Royal Canin Releases Multiple-Condition Pet FoodJanuary 26, 2016Royal Canin this month released a line of dual-purpose pet foods called Multifunction. Made for dogs and cats, the veterinary-exclusive diets are formulated to manage urinary tract disease and obesity, lower urinary tract disease and food sensitivity, or chronic kidney disease and food sensitivity. A fourth recipe, for cats only, targets lower urinary tract disease and anxiety. “Precise nutrition aids in the management of many common conditions,” said Brent Mayabb, the St. Charles, Mo., company’s vice president of corporate affairs. Nearly half of all pets suffer from multiple health conditions, Royal Canin reported. The cat diet is named Urinary + Calm. The others are Urinary + Satiety, Urinary + Hydrolyzed Protein, and Renal Support + Hydrolyzed Protein. More information is available at www.royalcanin.com/multifunction.
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KC Corridor Seeks Award, Investment NomineesJanuary 26, 2016The Kansas City Animal Health Corridor is looking for the next Magnomics and Ralph C. Richardson. The organization, which works to raise awareness of and stimulate the region’s animal health industry, issued calls for companies desiring a spot in the annual Investment Forum and for individuals worthy of the Iron Paw Award. The Portuguese company Magnomics was among 17 young businesses that went onstage last summer in Kansas City, Mo., to present their products or ideas to an audience of potential investors. Magnomics took home the Innovation Award in recognition of the company’s sales pitch. At the Homecoming Dinner the day before, Dr. Richardson, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, was honored with the Iron Paw Award for his contributions to the animal health industry. He is the former dean of the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. The 2016 dinner will take place Aug. 29. The Investment Forum is set for Aug. 30. A committee will select the presenters in the eighth annual Investment Forum. Besides Magnomics, chosen companies have included FitBark Inc., Jaguar Animal Health and Nexvet Biopharma. Applicants must require from $500,000 to $20 million in funding and have revenue projections of at least $20 million within five to …
Bobcat Being Treated at University of Illinois Gets OK to Go HomeJanuary 26, 2016The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine has given the OK for a young bobcat to return to its home state of Indiana for pre-release physical therapy. The bobcat suffered a fractured pelvis in late November after being hit by a car when crossing a road with her mother and sibling. (Both the other animals escaped injury.) The injured bobcat was transferred to Illinois from WildCare Inc., a Bloomington, Ind., wildlife rehabilitation center, which was unable to cover the cost of the orthopedic surgery. Orthopedic surgeons at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital agreed to perform the procedure at a discounted price. Treatment has included a four-hour surgery at the university’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital and six weeks of postoperative care by the volunteers in the Wildlife Medical Clinic. “Rarely do members of the Wildlife Medical Clinic have the chance to impact an ecosystem in such a significant way with one animal,” Nicki Rosenhagen, DVM, said at the time the bobcat was admitted. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE These X-rays …
Sexiest Veterinarian Still Pretty Damn SexyJanuary 26, 2016Meet Evan Antin, DVM. Yep. This actually happened. Northern breeds def make some of the most ridiculously cute puppies EVER! Right!? #pelfiewednesday #pelfie #puppyvet #puppy #malamute #malamutepuppy #sillfloofbundle #puppybelly A photo posted by Evan Antin ???????????????????????????????????????????? (@dr.evanantin) on Jan 20, 2016 at 12:57pm PST He's a DVM at Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Sometimes a hug is necessary....i just love awkward cats ???? Who else is a cat person? #CatLover #Veterinary #Medicine #ILoveMyJob A photo posted by Evan Antin ???????????????????????????????????????????? (@dr.evanantin) on Dec 10, 2015 at 10:12am PST Back in late 2014, he was named "Sexiest Beast Charmer” in the annual People's magazine “Sexiest Man Alive” issue.
More Apoquel on Way for Dogs, Zoetis SaysJanuary 25, 2016The popular anti-itch drug Apoquel, which remains in short supply two years after its release, should be freely available in the months ahead as Zoetis Inc. continues to increase production, according to company officials. “Hopefully by this time next year we won’t be having conversations [like this],” said J. Michael McFarland, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, the company’s group director of companion animal marketing. Dr. McFarland addressed several subjects during a media briefing this month at the North American Veterinary Community conference in Orlando, Fla. He was joined by Shelley Stanford, DVM, MS, MBA, the group director of companion animal veterinary professional services, as they outlined the Apoquel distribution strategy and how the drug compares with Zoetis’ newer Canine Atopic Dermatitis Immunotherapeutic. Zoetis will gradually lift Apoquel purchase restrictions, McFarland said. “We’re understandably concerned at this point in time that if we just open up the dike and let product flow that there could be some product hoarding,” he said. “It may be awhile before we know what the real, true pent-up demand for the product is, so we want to release the product in a more slow and steady manner.” Why Zoetis has had trouble mass-producing Apoquel has not been …
Penn Vet Professor to Receive Louis Braille Award for Blindness ResearchJanuary 25, 2016Gustavo D. Aguirre, VMD, Ph.D., a professor of medical genetics and ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet), has been selected to receive the 2016 Louis Braille Award for innovative research and treatment of inherited blinding diseases. The award will be presented January 29 at the 56th Annual Louis Braille Awards Ceremony in Philadelphia by the Associated Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired. “The goal of my work is to treat and hopefully cure blindness through gene therapies and other strategies,” Dr. Aguirre said. “I am truly honored by this recognition from an organization that shares my commitment to improving the lives of people with vision disorders.” Aguirre has investigated the genetic basis of a variety of inherited vision disorders, including Leber’s congenital amaurosis, Best disease, achromatopsia and retinitis pigmentosa. His work on novel gene therapy approaches to treatment, which deliver to the eye a functional copy of a gene that is otherwise lacking, has restored vision in animal models of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa and Leber’s congential amaurosis, according to Penn Vet. The Leber congenital amaurosis therapy is now in human clinical trials.
