Michigan State University Co-Hosts 10th Annual Marek’s Disease SymposiumAugust 28, 2014 More than 150 veterinarians, researchers, students, technicians and industry professionals from 21 countries attended the 10th International Symposium on Marek’s Disease and Avian Herpesvirus in late July. The symposium was co-hosted by Michigan State University and the Avian Disease and Oncology Laboratory. Marek’s disease was once the most economically devastating disease in the poultry industry, according to the university. In its acute form, it can wipe out up to 80 percent of a flock of chickens. Research, the development of effective vaccines and breeding lines of chickens resistant to the disease have been an enormous success, the university further noted. But new and more virulent strains continue to emerge. “Marek’s disease is one of the best success stories in all of animal agriculture,” said Richard Witter, DVM, director of the Avian Disease and Oncology Laboratory from 1976 to 1998. “If vaccines were to fail, the existence of the poultry industry as we know it would be in jeopardy.” The symposium hosted 12 keynote and invited speakers, including participants of the panel “Perspectives on Marek’s disease breakthroughs since the 1960s.” The panel was filmed, along with individual interviews, and will be …
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Too Many Veterinarians, or a Bubble Market?August 26, 2014 Is our profession heading into a bubble market? The Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics hosted a panel discussion titled “Oversupply: Issues and Ethics” during the annual convention of the American Association of Veterinary Medicine in July in Denver. Panelists were Dennis McCurnin, DVM, Dipl. ACVS; James F. Wilson, DVM, J.D., of Priority Veterinary Management Consultants; Mark Cushing, J.D., a founding member of Animal Policy Group; Dennis Lawler, DVM; and Paul Pion, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, president and co-founder of Veterinary Information Network. I was the organizer and facilitator during the morning forum, which needed an overflow room to handle interested attendees. Drs. McCurnin and Wilson described how we got into this situation and presented information and statistics that show the potential bubble. The AVMA Workforce Study, released April 22, 2013, reported a 12.5 percent excess capacity in the profession that could continue through 2025. We have been told for the past 25 years that we need to have veterinarians go into non-traditional employment fields. We now have veterinarians in many new and expanding areas (i.e. public health, epidemiology, shelter medicine, food safety, etc.) but still have the issue of low salaries, as …
Former Head of ASPCA Takes Over at PIJACAugust 26, 2014 For more veterinary practice news, follow us on Twitter at @vetpetnews A former ASPCA executive has been hired as president and CEO of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council in a move the organization acknowledged is controversial because of his past statements condemning animal breeding and sales. Edwin J. Sayres served for 10 years as president and CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and became a consultant after resigning in 2013. He replaces Kenneth Oh, PIJAC’s chairman, who filled in as president after Mike Canning was fired in January without explanation. PIJAC is a nonprofit industry group that promotes responsible pet ownership and animal welfare and lobbies against initiatives that seek to curtail the sale and availability of pets. Humane Watch, which acts as a watchdog over another animal welfare group, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), called Sayres’ hiring a “strange move.” “In a nutshell, the trouble with ASPCA and HSUS is that they admit that pet stores sell from some good breeders but that we should boycott them anyway,” Humane Watch wrote in a blog post. Humane Watch published …
K-State Offers New Course on Regulation of Animal Drugs, VaccinesAugust 26, 2014 #92187835 / gettyimages.com Kansas State University has added a new course focusing on the regulation of animal drugs and vaccines. “Regulatory Aspects of Drug and Vaccine Development in the Animal Health Industry” begins this fall and is available through distance learning or on the K-State Olathe campus. The course, as described by the university, will explore the topic of regulations associated with animal health product development and manufacturing. Topics for discussion will include an overview of the regulatory affairs process in the United States and other countries, drug and vaccine classifications and the approval process, drug and vaccine efficacy and safety testing, human and environmental safety issues and future challenges and current industry needs, among other topics. The course is designed for the non-expert to understand go-to-market guidelines associated with animal health product development and manufacturing. Guest lecturers will include senior executives in leading animal health companies who routinely deal with regulatory product development guidelines. For details, visit the K-state Olathe website.
