Mississippi State Rescues Abuse Victims’ PetsJune 19, 2015One by one, Mississippi State University veterinarians and their students are doing all they can to look after the pets of women who seek refuge in a local domestic violence shelter. The effort is part of the college’s Safe Haven for Pets program, which since 2009 has taken in 38 animals and kept each of them secure, fed and healthy for an average of 32 days. Safe Haven for Pets, the recent recipient of a $1,000 grant from the American Kennel Club Humane Fund, was started by clinical professor Sharon Fooshee Grace, MS, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, Dipl. ACVIM. While women find safekeeping at the Care Lodge Domestic Violence Shelter in Meridian, Miss., their pets get a temporary home with the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “There is a definite connection between domestic violence and animal cruelty and other forms of violence,” said Dr. Fooshee Grace, who launched a similar program when she was in private practice in Tennessee. “In a house with domestic violence, animals are often the first victims as the violence escalates. Concern for pets also can keep human victims in the house too long. “Having a safe place for their pets may help victims escape …
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Putney Releases Another FDA-Approved GenericJune 19, 2015Generic drug maker Putney Inc. has launched Tiletamine-Zolazepam injectable, a version of Telazol and the company’s sixth new veterinary product in the past seven months. Tiletamine-Zolazepam (tiletamine HCl and zolazepam HCl) injectable is formulated to restrain cats and dogs and to act as anesthesia during minor surgery. The medication, which has U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, is equivalent to the Zoetis Inc. drug Telazol (tiletamine HCl and zolazepam HCl). Putney, based in Portland, Maine, is selling Tiletamine-Zolazepam directly to veterinarians and through smaller distributors. Agreements between some larger drug manufacturers and distributors “continue to block veterinarians and U.S. consumers from accessing cost-saving generic drugs,” Putney President and CEO Jean Hoffman said. “Blocking agreements are the only reason that Putney does not have its full line of products at every established veterinary distributor serving companion animal veterinarians in the United States,” she said. “Distributors are not opposed to carrying our products,” she added. “In fact, distributors would like to carry our veterinary generics, and in cases where they have not been contractually prohibited from carrying our products, distributors report strong sales of Putney’s generic drugs.” A Federal Trade Commission report issued in May noted a relatively small number …
Kids Learn About Veterinary Medicine From Purdue VetsJune 19, 2015Someone once told me that the best advice they received was to start early on their career path. He suggested knowing what you want to do before starting high school and then working your way toward that career from that point on. Others, however, such as those at Purdue University, start kids on their career paths even earlier than that. In fact, they start them on it in kindergarten. Every week at the Hanna Community Center in Lafayette, Indiana, children from kindergarten through fourth grade meet to learn about veterinary medicine from professionals in the field as well as veterinary professors and students through a program called Fat Dogs and Coughing Horses, according to JConline. The program began in 2009. Back then it was a classroom-designed curriculum in which Purdue professor Sandra San Miguel, DVM, would visit the classrooms to speak with the children about veterinary medicine. However, teachers had difficulty finding the time to incorporate the lesson and San Miguel’s visit into their existing curriculum, leading Dr. San Miguel to start an after-school program. She, along with her team, teaches the kids about anatomy, raising monarch butterflies, asthmatic horses and more. To San Miguel, it was …
AVBEC Thursday is Back! Enter Now!June 18, 2015Enter our "A Veterinary Book for Every Clinic Sweepstakes" (AVBEC) sweepstakes! Fill out the form below for the chance to win a copy of “BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Ophthalmology, Third Edition” courtesy of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association and WILEY. The editors of Veterinary Practice News will randomly choose 5 winners. According to the publisher, "This new edition of one of the BSAVA’s most popular Manuals has been extensively revised, drawing on the expertise of a predominantly new roster of authors. The Manual focuses on common ophthalmic conditions in dogs and cats, structured into examination and clinical techniques; diagnosis and treatment of common ocular diseases, and a problem-oriented approach to common clinical presentations. The Manual provides an accessible source of practical information for general practitioners, veterinary students, nurses and technicians, and will also be a useful resource for those working toward specialist qualifications." Entries close at 11:59 P.M. PDT on Wednesday, June 24, 2015. One entry per household. Fill out the form below for the chance to a copy of BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Ophthalmology, Third Edition. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER. Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the 50 United States or District of Columbia, …
Comment Now on Future of Compounded DrugsJune 18, 2015Veterinarians have until Aug. 17 to weigh in on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s proposed policy on the compounding of animal drugs from bulk active ingredients. Released in May, “Guidance for Industry No. 230” acknowledges that the compounding of animal drugs from bulk substances is currently illegal but may be an appropriate treatment option in some cases. “This draft guidance, once finalized, will help to ensure that animal drugs compounded from bulk drug substances are available for patient care without compromising the animal drug approval process or jeopardizing the safety of the food supply,” said Bernadette Dunham, DVM, Ph.D., director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. The agency also is asking veterinarians to suggest bulk substances that compounders could use to create medications “for an individual animal patient or veterinarian office use under specified conditions.” The agency stated that drugs compounded from bulk ingredients should be medications of last resort in many cases. “FDA is concerned about the use of [these] animal drugs … especially when approved alternatives exist that can be used as labeled or in an extralabel manner,” the document states. “Compounded drugs have not undergone premarket FDA review of safety, effectiveness or …