Vetoquinol Logo, Website Get Face-liftJanuary 25, 2016The veterinary drug company Vetoquinol has put an emphasis on achievement through a rebranding campaign and redesigned Canadian website. The animal health company, which serves the cattle, swine, equine, cat and dog markets, unveiled the slogan “Achieve More Together” as part of a revamped logo. “This new motto clearly showcases the importance placed by the team on cohesion, unity and cooperation with clients and partners,” the company stated. New features on the Canadian website, www.vetoquinol.ca, include products pages designed to be more user-friendly and an expanded “About Us” section that includes the company’s history, mission, values and achievements. The website may be displayed in English or French. Vetoquinol is based in Lavaltrie, Quebec, Canada, and has U.S. operations in Fort Worth, Texas.
USPS's New Forever Stamps Feature PetsJanuary 22, 2016Do you have to send out some letters? Then you’ll need to use the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) new 2016 Pets Stamps. According to the USPS: “To celebrate America’s love for pets, the Postal Service will issue a booklet of 20 Forever stamps featuring photographs of 20 pets. Each photograph represents an animal we love from these groups: puppies, betta fish, iguanas, hamsters, goldfish, parrots, guinea pigs, tortoises, rabbits, kittens, corn snakes, mice, hermit crabs, chinchillas, gerbils, dogs, parakeets, horses, cats, and geckos. The photographs were taken by Eric Isselée and Derry Noyes was the art director.” Other stamps design include: Sarah Vaughan Star Trek NASA’s New Horizons mission Trucks Shirley Temple Flowers Soda fountain fans Holidays “Our stamps articulate the American experience through miniature works of art,” said Acting Stamp Services Director Mary-Anne Penner in a USPS press release. “Our diverse stamp topics for 2016 are sure to appeal to everyone, and with the New Year just around the corner, now is a perfect time to get started in stamp collecting. It’s an educational hobby the entire family can enjoy.” Personal cards and letters can be a great way to …
Driver Flees Scene After Crashing Into Veterinary ClinicJanuary 19, 2016Many things come bounding into a veterinary hospital’s doors — and they’re usually of the four-legged variety (the ones that aren’t scared, that is). For Nottingham Animal Clinic in Houston, it was an SUV that came barreling through, damaging the clinic on Memorial Drive and Tully so severely that it is estimated it will cost $100,000 to fix it. Houston Police are still looking for the driver, who fled the scene after the incident at approximately 4 a.m. this past Sunday. The passenger of the vehicle stayed at the scene, KHOU reports; however, he did not say much except for an apology. James (Skip) Fix, DVM, owns the clinic and told KHOU of the accident, “The front desk counter was all the way back here. There was just total destruction. The vehicle had probably gone about 20 feet inside the building. The police officer said he tried to back out.” Fix told KHOU that he believes the driver was under the influence of alcohol. Dr. Fix added that the clinic cats in the back were “freaked out” but were otherwise fine. Unfortunately, one kitten was …
SCVMA Symposium Focuses on Mental HealthJanuary 19, 2016The Ontario Veterinary College of the University of Guelph recently hosted more than 250 veterinary students at the annual Students of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (SCVMA) Symposium. This year’s theme, chosen by the students, was mental health. “We chose the theme ‘The Elephant in the Room – Stomping out Stigma in Veterinary Medicine’ because it gives students an opportunity to explore some of the subjects in veterinary medicine that most people do not like to discuss,” said Jamie Freeman-Braganca, SCVMA Symposium Chair and second-year student at the Ontario Veterinary College. “We want to face this topic head-on and open up the floor for discussion of these difficult topics.” In addition to wet labs, lectures and demonstrations to broaden student’s exposure to the many facets of veterinary medicine, the SCVMA Symposium has added lectures on stress management and how to cope with compassion fatigue. The two-day January event closed with its keynote speaker, Terry Whiting, DVM, who is an OVC graduate and now Manager of Health and Welfare for the Province of Manitoba. He spoke freely about his own battle with …
