Animal Forensic Lab Solves Human CasesApril 17, 2009During the investigation of a man who fled after attempting to sexually assault a woman working in her front yard in Iowa in 1999, it was a dog’s urine sample—not the man’s face—that identified him as the attacker. Despite that the victim was unable to identify her attacker in a police line-up, she did remember the vehicle he drove—and the fact that her dog had urinated on one of his car tires. A urine sample, taken from what was suspected to be the perpetrator’s car, was sent to Elizabeth Wictum, director of the forensic division of the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California, Davis, who confirmed the sample had come from the victim’s dog. It was all the evidence needed to get a guilty plea from the attacker, and put him behind bars for two years. No stranger to strange cases, Wictum has seen animal DNA provide enough evidence to put many criminals behind bars. And after working in the forensic lab since its opening in 1999, she’s seen just about everything. “You never know what’s going to come through the door,” Wictum says. “You have to think outside the box.” Each year, the service laboratory tests about …
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Planning For RetirementApril 17, 2009 In the November issue of Veterinary Practice News, Mark Crootof, DMV, discusses how practice owners can plan for retirement. In this Web exclusive, he finishes up with the question of what to do with yourself once it's all said and done. The last question to ask while planning for retirement seems obvious, but it's one which most veterinarians rarely consider: What are you going to do after you retire? Retirement may not be the extended holiday you anticipate. You’ve spent your life working hard and mostly enjoying it, so it’s unreasonable to think that abruptly you’re going to be happy sitting around for the next 30 years. Sure, a week with your feet up is great, but soon you might find you’re itching for something to do. Because most vets work incessantly in their professional careers, the majority have not cultivated the hobbies that might otherwise fill the empty hours. To avoid post-retirement depression, you should start thinking now of how you would like to spend your time. That trip to the French Riviera is appealing, but what are you going to do when you return? Maybe volunteer for a library, work …
Vaccination Facts Vs. FictionApril 17, 2009 The latest iterations of both the canine and feline vaccine guidelines have been available since the end of 2006. Clearly these guidelines have affected how veterinarians select and use vaccines, but questions and controversies remain. The guidelines are available at www.aahanet.org and www.aafponline.org. Why Vaccine Guidelines? One of the most significant reasons for publishing vaccine guidelines is the fact that an unprecedented number of vaccines are available to veterinarians today. There are approximately 23 vaccine antigen types for the dog and 18 types for the cat. Combined, there are over 180 proprietary (trade name) vaccines used in companion animal practices throughout the U.S. But it’s not just the number of vaccines that drives the need for vaccine guidelines. With so many vaccines to choose from, veterinarians continue to express concern over the frequency of vaccination, the duration of immunity of the various vaccines in use, the important changes in vaccine technology (recombinant and DNA), vaccine safety, medical, legal, and ethical responsibilities associated with implementing a rational vaccination program, and much more. Core Vaccines Neither the American Animal Hospital Assn. Canine Vaccine Guidelines nor the American Assn. of …
Prosthetics Advance With OsseointegrationApril 17, 2009 Animal limbs damaged beyond repair are typically amputated, but specialists say the recent success of osseointegration may change the veterinary standard of care. Veterinary oncologists and surgeons performing frequent amputations due to disease or accident are especially interested in finding alternatives to removing an entire limb when only a portion is adversely affected. “Osseointegration is the connection of living tissue and bone with an artificial implant and has seen success through numerous surgeries,” says Denis Marcellin-Little, DEVD, associate professor of orthopedics at North Carolina State University. “The procedure is similar to that used in dentistry with artificial teeth and allows the patient to retain the integrity of the limb.” Infection and implant longevity have stymied vertical evolution of the procedure until now. Dr. Marcellin-Little recently performed osseointegration on a German shepherd missing a portion of its rear leg, while Erick Egger, DVM, associate professor of small-animal orthopedic surgery at Colorado State University, used osseointegration to replace the foot of a Saluki. Both animals are bearing weight on their new limbs. These procedures serve as markers for the future of animal prosthetics. The implant allows the prosthetic limb to attach without chafing or irritation, and gives …
Pet Insurance Rising In Down EconomyApril 17, 2009 Just Politics Just as advocacy groups use presidential elections as platforms to issue general policy statements, several veterinary organizations delivered position statements this year advocating their vision for veterinary health insurance. . The North American Pet Health Insurance Assn., a year-old trade group, spelled out six standards to which its members must adhere. . The American Veterinary Medical Assn.-Group Health Life Insurance Trust issued a white paper that endorses the concept of pet health insurance. (GHLIT concurrently entered an exclusive agreement with Pets Best Insurance and Aetna to offer Pets Best insurance.) . The American Animal Hospital Assn. bestowed its first Seals of Acceptance for pet insurance to the policies of Trupanion and PurinaCare. The three documents share a great deal of common ground, all emphasizing a desire that insurance providers not use their clout to influence veterinary care, fees or choice. Much as the economic crisis loomed large in the election of Barack Obama as president, it also has sparked a heightened interest in pet healh insurance from pet owners and veterinarians. Concerns about the …
