UC Davis Solves Bluetongue MysterySeptember 16, 2014 The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, which isolated and identified bluetongue virus in the Western Hemisphere in the 1950s, has discovered how the ruminant disease manages to withstand the winter cold and reappear the next spring. The virus reproduces in female biting midges, the insect long known to transmit the disease, according to University of California, Davis, researchers. Their study, published Sept. 12 in the online journal PLOS ONE, for the first time explains why bluetongue returns years after year and why more animals could become infected during global climate change. “This discovery has important ramifications for predicting the occurrence of bluetongue in livestock and, we hope, for eventually developing controls for the disease,” said UC Davis professor and co-author James MacLachlan, DVM, Ph.D. Bluetongue virus is noncontagious and sometimes fatal. It mainly infects sheep, producing lesions on the lips and gums, but cattle and goats may be stricken as well. Bluetongue refers to the swollen lips and tongue of affected sheep, which may turn blue in the late stages of the disease, UC Davis reported. The cost to the U.S. sheep and cattle industries is estimated at $125 million a …
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Veterinarian Wins High Praise for Saving GoldfishSeptember 16, 2014 George the goldfish is back in his home pond after an Australian veterinarian successfully removed a brain tumor. The 45-minute operation on an uncommon veterinary patient cost the owners a couple of hundred dollars, according to Lort Smith Animal Hospital, and brought admiration from around the world as news and photographs of the surgery went viral. “Thanks for treating fish with the respect they deserve,” one Facebook user wrote on the clinic’s page. “That might be the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” another wrote. “And to those that question the use of financial resources for a goldfish, some varieties can fetch amazingly high prices. Some are treasured pets. Who are we to judge?” The International Brain Tumor Alliance weighed in as well, stating, “We have heard of dogs and cats having brain tumors removed, but this is the first time we have heard of a fish undergoing brain surgery. Way to go, George!” The doctor was Tristan Rich, BVSc, who heads exotics and wildlife medicine at the Melbourne hospital. “The fish was having trouble eating, getting around and he was getting bullied by other fish,” Dr. Rich told The Telegraph newspaper. …
Illinois University Vet Clinic Reveals New Name, Medical DirectorSeptember 16, 2014 The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine has renamed its pet care facility Medical District Veterinary Clinic at Illinois. The facility, formerly Furnetic Veterinary Clinic, is the only Chicago primary care clinic affiliated with the state’s veterinary college. The new name was introduced to better identify the University of Illinois connection and to highlight the clinic’s location, according to the college. Drew Sullivan, DVM, has been named medical director. Dr. Sullivan joined the university’s clinic last fall after practicing veterinary medicine in Decatur, Ill. The facility was established in 2009 to expand the college’s mission of education, service and discovery to the states metropolitan center. The location remains the same: 2242 West Harrison Street.
Auburn University’s Anatomy Lab Undergoes $1 Million RenovationSeptember 13, 2014 Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine recently completed a $1 million renovation to its anatomy laboratory. The focus was to improve the ventilation system within the laboratory, which had not undergone a significant upgrade in more than a decade, according to the university. “The goal was to create the safest dissection laboratory possible for first-year veterinary students as well as all other users and upgrade the technology within the laboratory for a thorough educational experience,” said Edward Morrison, Ph.D., head of the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology. “We now have a state-of-the-art anatomy teaching lab.” The renovations, as listed by the university, included an update to the HVAC system; a sophisticated downdraft table system with more than 40 specially-designed and individually-ventilated dissection tables; an updated digital audio visual system including touch-screen monitors, speaker system, wall mounted computer system and wireless video system; a new ceiling and lighting; and a renovated anatomical preparation area to increase storage space within the lab. “Anatomy is pivotally important for a veterinary student’s future success,” said Elaine Coleman, DVM, Ph.D., associate professor of veterinary anatomy and neuroscience. “A veterinary students’ education begins in the anatomy lab.”
