American Heartworm Society Adds New Sponsor, Board MemberAugust 3, 2011The American Heartworm Society (AHS) has named Banfield Pet Hospital as a new industry partner and Martha Smith-Blackmore, DVM, as a new executive board member. Wallace Graham, DVM, president of AHS, said Dr. Smith-Blackmore brings a new understanding of the challenges of shelter pets to the organization. She is the current president of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians, and a faculty member at the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. “As veterinarians, we know that tough economic times can mean fewer veterinary visits and skipped preventive medications,” Dr. Graham said. “It’s a crucial time to keep our focus on heartworm and provide up-to-date information on this disease to both veterinarians and pet owners.” The mission of AHS is to bring awareness and prevalence of heartworm disease to veterinarians and the public. The society offers guidelines on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention in companion animals. AHS sponsors continuing education sessions for veterinarians, pet owner outreach, a triennial heartworm incidence survey and heartworm research. “We strongly support the mission of AHS and actively promote annual testing and year-round heartworm protection,” said Jeffrey Klausner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, senior vice president and chief medical officer of Banfield Pet Hospital. “In our own analysis …
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Michelson Prize And Grants Program Aimed At Creating Non-Surgical SterilantAugust 3, 2011 More than a dozen institutions are currently researching the development of a non-surgical sterilant for companion animals in effort to curb pet overpopulation. Found Animals Foundation, a privately funded Los Angeles-based non-profit group, in 2008 launched the Michelson Prize and Grants. A $25 million incentive will be awarded to the first person to successfully develop a non-surgical method for sterilizing cats and dogs. The Michelson Grants in Reproductive Biology offers up to a total of $50 million in funding for research offering non-surgical sterilization technology. Since the announcement, Found Animals has received more than 150 letters of intent for the Michelson Grants, and has invited more than 50 investigators to submit full grant proposals. To date, 15 of those grants have been approved totaling more than $6 million in research funding. “We are thrilled with the high level of interest we’ve seen from qualified applicants to date and we are confident that we’ll see many more proposals of equal excellence in the future,” said Aimee Gilbreath, executive director of Found Animals. “What’s even more exciting is that we’re seeing proposals based on new technologies such as nanocontainers and gene silencing, meaning that researchers are …
BVA Promotes Canine Safety In Hot WeatherAugust 3, 2011 The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is encouraging its members in practice to display the group's "Don’t Cook Your Dog" campaign poster to remind owners that dogs should not be left in cars in during summer months. The campaign was initiated in response to an incident involving the deaths of two police dogs earlier this year. “It’s a simple but tragic fact that dogs die in hot cars and we need to get this message out to every single dog owner,” said Dr. Harvey Locke, president of the BVA. “Even when the day is just warm, not hot, it can quickly become very hot inside a vehicle.” Animal welfare organizations and individuals have signed up to support the campaign, which includes the distribution of posters and stickers in conjunction with a media and social media campaign to raise awareness. “Dogs perspire primarily through their tongues and paw pads so they can’t cool down quickly enough to cope with the rising heat in a car,” Dr. Locke said. Copies of the poster will be sent to BVA members via the BVA journal Veterinary Record on Aug. 13. “We’re asking …
Homeopathy Group Sues Over Denial Of CE CreditAugust 3, 2011 The Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy is suing the American Association of Veterinary State Boards, claiming breach of contract and fraud in relation to the association’s refusal to grant continuing education credits for classes at its 2009 annual conference. At issue is AAVSB’s RACE standard requiring evidence-based support. The Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy is suing the American Association of Veterinary State Boards, claiming breach of contract and fraud in relation to the association’s refusal to grant continuing education credits for classes at its 2009 annual conference. The suit was filed in January in Virginia state court. AVH recently provided details. The association’s Registry of Approved Continuing Education, or RACE, is a national clearinghouse for the approval of continuing education providers and their programs, according to the AAVSB website, aavsb.org. AVH contends that no one on the RACE committee or within its group of paid consultants has experience with or knowledge of homeopathic veterinary medicine. As a result, AVH maintains that the value of homeopathy cannot be appropriately evaluated by the group. After the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy’s 2009 annual conference, AAVSB notified it that its offerings had not been approved for continuing education credit. …
University Of Minnesota Research Discovery May Help Combat Bone CancerAugust 2, 2011 A University of Minnesota discovery could lead to better treament methods to help canine and human bone cancer patients fight the disease more effectively. Jaime Modiano, VMD, PhD, Modiano laboratory principal investigator at University of Minnesota, discovered a gene pattern that distinguishes the more severe form of bone cancer from a less aggressive form in dogs. Dogs are the only other species besides humans that frequently and spontaneously develops this disease. Dogs have a higher incidence of bone cancer than humans. However, according to Modiano, who specializes in the relationship between animal and human disease, human and canine forms of bone cancer are very similar and the gene pattern is an exact match. The discovery of this key differentiating signature may be beneficial in the treatment planning of human bone cancer patients. “Our findings pave the way to develop laboratory tests that can predict the behavior of this tumor in dogs and children at the time of diagnosis,” Dr. Modiano said. “This allows us to tailor individualized therapy to meet the patient’s needs.” University off Minnesota researchers plan to use their findings to develop useful lab tests for humans and for companion animals that will help …
