How Class IV Lasers EvolvedApril 17, 2009Class IV therapeutic lasers are about 50 times more powerful than Class IIIa or IIIb lasers, which were first to enter the market, says John Godbold, DVM, of Stonehaven Park Veterinary Hospital in Jackson, Tenn., a 30-year practitioner. "The Class III can be used on the same procedures, but takes more time to perform treatments and may not reach the same tissue depth as the Class IV laser," Godbold says. The important parameters for successful laser therapy are wavelength and output power, according to experts. "Higher power lasers—Class IV, with optimal wavelength for penetration, allows for an optimal treatment dosage in a reasonable treatment time," says Brian Pryor, Ph.D., president of LiteCure, manufacturer of the Companion Therapy Laser. "A therapy laser using 5 or 6 watts of output power can perform effective treatments for companion animal disorders in 5 to 10 minutes. The Class III therapeutic laser technology can reach deeper tissue, but the length of time to reach desirable results can be prohibitive in a clinical environment. "By having a large spot size and a larger amount of power, the user doesn't have to be as anatomically precise and can treat a broader area, increasing the rate of success. …
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ChemNutra Calls For Pet Food Ingredients Safety SummitApril 17, 2009 The summit, which is for ingredients importers, analysis laboratories and manufacturers, aims to begin drafting import standards and specifications for pet food ingredients, not only from China, but from around the world. The conference is tentatively scheduled for July 14 in Las Vegas. “We are not trying to in any way supersede or interfere with the government agencies who will also, we’re sure, be establishing new protocols,” says Steve Miller, chief executive officer of ChemNutra. “Rather, we seek to move for self-improvement at the quickest possible pace, even while new rules or legislation are being considered.” He says the meeting’s purpose is to establish a process for collectively drafting new testing and import standards for pet foods and to discern the industry’s interest in establishing a new trade association with the mission to ensure the safety of pet food ingredients and pet food. <HOME>
Three Elements Of Expert Dental CareApril 17, 2009 The most common question I receive via e-mail centers on dental operatory design in the companion-animal practice. Space, equipment and technology advancements always lead the list of practitioner points of interest. My answer is always the same: The veterinarian’s commitment to continuing education, the technical staff’s skill levels and the veterinarian’s willingness to dedicate proper time to oral diagnostics, consultation and the explanation of treatment algorithms all influence operatory design parameters. Once this is indexed on an oral technology spread sheet, the rest is quite simple. General practitioners must have proper knowledge of oral pathology. For example, knowing the differences between reversible gingivitis, stages I and II, and irreversible periodontitis, stages I and II, should be part of a staff’s continuing education. Gram-positive bacteria become re-established within 24 hours of routine periodontal prophylaxis. In the following weeks, plaque increases with the introduction of Gram-negative rods, cocci and filamentous forms. This causes acute inflammation with a strong immune response. In the months ahead, gingivitis is well established without proper care. Supragingival inflammation becomes subgingival as inflammatory cells migrate below the free gingival margins. If untreated, the bacteria continue to migrate deep into the pocket …
New Campaign Touts Vets Are A Pet’s Best FriendApril 17, 2009To help promote regular veterinarian visits for pets, Maddie's Fund has launched the Pets Love Vets campaign in Northern Nevada. It includes a paid television advertisement, which began airing Monday and will run until mid-July on local network and cable stations, encouraging pet owners to visit their veterinarians and establish an ongoing relationship. Campaign fliers will also be distributed to veterinary hospitals and pet stores. "Pets are like members of our family," said Rich Avanzino, president of Maddie's Fund. "Just as we rely on a family doctor for ourselves and our children, our pets, too, deserve regular care. We believe that starting a lasting relationship with a trusted local veterinarian is one of the best ways to ensure longer, healthier lives for pets." Northern Nevada was selected as a pilot site to complement current pet welfare activities conducted by local veterinarians and shelters and because it has an excellent animal wellness network, Avanzino said. Pets Love Vets is Maddie's Fund's second project in the Northern Nevada area. In February, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Northern Nevada launched a low-cost neuter program for low-income resident in order to reduce the area's animal shelter …
