Foreign Animal, Emerging Disease Course Scheduled For MayApril 17, 2009 The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine is offering a week-long training course on Foreign Animal and Emerging Diseases for veterinarians and veterinary technicians from May 13-18 in Knoxville, Tenn. The course, which is jointly sponsored with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will include topics such as potential impacts of agroterrorism, international animal disease control, mass animal care in a disaster setting, foot-and-mouth disease, anthrax, rift valley fever, vesicular stomatitis, rabbit hemorrhagic disease, avian influenza, African horsesickness and equine encephalosis and wildlife roles in maintaining exotic animal diseases. For more information, visit www.vet.utk.edu/cafsp or call Ann White at 865-974-0345. <HOME>
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California Abandons Spay/Neuter BillApril 17, 2009 Continued debate on the proposed mandatory spay/neuter legislation proved too much for it to survive in the state Senate. Assemblyman Lloyd Levine of Van Nuys withdrew the contentious California Healthy Pets Act (AB 1634) today after it became clear he would not garner enough votes for it from the state Senate’s Local Government Committee. Saying the bill was well-intended but flawed from the start, the American Kennel Club praised this development. “AB 1634 was nothing more than an attempt to penalize responsible dog and cat owners who are not to blame for any purported pet population issues in California,” said Dennis Sprung, AKC’s president and chief executive officer. “Today’s developments ensure that their fundamental rights and liberties remain intact.” The bill, which would have mandated the spaying or neutering of most dogs and cats – exceptions were granted for show and work animals - in the state, was introduced in an effort to reduce the number of unwanted animals abandoned and euthanized. The state Assembly passed the bill, narrowly, but support for it continued to crumble when the California Veterinary Medical Assn. quietly withdrew its support of the legislation last week. Despite the …
Compounding Concerns For Animals Near And DearApril 17, 2009 Competitive pricing, counterfeit drugs, unreliable sources for drugs and the honesty that our profession must maintain present an everyday dilemma. How can veterinarians avoid being tarnished by scandals of adulterated and contaminated food and drugs and still maintain the public’s trust? Dawn Merton Boothe, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM and ACVCP, director of pharmacology at Auburn University, asked veterinarians to combat the adulteration of products in her letter to the editor in the Dec. 1 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Assn. Compounded drugs are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. When approved drugs are not available or not suitable as packaged by the manufacturer for a doctor’s intended use in a particular patient, compounding of that drug is allowed. The compounding industry is growing fast and is not yet well regulated. Veterinary compounding is regulated by 50 state boards of pharmacy that use vague federal laws that are interpreted inconsistently. Most compounding pharmacies are run by pharmacists of variable expertise who oversee the preparation of the ingredients. Veterinarians must realize that compounded drugs offer no guarantee of potency, stability, bioavailability, safety or efficacy. We have become comfortable using FDA-approved products, with guaranteed analysis, …
Artimplant Signs Distribution Agreement With BioMedtrixApril 17, 2009 The Swedish biomaterial company Artimplant has signed an exclusive U.S. distribution agreement with BioMedtrix for its Artelon CCL, a new biodegradable implant for the reconstruction of canine knee ligaments. This is Artimplant’s first entry in the veterinary field. Previously, the product was used for anterior cruciate ligament augmentation in humans. To date, about 30 dogs have received Artelon implants. “The extent of CCL (cranial cruciate ligament) ruptures in the United States has been estimated to be over 300,000 cases annually,” said Christopher Sidebotham, chief executive officer of BioMedtrix. “BioMedtrix expects to enter this market in 2009 based on scientific research and the experience of veterinarian leaders in the industry,” Sidebotham said. “With the U.S. documentation in place, our expected clinical cases in the first year will be 10,000 procedures with an aggressive annual growth towards establishing the Artelon CCL procedure as the standard for CCL repair.” BioMedtrix of Boonton, N.J., will establish clinical sites, train the veterinary community and support the program through prospective studies. <HOME>
10 Surgical Tips For Cancer SurgeryApril 17, 2009Make sure your technician is free to clip hair widely. . Ensure that the entire shaved area is scrubbed aseptically. . Spend some time planning your excision before draping the patient. . Have a Plan A and a Plan B (at least) to close the surgical site. . Pretend the tumor is grossly infected to remain aware of protecting healthy tissue. . Avoid entering the tumor itself by accident, with instruments or fingers. . Excise the biopsy tract when applicable. . Respect all other rules of surgery: Use aseptic technique, preserve blood supply, minimize dead space and reduce tension during closure. . Change gloves, instruments and drapes before closing the surgical site. . "Cancer should not be peeled out, shelled out, enucleated or curetted if a cure is expected.” This is a quote from Stephen Withrow in his oncology book.
