it reaches the marketplace. To expedite the process, researchers are thinking outside the box—or rather, outside their own species. The concept of comparative medicine (i.e. One Medicine) has great potential to accelerate the development of new cancer treatments. By examining the similarities and differences in biology among different species (e.g. dogs and humans), we gain increased understanding of the mechanisms of disease in each. This comparative medicine model, as demonstrated in the field of neuro-oncology by the Comparative Brain Tumor Consortium (CBTC), has already shown promising results. Launched by the Comparative Oncology Program (COP) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in 2015, CBTC comprises veterinarians, physicians, and basic researchers who have joined forces to improve outcomes for dogs and humans affected by brain cancer by using more predictive and accurate preclinical models. Laboratory animal models don't always adequately mimic the complex genetic, biologic, and environmental conditions of the human experience. Dogs get many of the same spontaneous cancers as humans, and their genome is …
Puppy parasiticide chews get green lightJuly 13, 2020Ensuring puppies receive early protection from fleas and ticks is the goal of a newly approved chewable parasiticide.
Should you combine procedures? The answer is not a simple "yes" or "no"July 6, 2020When it comes to combined procedures, there are at least three concerns that absolutely must be considered based on the specific patient.
10 ways to be a rock star in the ORJuly 6, 2020Because it has become very safe overall, anesthesia tends to be considered routine by some colleagues and nurses. However, there is a big difference between decreasing mortality and reducing morbidity.
Pharma group's $400M deal finalizedJuly 6, 2020Merck Animal Health has completed the acquisition of Virbac’s proprietary Sentinel flavor tabs and Sentinel Spectrum chews, which protect companion animals from common internal parasites, including heartworms, roundworms, and hookworms.
VPN Plus+ ExclusivePhoto op: How thermal imaging is helping keep pets healthyJune 30, 2020Thermal imaging devices are in use for many applications where quick identification of temperature change is helpful. Thermography is used in industry, outer space, the military, by your local HVAC guy, and for medical screening. Currently, thermal imaging is in the news because of temperature-screening devices used in airports. As businesses, social venues, and event and travel spaces develop safer protocols for gathering people, temperature screening has become widespread. Temperature screening thermography uses a variety of devices ranging from low-end handheld scanners up to medical-grade devices with the same detailed specifications required for evaluation of human and veterinary patients. High-end temperature screening systems use facial recognition software to calculate body temperature from the medial canthus of the eye, which is the most accurate superficial point for evaluating core body temperature.1 These systems measure temperatures from six feet away, allowing for safe, contactless use. Further, they "flag" elevated temperature; the person then undergoes a secondary screening protocol. Medical thermography is more than 70 years old. Early devices were expensive, cumbersome, and not practical for widespread clinical application. In 1980, reports began validating thermal imaging as a tool for the evaluation of musculoskeletal conditions in horses.2,3 By 2001, multiple publications had established …
What conditions might benefit from PRP treatment?June 25, 2020Platelet-rich plasma therapy could help pets with arthritis, connective tissue and muscle injuries, and other conditions, but more research is needed.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveIs immunotherapy the key to wiping out canine cancer?June 24, 2020An intact and functional immune system is essential to protect an organism against invading pathogens and infectious disease. However, the immune system also plays a pivotal role in identifying and eliminating transformed cells that, if left unchecked, would progress to cancer. Clinical evidence of the immune system's ability to control cancer comes from a number of observations in both the veterinary and medical settings. Consider the following examples: Cats receiving chronic immunosuppression following renal transplant have a higher incidence of lymphoma compared with the general feline population1,2 Spontaneous regression of transmissible venereal tumor is associated with an increased proportion of tumor-infiltrating cytotoxic CD8+ T cells3 Canine osteosarcoma patients that develop bacterial infections after limb-sparing surgery experience significantly prolonged survival times.4 The presence of tumor-specific, cytotoxic T cells within tumors, such as ovarian carcinoma, confers a favorable prognosis,5 whereas infiltration with regulatory or suppressor T cells confers a worse prognosis6 These observations, coupled with two decades of experimentation in murine cancer models, indicate that finding ways to initiate, augment, and broaden a patient's antitumor immune response holds promise for the treatment and possible prevention of cancer. Indeed, this is the aim of cancer immunotherapy, and recent advances in this field have …
