Preparing For The WorstJune 10, 2011Chemical spills, electrical fires and even terroists can force a practice to pause. First responders make up only about 2 percent of the U.S. population, so the other 98 percent would be wise to prepare for a natural disaster or other emergency situation. Complacency and a natural aversion to thinking about potential disasters means veterinarians, like many people, put off making a plan to protect their homes, practices and patients. “Too often veterinarians don’t think about a disaster until it’s on top of them,” says Roberta Dwyer, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVPM, professor at the University of Kentucky and a spokeswoman for the American Association of Equine Practitioners. “Less than 3 percent of veterinarians have a business plan, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.” Recent news events, including the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the tornadoes in the South and Texas wildfires, underscore the imprtance of disaster preparation. Making an emergency plan enables veterinarians and their staff to coherently and effectively act during an emergency. Heather Case, DVM, MPH, Dipl. ACVPM, AVMA, VMAT, says preparing for an emergency doesn’t have to be a negative experience. “I focus on the peace of mind …
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Protecting Pets From HeartwormMay 16, 2011Veterinarians knew resistance would occur eventually. Some say it’s here now, while others remain confident in their products. Fifty five percent of owned dogs and 95 percent of owned cats are not on a preventive heartworm treatment, according to Tom Nelson, DVM, of Animal Medical Center in Anniston, Ala., a past president of the American Heartworm Society. Even when taking heartworm preventive purchases into consideration, there’s no evidence supporting compliance for these “treated” pets, which leads to the question: How many pets are receiving adequate protection? Heartworm disease has been diagnosed in all 50 states and is increasing. With heartworm disease testing occurring in less than half of owned animals, experts are concerned that exposure, the slow-kill method and possibly resistance are leaving pets vulnerable to a potentially deadly threat. “Out of 70 million U.S. dogs, 22 million are tested for heartworm disease and out of 90 million cats, 50,000-60,000 are tested,” Dr. Nelson says. “Prevention compliance is lower now than it has been in years past. Owners are more concerned about a flea or tick infestation because they can see it on their pets, but when it comes to heartworms, concern is low. Even when …
Private Practice Vets Earn $121,000March 18, 2011Survey finds pet vets fared best in 2009. A new study shows that the average salary for private practice veterinarians increased by 5 percent from 2007 to 2009. The figures were based on the 2011 American Veterinary Medical Association Report on Veterinary Compensation, published every two years. The salary boost—from $115,447 in 2007 to $121,303 in 2009—was largely because of higher earnings by companion-animal-exclusive veterinarians. Their average salary rose from $113,373 in 2007 to $124,768 in 2009, according to the AVMA study. Other private practice sectors—mixed animal, companion animal predominant and equine—saw salary decreases. The AVMA attributed the decline to the recession. The average salary for mixed-animal veterinarians fell by 8.6 percent, to $107,064 in 2009; companion-animal-predominant dropped by 2.4 percent, to $117,524; and equine declined by 3.5 percent, $126,641. Food-animal-exclusive veterinarians also saw a pay cut, from $139,612 in 2007 to $131,479 in 2009, or 5.8 percent, but they are still the highest paid veterinarians working in private practice, according to the study. Veterinarians working in public and corporate positions received salary increases from 2007 to 2009, the study reported. The top-earning veterinarians in 2009 …
Flea WarsMarch 9, 2011Persistence is needed to prevent these prolifc intruders. How do manufacturers re-evaluate their flea control products? By analyzing the latest data from parasitology researchers, collecting feedback from veterinarians and owners, and listening to how clients want to medicate their pets. Veterinarians who report client frustration with flea infestations and question whether the product is to blame are off base, said parasitology researcher Michael Dryden DVM, MS, Ph.D. Dr. Dryden, a professor of veterinary parasitology at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, investigates the industry’s most popular flea and tick products, including Advantage, Capstar, Comfortis, Frontline Plus, K9 Advantix, Program, Promeris and Revolution. His research projects focus on flea and tick biology and control, endeavors that stretch from laboratory evaluations of prospective flea and tick products to field studies. “Tampa, Fla., is the flea capital,” says Dryden, who is also known as Dr. Flea. “It’s one of the areas where vets and owners think nothing is working. We used Frontline in homes where pet owners claimed they had been compliant with the various products they had used to rid pets of fleas, and we had success getting rid of fleas100 percent of the time.” Dryden …
