AVMA Says Vets Make Ideal Zombie Apocalypse Traveling CompanionsOctober 31, 2011 The American Veterinary Medical Association today released a statement to continue its mission of advancing the veterinary profession, even in the event of a zombie apocalypse. The AVMA listed the top five reasons why a veterinarian would be a useful team member in a zombie-dominated world, including: 1. Veterinarians have a better chance at surviving: In the event of a zombie apocalypse, survivors are at a premium, and losing members of your group will make you much more vulnerable. The biggest risk is getting bitten by a zombie. Well, who’s better at avoiding bites than a veterinarian? 2. They can provide medical care: Pre-apocalypse, see your physician. Post-apocalypse, if a physician isn’t available, you couldn’t do much better than having a veterinarian treat your (non-zombie-bite) wounds and illnesses. Veterinarians spend at least four years post-grad training to care for all species, so while the general anatomy might be slightly different, they’re probably not going to be overwhelmed by the prospect of working on human patients. 3. They can take care of the animals: With electrical grids down and gasoline no longer in production, you’re going to be relying on animals much more: Dogs for protection, horses …
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Maximize Technicians’ Potential As Client CommunicatorsOctober 28, 2011 When technicians excel in the medical and communication components of their jobs, they can maximize revenue and encourage a more efficient practice. Consultants say, however, that many veterinarians aren’t delegating enough responsibility to technicians. Training is the biggest hurdle that keeps practitioners from using technicians fully, experts say, noting that members of a practice’s team should share responsibility for client communications. Technicians are often viewed by clients as easier to approach, perhaps less intimidating. “Years ago, veterinarians hired animal lovers and people haters and tried to make them technicians,” says Jim Guenther, DVM, MBA, MHA, CVPM, a consultant at Strategic Veterinary Consulting in Asheville, N.C. “Now with formal training for medical certification and client communication, technicians need to possess both skills to be effective. Technicians can be a practice’s biggest asset or handicap in regard to client loyalty and compliance.” Technicians need formal and in-house education before gaining access to clients, Dr. Guenther says. They also need to know veterinary expectations and restrictions regarding client interaction. Hire for Skills Efficiency in the practice starts with hiring, says Shannon Pignott, CVPM, ACC, owner and business director at 1-10 Pet Emergency and president of VetThink Inc., …
Revenue At VCA Antech's Existing Hospitals Edges Up In Q3October 27, 2011Revenue at VCA Antech's Existing Hospitals Edges Up in Q3Revenue at VCA Antech's Existing Hospitals Edges Up in Q3, Antech Q3 2011Same-store revenue at VCA Antech's animal hospitals grew by 1.0 percent for the third quarter of its 2011 fiscal year, compared to the year-ago period.Same-store revenue at VCA Antech's animal hospitals grew by 1.0 percent for the third quarter of its 2011 fiscal year, compared to the year-ago period.newslineRevenue at VCA Antech's Existing Hospitals Edges Up in Q3Posted: Oct. 27, 2011, 7:00 p.m. EDT Strong financial performances at VCA Antech Inc.'s network of hospitals led to increased third quarter earnings and revenues for the Los Angeles company. VCA Antech reported today a 9.5 percent increase in revenues and a 10.6 percent increase in gross profit at its hospitals. Gross margin for the hospitals increased to 17.0 percent from 16.8 percent in the year-ago period, and operating margin increased to 15.1 percent from 14.8 percent in the third quarter of 2010. Total revenue for the hospitals increased to $303.2 million, due in large part to VCA Antech's acquisition of four independent hospitals and BrightHeart Veterinary Centers and its nine animal hospitals. "Although we continue to face a challenging business environment, …
Head Halter, Medication For Fear AggressionOctober 27, 2011Using odd ratio statistics, one of our master’s degree students at Tufts Center for Animals and Public Policy found that dogs exhibiting fear aggression are 580 times more likely than a control group with owner-directed aggression to have been raised in what we call a suboptimal environment during the sensitive period of development (3-12 weeks of age). She defined a suboptimal environment as one in which the puppy is raised with little contact with people, perhaps isolated in a basement, whelping room, garage or outdoor compound. It is not hard to see that puppies raised without the benefit of ongoing benign interactions with a variety of people (and dogs other than littermates) might become somewhat insular in their thinking and therefore shy of novel encounters. This shyness can be compounded into frank fearfulness by negative experiences, such as being shouted at or handled roughly. Because men and children are more prone to behaviors that might intimidate a pup, they are the ones who typically become the subjects of a fear aggressive dog’s attention. The time course for development of fear aggression in dogs almost exactly mirrors that of the development of a similar type of dysfunctional aggression in humans (when …
Don’t Sit On A BackOctober 27, 2011 Jewel is a 10-year-old female Yorkipoo—a designer dog. She walked into her vet’s clinic on a Tuesday because of back pain. She was hospitalized that day. On Wednesday, she became paralyzed. On Thursday afternoon, she was referred for evaluation because she was losing deep pain. An MRI revealed a large disc hernia at T13-L1. Surgery was performed late that night. This is not a completely unusual case. Your local surgeon or neurologist could probably share many similar stories of delayed referral of a paralyzed patient. What can we learn from Jewel’s story? A Real Jewel The neurological exam revealed that she was indeed paraplegic, with normal reflexes and minimal deep pain in the hind legs. The goals of the MRI are to confirm the diagnosis (a disc hernia) and localize the lesion (T13-L1). In addition, the MRI determines the side of the hernia (left vs. right), which dictates the surgical approach. Surgery entailed a hemilaminectomy and fenestrations. A hemilaminectomy is a surgical procedure that consists of removing the lateral and dorsal part of the lamina of the vertebrae on either side of the disc space. This allows access to the spinal cord, and …