News In AcademicsApril 17, 2009Purdue Receives Grant to Support Middle School Science Education Purdue University's School of Veterinary Medicine recently received a $749,755 grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a nonprofit research organization, to support middle-school science education. The grant is paid over five years and incorporates campus resources to develop a series of comparative biology electronic field trips. "Middle school students will have the opportunity to interact with Purdue scientists in their laboratories without leaving their school grounds," said J. Paul Robinson, Ph.D., SVM Professor of Cytomics. "We will pay special attention to selecting topics, visuals and scientists that appeal to a wide range of audiences, with particular emphasis on helping girls and minorities see science careers as both attainable and exciting." Purdue will feature a host and one or two guest scientists from areas such as veterinary medicine, biology and agriculture, and will combine videos and animations, live demonstrations and experiments, discussions and question-and-answer sessions with working scientists. "Electronic field trips are similar to traditional field trips," Dr. Robinson said. "They require advance preparation and certain amount of schedule modification, but with the advantage of saving transportation costs and travel time. This can be a significant addition to middle school …
AVMA Clarifies Stance On Ear Cropping And Tail DockingApril 17, 2009 The American Veterinary Medical Assn.’s executive board issued a revised policy on Nov. 26 clarifying its stance on ear cropping and tail docking. The revised policy states: “The AVMA opposes ear cropping and tail docking of dogs when done solely for cosmetic purposes. The AVMA encourages the elimination of ear cropping and tail docking from breed standards.” “For many years the AVMA has acknowledged that ear cropping and tail docking of dogs for cosmetic purposes are not medically indicated nor of benefit to our canine patients,” said Ron DeHaven, DVM, chief executive officer of the AVMA. “Our latest policy revision doesn’t represent a change in perspective, but, rather, makes that perspective clear with a stronger statement.” The decision to strengthen the association’s policy was spurred after a scheduled review of the existing policy. “Why we perform certain procedures is one of the first questions we ask,” said Gail Golab, DVM, director of the AVMA’s Animal Welfare Division. “ ‘Cosmetic’ implies the basis for these procedures is to alter the dog’s appearance. Welfare risks identified included … anesthetic complications, pain, blood loss and infection. In the committee’s opinion, the risk-benefit analysis supports professional opposition to performing …
Neogen Corp.April 17, 2009 Neogen Corp.’s animal safety division reported revenue of $12.7 million for its second quarter ended Nov. 30, up 21 percent from $10.5 million in the year-ago period. Year to date, the division reported revenue of $21.9 million, up 13 percent from $19.3 million. Sales of over-the-counter veterinary products increased 18 percent for the quarter. For the first half of fiscal 2008, diagnostic product sales have increased 11 percent, with sales of test kits to detect drugs of abuse in racing animals increasing 21 percent over the prior year. There was also strong growth in rodenticides sales to international markets in the second quarter. Overall, Neogen reported net income of $3.3 million on revenue of $27.2 million for its second quarter, compared with net income of $2.4 million on revenue of $22.2 million in the year-ago period. Year to date, the company reported net income of $6.3 million on revenue of $50.1 million, compared to net income of $4.8 million on revenue of $42.4 million. Posted January 21, 2008, 8:54 a.m., EST <HOME>
Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab Names New DirectorApril 17, 2009 Stephen Hooser, DVM, Ph.D., has been named director of the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL). He was previously head of the toxicology section of the state office, located on the Purdue University campus. Dr. Hooser, also a Purdue comparative pathobiology professor, succeeds Leon Thacker, DVM, Ph.D., who has been the ADDL director for the past 23 years. Dr. Thacker will remain at the laboratory as a diagnostic pathologist and will return to teach Purdue veterinary classes. “I’m honored to be appointed to this important position in a facility that has the task to diagnose animal diseases, thereby protecting the health of animals, both large and small, and people,” Hooser said. “The laboratory’s work is even more crucial now than in the past because of emerging and re-emerging diseases, and the ability for potentially dangerous illnesses to be carried globally more rapidly than ever.” ADDL also teaches veterinary and veterinary technician students and veterinary pathology residents. <HOME>
Pfizer To Buy Certain Animal Health Products From Schering-PloughApril 17, 2009Schering-Plough Corp. of Kenilworth, N.J., received the European Commission's approval Wednesday to sell certain animal health assets to New York-based Pfizer Corp. The assets comprise products for companion and farm animals, including various vaccines, specialty pharmaceuticals and parasiticides. Schering-Plough is pursuing the sale of these assets following commitments it made to the European Commission late last year in its acquisition of Netherlands-based Organon Biosciences, a subsidiary of Akzo Nobel NV, which includes Intervet International. Schering-Plough had agreed that it would sell more than 20 formulations and trademarks to eliminate antitrust issues. The European Commission said Wednesday that the transaction between Schering-Plough and Pfizer will not raise competition concerns because "the new entity [Pfizer] would continue to face several significant competitors in all relevant markets for animal vaccines and pharmaceuticals and that farmers and veterinarians across the European Economic Area would continue to have access to alternative suppliers post-merger." <HOME>
