Mondays Blue For Pets, VPI SaysMay 24, 2011 More pets are treated for accidental injuries on Mondays than any other day of the week, according to Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) of Brea, Calif., which recently analyzed its database of more than 485,000 insured pets to find the most dangerous days for pets in 2010. The company tracked accident claims by treatment day for a year to discover that more accidents occur in the summer months the day after holidays and weekends. Of the days of the week, Mondays had the largest average number of pets treated for accidental injuries at 152. Sundays were the lowest at 59. “The difference in the number of accidents treated between Sunday and Monday may indicate that treatment is more difficult to find on Sundays and holidays,” said Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI. “In case of an off-hours or holiday emergency, pet owners should know where to find the closest 24-hour animal hospital and have a plan for covering unexpected treatment costs. Preparation and timely treatment can make the difference between life and death.” The amount of accident claims treated spiked following holidays, particularly Labor Day, Memorial Day and …
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NC State Veterinary Medicine Library Gets FaceliftMay 24, 2011 The 14,000 square-foot William Rand Keenan, Jr. Library at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., was recently redesigned to support the curriculum at the College of Veterinary Medicine, animal and human health and life sciences. Designed by Atlanta-based Foil Wyatt Architects and Atlanta-based Jova/Daniels/Busby (FWAJDB) Architects, the library encompasses flexible interior and exterior spaces that support state-of-the-art technology, according to its designer. The facility is divided into well-lit zones to provide different layers of privacy so students can choose the zone that suits their study needs. Six individual areas were designed for independent study and testing, group study rooms, technology-rich conference rooms and a multi-purpose room equipped with a 20-foot white board wall. “Our mission when designing the new space was to essentially showcase the veterinary library and its role in the college’s animal health research initiatives and, within the library, to create a series of spaces to support those functions and requirements,” says Michael Rindsberg, lead designer for the project. “We wanted to create the next generation of technology-rich learning spaces.” A repositioned reference desk serves as the nexus and focal point of the library with a central location in the space to …
Myco Medical Adds Scalpel Blade Removal Devices To InventoryMay 23, 2011 Myco Medical, a national medical supply company and vendor of surgical products to the veterinary industry, today announced it’s adding the Qlicksmart BladeCassette and Bladesingle blade remover systems to its product line of surgical devices and disposables. Qlicksmart produced the first single-handed scalpel blade removal system and specializes in producing safer devices to improve patient and staff safety, according to the company. “For years the healthcare system has focused primarily on patient safety but the reality is staff safety is essential for patient safety,” says Sam Kumar, CEO of Myco Medical. “Healthcare workers in the U.S. report between 600,000 and 1 million sharp injuries annually, however it’s estimated an additional 70 percent of sharps injuries are never reported. Forty-one percent of sharp injuries occur after use and prior to disposal of a sharp device.” Myco reminds veterinarians that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched an inspection of the sharps-safety programs in surgery centers and medical clinics in four southeastern states. The unannounced reviews will target clinics in Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi and will run from April through September. The sharps inspections are being conducted along with the usual inspections and will examine employers’ …
Non-Surgical Options For IVDD? Keeping Hope, And Dogs, AliveMay 23, 2011 All too often, those whose dogs have disk disease are offered only two options: costly MRI followed by surgery, or euthanasia. Thirty years ago, surgical intervention was recommended “when there is no response to conservative management, when the animal becomes progressively worse, when the condition recurs, and when the animal is more severely disabled.”1 Where has conservative management gone in so many cases, and why are some specialists reluctant to inform clients of the diverse multimodal interventions available for spinal cord-injured dogs? With or without surgery, a dog can experience multiple intervertebral disk disease episodes during her life. As Brisson et al noted, “All intervertebral disks in dogs are susceptible to degeneration; therefore, a dog can have several episodes of disk extrusion.”2 They continued, “Dachshunds were found to be approximately 10 times more likely to have recurrence than other breeds…” In this retrospective look at the recurrence of thoracolumbar (TL) intervertebral disk extrusion in chondrodystrophic dogs after surgical decompression +/- fenestration, the authors discovered that: “The rate of euthanasia in dogs that developed recurrence of neurologic signs after decompressive surgery but did not return to the OVC [Ontario Veterinary College] for evaluation was …
Self Indulgence Seeks CommiserationMay 23, 2011Why I’ll take teeth and claws over clients any day. As any self-respecting service worker well knows, there’s nothing worse than an angry customer. Our veterinary workplaces are no different except that our customers come in a variety of species. Given the choice, though, I’ll always choose to take my chances with the ones baring teeth and claws over the ones wielding checkbooks. Irate clients are the stuff of any service industry. And just because we’re animal-loving doesn’t mean the occasional client’s entrance doesn’t provoke the staff to yell, “Incoming!” ... at which point everyone dives for cover while the angry person unleashes vitriol and generally makes a nuisance of him- or herself. Most of the time these are belligerent rants aimed at no one and everyone alike. And, as most of you reading this well know, the downtrodden reception staff gets it 99 percent of the time. What gets me about these people is that their issue is usually something maddeningly trivial like, “How could you not have my cat’s food in stock?” (though we specifically ask our clients to pre-order) or the occasional grief over a dearly departed patch of fur the clippers …
