AVMA Uses Video Game To Reach Next GenerationAugust 19, 2013 Rather than focusing on marauding zombies, the American Veterinary Medical Association is targeting future veterinarians through its brand-new video game, AVMA Animal Hospital. The new game, a combination of "Beat the Clock” and Operation, takes place in a virtual veterinarian clinic. Kids as well as grown-ups can test their veterinary mettle by diagnosing and treating animals, including dogs, cats, birds, turtles and guinea pigs, suffering from a variety of conditions before time elapses. The audience the AVMA had in mind for the game is fourth through eighth graders but anyone who enjoys animals is encouraged to play. "We wanted to make a fun game that players would come back to again and again, but more importantly, we wanted there to be a strong educational component to it as well,” said Ron DeHaven, DVM, CEO of the Schaumburg, Ill.-based AVMA. The game is available free through Apple’s AppStore, Google Play and AVMA. "Games are a great way to learn, and we hope AVMA Animal Hospital helps educate and inspire the next generation of …
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Petplan Looking For Best Veterinary Clinic, EmployeesAugust 19, 2013 Petplan pet health insurance is accepting nominations in a contest designed to identify the year’s top veterinarian, veterinary technician, practice manager and veterinary practice. Pet owners, veterinarians and veterinary staff members may nominate a worthy individual or practice at GoPetplan.com/VetAwards. The deadline is Nov. 15. Three finalists in each category will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas for the announcement of the winners. The presentation will take place during a dinner Feb. 16 at the Four Seasons Hotel. The Veterinary Awards honor professionals who provide an exceptional level of pet health care and exemplary customer service, Petplan reported. Veterinary Practice of the Year, a new category, recognizes that "keeping our pets healthy and happy is often a true team effort,” said Natasha Ashton, Petplan’s co-founder and co-CEO. "With this award, we hope to shine a well-deserved spotlight on the efforts of the entire clinic, from veterinarians and technicians to practice managers and support staff,” Ashton said. Anyone who submits a nomination will be entered into a weekly …
Some Eukanuba, Iams Dry Foods RecalledAugust 15, 2013 P&GSelected lots of Eukanuba and Iams dry dog food and Iams dry cat food are being voluntarily recalled because of potential salmonella contamination.The recall of some lots of Eukanuba and Iams pet foods represents about one-tenth of 1 percent of annual production.newsline, pet-health-news, recall Selected lots of Eukanuba and Iams dry dog food and Iams dry cat food are being voluntarily recalled because of potential salmonella contamination. The manufacturer, Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Co., reported Wednesday that no salmonella-related illnesses had been linked to any of the lots. The recall, limited to the United States, represents a small amount, about one-tenth of 1 percent, of annual production of the foods. "These products were made during a 10-day window at a single manufacturing site,” the company stated. "P&G’s routine testing determined that some products made during this time frame have the potential for salmonella contamination. "As a precautionary measure,” the company added, "P&G is recalling the potentially impacted products made during this time frame. No other dry dog food, dry cat food, dog or cat canned wet food, biscuits/treats or …
New Mammal Species Hiding In Plain SightAugust 15, 2013Olinguito Facts Background: Smallest member of raccoon family and with thick, woolly orange or reddish brown fur. Size: Head and body length of 14 inches, plus 13- to 17-inch tail. Adults weigh 2 pounds. Diet: Mostly fruit, but also insects and nectar. Behavior: Solitary, mostly nocturnal and adept at leaping from tree to tree. Range: Cloud forests of Ecuador and Colombia at elevations of 5,000 to 9,000 feet in northern Andes Mountains. Smithsonian Institution scientists today reported that they identified the Western Hemisphere’s first new carnivorous mammal in 35 years. Oddly enough, the finding was not a complete surprise because the animal, the olinguito, has been displayed in museums and zoos worldwide for more than a century and misidentified as a close relative, the olingo. The olinguito’s looks are described as a cross between a house cat and a teddy bear. The 2-pound animal goes by the scientific name Bassaricyon neblina and lives in the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador. It is a member of the Procyonidae family, which includes raccoons, coatis, kinkajous and olingos. "The discovery of the olinguito shows us that the world is not yet completely explored, …
UC Davis Vet School Hires 6th CardiologistAugust 15, 2013 A sixth veterinary cardiologist has been hired for the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis. Joshua Stern, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, will serve the university’s veterinary school as an assistant professor. Rob Warren, communication and marketing officer for the teaching hospital, acknowledged that most private veterinary practices probably don’t have one cardiac specialist on their payroll. "I’m not sure of all other hospitals in the country, but I would think that it is probably rare for a hospital to have six veterinarians specializing in cardiology,” Warren said. "Our overall caseload of 45,000 patients a year warrants this number and Dr. Stern’s addition.” Dr. Stern joins two full-time cardiologists and three cardiology residents at UC Davis. Stern, who earned his undergraduate and DVM degrees from Ohio State University, brings a raft of cardiac research experience with him. "We are excited by the addition of Dr. Stern to our faculty,” said David Wilson, BVMS, director of the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. "His achievements to date are impressive for an individual in the early …