Efficacy Vs. CostJanuary 21, 2011 Penny-wise owners can be pound foolish, drugmakers say. Animal owners who question a drug’s price often don’t understand the time, the scientific breakthroughs and the regulatory hurdles involved in bringing a product to market, manufacturers say. “Issues of cost are very real,” says Dana Fertig, DVM, MS, manager of veterinary technical services at Dechra Pharmaceuticals PPC, a British firm with U.S. headquarters in Kansas City, Mo. “The issue of price questioning is where having a trusting relationship with clients can make all the difference. If owners trust that what the veterinarian is recommending is best for their pets, they’re more likely to comply with recommendations. Using something proven to work on the condition means a speedier recovery.” But what clients need to understand most, manufacturers say, is that Food and Drug Administration approval of a drug means the product is efficacious. Luitpold Pharmaceuticals of Shirley, N.Y., is committed to strict adherence to FDA rules and regulations, says Allyn Mann, product manager for Luitpold’s Animal Health Division. “We maintain very high-quality standards for our manufacturing to ensure the ongoing safety, efficacy and concentration of active ingredients that is required for FDA approval. The results …
Mastocytoma Drug Gets Conditional OKJanuary 21, 2011 Veterinarians treating dogs suffering from mast cell tumors now have a new drug in their arsenal: Kinavet-CA1 (masitinib). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted conditional approval to AB Science USA’s product in mid-December. The company began shipping orders in January. “[Kinavet-CA1] gives clinicians a new treatment option which we believe is going to help address a very serious disease,” said Albert Ahn, DVM, president of AB Science USA. Mast cell tumor, also known as mastocytoma, is the most common cutaneous malignant neoplasm in dogs, accounting for 16 to 21 percent of all skin tumors, Dr. Ahn said. Specifically, the approved indication is “for the treatment of recurrent or nonresectable Grade II and III cutaneous mast cell tumors in dogs that have not previously received radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy except corticosteroids,” the company reported. The product is administered orally once a day. Masitinib has been available through AB Science S.A. in Europe for the treatment of canine mast cell tumors since 2009 under the brand name Masivet. The drug has proven very successful, Ahn said. “Our European colleagues continue to be amazed at the strong interest and the excellent results with the use …
Oil Spill Extends To Family PetsSeptember 2, 2010 The Gulf of Mexico disaster that began in April when the BP Deepwater Horizon platform exploded, spilling an estimated 5 million barrels of oil, is reaching much farther than expected. While the toll on wildlife was immediately apparent, the tragedy is now affecting family pets. The number of pets being surrendered by families forced into extreme financial hardship is skyrocketing. Shelters report on average up to four times as many animals being given up for adoption compared to a year ago, according to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation. Ana Zorrilla, CEO of the Louisiana SPCA, says coastal shelters are seeing many more pets. For example, St. Bernard Animal Shelter reported 177 owner-relinquished animals in June, compared to 27 in the year-ago period. Plaquemines Parish took in 131, compared to 112. The statistics are what, in part, spurred AVMF to partner with Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Merial to launch the Gulf Coast Pet Relief Program—AVMF.org/gulf coastpetrelief—to help veterinarians support struggling pet owners affected by the oil spill. “We are all aware of the wide devastation,” said Neil Thompson, CEO of Hill’s. The program will provide $145,000 in cash and food products to help reimburse …
Into The GulfAugust 9, 2010 There’s nowhere else she would rather live and no environment she likes to help more, but Louisiana sure tests the affection of Renee Poirrier, DVM. Since 2005, Dr. Poirrier has rescued animals affected by hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike, by flooding in Shreveport and by a train derailment in Lafayette. Now she’s among the dozens of veterinarians aiding birds and other wildlife imperiled by the massive British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon oil disaster off the U.S. Gulf Coast. Photo by National Marine Fisheries Service. Brian Stacy, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVP, with an oiled Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle during a trip to the Gulf of Mexico as a contract veterinarian with the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Office of Protected Resources. Dr. Stacy is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. “We’re getting pretty good at this [disaster response],” says Poirrier, owner-operator of Acadiana Veterinary Clinic in Lafayette and director of the volunteer Louisiana State Animal Response Team (LSART). At the beginning of July, wildlife rescue and rehabilitation efforts in the gulf involved more than 200 paraprofessionals—those with wildlife-rehab or other animal-health experience and training, …
Planning For A Bigger Tax BiteAugust 9, 2010 Summer has a way of making the stress of last tax season seem like nothing more than a bad dream, not to be relived for many months. But it’s no time to slack off. Rate increases scheduled for the 2011 tax year will affect practice owners, which means acting now to make the most out of the 2010 season. Small-business owners can expect to see a tax hike of $11 billion over the next 10 years, says Mark McGaunn, CPA/PFS, CFP, the managing member of the accounting firm McGaunn & Schwadron of Needham Heights, Mass. Rate and tax law changes will be substantial enough to be noticeable, he says. If a veterinarian’s practice generates a $156,800 profit and she withdraws $106,800 via payroll as salary and pays the remaining $50,000 in profit as a distribution of the profits from the S Corporation, a new law will assess an additional 15.3 percent self-employment tax on that distribution. That’s an extra $7,650 going to the government in 2010. “The tax increase was included in the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010, a mix of extensions of expired tax breaks, spending and physicians’ reimbursement formulas,” McGaunn …
