Brave New World In Veterinary MedicineNovember 30, 2011 North Carolina State University is the only university in the country to offer autologous bone marrow transplants (BMT) for dogs with lymphoma—one of the most common canine cancers. Steven Suter, VMD, MS, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM (Oncology), an assistant professor of oncology at North Carolina State University, has been performing the transplants since October 2008. He says that a 40-50 percent cure rate is reported in humans with B-cell lymphoma using the same procedure, although the canine data is still tentative. “When do you say a dog is cured?” Dr. Suter asks. “For people it is five years out [after the transplant procedure]. For dogs I estimate we can say two years after treatment is a success. In the first group of 24 dogs with B-cell lymphoma that we treated, eight are long-term survivors.” Suter started providing this service with the hope that the procedure could be perfected and performed in the specialty clinical setting. Since the inception of the project, Suter has continued to modify the protocol. Apply: The rehydrated graft is applied into a surgery site. If a surgery site is not very vascular, pre-mixing with patient blood is advised. “We …
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R&D Spending Will Spur Growth In Animal Health Biotech Industry, Report SaysNovember 29, 2011R&D Spending Will Spur Growth in Animal Health Biotech Industry, Report Says R&D Spending Will Spur Growth in Animal Health Biotech Industry, animal biotechnology growthThe animal health biotechnology industry is projected to grow into an $11 billion industry by 2016, according to a new report from market research publisher Ibisworld. The animal health biotechnology industry is projected to grow into an $11 billion industry by 2016, according to a new report from market research publisher Ibisworld. newslineR&D Spending Will Spur Growth in Animal Health Biotech Industry, Report Says Posted: Nov. 29, 2011, 6:20 p.m. EST The animal health biotechnology industry is projected to grow into an $11 billion industry by 2016, according to a new report from market research publisher Ibisworld. Revenue growth in the industry is forecast to rise at an annual rate of 7.9 percent over next five years, including a 9.0 percent increase in 2012. Favorable legislation and improved economic conditions will spur continued research and development activity, benefiting industry operators, according the report. Future development in genetic engineering is also expected to play a larger role in the industry, with developments likely to focus on improving food quality and disease resistance among livestock. Industry growth "will …
Finalists Named In Heska Inspiration In Action ContestNovember 28, 2011 Heska Corp. selected five finalists for its 2011 Inspiration in Action contest, which aims to benefit the veterinary profession, the company reported today. Now it's up to the public to choose the winner. Heska, of Loveland, Colo., will award $25,000 to the grand prize winner and $5,000 to the second place winner. Entrants submitted ideas on how best to spend the prize money to further or support the veterinary profession. Heska CEO and Chairman Robert Grieve said the company promotes the contest as a means to encourage innovation. This year’s finalists include projects submitted by the Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic, Locust Trace Veterinary Clinic, Project V.E.T.S., Project S.T.R.A.Y., and Veterinarians without Borders. The Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic would use the prize money to establish a medical facility in Belize to provide essential, and currently unavailable, services to many of Belize’s veterinarians. The Locust Trace Veterinary Clinic would use the prize money to provide students with scholarships to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. Project V.E.T.S. would use the money to build awareness of its mission and needs for donations and volunteers. Project S.T.R.A.Y. would use the money to assign live-in dogs that need advanced …
Winn Feline Foundation Names New CEONovember 22, 2011 Winn Feline Foundation, a non-profit fundraiser for feline research studies, hired Maureen Walsh as CEO. In her new role for the Hillsborough, N.J., foundation, Walsh will focus on building brand awareness. She intends to expand the foundation’s outreach efforts to veterinary professionals, researchers and fanciers. “Cat lovers everywhere need to know about the important feline medical research that Winn supports every day and the difference donations make to the health and well-being of our feline friends,” Walsh said. Walsh previously served as chief marketing officer for the Institute of Management Accountants in Montvale, N.J. Winn Feline Foundation, established in 1968, supports studies that aim to improve cat health. The organization has funded more that $3 million in research at more than 30 partner institutions worldwide.