Five-Year Dog Study Stokes Preventive Care FireAugust 13, 2013 A five-year study of 7,827 dogs that had undergone routine veterinary wellness checkups found 31 percent with some kind of laboratory panel abnormality, according to Zoetis Animal Health, which conducted the study leading to its Pet Wellness Report. The study and the resulting report looked at laboratory panels for each dog and the results of a health risk assessment questionnaire submitted by each dog’s owner. The lab and survey results mirrored one another. The canine study is the largest look at wellness data so far, according to the Florham Park, N.J.-based worldwide producer of pet and livestock medicines and vaccinations. Some 264 primary-care veterinarians participated in the study. "Veterinary care is an essential component in ensuring the health and longevity of companion animals and providing peace of mind to owners that they are taking the best care of their cherished pets,” said J. Michael McFarland, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, group director of companion animal veterinary operations for Zoetis. The lab panel abnormalities were consistent with a range of conditions, including endocrinopathies, renal disease, hepatic disease, anemia and other health concerns. The pet owner surveys were …
Veterinary Teams Get Candid In VHMA SurveyAugust 8, 2013 The "Candid Confessions” survey was completed by 1,597 individuals, including veterinary associates, assistants, technicians, office managers, hospital administrators, practice managers and practice owners. In regard to business profits, more than 60 percent of veterinary assistants, practice managers and hospital administrators were aware that the money is often reinvested to grow and improve the practice. Asked to identify areas in their practice that needed improvement, the top three responses among all respondents were training (45 percent), staff communication (40 percent) and client communication and service (32 percent). Respondents were asked to describe the culture of change at their practice. The responses were evenly distributed among "change is started but not followed through” (27 percent), "change is slow and difficult” (27 percent), "most of the team embraces change” (23 percent) and "we are always changing for the better” (20 percent). VHMA noted that the issues touched upon in the survey are routinely addresses in the organization’s webinars, conferences, products and publications, which may be accessed at VHMA.org. 8/8/2013 3:19 PM
Oklahoma Veterinarians Rise To Challenge In Wake Of Moore TornadoAugust 7, 2013 MOORE, Okla.—It all boils down to this: If your kids are OK, you can face the unimaginable for what can seem an interminable time. One week after a mighty tornado demolished the better part of her town, Kristi Scroggins, DVM, continued to log countless hours working with animal victims, volunteers and owners, splitting her time between the Home Depot triage center and local animal shelters. "I was pretty much in shock, and the main thing was, I had to get to my kids,” Scroggins recalled as she paused for an interview during her marathon tenure as veterinary jack-of-all-trades at the tornado disaster site. Her serene and loving face belied the weariness and frustration Scroggins surely bore. Her extraordinary tale of how her 4-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son survived the storm, as did her veterinary hospital, employees and patients, is a reminder that we are certain only of this day. The value of a single human life outweighs billions of dollars’ worth of lumber, bricks, mortar, steel, vehicles, jewelry and landscaping. Storm Brewing On the afternoon of May 20, as hysterical, escalating warnings of an approaching deadly storm …
Fever PitchAugust 7, 2013 The fungal spores that cause valley fever are found in the soil in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. So why should veterinarians and pet owners living outside of places such as Phoenix and San Diego familiarize themselves with valley fever’s symptoms and treatments? "We have an enormous winter population that comes with their pets, and when Fluffy goes home and is coughing, limping or has seizures, then it is no longer a regional issue,” said Lisa Shubitz, DVM, who studies the disease in people at the University of Arizona’s Valley Fever Center for Excellence in Tucson. The infection, also known as coccidioidomycosis, or "cocci” for short, usually starts off as a persistent cough in dogs or as a draining skin lesion in cats, Dr. Shubitz noted. While everything from humans to alpacas are susceptible to the potentially fatal disease, dogs are most likely to contract it. Animal mortality rates have not been tracked. "Dogs are far and away the most affected and economically important species we see clinical cocci in,” she said. Getting Started Shubitz has been a consulting veterinarian at the Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson since 2004, when she …
Small Animal Arthroscopy: 30 Years Of LearningAugust 7, 2013 July 18 of this year will mark 30 years since I performed my first arthroscopic procedure. I performed this first arthroscopy on the stifle of a dog with an undiagnosed hind leg lameness and was able to diagnose a partially ruptured cranial cruciate ligament. Since that day I have performed more than 2,000 arthroscopic procedures on more than 1,500 cases. This saga has truly been a learning experience for me and, with the knowledge gained by all of those performing arthroscopy in small animals, it has been a learning experience for the profession. Arthroscopy has redefined our understanding of joint disease in dogs and has changed how we treat many of these disorders. My first attempts at arthroscopy were primitive at best as I did not have a video camera system. I could only look; I could not do. My primary motivation was that we could not diagnose the cause of lameness in anything but the most obvious cases. In the early 1980s, we were just beginning to recognize medial coronoid process disease in the elbow, but to make a diagnosis required performing an open arthrotomy. …
