Vivalis And Fort Dodge Reach Vaccine AgreementApril 17, 2009 Vivalis and Fort Dodge Animal Health have signed a commercial license to use the EB66 cell line, derived from duck embryonic stem cells, for the production of several veterinary vaccines. The cell line is a product of Vivalis, a French biopharmaceutical company that provides cell-based solutions to the pharmaceutical industry for the manufacture of vaccines and proteins, and develops drugs for the prevention and treatment of viral diseases. “Vivalis is pleased to enter in this new commercial agreement with one of the major players in this field,” said Frank Grimaud, chief executive officer of Vivalis. “This agreement confirms that our EB66 cell line is a very attractive alternative to embryonated eggs for the industrial production of viral vaccines both for human and animal health.” Steve Chu, DVM, Ph.D., executive vice president of animal health research and development at Fort Dodge Animal Health, said: “This collaboration demonstrates Fort Dodge’s continuous commitment to evaluate and utilize novel technology, which may offer several potential advantages over conventional methods for the development and manufacture of biologics for animal health.” Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Fort Dodge Animal Health, a division …
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Deciphering 13 Surgeon PhrasesApril 17, 2009Surgeons love quotes. In a few words, a good quote summarizes the wisdom accumulated by past generations. Sometimes borrowed from others, sometimes definitely unique, quotes are important to live by in the operating room as long as we all understand that they are tongue in cheek. 1. A chance to cut is a chance to cure Most of us live for surgery. It's pretty simple, really: If a patient has a tumor, cut it out. If a dog has a twisted stomach, untwist it (and pexy it!). If the patient is paralyzed, remove the herniated disc. Surgeons are more open-minded than many credit them for. For example, most surgeons now realize that a perianal fistula is not a surgical condition. Because of its immune-mediated etiology, it often is best treated with drugs such as cyclosporine. Some open wounds heal quickly and cosmetically with simple hydrotherapy. Other wounds respond very well to Epsom salt soaks. Surely, there are other examples of patients who may not benefit from surgery. Our musically inclined readers may be interested in this factoid: "A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure" is an album by a San Francisco duo named Matmos. They apparently added their …
Gene Responsible For Bladder Stones In Dalmatians FoundApril 17, 2009 Researchers at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine have identified a gene mutation that causes high levels of uric acid and bladder stones in Dalmatians. Elevated levels of uric acid is a trait found in all Dalmatians; other dog breeds do not usually produce uric acid, according to the university. These high levels can cause bladder stones which often have to be removed surgically. With this finding, dog breeders may be able to eliminate this trait. “This defect, which in dogs is peculiar to the entire Dalmatian breed, has been reported for nearly a century and was probably unintentionally introduced as breeders worked to select more distinctive spotting patterns,” said Danika Bannasch, DVM, Ph.D., lead author on the study. “It is now possible that this trait can be removed from the breed by crossing Dalmatians with the normal offspring of the original Dalmatian-pointer breeding that occurred in the early 1970s,” she said. The Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the school will begin offering DNA testing for the mutation in dogs by Dec. 1. The discovery will also help scientists better understand the related problem in humans. Elevated …
Morris Leads Effort To Cure Canine CancerApril 17, 2009 Cancer is the No. 1 cause of natural death in canines, a fact that has prompted a $30 million effort to cure canine cancer within a dog’s lifetime—the next 10 to 20 years. The fundraising is being led by the Morris Animal Foundation, which is coordinating research opportunities with a network of global scientists including veterinarians, oncologists, epidemiologists, geneticists and molecular biologists. Scientists are ready and willing to work with each other, says Patricia Olson, DVM, chief executive officer and president of the foundation. Morris Animal Foundation hopes to raise the $30 million between now and April 2012. The monies will fund clinical trials, prevention studies related to genetics and the canine genome, funding of a tumor tissue bank and the establishment of an endowment to guarantee continued research efforts. A clinical trial is already under way involving the evaluation of a new treatment for osteosarcoma in dogs. Other focus studies are still being evaluated by researchers. The initiative is also attracting corporate support, including a $1.1 million donation from Pfizer Animal Health. The money will go toward the Canine Comparative Oncology and Genetics Consortium, which recently launched the Pfizer-CCOGC Biospecimen Repository. Morris and …
Mandatory Spay/Neuter Proposal Revived In ChicagoApril 17, 2009 The dog and cat population is making news in Chicago once again with the resurfacing of a mandatory spay/neuter proposal, which attempts to address the issues that stalled the original bill. In the new proposal, set to be voted on at a committee meeting Thursday, March 12, a $100 fine would be imposed on a third offense for not having a pet spayed or neutered by 6 months of age. The original fine was set at $500. Sponsors of the ordinance say the goal is to prevent attacks by packs of stray dogs and to reduce the dog population in the city’s shelters. Opponents, which include the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association, maintain that spay/neuter surgery should not be a mandate, and prefer voluntary methods. The new measure, released by Alderman Edward Burke, also would also establish the following guidelines for breeders: • Prohibits the breeding of female dogs and cats more than once a year unless they get special permission. • Bans the sale of puppies and kittens before 8 weeks of age. • Requires breeders to provide veterinary and vaccination records to puppy and kitten purchasers. • Requires that the breeding-permit number be displayed …