FDA Launches System To Track Pet Food-Related IllnessesAugust 2, 2011 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Partnership for Food Protection launched yesterday a Web-based system to track pet illnesses associated with pet food. The Pet Event Tracking Network (PETNet) will allow FDA and federal and state agencies to voluntarily share in real-time information about pet food-related incidents, such as illness associated with the consumption of pet food or pet food product defects. The system was developed by FDA and the Partnership for Food Protection, which includes state and local public health officials and representatives from several federal agencies, in the wake of the mass pet food recalls in 2007. One difficulty faced during that incident, according to FDA, was the timely sharing of information between the agency and the states and among the states themselves. PETNet is designed to allow for better communications between the various government officials. PETNet will be accessible to federal, state and territorial government officials responsible for the regulation of pet food products and the investigation of disease outbreaks in companion animals. It is currently made up of over 200 representatives from four federal agencies, all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Members will enter “events” into …
Bayer Licenses Equine Products From SentrXAugust 2, 2011 Bayer HealthCare LLC's Animal Health Division announced it has licensed and now distributes SentrX Animal Care’s equitrX wound healing spray gel and equitrX corneal repair gel drops for horses. These products are currently available to veterinarians through Bayer Animal Health. The agreement allows Bayer Animal Health to offer equine veterinarians wound management products, the company states. “The equitrX products are prescription products sold only to licensed veterinarians,” said Scott King, DVM, and equine products manager for Bayer. “It is crucial to have an equine veterinarian involved in the management of some of these equine wounds and corneal ulcers.” Richard Koehn, Ph.D, president and CEO of SentrX Animal Care Inc. said these products cross-link modified hyaluronic acid molecules, a process that results in enhanced wound healing. “Horse owners want wounds to heal as nicely as possible," Dr. King said. “We liked these products because they provide a molecular matrix to enhance wound healing by facilitating cellular migration.” <Home>
Bayer Accepting Legend Of The Year NominationsAugust 1, 2011 Bayer Animal Health today began taking nominations for the company’s Legend of the Year Award. Veterinary professionals are asked to nominate peers committed to equine health. The winner will be announced during the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ 56th Annual Convention in November. The prize is a $5,000 donation to an equine charity or cause of the winner's choice. The Bayer Animal Health Legend of the Year Award includes an additional sweepstakes for horse owners who nominate a veterinary professional. The sweepstakes winner will receive an expense-paid trip with Equitrekking, a PBS equine show, a Charles Owen helmet, as well as a trip to Mackinac Island, Mich., dinner with the Equitrekking crew and a ride-along with show host Darley Newman. Visit MyLegendaryVet.com for more information. <HOME>
Cattle Supplements Recalled Due To High Urea LevelsAugust 1, 2011 Ridley Block Operations Inc. has issued a voluntary recall of one lot of Purina-Lix 38 Hi-E and RangeLand 38 Hi-E free-choice supplements for beef cattle because the products may contain excessive levels of urea. The recall is limited to the following lot and item numbers: Item No. Description Lot Number 0061468 Purina Lix 38 Hi-E Tubs 225# DB00302716 1800033-633 RangeLand 38 Hi-E Tubs 225# DB00302716 The recalled products were sold in the Ft. Worth and Lubbock, Texas, and Oklahoma City, Okla., areas through retail feed stores. The Purina-Lix 38 Hi-E product comes in 225-pound red plastic tubs and the RangeLand 38 Hi-E comes in 225-pound tan plastic tubs. The lot number DB 00302716 will be found on the label in the guaranteed analysis panel, which is located on the side of the container. Some of the tubs associated with this lot number contained softened product and levels of urea, a non-protein nitrogen feed ingredient, that exceeded formulated nutrient levels, according to Ridley Block Operations. The company reported that beef cattle with limited forage may be at risk for overconsumption of this free-choice supplement and potentially exposed to urea toxicity. Signs of urea toxicity …
Balter Receives Winnie AwardAugust 1, 2011 Winn Feline Foundation and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation presented the annual Winnie Award and $2,500 to Jessica Balter, DVM, for her promoting of feline health studies. Dr. Balter is a Cornell University graduate and former president of the student chapter of the American Association of Feline Practitioners. Balter coordinated numerous events to educate veterinary students and the community about important aspects of feline medicine. She has been active in trap-neuter-return programs and feral colony care, demonstrating a devotion to the needs of cats in the shelter setting and rescue operations. “I hope to build a strong foundation of medical knowledge which I can use to guide me through the unique aspects of shelter medicine while simultaneously advancing the treatment of shelter animals,” Balter said. She said she gained a deep appreciation of the behavioral needs of cats and a keen appreciation of the need for specialists dedicated to feline medicine after living with rescued felines. Balter will complete a year-long, small animal rotating internship at Brightheart Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center, a specialty hospital on Long Island, N.Y.