Everyone's Recreating Chris Pratt's Scene from Jurassic World. Will You?June 18, 2015It started with zookeepers recreating the iconic scene from Jurassic World, featuring Chris Pratt's character stopping raptors from attacking a worker. Now everyone is joining in, and you should too! Check out these photos from Heather Prochnow (ironvet2084) and Katie Martocci (kmart317) Instagram as they tried to recreate the scene. Challenge accepted. #prattkeeping #jurassiczoo #jurassiczookeeping #velocikitties A photo posted by Heather Prochnow (@ironvet2084) on Jun 18, 2015 at 12:09pm PDT Seriously. Herding cats. #velocikittens #jurassiczookeeping #jurassiczoo #prattkeeping A photo posted by Heather Prochnow (@ironvet2084) on Jun 18, 2015 at 12:13pm PDT Today, we wrangled up some wild kittens...Jurassic World style! #PrattKeeping …
Savannah Cats Take Part in Cornell’s Biobank StudyJune 18, 2015Two Savannah cats recently stopped by the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine to donate blood samples and undergo testing for a feline health screening study. This will help build a database of genetic sequences and medical information that scientists will use to identify the underlying causes of many inherited diseases of cats, according to Marta Castelhano, DVM, director of Cornell Veterinary Biobank. Conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and diabetes mellitus may have some basis in genetics, Dr. Castelhano said. By comparing DNA from cats that have these diseases with DNA from healthy cats, the Biobank hopes to locate the genes responsible, he further said. These answers will help identify cats at risk of disease and may eventually aid in developing more effective treatments, said Bruce Kornreich, DVM, Ph.D., associate director of the Cornell Feline Health Center, which helps fund the Biobank. The Savannah cat is a cross between a domestic cat and a species of wild cat native to Africa called a serval, a breeding that results in a cat with some features of both animals, according to Cornell University. The two Savannahs that visited, Motzie and Peanut, live in Oklahoma with their owner Deborah-Ann Milette, …
Trupanion Announces "Veterinary Appreciation Day"June 18, 2015 (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Wishing a very happy Veterinarian Appreciation Day today to all of the amazing, compassionate and dedicated... Posted by Trupanion on Thursday, June 18, 2015 Trupanion, a Seattle-based company that provides medical insurance for dogs and cats, has declared June 18, 2015 to be the first annual “Veterinary Appreciation Day.” Encouraging pet owners everywhere to says to their veterinarians, Trupanion created this day to “recognize veterinarians and the wonderful work they do, dedicating countless hours and compassionate care to help animals thrive,” according to a press release. "We understand being a veterinarian can be both wonderful and incredibly difficult. On June 18, we encourage animal lovers everywhere to show their appreciation and say thanks to the compassionate veterinarians dedicated to helping animals who mean so much to us and help us live better lives," said Darryl Rawlings, Trupanion founder and CEO. "We know your work is hard, and we want you to know that we appreciate everything you do." Pet owners can say thanks to their veterinarians on social media, …
Vet School’s 3-D Printer Adds Personal TouchJune 17, 2015What they see is what they get at the Mississippi State University Veterinary Specialty Center, which is using a 3-D printer to construct plastic copies of patients’ damaged spines and skulls. The replicas spit out by the $2,200 LutzBot TAZ 4 3-D printer allow veterinarians and students to examine internal injuries up close and plan corrective measures. “We take CT scans of spinal injuries, convert them into three-dimensional images on a screen and convert those to files that can transmit that information to the printer,” said Andy Shores, DVM, MS, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM. “The result is a plastic model identical to what was on the screen.” The reproductions also assist in the education of Mississippi State veterinary students and neurosurgery residents, said Dr. Shores, chief neurosurgeon in the College of Veterinary Medicine. “The equipment prints out bony structures, so future students can see exactly how a particular injury looks and get a better appreciation for the condition we’re talking about while on rounds,” he said. “If you have a patient with a broken bone or vertebrae, to be able to put that structure in your hand goes a long way toward the students’ understanding what it is and how …
Apoquel Anti-itch Drug Remains in Short SupplyJune 17, 2015Dog owners and veterinarians wondering when they can obtain the wonder drug Apoquel likely will have to wait awhile longer. Zoetis Inc., which makes the anti-itch medication, has been dealing with enormous demand and undisclosed manufacturing issues since Apoquel (oclacitinib tablet) was launched in early 2014. The Florham Park, N.J., company made good on a pledge to ramp up production by April 2015, but problems on the manufacturing end continue to limit the supply. Zoetis this month reinstituted a ban on new orders from veterinarians, spokeswoman Colleen White said today. “We have communicated to our customers an update to our supply plan, and as part of that we advised that we are temporarily not accepting new orders for Apoquel,” White said. She declined to go into detail about the manufacturing issues and when they may be resolved. “We’re committed to making Apoquel available to more new customers as soon as possible,” she said. “We have experienced some challenges in the supply of Apoquel as we have pursued a rapid and large scale-up of production.” More than 13,000 U.S. veterinarians have access to Apoquel, more than double the number who could offer it to clients and patients in 2014, …
