Changes Inject New Life Into VetStemApril 21, 2015Regenerative medicine developer Vet-Stem Inc. has changed its name to VetStem Biopharma at the same time the company announced key milestones in its allogeneic stem-cell program. The Poway, Calif., company, founded in 2002, processes fat collected from cats, dogs and horses and sends concentrated stem cells back to the animal’s veterinarian for injection as a treatment of joint, tendon or ligament conditions. VetStem reported today that its laboratory was awarded cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practice) status under a regulatory program overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The company also hired regenerative medicine veteran Kevin Hicok, MS, MSc, as director of research and development. “Our allogeneic [donor] adipose stem cell development program has been kicked into high gear with the completion of our cGMP manufacturing facility and hiring of [Hicok],” said CEO and chief science officer Bob Harman, DVM, MPVM. VetStem has worked with veterinarians to provide regenerative therapy for 10,000 patients. The name change is a sign of the company’s evolution, said Alexis Nahama, DVM, who joined VetStem in January as president and chief commercial officer. “Everything we do today is geared towards meeting and exceeding pharmaceutical industry standards,” Dr. Nahama said. “We track cases …
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Criminal Charge Possible in Texas Cat KillingApril 21, 2015The Austin County Sheriff’s Office today concluded its investigation into allegations that Texas veterinarian Kristen Lindsey, DVM, killed a neighbor’s cat with a bow and arrow. The case was turned over to the county district attorney, who will decide whether to charge Dr. Lindsey with cruelty to nonlivestock animals, the sheriff’s office reported on its Facebook page. The state law allows for a misdemeanor or felony charge to be filed, depending on the circumstances. Lindsey, 31, ignited an Internet firestorm last week when a photo posted on her now-deleted Facebook page claimed to show a cat she is alleged to have shot in the head with a bow and arrow. An accompanying comment under her name referred to the act as “my first bow kill … lol.” Besides a criminal charge, Lindsey could face punishment from the American Veterinary Medical Association, of which she is a member. The 86,000-member organization reported Monday that its disciplinary arm, the Judicial Council, will look into the case. The panel, made up of five members elected by the House of Delegates, is empowered to suspend a veterinarian’s AVMA membership or expel the person due to unethical conduct. The email address JudicialCouncil@avma.org …
UGA Vet College Selects Equine Surgeon to Head CE ProgramApril 21, 2015P. O. Eric Mueller, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVS, has been named head of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine’s Continuing Education program. Dr. Mueller is a professor of large animal surgery and chief medical officer for the College of Veterinary Medicine Large Animal Teaching Hospital. He also serves as the college’s director of equine programs. “Our continuing education programs are designed to provide the highest quality and most current information to our referring veterinarians and alumni, while at the same time serving as an avenue to establish long lasting personal relationships with our veterinarians,” Mueller said. “I will solicit and encourage input from our constituents in order to deliver clinically pertinent and high-quality CE.”
CSU Condemns Alumna’s Alleged Cat KillingApril 20, 2015Colorado State University administrators Saturday addressed what they called “deeply disturbing news” involving a 2012 veterinary college graduate who bragged on Facebook about killing a cat with a bow and arrow and who posted a photo supposedly showing the animal. Kristen Lindsey, DVM, a veterinarian at Washington Animal Clinic in Brenham, Texas, was fired Friday. The Austin County Sheriff’s Office launched a criminal investigation and stated that Dr. Lindsey would be interviewed this week with her attorney present. Colorado State issued a 457-word letter from Mark Stetter, DVM, Dipl. ACZM, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and Melinda Frye, DVM, MS, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, the associate dean for veterinary academic and student affairs. “We … strongly decry the grotesque actions and comments displayed in that post,” Drs. Stetter and Frye wrote. “We trust … that the case will be appropriately adjudicated through both the law enforcement system and the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.” They said CSU veterinary students and “our many graduates … achieve great things each day.” “We also wish to express our support for you, as students and veterinary professionals who joined this field with integrity …
FDA Warns of Pet Exposure to Human Anti-inflammatoryApril 20, 2015The U.S. Food and Drug Administration alerted pet owners Friday to the dangers of flurbiprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for humans that has been blamed for sickening or killing several cats. Flurbiprofen is used in some topical medications to treat muscle and joint pain in people, and it occasionally is prescribed for pets as an ophthalmic solution to treat inflammatory eye conditions. In the two cases cited by FDA, the cream or lotion containing flurbiprofen was not applied to the cats but instead was used on the owners’ neck or feet. How the cats were exposed to the drug was not known. The products also contained the muscle relaxer cyclobenzaprine and active ingredients such as baclofen, gabapentin, lidocaine or prilocaine. Pet Poison Helpline, a Bloomington, Minn., organization that advises pet owners and veterinarians about poisoning issues and treatments, called flurbiprofen a very potent NSAID that is not recommended for oral use in dogs or cats because of their extreme sensitivity. “Pet Poison Helpline receives thousands of calls each year about pets accidentally exposed to human NSAIDs, especially over-the-counter products such as ibuprofen or naproxen,” said Ahna Brutlag, DVM, MS, Dipl. ABT, Dipl. ABVT. Dr. Brutlag, Pet …
