372 Vets Dropped From U.K. RegistryJune 5, 2015Pay up if you want to be a veterinarian. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons this month removed 372 veterinarians from its registry for failing to pay the annual renewal fee. Only registered veterinarians are allowed to practice in the United Kingdom. The fee ranges from $450 for active U.K. veterinarians to $75 for anyone taking at least a temporary break from practice. Late renewals carry up to a $900 surcharge. The payment deadline was April 1, but the governing organization reported that full credit was given for renewals received by May 31. Forgetful veterinarians have only themselves to blame. “Up to five reminders had been sent to veterinary surgeons since February,” the organization stated. The renewal process also requires veterinarians to confirm their completion of at least 105 continuing education hours over a three-year period. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons urged hospital administrators to check www.rcvs.org.uk/checkregister to verify that their employees are permitted to practice.
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University of Guelph Opens $25 Million Research CenterJune 4, 2015The Livestock Research and Innovation Center—Dairy Facility in Elora, Ontario, opened its doors in late May. The $25 million project, part of the University of Guelph’s Elora Research Station, replaces aging research facilities at the site. In addition to the university, the center involves the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA); the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario; and Dairy Farmers of Ontario. The university will operate the facility under its partnership with OMAFRA. Researchers will have the opportunity to study everything from genetics, nutrition and quality improvement to animal welfare, food safety and animal and human health, according to the university. “The new [center] is an excellent example of how industry, government and academia can work together to ensure Ontario’s livestock sector remains innovative, competitive and a leader in the agri-food sector,” said Jeff Leal, minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs. “Ontario’s dairy farmers and stakeholders, with the support of the Ontario government, are committed to leading research in animal husbandry, environmental sustainability and best management practices to ensure the highest quality dairy products for Ontarians.” Among the highlights of the new facility, as outlined by the university: A maternity wing and nursery with sophisticated lighting …
Drugs in Livestock Feed Put Under Vet SupervisionJune 2, 2015The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, looking to reduce the threat of antibiotic resistance in people and animals, today released the final rule governing the judicious use of antimicrobials in livestock feed and drinking water. The Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) final rule empowers veterinarians to authorize antimicrobials when necessary for medical purposes only. Some drugs linked to antibiotic resistance have been used to improve the efficiency of livestock feed or fatten animals. “The actions the FDA has taken to date represent important steps toward a fundamental change in how antimicrobials can be legally used in food-producing animals,” said Michael R. Taylor, FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods. “The VFD final rule takes another important step by facilitating veterinary oversight in a way that allows for the flexibility needed to accommodate the diversity of circumstances that veterinarians encounter while ensuring such oversight is conducted in accordance with nationally consistent principles.” The American Veterinary Medical Association stated that it worked closely with the FDA to ensure the rule is “practical and in the best interests of animal health, public health and the veterinary profession.” “Particularly critical” to the final rule, according to AVMA, is the requirement for a veterinarian-client-patient relationship when …
Condor Named Miracle Receives Veterinary Care at Oakland ZooJune 2, 2015A California condor named Miracle has arrived at Oakland Zoo for veterinary care. The female is the first condor to be treated for lead poisoning in 2015 at Oakland Zoo. Upon capture by biologists, Miracle’s lead levels were too high to register on the in the field test kit, thus she was immediately brought to the zoo. Oakland Zoo’s Condor Care Team examined and X-rayed her, then began chelation treatment to remove the lead from her body. Miracle, a California condor, has arrived at the Oakland Zoo in California, to be treated for lead poisoning. When she was captured by biologists for her semi-annual checkup in Pinnacles National Park, she tested positive for lead poisoning … Her lead levels so high, they couldn’t even register on the field test kit. She was immediately sent in for transport, and the Oakland Zoo’s Condor Care Team examined and X-rayed her, then began chelation treatment to remove the lead from her body. “When a bird’s blood levels are high, it’s critical for us to take them in for veterinary care,” said Rachel Wolstenholme, the manager of the Pinnacles Condor Program. So how is Miracle doing? She’s living up to her namesake, it seems. …
OSU Names Stratton Staff Award RecipientJune 2, 2015Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences has named Dennis Clary as its 2015 Stratton Staff Award recipient. Clary is a member of the facilities maintenance team. The award was established upon the retirement of Dr. Louie Stratton in 1989. Stratton, the former director of OSU’s Veterinary Medical Hospital, wanted the award to honor outstanding staff members for their dedicated service and many key contributions. Nominations are accepted from any employee of the center and selected by an ad hoc committee appointed by the dean. Clary, who has been with the center for five years, is known for his vast knowledge of the center’s facilities and his willingness to tackle any project. He regularly participates in continuing education courses to expand his knowledge base, according to the university. Clary is also quick to volunteer to come in early, stay late and work on weekends if needed to lessen the impact and downtime on the center’s critical building systems, the university further noted. OSU’s Center for Veterinary Health Services also took the time to recognize other faculty and staff who have devoted many years of service to the center. Longevity awards were given to the following employees: Dr. Sahlu Ayalew, …