Natural Stress Busters For CatsOctober 27, 2011 Happy cats mean happy human caregivers. Stressed cats lead to unhappy humans; cats who become ill or maladjusted from stress may experience emotionally difficult and/or prematurely ended lives from disease or euthanasia. Many human stressors affect cats similarly. Incessant noise, hostility, food insecurity or poor quality and social isolation can all negatively affect well being. While human stressors such as workplace conflict, financial decline or natural disasters may be unavoidable and trickle down to cause cats further discomfort, several everyday feline sources of stress can respond to inexpensive, readily available coping strategies.1 Knowing how, when, and where stress takes its toll on the body allows concerned caregivers to design tailored interventions and eliminate environmental contributors to stress. Prolonged psychological stress causes illness as innate protective reflexes designed to remove us from danger become left in the “on” position. Chronically activated “fight or flight” responses delivered by sympathetic nervous system excitation disrupt physiologic equilibrium, i.e., homeostasis. Thus, the same metabolic processes that propel us to seek safe shelter in the face of an oncoming tornado also give us escort to the grave if urges to fight or flee never cease. Threatening situations incite glucose mobilization …
Mars Launches DNA Test To Increase Genetic Diversity In Breeding Dog LittersOctober 24, 2011 Mars Veterinary of Rockville, Md., introduced a DNA test designed to help dog breeders diversify genetic makeup, reduce problems associated with inbreeding and maintain desirable traits in puppies. The Optimal Selection test analyzes and compares chromosomes of blood samples from potential breeding pairs. The system scores potential pairs based on the compatibility of the chromosomes analyzed. A lower score indicates less risk of haplotype overlap in undesirable areas between potential pairs, allowing breeders to maximize the potential genetic heterozygosity from the selected dogs. According to Mars, studies have shown limited heterozygosity can cause decreased litter size and lead to greater health risks in puppies. “We have leveraged our extensive knowledge of the genetic structures across breeds to closely examine the DNA of dogs within each breed and help owners take their breeding programs to the next level,” said Angela Hughes, DVM, Ph.D., veterinary genetics research manager for Mars Veterinary. “Optimal Selection has the potential to transform dog breeding so that the genetic diversity within a breed or family line can be protected and maximized, which can make a tangible, long-term positive impact on the health and wellness of these wonderful dogs.” Optimal Selection are available through …
Idexx Revenue Growth Leads To Increased Q3 EarningsOctober 21, 2011 Idexx Laboratories Inc. grew year-over-year revenue and earnings in the third quarter on increased sales in its reference laboratory diagnostic and consulting services and instrument and consumables businesses, the company reported today. The Westbrook, Maine-based company reported an 8 percent increase in organic revenue for the third quarter compared to the same period in 2010. Idexx defines organic revenue growth as revenue growth excluding the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates, which contributed 4 percent to revenue growth, and revenue from acquisitions subsequent to June 30, 2010, which contributed less than 1 percent to revenue growth in the third quarter of 2011. Year-over-year placements of the company’s Catalyst Dx chemistry analyzer increased by 40 percent in the third quarter, which “bodes well for future consumable sales growth,” said Jonathan Ayers, Idexx CEO and chairman. Idexx’s global reference laboratory and consulting services business grew organic revenue by 10 percent in the third quarter compared to the year-ago period, Ayers added. The company won several government tenders in Germany in connection with a country-wide eradication program for a virus impacting beef and dairy production yields. These tenders led to a 10 percent increase in organic growth …
Criminal Charges Filed Against Tennessee VetOctober 21, 2011 William Baber, DVM, of Gallatin, Tenn., faces 12 misdemeanor charges by the Sumner County Sheriff’s Department after a secretly recorded video and an investigation unveiled unlawful activity. The criminal charges come on the heels of the Tennessee Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners’ decision in December to suspend his license to practice until April 24. The charges and board action grew out of violations of the Tennessee Veterinary Practice Act and state laws. A secretly recorded video showed him inhumanely restraining and euthanizing animals by intracardiac injection at a county shelter. Dr. Baber must appear at the Tennessee Veterinary Board’s April meeting and demonstrate that he has completed a board-approved euthanasia certification course, completed five hours of board-approved continuing education in professional ethics and he must show that he attended psychological counseling/therapy. “There is a lot of animosity toward Dr. Baber, not only locally, but nationally as well,” said Major Don Linzy, chief of detectives for the Sheriff’s Department. “He has been practicing locally for a long time and has even assisted law enforcement agencies in previous animal cruelty cases, so this activity comes as a surprise to many people. But video footage doesn’t lie.” …
Treatments Advance For Corneal Disease, InjuriesOctober 19, 2011 Cutting-edge treatments and new methods to treat equine corneal diseases and injuries, equine recurrent uveitis and fungal keratitis are on the horizon. Some are even available now or will be available in the future for general practitioner use. New Ways to Heal Corneal disease and injury are common in horses, and injuries can be complicated and difficult to heal. Researchers are working on utilizing different biomaterials to help the eye heal itself. The equine amnion, which has been used successfully in other parts of the body, has been proven to help heal corneal injuries and diseases. The amnion is obtained during Cesarean sections and normal deliveries, then cleaned and processed with antibiotics. Ophthalmologists cover the cornea with the amnion, which acts as a self-sacrificing dressing. “The amnion has different antibiotic and anti-scarring compounds—although research is ongoing to discover what those are in horses,” says Dennis E. Brooks, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVO, professor of ophthalmology at University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. “It’s adjunctive therapy; you still need the eye drops,” Brooks continues. “But the amnion reduces enzyme activity and scarring, which is the major problem with horses. We’ve applied amnion after corneal …
