Healing with acupunctureOctober 8, 2019Acupuncture is one of the most well-known alternative therapies. While only five to 10 percent of Americans have had acupuncture, most people are familiar with the practice; surveys show many, including medical professionals, have a positive view of the treatment and its benefits.
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New training initiative to focus on better communication skillsAugust 29, 2019The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) and CareCredit are working together to help veterinarians develop advanced communication skills to improve the quality of care for pets and their families. Launching in 2020, the Advanced Clinician-Client Dynamics training initiative comprises workshops and courses to help veterinarians identify and address medical topics and concerns between clinicians, other veterinary team members, and clients early by recognizing pet owners' perspectives and goals. The goal of the three-year strategic partnership is to help participants use their knowledge to build greater trust with the pet owner, with the intended result of acceptance and follow through on medical recommendations, follow-up visits, and pursuit of advanced medical care for improved outcomes for the pet and family. By effectively connecting with team members and pet owners, veterinarians can work toward decreasing job-related stress and avoid burnout. "Traditionally, residency programs have focused on training for technical skills," says current ACVIM president-elect and incoming chief executive officer, Linda Fineman, DVM, DACVIM (oncology). "Along with a shifting demographic in our college, with many more ACVIM specialists working in private practice, there is greater recognition of the importance of professional skills in achieving better medical and business outcomes." The training initiative …
MedVet Chicago opens new emergency and specialty veterinary hospitalAugust 27, 2019MedVet Chicago is on the move, setting up shop in a new 65,000-sf state-of-the-art veterinary hospital. Situated only a mile from its former location, the facility will be staffed by more than 200 team members. "Chicago has been an incredibly supportive community and we're excited to be expanding our presence in this market," says MedVet CEO Linda Lehmkuhl, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM (cardiology). "The additional space will allow for continued growth of our emergency and specialty services and enable us to support the needs of more Chicagoland pets and their owners in partnership with their family veterinarians." In addition to emergency services, MedVet Chicago offers specialty services in anesthesia and pain management, cardiology, critical care, dentistry and oral surgery, dermatology, internal medicine, medical oncology, neurology and neurosurgery, ophthalmology, radiation oncology, radiology, rehabilitation, sports medicine, and soft tissue and orthopedic surgery. "We offer state-of-the-art emergency and specialty care to cats and dogs in partnership with referring family veterinarians. The emergency room is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to serve clients and patients as an extension of the family veterinarian's practice when their family veterinarian is not available," says MedVet Chicago medical director Michael Buss, DVM, MS, DACVIM …
Managing gastric ulcersAugust 27, 2019In the late 1980s, a rash of publications stated horses were prone to gastric ulcers. It was a bit curious, actually. Prior to that time, gastric ulceration was essentially unknown. Then, almost suddenly, gastric ulcers were being blamed for a whole host of problems, such as colic, loss of appetite, poor performance, anxiety, poor hair coat… you name it. It was perhaps also curious that, before all the published reports, no one had really noticed some mystery syndrome wreaking havoc on horses. Nevertheless, there it was in print: horses get ulcers. After the initial studies, there was further published research showing an alarming number of adult horses—the majority of them, actually—had gastric ulcers, especially racehorses and various show horses. Of course, adult horses do get gastric ulcers, as do foals, although the presentation can be somewhat different. This article focuses on gastric ulcers in adult horses. Gastric ulcer causes There are many possible reasons why horses develop gastric ulcers. Most of them are related to how people manage their horses. Here are a few: Diet: Those that are high in grain tend to give horses ulcers. While horses were meant to eat forage, many performance horses are fed diets …
VCA launches 35 cancer centers across North AmericaAugust 26, 2019Pets diagnosed with cancer will now have greater access to advanced, collaborative pet cancer care. VCA Animal Hospitals says it is launching 35 VCA Pet CancerCare Centers across North America, which will be staffed by multidisciplinary oncology teams that will design individualized treatment plans using the latest in medical health-care technology. Canadian centers are also slated for Laval and Brossard near Montreal, Quebec; Ottawa, Newmarket, Oakville, and Scarborough in Ontario; Victoria in British Columbia; and Calgary, Alberta. "At VCA Pet CancerCare Centers, we are leading cancer care into a hopeful new era with longer lifespans and improved quality of life," says Zack Wright, DVM, DACVIM/Oncology, director of oncology at VCA Animal Diagnostic Clinic in Dallas, Texas. "Our dedicated oncologists across the network are committed to working with primary care veterinarians to make advanced cancer care accessible to pet owners, with the goal always being extended, high quality of life for our patients." By introducing these cancer centers, VCA hopes to provide greater accessibility of world-class treatment to help improve the quality of life for pets, as well as to cultivate open lines of communication and collaboration between oncologists, primary care veterinarians, and pet owners. According to a VCA survey, 58 …
Canine parvovirus treatment may be in the worksAugust 19, 2019Veterinarians may soon have access to an antibody effective in the treatment of canine parvovirus (CPV).
Are your patients waking up during surgery?August 15, 2019Surgical procedures require skill and knowledge, but they also require reliable equipment that your team knows how to use.
A conclusion on cannabis?July 30, 2019Cannabis is a “hot topic” right now, and the combination of loosening legal restrictions and great enthusiasm among its proponents and pet owners is driving research. As such, the evidence landscape is changing rapidly.
Elanco and Aratana Therapeutics finalize deal to mergeJuly 18, 2019Elanco Animal Health has acquired Aratana Therapeutics. Structured as a stock-for-stock transaction, the deal was accepted by Aratana stockholders. "Aratana's strong position in the specialty market—with its current portfolio and pipeline—complements Elanco's field presence and capitalizes on new opportunities for key existing Elanco pet therapy brands," says Jeff Simmons, president and chief executive officer of Elanco. "This deal furthers Elanco's value-generating innovation, portfolio, and productivity (IPP) strategy, while continuing to bring great value to veterinarians and pet owners." Aratana produces Galliprant, a canine NSAID for osteoarthritis for which Elanco has had the exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize since 2016. Aratana also contributes two additional products to Elanco's portfolio: Entyce, the only FDA-approved veterinary therapeutic to stimulate appetite in dogs, and Nocita, a long-acting local anesthetic that provides up to 72 hours of post-operative pain relief following certain surgeries in dogs and cats. Further, Aratana's research and development pipeline will contribute to Elanco's efforts to sustain the introduction of novel and innovative companion animal therapeutics. As a result of the acquisition, Elanco says it is forming a new commercial team dedicated to the veterinary specialty business into which the Aratana field force will transition. This specialty sales force will …
VetStem receives immunotherapy license from human health firmJuly 15, 2019Biopharmaceutical animal health company VetStem has partnered with Calidi Biotherapeutics, a clinical‐stage biotechnology company specializing in the stem cell-based delivery of oncolytic virus-based immunotherapies for cancer.