Vet Fired After Bragging of Killing CatApril 17, 2015 Facebook This photo appeared on Dr. Kristen Lindsey’s Facebook page. Click on the photo above to see the original image. (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT.) We'll be posting updates as they come in. Read the original story. Update 6 (4/18/2015, 7:45 a.m. PDT): The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners posted on their Facebook page that they are aware of the situation regarding Kristen Lindsey, DVM, and request people write to them via email. (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners has been made aware of the situation with one of our licensees. We will... Posted by Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners on Friday, April 17, 2015 Update 5 (4/17/2015, 6:45 p.m. PDT): KBTX.com has more reactions about the controversial killing. (Warning, video does contain GRAPHIC IMAGES.) Update 4 (4/17/2015, 6:15 p.m. PDT): There have been reports that the cat was being fostered by volunteer with True Blue Animal Rescue in Brenham, Texas. The organization has put up their own statement, …
Henry Schein Unleashes Puppy Gift BoxesApril 17, 2015Veterinary products distributor Henry Schein Animal Health will ship something different to practitioners. The Dublin, Ohio, wholesaler announced a long-term partnership Thursday with Canine Companions for Independence, a nonprofit group that pairs nearly 300 trained assistance dogs a year with disabled people. Boxes filled with grooming items, treats and other pet products will be sent to veterinary clinics for delivery to clients who raise puppies on behalf of Canine Companions for Independence. The Puppy Raiser Care Package, which also includes product coupons, is intended to reduce the costs that volunteers incur before the animals become full-fledged working dogs. Veterinarians will receive a plaque acknowledging their participation in the program, which is scheduled to start later this year. “The puppy raiser devotes so much time, energy and personal financial resources for the benefit of people needing assistance, so we think it is only fitting to support that generosity with this gift,” said Stanley M. Bergman, chairman and CEO of parent company Henry Schein Inc. “The veterinarian, as the health care partner of the puppy raiser, also contributes to the betterment of society by providing the care needed to ensure the puppy grows into a working assistance dog.” About 1,400 volunteer puppy …
U.K. Vet Techs Ready for 2016 Microchip LawApril 16, 2015English veterinary technicians are sufficiently trained to implant microchips in dogs and will not require additional skills when microchips are mandated in 2016, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons reported today. Technicians in Wales and Scotland are likely to receive a similar waiver, the organization stated, but dog breeders across the United Kingdom who lack proper training will have to complete a course if they want to implant microchips themselves. Mandatory microchipping was introduced in Northern Ireland in 2012 in an effort to return more stray dogs to their owners. The governments of England, Wales and Scotland passed similar legislation that set a microchip deadline of April 6, 2016, for all dogs at least 8 weeks old. Owners of dogs without a microchip could be fined. The British Veterinary Association is publicizing the requirement and prepared information posters that practice owners may place in their clinics. “We need to work hard to make owners aware of the new law throughout this year, with animals microchipped as far in advance of the deadline as possible,” said BVA President John Blackwell, BVSc, MRCVS. The U.K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) excused veterinarians from microchip training but considered requiring …
Ruby Perry Promoted to Tuskegee DeanApril 16, 2015Tuskegee University alumni are in charge of three U.S. veterinary schools following the appointment of Ruby Perry as the dean of Tuskegee’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health. Dr. Perry, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVR, was the associate dean for academic affairs before she was named interim dean in June 2014. Perry, a 1977 Tuskegee veterinary school graduate, joined former classmates Willie Reed, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVP, Dipl. ACPV, and Phillip Nelson, DVM, Ph.D., as college deans. Drs. Reed and Nelson are at Purdue University and Western University of Health Sciences, respectively. Tuskegee President Brian L. Johnson, MS, Ph.D., said he expects Perry to take the veterinary school “to exciting new heights.” “She is truly the best person at one of the best times in Tuskegee’s long prestigious history,” Johnson said. Perry’s previous roles at the Alabama university starting in 2007 included interim chief of staff, assistant professor of veterinary radiology and acting chairwoman of the department of small animal medicine, surgery and radiology. She previously was the veterinary radiology section chief and an associate professor at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
NexGard Approved to Fight Brown Dog TicksApril 16, 2015Brown dog ticks, beware. Merial Ltd. has won permission from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to add a label claim stating that the canine medication NexGard (afoxolaner) protects against a fourth tick species. The monthly preventive’s newest target is the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus), which is found throughout the lower 48 states and is linked to diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis. The Duluth, Ga., veterinary drug manufacturer in 2014 was allowed to promote NexGard’s effectiveness against black-legged (Ixodes scapularis) and lone star (Amblyomma americanum) ticks in addition to the initial claim for the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis). The prescription-only chewable tablet also is indicated to kill fleas. “When used as directed, NexGard has been shown to kill ticks all month long,” said Merial’s director of veterinary medical affairs, Doug Carithers, DVM. “Plus, it has the added benefit of killing fleas.” NexGard is not the only canine drug formulated to kill four common tick species. Merck Animal Health last year released a similar medication, Bravecto (fluralaner). Nexgard recently was named a 2015 Best New Product in the household category as part of a consumer survey conducted by Better Homes …