Contagious Equine Metritis Confirmed In CaliforniaApril 17, 2009 The California Department of Food and Agriculture recently confirmed that a 12-year-old mare tested positive for contagious equine metritis. The mare, which remains under quarantine while being treated for the reproductive disease, was bred via artificial insemination using shipped semen collected from a CEM-positive stallion, according to the department. The mare is part of an investigation involving 45 states that aims to identify horses with CEM. Eleven stallions and three mares have been confirmed infected. They include three stallions in Indiana, four in Kentucky, one in Texas and three in Wisconsin, as well as the California mare and single mares in Wisconsin and Illinois. Nationwide, about 580 horses have been considered exposed to infected horses. All horses that may have been exposed to the disease are cultured and treated to prevent the infection from spreading. The source of the outbreak has not been determined. <HOME>
Pet Food Recall Impacts Idexx’s RevenueApril 17, 2009 Idexx Laboratories Inc.’s companion animal division reported that its revenue for the first quarter ended March 31 and increased 24 percent to $173.4 million from $139.4 million in the year-ago period. The recent pet food recalls have had a positive effect on Idexx’s reference laboratories and instrument consumables businesses, according to Jonathan Ayers, chairman and chief executive officer. “Particularly strong revenue growth in [these businesses] resulted in part from the well-publicized pet food recalls during the quarter, which we believe caused an unusually high number of pet visits to the veterinary clinic for exams that included diagnostic testing,” he said. Overall, the company reported net income of $21 million on revenue of $211.2 million for its first quarter, compared to net income of $18.3 million on revenue of $168.2 million in the year-ago period. Idexx also provided revised guidance for the full year of 2007. Idexx expects revenue to be $890 million to $897 million, updated from $875 million to $887 million. <HOME>
ImproMed To Host Website Open HouseApril 17, 2009 ImproMed Inc. of Oshkosh, Wis., will have a website open house 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. CST April 3. The live webinars are geared for referral/specialty practices, mobile veterinarians and general practice professionals. The company will give a demonstration of the Infinity practice management software, a presentation on the Web-based reminder card website www.RmCards.com and a business webinar. Attendees will also have the chance to participate in live chat sessions with ImproMed’s system personnel and other employees. Each registered guest has a chance to win prizes such as an Apple iPod Touch, ImproMed and RmCards.com gift cards, Visa gift cards, restaurant gift cards and ImproMed apparel, among others. Click here for details. <HOME>
Light Therapy On ShiloApril 17, 2009 Shilo suffers from osteoarthritis in several joints--in particular the left stifle and the right tarsus (hock). As a result, her gait is not normal, and this has caused compensatory pain her back. In this photo, Shilo is having the painful areas of her back treated with low-level laser therapy. We are delivering 4J/cm2 of energy using a Respond (TM) Class IIIb laser. The laser probe output is 500 mW with a 904 nm wavelength and we are using a pulse frequency of 585 pps (Hz). <HOME>
MariCal Names New CEOApril 17, 2009 MariCal, an animal health and nutrition biotechnology company based in Portland, Maine, has named Bruce Andrews as its new chief executive officer. Andrews is a former president and CEO of Alpharma Inc.’s Animal Health Division, a global manufacturer and marketer of pharmaceutical and feed additive products for livestock, poultry and fish. “I look forward to assisting MariCal in the pursuit of successful performance enhancement, prophylactic and therapeutic technology applications based on the company’s novel CaSR [Calcium Sensing Receptor] platform technology,” Andrews said. “MariCal has the potential to develop a number of products for both food producing and companion animal species worldwide.” Steven Morrell, a senior partner of Teknoinvest, a Norway-based venture capital company and shareholder in MariCal, is stepping down from his CEO post to dedicate more time to MariCal’s subsidiary businesses in commercial aquaculture production. <HOME>
20 Ways To Prevent Infection Without AntibioticsApril 17, 2009Many of us overuse antibiotics postoperatively, which can lead to side effects, such as vomiting and diarrhea, and antibiotic resistance in our patients. There are, however, many other ways to reduce the infection rate in surgical patients. In human surgery, such practices have enabled a 25 percent reduction in nosocomial infections, also called hospital-acquired infections. The standard for most elective procedures is to give an intravenous antibiotic such as cefazolin 30 minutes before the skin incision, and every 90 minutes under anesthesia. Specific procedures (e.g. colorectal surgery) may require specific antibiotics. Beyond antibiotics, there are a number of ways to prevent infections. Oxygenation Good oxygenation of the patient allows killing of bacteria via oxidative processes. Preoxygenation and short-term postoperative oxygenation can therefore be beneficial to fight surgical site infection. There are other obvious benefits, especially for patients with cardiac or respiratory diseases and brachycephalic patients who will also benefit from postoperative oxygenation. Enhancing oxygenation also requires good perfusion, which entails giving IV fluids. In most healthy stable patients, lactated Ringer’s solution is administered at 10 ml/kg/hr. We have all experienced the seemingly stable patient undergoing a the most “routine” procedure, such as a spay or a neuter, suddenly having anesthetic …