How One Clinic Promotes Pet Dental Health MonthApril 17, 2009 Veterinary practices promoting the Pets Need Dental Care, Too campaign next month—National Pet Dental Health Month—can win $1,000. The winning clinic will also receive a free membership to the American Veterinary Dental Society and a one-year subscription to the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry. The campaign is designed to help pet owners better understand the importance of dental care for their pets. It illustrates a three-step program for dental care: Step 1: Take your pet to the veterinarian for a dental exam; A group of community children on tour at Shaker Veterinary Hospital. Step 2: Begin a dental care regimen at home; and Step 3: Schedule regular veterinary checkups. “Veterinary health-care team members should also help their clients understand that while February is the month designated to the promotion of pet dental health, ensuring proper oral care requires a year-long commitment,” said Janet Donlin, DVM, chief of veterinary business channel at Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. of Topeka, Kan., one of the sponsors. “By promoting routine maintenance they help clients prevent periodontal disease and help ensure a healthy life.” Pet-dental seminars and lectures were held for clients and the surrounding …
Fleas & Ticks — What’s New?April 17, 2009 Theories abound as to why clients report more flea and tick infestations despite the availability of the best preventive products the profession has ever seen. Weather patterns, heightened owner awareness and neighborhood wildlife are the most likely reasons clients are slinging questions at veterinarians about ongoing flea and tick infestations and product efficacy, experts say. Although a recent study fingers global warming as the reason ticks are causing more trouble for humans than in past years, the evident issue is clients’ expectations of flea and tick products. Veterinarians might not want to get tangled in the global warming debate, but it’s still necessary for them to educate clients on realistic expectations of the products they recommend. “An overall sense of complacency has seeped into the profession and we’ve gotten away from educating clients,” says Michael Dryden, DVM, Ph.D., professor of veterinary parasitology at Kansas State University. “We treat fleas and they go away, but these products don’t last forever. Treatment must be continued to get rid of the entire infestation. Fleas can lay 40 to 50 eggs a day, and they drop in the carpet and spread anywhere the pet goes. If owners could understand …
Substance Abuse: A Culture Of DenialJune 20, 2008Veterinary Practice News Managing Editor Somyr McLean contributed to this report. Veterinary medicine is the only U.S. medical profession that does not have a national monitoring program for substance abuse and mental health issues. Considering that medical professionals in general have a statistically higher incidence of suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, many who are passionate about veterinary wellness are asking why DVMs are excluded. Authorities say they’re concerned not only for the health of those in the veterinary profession, but for the animals they treat as well. Even basic questions on the issue go unanswered, as no comprehensive, large-scale study of veterinarians and substance abuse has ever been conducted in the U.S. “Veterinarians in need of assistance fear losing their license and the stigma attached to suffering from an addiction or mental issue,” said Jeff Hall, DVM, a self-described recovering addict who formerly chaired the American Veterinary Medical Assn. Wellness Committee. “There isn’t an updated national support database of veterinarians, there isn’t a hotline. There isn’t a catalog of animals harmed by a compromised veterinarian or technician, there’s no statistic that shows veterinarians or staff who succumb to addictions or depression,” Dr. Hall said. “No one is expressing an interest …
After The RecallFebruary 1, 2008pet food recalls that began a year ago in March--one of the most sweeping in the nation's history--irrevocably changed some consumers' buying habits. Ninety-three percent of pet owners knew of the recalls, according to the market research firm Mintel in Chicago. The most common reaction was to switch brands, with 16 percent converting to organic food. Mintel doesn't expect those buyers to remain converts. However, Packaged Facts in Rockville, Md., another research firm, believes the $15.4 billion pet-food market is up for grabs and predicts the winner. "Alternative pet foods are emerging as the primary beneficiaries," says David Lummis, a senior analyst with the firm, writing in Petfood Industry magazine. Among the alternatives he cites are high-end natural and organic pet foods; raw, frozen, refrigerated and homemade food; and U.S.-sourced, locally grown and smaller-batch foods. The category's growth seems unstoppable. Sales of organic pet foods in the U.S. totaled $30 million in 2005, an increase of 46 percent over 2004. In 2006, sales increased 36.7 percent to $41 million, the Organic Trade Assn. says. Whatever choices clients make, today many are armed with a new-found knowledge of pet food manufacturing and ingredients' country of origin. "One of the most significant …
Advice On Planning A Dream RebuildJune 21, 2007Practice owners in the midst of building a new hospital have more than aesthetics to plan for. A new clinic's floor plan should improve workflow efficiency on a day-to-day basis, says Sal Longo of Crosby Longo Architecture Studio, LLC in Lafayette and New Orleans, La. He calls it proper program zoning and says to think of the new clinic in terms of zones: the treatment area, the laboratory, the pharmacy, the exam rooms, etc. Planning how these zones will lay out takes intimate knowledge of the entire veterinary staff's workflow and movement through the hospital, Longo says. Nanette Walker Smith, RVT, of the Veterinary Support Personnel Network, agrees. Having worked in many a hospital where misplaced fixtures and poor floor plans made it difficult to move around, she developed a special interest in and studied veterinary architecture. "Cage and stall doors should all open so as not to occlude the workspace or hallway," she says. "Picture moving a debilitated animal with minimal assistance and multiple IVs or monitors attached from one place to another." Sometimes architects and planners aren't privy to these intricacies, Smith says, so helping them along in their planning will benefit everyone.
