VSMRI offers online forum for rehab, sports medicineAugust 3, 2018The Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Institute (VSMRI) is a new online resource for veterinary health care professionals focused on or interested in the most current information regarding rehabilitation, sports medicine, surgery, and overall care. Content, video, and forum topics include gait analysis, TPLO rehabilitation, the orthopedic examination, and hip dysplasia rehabilitation, surgery and rehabilitation option impacts, and more. The institute said it aims to join veterinary professionals globally from all aspects of veterinary medicine with an interest in physical rehabilitation and sports medicine; provide a library of rehabilitation exercises and modalities, as well as up-to-date research information in the area of rehabilitation and sports medicine; and provide a discussion board and interactive forum. Download VSMRI in the App Store and register at vsmri.com. Charter registration is $14.95/month.
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University of Florida 3-D printer gives patients new chance at mobilityJuly 27, 2018Chance, a greater Swiss mountain dog abandoned with a severe limb deformity, is walking better. Bebop, a pot-bellied pig is back to rooting in his yard after a painful shoulder injury stopped him. Chance and Bebop are the first two clinical cases treated over the past six months at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine through a state-of-the-art 3-D printer that uses high-performance plastics and offers numerous advances in patient care, teaching, and research, according to UF veterinarians. Among the printer's capabilities are the ability to create bone models with which veterinarians can "practice" a surgical procedure prior to actual surgery, as well as patient-specific surgical guides that improve accuracy and reduce surgery time, according to the university. "We have the Rolls Royce of 3-D printers," said Adam Biedrzycki, BVSc, Ph.D., an assistant professor of large animal surgery at UF, who purchased the printer with startup funds when he was hired by the UF College of Veterinary Medicine three years ago. "It can not only print parts that are approved in the aerospace industry to go into aircraft but also parts that are biocompatible for medical applications. That is, they can be used in live tissues." …
American Association of Feline Practitioners releases new anesthesia guidelinesJuly 11, 2018The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) released the first feline-specific anesthesia guidelines to the veterinary community, which are published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. General anesthesia is an essential component of feline practice, without which surgery and certain other treatment modalities and diagnostic procedures would be impossible, the AAFP stated. Due to their unique physiology and small size, cats undergoing anesthesia are at a relatively greater risk of complications and mortality than many other species; empirical evidence shows that cats undergoing anesthesia have a higher mortality rate compared with dogs.1,2 The new guidelines address specific causes of disparities and ways of avoiding perioperative complications associated with monitoring, airway management, fluid therapy, recovery, perianesthetic anxiety and stress, perianesthetic monitoring by physical and electronic means, the role of underlying diseases such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the correct use of anesthesia equipment, and total injectable anesthesia. An associated client brochure provides cat caregivers with digestible information that enables them to understand anesthesia, what to expect, properly prepare their cat for a procedure, and care for them during recovery (catfriendly.com/anesthesia). "By proactively developing an individualized anesthetic plan that considers the uniqueness of each feline patient and recognizing …
Blue Buffalo Clinical Trials Office celebrates second year of OSU partnershipJune 27, 2018The Blue Buffalo Veterinary Clinical Trials Office (BBVCTO) at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine is celebrating its second year supporting studies to improve the animal and human health. In the past year, the BBVCTO assisted with the design and management of more than 30 clinical trials, enabling 300 client-owned pets to participate in studies that aim to extend the lives of dogs and cats through advanced treatments. "Our partnership with Blue Buffalo has made it possible for us to provide support for studies that test new diagnostic tests and treatments across a wide spectrum of pet health including cancer, renal failure, heart disease, and arthritis," said Cheryl London, DVM, Ph.D., director of the BBVCTO and professor of veterinary biosciences. "Clinical trials in veterinary medicine are critical for identifying new approaches to more effectively detect and treat diseases in the pets we love. They also have the added benefit of advancing outcomes for people with similar diseases." Providing hope to pet parents The BBVCTO supervises clinical trials involving client-owned dogs and cats. The pets continue to live with their families during these studies with the ultimate goal of finding new therapies, diagnostic tests, and medical devices that …
Is tramadol an effective analgesic for dogs and cats?June 26, 2018Awareness of the importance of analgesia for veterinary patients has increased significantly over the past two decades. It is widely considered important, for medical and ethical reasons, to provide effective pain relief for dogs and cats, whether their pain is due to surgery, injury, or chronic medical conditions.
4 scientific articles to use in everyday practiceJune 25, 2018What would you consider to be the definition of a classic scientific article? In my mind, it is an article that changes the way you think. It is an article that changes the status quo. That changes the way you practice—the very next day.
Why annual screening for exposure to infected ticks is vitalJune 20, 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 of 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/ckdstudy, showed two key findings: 1) dogs with Ehrlichia antibodies …
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.
Why an oral tumor diagnosis isn't always straightforwardJune 6, 2018When I was in veterinary school, my naïve impression of the process for obtaining a histopathologic diagnosis of tumors was this: fix the specimen in formalin, section and stain the tumor, look into the microscope, and obtain a definitive diagnosis.
A deeper look into endoscopyJune 4, 2018One of the first things veterinarians learn in school about endoscopes is how gastrointestinal endoscopy (GI) can be used to aid in the diagnostic evaluation of clinical signs referable to the esophagus, stomach, as well as proximal small intestine.
