Study: Cancer Patients Benefit From Therapy DogsJanuary 14, 2015Therapy dogs lifted the spirits of adult cancer patients by improving their emotional well-being and quality of life, according to research co-sponsored by veterinary drug manufacturer Zoetis Inc. The clinical study, published this week in the Journal of Community and Supportive Oncology, involved patients receiving combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy for gastrointestinal, head or neck cancers. A questionnaire called the FACT-G (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—General) found that the patients’ emotional well-being jumped over the course of animal-assisted visits even as they underwent “marked and significant declines in both physical and functional well-being,” according to the researchers. Principal investigator Stewart B. Fleishman, M.D., of New York’s Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital called the work “the first such definitive study in cancer.” “Having an animal-assisted visit significantly improved [the patients’] quality of life and humanized a high-tech treatment,” Fleishman said. “Patients said they would have stopped their treatments before completion except for the presence of the certified Good Dog Foundation therapy dog and volunteer handler.” Besides Zoetis, the New York-based Good Dog Foundation and the Pfizer Foundation contributed to the research. “There is mounting evidence in human and veterinary medicine that the emotional bond between people and companion animals can …
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College Vet Bess Pierce Receives Bustad AwardJanuary 14, 2015A Virginia-Maryland veterinary professor who directs the college’s Center for Animal-Human Relationships was named the 2015 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year. The honor was presented Jan. 9 to Bess Pierce, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVSMR, during the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Veterinary Leadership Conference in Chicago. The award is named after revered human-animal bond researcher Leo K. Bustad, DVM, Ph.D., who died in 1998. Dr. Pierce paid tribute to Dr. Bustad, calling him “a visionary” and “an extraordinary man who left an even more extraordinary legacy.” The Center for Animal-Human Relationships at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine hosts research into the human-animal bond and examines how both groups benefit. “We tend to look at the human-animal bond through the lens of our relationships with our pets, but it is so much more than that,” Pierce said. “This intricate connection between animals and people is the very foundation of veterinary medicine; we have the gift of not only helping animals but of also serving people through animals.” Pierce, an associate professor and Auburn University graduate, served on active duty in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps for 15 years. Now a colonel in the …
It’s Back to Work for AVMA LobbyistsJanuary 13, 2015If the American Veterinary Medical Association had its way, the soring of walking horses would be illegal, all Internet purchases of pet products would be taxed and veterinarians working in underserved areas would get a better break on their student loans. But given that Congress, not AVMA, passes the nation’s laws, all that the organization’s leaders and Governmental Relations Division can do is lobby representatives and senators on behalf of the veterinary industry. By the time the 113th Congress’ two-year term expired Jan. 3, AVMA had tried, but failed, to push through three major bills: the Prevent All Soring Tactics Act, the Marketplace Fairness Act and the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act. While AVMA employees are again knocking on congressional doors, sending emails and placing phone calls, the Governmental Relations Division’s director, Mark T. Lutschaunig, VMD, MBA, points to legislative successes. In a document prepared for AVMA members, Dr. Lutschaunig wrote that the veterinary community had reasons to be pleased by news out of Washington, D.C., over the past two years. Acting on congressionally approved legislation, President Obama signed: The Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act, which formally legalizes the drug-dispensing actions of many mobile and rural veterinarians. The Farm …
Dogs Can’t Hide Feelings From ScientistsJanuary 13, 2015Research conducted by Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. has confirmed that dogs, like people, become flush with happiness and excitement. The findings, according to Purina behavior scientist Ragen T.S. McGowan, Ph.D., illustrate how the human-animal bond works both ways, lighting up the lives of both people and pets. “Scientists have known for years how to evaluate negative states such as stress and anxiety in animals,” McGowan said. “Less is known about how to measure positive states such as happiness or excitement.” McGowan and her team used thermal, or infrared, cameras to examine how external stimuli can generate joyful emotions in dogs, the company reported today. The cameras measured temperature fluctuations in dogs’ eyes, ears and paw pads as blood flowed to those areas. “Thermal imaging has been widely used in animal welfare studies to assess inflammation in racehorses, for example, or to see how certain conditions affect livestock’s stress levels,” McGowan said. “This is one of the first times it is being used to measure positive responses in pets.” Part of the study involved having people with no connection to a group of shelter dogs sit with and pet them for 15 minutes, the company stated. The dogs …
Pet Pledge Day Raises Funds for Animal-Assisted TherapyJanuary 13, 2015Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee (HABIT), an outreach program at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, recently received $1,000 from a community partnership between WUOT Public Radio and Dream Katcher Lodge in Farragut, Tenn. As a way to promote HABIT, the radio station and lodge decided to hold a Community Partnership Day. If WUOT received 350 pledges by phone, online or in person on the station’s Pet Pledge Day during its fall 2014 fund drive, Dream Katcher Lodge would donate $1,000 to HABIT. The station surpassed its goal, receiving more than 475 pledges from listeners in support of the partnership. Mili Bass, DVM, owner of Dream Katcher Lodge, is an alumna of the UT college of Veterinary Medicine. She has supported HABIT since it began in 1986. “Besides HABIT, WUOT is my other passion,” Dr. Bass said. “These are two organizations I feel strongly about that need community support.” The fund drive’s Community Partnership Day on Pet Pledge Day was opportunity for listeners to make it a HABIT to donate to WUOT and help support another worthy nonprofit at the same time, according to Cindy Hassil, WUOT corporate and community relations director. “We want to give back to the …