Banfield Predicts Business as Usual if PetSmart Is SoldAugust 25, 2014 PetSmart, the nation’s largest pet products retailer and the home to most Banfield veterinary hospitals, may be on the sales block. The Phoenix-based retailer reported Aug. 19 that it would consider a sale in light of claims by minority investor Jana Partners that PetSmart has “clearly underperformed for shareholders” and should “conduct a full review of all strategic alternatives including a sale.” A longstanding corporate partnership allows nearly all 800 Banfield hospitals to operate inside a PetSmart store. Veterinary clients would not see any meaningful change if a sale occurs, according to Portland, Ore.-based Banfield Pet Hospital. “Banfield has an agreement that governs our relationship with PetSmart, and it will remain in effect regardless of any change in PetSmart ownership,” the hospital chain noted in a prepared statement. Jana Partners, a New York hedge fund, in early August called on PetSmart to pursue a sale, saying the retailer has endured “years of underperformance” and that “multiple interested potential acquirers” exist. Critics of PetSmart have little reason to grumble, chairman Gregory P. Josefowicz said. “PetSmart has delivered superb returns for our investors over a long period of time, with our …
First Veterinary Classes Underway at Lincoln MemorialAugust 24, 2014 Lincoln Memorial University welcomed its inaugural class of veterinary students this month as 96 future practitioners began tackling subjects ranging from veterinary anatomy and physiology to parasitology and medical histology. The Harrogate, Tenn., university and Midwestern University in Glendale, Ariz., in August opened the nation’s 29th and 30th veterinary colleges—the first since Western University of Health Sciences started its program in 1998 in Pomona, Calif. Lincoln Memorial marked the event with a white coat ceremony Aug. 15 and the start of classes three days later. “This is another landmark achievement for our institution,” said Lincoln Memorial President B. James Dawson, MA, Ed.D. “The [veterinary college] extends LMU’s mission of service to humanity through the training of ethical doctors who will attend to the health and wellness needs of animals within rural communities, especially within the Appalachian region.” Lincoln Memorial’s Class of 2018 includes 20 men and 76 women. Exactly one-third of them are from the tri-state region of Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia. Virginia residents will see their home state often during the four-year journey toward a DVM degree. The college’s DeBusk Veterinary Teaching Center is located 15 miles away in Ewing, Va. …
Study Offers Surprising Look at True Health of CatsAugust 24, 2014 Many cats that look and act healthy hide a secret. A study of outwardly healthy cats discovered laboratory abnormalities in one out of every four tested. Furthermore, pet owners who answered a 48-question survey noted warning signs in nearly 70 percent of the 1,197 cats checked. The results point to the value of annual veterinary wellness visits and in-depth questioning of pet owners, reported veterinary drug maker Zoetis Inc., which conducted the research. “This study demonstrated that a health risk assessment … can help veterinarians identify issues that might otherwise go undiagnosed and untreated until serious symptoms become apparent,” said J. Michael McFarland, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, the group director of Companion Animal Veterinary Operations for Zoetis. The study used data collected from 264 veterinary practices over 5½ years and included a cat owner questionnaire. Among the cat owners who took part in the health risk assessment: • 9 percent indicated that their cat had difficulty breathing, showing symptoms such as wheezing, sneezing or coughing. • 11 percent thought their cats exhibited stiffness, lameness or pain associated with movement. • 22 percent thought their cats were overweight or obese. …
OSU Vet Faculty Member Receives Grant to Help Fight CancerAugust 23, 2014 Ashish Ranjan, BVSc, Ph.D., recently received an Academic Research Enhancement Award from the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health in the amount of nearly $423,000. Dr. Ranjan is assistant professor in the Department of Physiological Sciences at Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. He’s also an associate member of the Peggy and Charles Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma. “The long-term goal of our research is to optimize and provide uniform intratumoral delivery of antitumor drugs with real-time control,” said Ranjan. “Targeting the delivery to a chosen site will provide physicians more precise dosing control.” Cancer chemotherapy employs systemic delivery of antitumor drugs with limited specificity which causes toxic side effects in normal tissues and inefficient/insufficient drug delivery to tumor cells, according to Ranjan. “This grant will allow us to develop an integrated imaging-based nanoparticle platform for cancer therapy using a high intensity focused ultrasound device,” he said. Image Guided Drug Delivery (IGDD) is a highly interdisciplinary field that combines drug encapsulated nanocarriers and imaging devices to achieve targeted tumor therapy, according to the university. Innovative IGDD ideas are strongly encouraged by the National Cancer Institute, the …
Sleepypod Dog Harness Earns Top Rating From Safety GroupAugust 21, 2014 The Sleepypod Clickit Sport dog travel harness was awarded the Center for Pet Safety’s highest possible crash-test score, the manufacturer reported Thursday. The five-star rating covers small, medium and large Clickit Sport harnesses. The maximum score was the first under the Center for Pet Safety’s new Harness Certification Program. “Few manufacturers demonstrate the commitment to product safety testing that we have seen from Sleepypod,” said Lindsey A. Wolko, founder of the nonprofit Center for Pet Safety. “Theirs is a landmark achievement for pets and the people who love them.” The new Clickit Sport travel harness will be available for sale beginning in mid-October at suggested retail prices of $64.99 to $74.99, a Sleepypod spokeswoman said. The company’s co-founder and lead product designer, Michael Leung, called the five-star rating “a meaningful validation of Sleepypod’s steadfast commitment to pet travel safety innovation.” The Harness Certification Program is the first formal crash-test rating system for pet travel harnesses, the Center for Pet Safety stated. Harnesses volunteered for testing may be awarded five stars, four stars or a rating of “not recommended.” The Reston, Va., research center in October 2013 judged another Sleepypod travel harness, the …
Kindred Unsuccessful With First Canine DrugAugust 21, 2014 Kindred Biosciences Inc. has been dealt a setback with the discovery that the startup drug company’s vanguard product, CereKin, failed a pivotal field study. The Burlingame, Calif., company had hoped to achieve U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of CereKin (diacerein) for the control of osteoarthritic pain and inflammation in dogs sometime in 2015. Kindred reported Wednesday that CereKin “did not meet its primary endpoint.” The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the safety and efficacy of two doses of CereKin (5 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg). “The data are in the process of being fully analyzed but, based on the analyses so far, the results appear to be due primarily to a higher-than-expected placebo response rate and statistical variability,” Kindred stated. “Also, in the high-dose group, the response rate among completers was in line with results seen in human studies, but the dropout rate was higher than expected and statistical significance was not achieved for the primary endpoint.” Kindred spent about $4 million on the development of CereKin—a sum in line with what the drug maker anticipates spending on each project. Still in the pivotal study stage are AtoKin (fexofenadine), which is designed …