NAVC Expeditions – Veterinary Learning Around The WorldNovember 21, 2011 In a quest to be the first veterinary group to offer veterinary continuing education credit on every continent, the North American Veterinary Conference started “Expeditions” in February 2008. The program’s motto is, “The destination is your classroom, and nature is your teacher.” The idea behind Expeditions is to help promote the One Health concept: Human Health – Animal Health – World Health. The Expeditions program pairs veterinarians with veterinary experts, biologists and naturalists familiar with the animals and geography of the region. The RACE-approved CE programs cover the natural history and biology of the regions’ fauna and flora, as well as veterinary implications such as health and disease, both in the wild and captive situations. For instance, on the most recent Expedition to the Amazon rainforest, the course was taught by me; Greg Lewbart, MS, VMD, Dipl. ACZM; and Carol Walton, DVM. I have been working with exotics since my residency in primate and zoo animal medicine in 1986. Dr. Lewbart is an internationally acclaimed expert in fish, invertebrates and amphibians, and Dr. Walton has spent the last 20 years living, teaching and doing research in the Amazon rainforest (as well as summers in Antarctica …
Michigan Vet Named Legend Of The YearNovember 21, 2011 Equine veterinarian Tanja Molby, DVM, of Suttons Bay, Mich., won the second annual Bayer Animal Health Legend of the Year Award from Bayer Healthcare LLC’s Animal Health Division. Bayer presented the award to Dr. Molby last weekend at the American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention in San Antonio, Texas. The award recognizes veterinary professionals who provide equitarian aid or exceptional care for horses in need. Bayer recognized Dr. Molby for helping create the Michigan Equine Foundation, which received a $5,000 donation from Bayer as part of the award. The foundation assists horses and their owners with veterinary care and hay when facing economic hardship. Bayer selected Dr. Molby from a pool of more than 500 nominations submitted between Aug. 1, 2011, and Oct. 15, 2011. The four other finalists for the award were: • Scott W. Hansen of Gresham, Ore.; • Vivian Freer, DVM, of Tyron, N.C.; • Eric Davis of Davis, Calif.; and • Dave Turoff of Placerville, Calif. Lori Odishoo of Berlin, Conn., won a sweepstakes among horse owners who nominated their veterinarians for the Legend of the Year Award. She will ride alongside television host Darley Newman for a future episode of the …
AVMA Calls For Stoppage Of Prescription Bill, Praises Spending Package, Applauds McDonald’sNovember 18, 2011 The American Veterinary Medical Association today urged the U.S. Senate not to support a mandatory prescription writing bill, applauded Congress for passing a bill with appropriations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and condemned an egg producer for alleged mistreatment of its hens. The AVMA applauded its members for helping stall H.R. 1406, the Fairness to Pet Owners Act., in the U.S. House of Representatives but said efforts are underway to introduce similar legislation in the Senate. The bill would require veterinarians to write a prescription at the time of prescribing a product for a companion animal, regardless of whether or not the veterinarian is dispensing the product to a client. It would also require veterinarians to provide a written disclosure notifying the pet owner that they may fill the prescription through the prescriber or another pharmacy. The association called H.R. 1406 unnecessary and redundant because of the AVMA’s long-standing policy encouraging veterinarians to write a prescription in lieu of dispensing when a client would like to use a different pharmacy. The AVMA had previously called upon its members to contact their representatives after Walmart issued a statement of support for the bill. See the previous …
Hemopet Secures U.S. Patent For Nutrigenomic Supplements, Expands Nutriscan TestingNovember 15, 2011 The U.S. Patent Office issued a patent today that nonprofit Hemopet says will give it exclusive rights to develop nutrigenomic supplements for companion pets in the U.S., and the organization is also expanding the testing protocol of its Nutriscan technology. The patent was originally filed 12 years ago by Hemopet president Jean Dodds, DVM. Dr. Dodds said the patent gives Garden Grove, Calif.-based Hemopet prior rights to the technology over others who filed for patents. The technology described in the patent uses an electronic database and a software routine to determine a relationship between genomic map data relating to a physiological condition or genotype of an animal and data comprising the effect of nutrition on the expression of at least one gene in the genomic map. A nutritional diet is then determined, formulated and prepared based on the relationship. Dr. Dodds said the technology could be used to determine a nutritional diet for an individual animal or for groups of animals, such as those with a specific health condition or a particular lifestyle. The cost of an individual diagnostic test for a cat or dog is about $100 to $150, according to Dr. Dodds. Hemopet plans …
AKC Canine Health Foundation Awards Annual Research GrantsNovember 14, 2011The American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation is committing more than $1.5 million on research grants in 2012, the Raleigh, N.C. organization reported today. The foundation approved 21 grants to 14 research institutions and universities from a field of 109 grant proposals. The 2012 grants cover canine health issues such as cataracts, carcinoma, dermatitis, epilepsy, liver disease, lymphoma, melanoma, and osteosarcoma. Some of the grants apply to research projects to benefit all dogs, while others apply to breed-specific projects for breeds including Australian Shepherds, Bassett Hounds, Greyhounds, Havanese, Irish Wolfhounds, Scottish Terriers, Shetland Sheepdogs, and West Highland White Terriers. The one- to two-year “Oak” grants are awarded annually to research projects that examine causes, provide accurate diagnosis and prognosis and develop effective treatments for canine disease. The foundation has invested more than $26 million in canine health research since it began in 1995. Funding for the grants comes from individual contributions, dog clubs, the American Kennel Club, Nestlé Purina Petcare, and Pfizer Animal Health. The 2012 grants include: • Targeting Neutrophil Activation to Develop Novel Drugs to Treat Respiratory Tract Inflammation in Dogs at research institution North Carolina State University with principal investigator Samuel Jones, DVM, Ph.D., in the amount $63,580; …
Catnip, Cat Toys Spark Record OurPet’s RevenuesNovember 11, 2011 Citing higher sales of Play-N-Squeak cat toys and Cosmic Catnip products, OurPet’s Co. of Fairport Harbor, Ohio, reported record revenues for its third quarter and nine month periods ended Sept. 30. Despite increases in revenues of 6 percent for the quarter and 17 percent year-to-date when compared with the year-ago periods, the company posted a third quarter net loss due to a $450,000 inventory reserve adjustment attributed to a change in sales and marketing strategy. “While we are disappointed with our reported results, the actions we took during the third quarter sharpen our market focus and better position the company to achieve its growth and profitability goals,” said Steven Tsengas, president and CEO. “During the 2011 third quarter we implemented plans to strengthen our sales and marketing strategy by deploying resources to areas which offer the best growth opportunities. This resulted in an update of the Cosmic Catnip product line and the introduction of new products. We also increased our emphasis of the recent re-launch of SmartScoop, a patented, automated self-cleaning cat litterbox. Our SmartScoop product is quickly gaining market penetration in all market channels. The first large overseas order of SmartScoop was shipped …