MSU’s Patterson Captures National Teaching AwardJanuary 12, 2015A Michigan State University professor described as having a passion for teaching and whose methods are shared with other educators has won the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges’ 2014 Distinguished Teacher Award. Jon Patterson, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVP, will officially receive what AAVMC calls the most prestigious national teaching award in veterinary medicine during the organization’s annual conference March 14 in Washington, D.C. Dr. Patterson, a professor in MSU’s department of pathobiology and diagnostic investigation, was a clear-cut winner, said AAVMC President Trevor Ames, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, the dean of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. “His attention to teaching, devotion to the development of a high-quality curriculum, and ability to share his enthusiasm for research and mentor students are all qualities that we look for in an honoree,” Dr. Ames said. Patterson teaches general pathology, neuropathology and diagnostic pathology to veterinary students and trains residents in veterinary anatomic pathology, AAVMC reported. His nominator was department chairwoman L.J. McCutcheon, who said Patterson “brings [pathology] to life for students.” His students echoed McCutcheon, stating in their nomination submission: “Dr. Patterson’s teaching methods are unanimously loved by all of his students; so much so that his …
4 E-Collar MakeoversJanuary 12, 2015There may be good reason to hold off on using an e-collar on your patients. But if you do, your clients may unleash their creativity on them, as in these examples. These were originally featured on BoredPanda.com. BoredPanda.com featured these pet cones in a recent article, writing, "Most pets hate pet cones (also known as Elizabethan collars), but they're an important part of the healing process for pets recovering from certain injuries or illnesses. But as long as their pets are forced to wear them, these pets' creative owners decided to bedazzle these unwieldy collars with silly and glamorous designs." They're also doing a call-out for other pet cone pictures, writing, "If you've ever decorated your pet's 'cone of shame,' we'd love to see it in this list! You can also vote for your favorites as well."
VCA Hospitals to Promote Trupanion InsuranceJanuary 12, 2015Trupanion Inc. today was named the preferred pet health insurance provider at 580 VCA animal hospitals across the United States. The agreement brings additional visibility to a growing company that as of late October insured more than 207,000 cats and dogs, a 30 percent jump in one year. The exclusive arrangement includes in-clinic signage and brochures as well as a presence on the VCA website, Trupanion spokeswoman Britta Gidican said. “Trupanion will be the only vendor seen within hospitals,” she said. Bob Antin, CEO of the Los Angeles-based VCA chain, called the relationship “an important bridge to helping our pet friends stay healthy and happy.” “Together, VCA and Trupanion can help our clients access the highest and most suitable level of pet care that our veterinarians recommend,” Antin said. Trupanion went public last summer with a $71 million stock sale. The Seattle company planned to spend the money ramping up its marketing and paying down debt. The company’s business model pays for 90 percent of all veterinary diagnostics tests, surgeries, medications and hospital stays. Trupanion’s latest financial report showed a 37 percent jump in third-quarter revenue, to $30 million, compared with the same period in 2013. The …
Veterinary Distributor MWI Selling for $2.5 BillionJanuary 12, 2015MWI Veterinary Supply Inc., one of the largest U.S. wholesalers of animal health products, has reached a tentative agreement to be acquired by AmerisourceBergen Corp., a leading distributor of human drugs. The $2.5 billion deal is subject to the approval of MWI shareholders but is expected to close by March, the companies announced today. The transaction would put AmerisourceBergen in the veterinary sector for the first time. The Chesterbrook, Pa., company has nearly $120 billion in annual global revenue and employs about 14,000 people. MWI, founded in 1976 by Millard Wallace Ickes, DVM, projects fiscal 2015 revenue of $3.2 billion from the distribution of companion animal, equine and livestock veterinary products in the United States and the United Kingdom. “Animal health is a growing market in the U.S. and internationally and is a logical extension of our pharmaceutical distribution and services businesses,” said Steven H. Collis, AmerisourceBergen’s president and CEO. “Combined with MWI’s expertise in veterinary and agricultural markets, we will collaboratively launch the next generation of superior animal health products and services together,” he added. The all-cash transaction, which won the unanimous endorsement of the MWI board of directors, is valued at $190 a share, an 8 …
Elanco Completes Takeover of Novartis Animal HealthJanuary 9, 2015Novartis Animal Health is no more. The division of Swiss-based Novartis AG officially merged with Elanco Animal Health as of Jan. 1 in a $5.4 billion sale to Elanco’s parent company, Eli Lilly and Co. One day later, Novartis’ U.S. line of Sentinel canine heartworm and flea preventives was spun off to competitor Virbac for $410 million to satisfy regulators’ concerns. The marriage of Novartis Animal Health and Elanco created the world’s second-largest veterinary pharmaceutical company after Zoetis Inc. “Elanco’s acquisition of Novartis Animal Health brings together two strong companies with a passion for serving the customer,” said Rob Aukerman, president of North American commercial operations for Elanco. “We will continue to offer the products our customers trust, while significantly investing in the development of new solutions to our customers’ greatest unmet needs.” Absent from the Elanco portfolio are Sentinel Flavor Tabs and Sentinel Spectrum, which Fort Worth, Texas-based Virbac will now sell. The line generated more than $90 million in U.S. sales in 2014. Virbac also took on an undisclosed number of Novartis employees—“predominantly commercial teams,” according to the company. “The addition of these strong brands to Virbac’s current portfolio of products, together with the doubling …