Pet-Related Falls Injure More Than 86,000 AnnuallyApril 17, 2009 Nearly 30 out of every 100,000 Americans are treated annually in a medical emergency facility for injuries sustained during falls caused by cats or dogs, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study slated for release on March 27. The study provides the first national estimates of fall injuries associated with cats and dogs, which account for about 1 percent of the nation’s 8 million fall-related injuries treated by emergency departments each year. Overall, the CDC estimated 86,629 fall injuries each year were associated with cats and dogs, with dogs causing nearly 88 percent of the injuries. This estimate is likely underestimated because it did not include injuries that were not treated at all or were treated at home, physician offices, or non-emergency outpatient facilities. Women were more than twice as likely as men to seek medical attention at an emergency department due to a pet-related fall, the government said. The most common primary injury diagnosis was fracture (30.7 percent), followed by contusions/abrasions (26.2 percent), strain/sprain (18.8 percent) laceration (12.8 percent) and internal injury (4.2 percent). Although injuries were most frequent among people under 14 years or between 35 and 54 …
Chenango Valley Expands Dry Pet Food RecallApril 17, 2009 The possibility of cross-contamination is feared. Chenango Valley Pet Foods, which previously recalled dry pet foods that were manufactured with a shipment of rice protein concentrate, is now expanding its voluntary recall to include other pet foods. The newly-recalled products don’t contain rice protein concentrate, but were manufactured during periods when rice protein concentrate formulas were processed. The recall of the products is precautionary due to the possibility of cross-contamination, Chenango Valley says. The dry pet foods being recalled are: • DOCTORS FOSTER & SMITH LAMB & BROWN RICE FORMULA ADULT DOG FOOD, NET WT. 6 LBS. (UPC 25141 28244), 15 LBS. (25141 30074), and 30 LBS. (UPC 25141 06043); Date Codes: Best By Feb 09 09 and Best By Feb 26 09; • SHOP RITE REDI-MIXT DOG FOOD FOR DOGS, NET WT. 25 LB. (UPC 41190 00555), Date Code: Code C7107; • LICK YOUR CHOPS KITTEN & CAT FOOD, NET WEIGHT 4 LBS. (UPC 32976 25915), and 18 LBS. (UPC 32976 25925); Date Code: Best Used By April 29 08; • SHEP chunk style dog food, NET WT. 20 LBS. (UPC 41498 14142); Date Code: Best By March 14 08; • 8 in 1 Ferret …
Hill’s Pet Nutrition Recalls Cat FoodApril 17, 2009 Prescription Diet dry food may contain bad wheat gluten. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. has announced that it is voluntarily recalling its Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food from the market due to possible contamination. Hill’s is taking this precautionary action, it says, because during a two-month period in early 2007, wheat gluten for the product was provided by a company that also supplied wheat gluten to Menu Foods, the manufacturer now recalling dozens of pet foods. U.S. Food and Drug Administration tests of wheat gluten samples from this period show the presence of a small amount of melamine, a substance used in fertilizer, as well as in floor tiles, kitchenware and other household products. Prescription Diet m/d Feline Dry, which represents less than one half of one percent of all Hill’s products, is the only product Hill’s currently sells in the United States that contains wheat gluten from any supplier and no other Hill’s Prescription Diet or Science Diet products are affected by this voluntary recall, according to the company. Previously, Hill’s Science Diet Savory Cuts Feline canned cat foods, manufactured by Menu Foods, were withdrawn from the market as a precaution. Together with …
AVMA Urges Greater Vet Oversight In Meat ProductionApril 17, 2009 Responding to a Department of Agriculture report, the American Veterinary Medical Assn. on Dec. 12 called for increased veterinary oversight of preslaughter activities at U.S. meat plants. The USDA Office of the Inspector General report followed an investigation of the Hallmark/Westland beef recall this year. Investigators examined the history of Food Safety and Inspection Service inspections at Hallmark/Westland and at 10 other facilities, which slaughter older dairy or beef cows removed from the herd for various reasons, usually because of decreased production. The report indicated, among other things, too few veterinarians in inspection positions. “This report proves that personnel from the front-line supervisor to the public health veterinarian were overtasked and they could not keep up with all of the inspection procedures they were charged with carrying out,” said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “The public health veterinarian at the Hallmark/Westland plant was by himself, where before, there were two veterinarians assigned to the plant. “If the Food Safety and Inspection Service does not assign a sufficient number of inspectors, supervisors and veterinarians and provide the training they require, we take a gamble with food safety and …
UF Gets Grant To Expand Shelter Medicine ProgramApril 17, 2009 The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine recently received a three year, $1.7 million grant from Maddie’s Fund to expand its shelter medicine program. Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program is geared to enhance support for local animal rescue operations, improve disease control and adoption rates among shelter animals and expand professional training. “This is a transitional time for the animal welfare field as growing demand for animal-friendly solutions is challenging traditional sheltering paradigms,” said Julie Levy, DVM, Ph.D., who will become the Maddie’s professor of shelter medicine at the college and was a co-investigator on the grant. “There is an international desire to shift from a reactive animal-control model in which massive numbers of animals are processed through shelters with an overall high euthanasia rate to one in which proactive preventive measures reduce shelter admissions with individualized programs tailored to different types of animals to result in higher save rates.” Cynda Crawford, DVM, Ph.D., a co-discoverer of the canine influenza virus, will be the Maddie’s clinical assistant professor of shelter medicine. She will work with Dr. Levy and Natalie Isaza, DVM, to implement additional clinical and educational programs. …