CSU Vets Refine Art of Artificial TissueJune 1, 2015The skin they sell is fake, but the entrepreneurial achievements of Colorado State University equine surgeons Dean Hendrickson and Fausto Bellezzo are 100 percent real. Drs. Hendrickson and Bellezzo are the brains behind SurgiReal Products Inc., a manufacturer of suture pads used by students at more than 140 veterinary, medical and nursing schools nationwide. Gone are the days of practicing and fine-tuning surgical techniques on carpet scraps, orange peels, bananas and pigs’ feet. “The next generation of medical students will say, ‘We saw something where people used carpet pads—really?’ said Hendrickson, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS. “I had a donor say, ‘You’re turning the world upside down with this,’ and I said, ‘No, I’m just trying to train surgeons.’” SurgiReal’s extensive product line ranges from a $19.99 translucent suture pad to a $99.99 five-layer tissue pad that oozes fake blood. Also available are a $96.25 small intestine model and the $2,195 Equine Simulator 1.0, an artificial horse’s head designed for practicing everything from eye nerve blocks to jugular catheter insertions. All that and more from a Fort Collins, Colo., company that started sales in 2013 and is expecting $400,000 in revenue this year. Hendrickson, the former dean of CSU’s …
Purdue’s Trustees Give Green Light on $60 Million Ag, Life Sciences FacilityMay 30, 2015Purdue University’s Board of Trustees recently approved a new $60 million Agricultural and Life Sciences Facility. The 123,000 gross-square-foot facility complex will consolidate Department of Animal Sciences students, faculty and staff into a unified complex to better coordinate teaching, research and engagement activities, according to the university. It will also provide needed upgrades to teaching, research and meat lab facilities. “This new location will provide the facilities needed to maintain our continued recognition as a premier program and attract top students and faculty, as well as to support the animal industries in our state and around the world at the highest levels,” said Jay Akridge, Ph.D., Purdue’s Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture. “In addition, the location near the Life and Health Sciences Park and adjacent to Discovery Park will allow us to enhance collaboration among our college and the colleges of Engineering, Health and Human Sciences and Veterinary Medicine.” Construction is slated to being in February 2016. Occupancy in the facility is aimed for July 2017. Financing will come from $35 million in student fee bond proceeds approved by the General Assembly, $15 million in gift funds and $10 million from the capital reserve for buildings. Purdue must provide …
FTC Open to Wider Veterinary Drug MarketMay 29, 2015A dog owner walks out of a veterinary clinic with a prescription in hand, drives to her neighborhood pharmacy to get her sick terrier’s order filled and leaves with a few generic and brand-name animal drugs. Such a scenario is uncommon today, but the Federal Trade Commission, in a report issued this week, found that the pet medications market could be more competitive—and better for consumers—if portable prescriptions were the norm, human pharmacies had greater access to veterinary drugs and more generics were available. The FTC staff report, titled “Competition in the Pet Medications Market,” was the culmination of a three-year review that included industry and public input gathered at a 2012 workshop and from more than 700 written comments. The FTC acknowledged that the U.S. pet pharmaceutical market—forecast to hit $10.2 billion in sales by 2018—is in flux and has changed dramatically from the days when veterinarians dispensed virtually all prescription drugs. According to the latest estimates, practitioners sell 58 percent of prescription and over-the-counter medications, brick-and-mortar pharmacies and retailers rake in 28 percent, and the growing Internet and mail-order segment accounts for 13 percent. The American Veterinary Medical Association conceded that there is no going back. “The report …
K-State Unveils Test for New Dog Flu StrainMay 28, 2015The Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory has added a canine influenza test designed to differentiate between the common H3N8 and emerging H3N2 strains. An H3N2 outbreak first reported in Chicago in mid-March has infected more than 1,000 dogs in about a dozen states, killing an estimated 2 to 3 percent of patients. The laboratory’s H3N2 test was developed at Kansas State University but is not the first. Cornell University’s Animal Health Diagnostic Center and Idexx Laboratories Inc., for example, can confirm whether submitted swabs carry H3N2. “The test offered by Idexx is a PCR assay,” said Ben Hause, MS, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. “They run a PCR panel that gives yes/no answers whether the sample is positive for influenza A virus and if positive, whether it’s positive for H3 or N2 or N8. This will tell you whether the sample is positive for influenza and what the subtype is. “We also screen samples initially by PCR to tell if the sample is positive for influenza A virus,” Hause said. “If positive, we then subtype the virus by sequencing. This will give us the H and N types, but as opposed …
MSU Names Co-Directors of Veterinary Technology ProgramMay 28, 2015Jolynne Judge, LVT, and Helen Mayer, LVT, have been named co-directors of the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Technology Program. “Judge and Mayer bring decades of first-hand experience and professional knowledge to their co-directorship,” said Julie Funk, associate dean of Academic Programs and Student Affairs for the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Their experience will allow them to further enhance the stellar national reputation of the Veterinary Technology Program as well as continuing to build relationships within the college and across the university.” Judge, who began her career at MSU in 1982 as a clinical technician with the Veterinary Medical Center, has been an instructor in the Veterinary Technology Program since 1995. Mayer has been an instructor in the program since 1992. She also coordinates veterinary technology advising, serves as pre-veterinary academic advisor, and coordinates undergraduate advising for the college. Judge and Mayer succeed Helene Pazak, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVN, who led the Veterinary Technology Program for 15 years. Dr. Pazak returns to the college faculty and will concentrate on teaching and administrative initiatives.