KC Animal Health Corridor BoomingSeptember 11, 2014 The heart of the veterinary world beats in the central United States. The Kansas City Area Development Council reported that 56 percent of global animal health, diagnostics and pet food sales can be linked to the KC Animal Health Corridor, an area stretching from Columbia, Mo., to Manhattan, Kan. “This latest survey is a powerful endorsement of nearly a decade of cooperation, teamwork and strategic focus that has driven the activities of the KC Animal Health Corridor effort since 2006,” said Scott Bormann, chairman of the Corridor Advisory Board and vice president of U.S. operations for Merck Animal Health. Merck is one of eight animal health giants with operations in the corridor. The others, all in the world top 10, are Zoetis Inc., Merial Ltd., Elanco Animal Health, Bayer Animal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc., Ceva Animal Health and Idexx Laboratories. Companies with a U.S. headquarters in the corridor accounted for 28 percent of worldwide sales of animal health products and diagnostics, or $7.1 billion a year out of $25.2 billion. Companies with a business location of some kind captured 75 percent of worldwide sales. The Kansas City Area Development Council has …
Study Seeks to Find Deeper Insight on Link between Domestic, Animal AbuseSeptember 11, 2014 A new study is underway to look deeper into the connections between animal abuse and domestic violence to assess the need for better services to protect both human and animal victims in Australia. “Around 70 percent of women escaping violent homes also report pet abuse,” said Lydia Tong, DVM, of the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Veterinary Science. “So vets are often the first to see evidence of abuse in a family, when they treat injured pets.” Dr. Tong is conducting the study with Domestic Violence NSW, an organization that offers domestic and family violence services in New South Wales, Australia. “Different forces on bones can tell a story—the skeleton of an animal keeps a distinct record that indicates the force applied to bones from past injuries, breaks or fractures,” Tong said. “But it can often be difficult for vets to say with confidence whether a fracture has resulted from abuse or accident.” In a previous study, Tong collected cases of abused dogs that were punched, hit with a blunt weapon or kicked, and examined the fractures from these injuries. She then compared these fractures to those caused by genuine accidents. Her results, …
Arizona’s New Vet Degree Program Backed by $9 Million GiftSeptember 10, 2014 #56789411 / gettyimages.com The University of Arizona (UA) will soon be the state’s first public veterinary medical and surgical program to train doctors of veterinary medicine thanks to a foundational gift of $9 million from the Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation. The new program, slated to begin in fall 2015, will help address the critical veterinarian shortage in rural Arizona communities and tribal nations, benefit bioscience businesses and promote public health, the university noted. The UA program will run year-round so students can complete their degrees faster, accumulate less debt and enter the workforce sooner. In what is called a distributive model, the final two semesters will be spent working in private veterinary practices, government agencies or other community partnerships to secure hands-on, real-world learning in communities throughout the state. Other clinical training partners will include federal and state animal health labs and regulators, U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security and animal shelter and rescue agencies. The UA reported that it already has letters of interest from many prospective partners. “For me, real-world experience is something that is oftentimes lacking when students …
Study Looks at Responsiveness of Anti-Epilepsy TreatmentsSeptember 9, 2014 New research from the University of London’s Royal Veterinary College (RVC) may shed light on why some dogs respond to anti-epilepsy treatments, and become seizure-free, while others continue to have seizures long-term. Anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) are the most common treatment for canine epilepsy, according to the college. But in some cases, the side effects of drug treatment can impact upon quality of life as much, if not more than, a dog’s seizures, the college further noted. Past studies have also found that in a third of dogs, current drug treatments failed to reduce the number of seizures they experience by 50 percent. “Canine epilepsy is a complex condition and can be very distressing for the dog and their owner,” said Holger Volk, DVM, Ph.D., clinical director of the RVC’s Small Animal Referral Hospital. “Drug treatments can be successful in reducing seizures, but it is important to note that consistent remission is difficult to attain.” This new study analyzed patient data from six years of medical history taken from the epilepsy clinic at the RVC’s Small Animal Referral Hospital. At the point of follow up, only 14 percent of dogs studied were in seizure-free remission. It …
Is That A Banana? The Story Behind A Popular X-RaySeptember 5, 2014 The Veterinary Practice News 2014 annual "They Ate WHAT?!" contest has taken the world by storm. While the story of the Great Dane who ate 43 1/2 socks has been the most popular entry so far, a lot of interest been on Dragon, a bearded dragon who ate a toy banana and lived to tell the tale. Veterinarypracticenews.com Dragon, a bearded dragon, came into the Gladstone Animal Clinic because it wasn't eating. I called Andrew Rambo, DVM, of Gladstone Animal Clinic in Gladstone, Missouri to get the details of behind Dragon's diagnosis and surgery. As the story goes, Dragon was brought into the clinic because he was "turning his scaly nose up at food." Dragon, the breaded dragon was "friendly and well-cared for... We weren't sure what was wrong with him," Rambo said. An obstruction or blockage were possible causes for its acute anorexia, but Rambo needed to do an X-ray to properly diagnose Dragon. Dragon was living with his owner's grandmother, who was hesitant to do X-rays at first. Since Dragon wasn't a dog or cat, an X-ray seemed excessive. "But her granddaughter loved …
They Ate WHAT?! - A Look Behind The ContestSeptember 5, 2014 Veterinary Practice News editor Marilyn Iturri created the “They Ate WHAT?!” contest in 2006 to showcase the humorous situations veterinarians and pet owners can face as well as the clinical advances available through digital radiography. The 2014 contest was sponsored by Trupanion, a pet insurance company in Seattle, Wash. This year the first place winner, a frog that had eaten 30 rocks from inside his cage, was submitted by Shawn Messonnier, DVM of Paws & Claws Animal Hospital in Plano, Texas. Tim Gossman, DVM, of Gulf Breeze Animal Hospital took home the second place prize with his entry of a German shorthaired pointer that had swallowed a shish kabob skewer. The submission by DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital of a Great Dane who had eaten 43.5 socks was not only the third place winner, but also took the internet by storm. The competition was a hit with readers from the start. Some trends have been apparent from the first year. Veterinarypracticenews.com A dog who ate a shish kabob skewer took home the second place prize from Trupanion. “This year’s entries featured some of our old standards, such as …