Websites Offer A Window Into The PracticeMay 23, 2011 According to Nielson Net-Ratings, 85 percent of consumers say a quality website is fundamental to earning trust. More than 77 percent said they were more likely to make a purchase from an unfamiliar business with a quality website than a poor website from a known business. Some website developers say veterinarians can expect 30 new clients per month, but a more typical outcome is six to 12 new clients a month. The increased traffic depends on local competition and level of Web marketing. “On the Web, perception is usually reality,” says Chris Plueger, director of sales for Internet Matrix Inc. in San Diego. “Like a storefront, a website can be indicative of a business’s professionalism, experience and attention to detail. Consumers are constantly evaluating the websites they visit and shopping only with the ones they trust.” Branding A website also serves as a way to perpetuate a practice’s brand. Incorporating the same business logo onto a website, business card, mailings and social networks makes a practice more identifiable to potential clients. “Veterinarians often don’t know what to include on a website because they’re not in marketing,” says Mark Feltz, DVM, owner of VetNetwork LLC in …
UF’s CVM Recognized In Gainesville’s Beautification Awards ProgramMay 20, 2011 The University of Florida (UF) College of Veterinary Medicine’s new small animal hospital was recognized April 27 with one of the top awards given by the city of Gainesville as part of the its annual Beautification Awards program. The 104,000-square-foot hospital which opened for business in November 2010, received the Outstanding Institutional Award. The building features three stories of state-of-the-art clinical and teaching space as well as faculty offices and a 140-seat conference room. The building is the first veterinary facility in the country to achieve Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The new facility provides enhanced patient care and serves as a model for environmental and energy efficiency. See related story: U of Florida Plans Grand Opening for Small Animal Hospital <Home>
May Is Foster Care Awareness MonthMay 20, 2011 May is foster care awareness month and VCA Animal Hospital is promoting the importance of pet foster care. Recent natural disasters in the U.S. increased the number of displaced and homeless animals. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 5 to 7 million pets are taken into animal shelters in the U.S. every year. VCA labels animal fostering as paving the way to successful adoption for an animal in need. VCA Animal hospital says to serve as an animal foster caregiver, a person must have time, room and resources to dedicate to a foster pet in order for it to be a positive experience for all parties involved. Foster care tips from VCA Having the ability to say goodbye is an essential quality, according to Donna Spector, DVM, DACVIM, VCA. Fostering is a temporary situation until the pet finds a permanent home or is returned to its owner. Patience is needed because animals in shelters or those who have been moved from home to home are often under tremendous stress. Animals might not be accustomed to cages or other animals. It is important that a foster care provider is …
Yamamoto Receives UF Research Foundation ProfessorshipMay 20, 2011 Janet Yamamoto, PhD., professor of immunology at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, today received the University of Florida Research Foundation professorship. The university’s division of sponsored research sponsors the professorship, which awards professors for a three-year term to tenured faculty for distinguished research and scholarship that is expected to lead to continuing distinction in their field. The award includes a $5,000 salary increase each year for three years and a one-time $3,000 award for research support. Yamamoto is a co-discoverer of the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) in cats and also developed the first FIV vaccine, a dual-subtype vaccine that was the first for any lentiviral disease. She holds patents on key practical technologies related to the FIV virus. “As Dr. Yamamoto’s department chair, I have had the opportunity to observe her intense focus on advancing her basic research findings to the point that they constitute practical advances in feline medicine, which is how she conceptualizes and pursues her research goals,” says John Dame, Ph.D., chairman of the immunology department. “Her research is at the molecular level, but she has never lost sight of her goal of translating her research findings into practical products.” …
Massachusetts Vet Hospital Raises Money For Animal Oxygen MasksMay 20, 2011 Bulger Veterinary Hospital, a 24-hour emergency, general practice and specialty referral facility in North Andover, Mass. is raising money to provide local fire stations with oxygen masks for pets. The fundraiser began in March and will continue through June. The practice’s goal is to raise enough funds to donate 134 oxygen mask kits to fire stations in surrounding towns and cities that have declared a need. To date, the practice has raised enough money to purchase more than 75 oxygen mask kits. Bulger initiated the fundraising because effects of smoke inhalation can be fatal if not treated quickly, yet fire stations are often not equipped to treat the animals they save from fires, according to the hospital. The fundraiser began at Bulger Veterinary Hospital then expanded to the Methuen Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Lowell Humane Society, which assisted by donating a raffle basket and hosting fund raising drives on behalf of Bulger. Beneficiaries of oxygen mask donations include fire stations in 19 Massachusetts towns and six towns in New Hampshire. To make a donation to the Bulger Veterinary Hospital fundraiser, call (978) 682-9905.
