Secrets Of A Successful Exploratory LaparotomyApril 17, 2009 A great modern philosopher (her name is Patty Khuly, VMD) wrote about her concerns when dealing with some laparotomy cases ("Surgery Peek and Shriek: My Worse Nightmare," November 2007). Some procedures are technical or specialized, but with any laparotomy, there are a few secrets worth sharing. Three critical steps of an exploratory laparotomy include the amount of hair clipped, the length of the incision and how systematic you are. The surgical site must be clipped adequately to allow a sufficient skin incision. This means that hair is generously clipped from cranial to the xiphoid region to the pubis. Laterally, the area extends to the inguinal folds. Very few clients will object to that once they understand it is in the pet’s best interest— and that incisions heal side to side, not end to end. Therefore, a 10-inch incision heals at the same rate as a one-inch incision. A celiotomy starts with a ventral midline skin incision, which must be long enough to access and visualize every abdominal organ from the liver to the bladder. In cats and female dogs, an incision from the xiphoid process to the pubis is recommended. This is …
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Winslow Animal Hospital To Build $3.5 Million FacilityApril 17, 2009 Winslow Animal Hospital reported on Nov.18 that it is moving from a 2,000-square-foot facility in Sicklerville, N.J., to a $3.5 million, 10,500-square-foot animal hospital just a half mile down the road. Construction is set to begin in December with an expected opening date of September 2009. The move is due, in part, to the population growth in the area, which is in southern Camden County, about 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia. The hospital currently has about 3,500 active clients, but that number is expected to increase 30 percent once the new facility is open. The building will be located on three acres and will feature 10 examination rooms, two surgical suites, two dental suites, a surgical orthopedic physical rehabilitation area featuring an underwater treadmill and a room designed for endoscopic procedures and diagnostic ultrasound. The floorplan for the new animal hospital. Owner Philippe Coudrai, DVM, performs about 200 orthopedic surgical procedures a year for more than 30 referring veterinarian hospitals. The facility will also have an expansive reception area, food prep and laundry areas, dog and cat ward, doctors’ station, pharmacy, laboratory, an X-ray room and utility rooms. …
August Issue Footnotes For Complementary MedicineApril 17, 2009 1 Cuendet M and Pezzuto JM. The role of cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase in cancer chemoprevention. COX and LOX in Cancer Prevention. 2000;17(1-4); 109-157. 2 Salvioli S, Sikora E, Cooper EL, et al. Curcumin in cell death processes: a challenge for CAM of age-related pathologies. eCAM. 2007;4(2):181-190. 3 Aggarwal BB, Kumar A, and Bharti AC. Review. Anticancer potential of curcumin: preclinical and clinical studies. Anticancer Research. 2003;23:363-398. 4 Aggarwal BB, Kumar A, and Bharti AC. Review. Anticancer potential of curcumin: preclinical and clinical studies. Anticancer Research. 2003;23:363-398. 5 Salvioli S, Sikora E, Cooper EL, et al. Curcumin in cell death processes: a challenge for CAM of age-related pathologies. eCAM. 2007;4(2):181-190. 6 Attri A, Rajora VS, Gupta DK, et al. Therapeutic efficacy of topical herbal formulation against dermatomycoses and bacterioal dermatitis in dogs. Indian J Vet Med. 2005;25(1):51-52. 7 Kiuchi F, Goto Y, Sugimoto N, et al. Nematocidal activity of turmeric: synergistic action of curcuminoids. Chem Pharm Bull. 1993;41(9):1640-1643. 8 Innes JF, Fuller CJ, Grover ER, et al. Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel group study of P54FP for the treatment of dogs with osteoarthritis. Veterinary Record. 2003;152:457-460. 9 Rema M and Pradeepa R. Diabetic …
Wisconsin Vet School Adds Director Of Clinical Scientist TrainingApril 17, 2009 Specialists are not returning to academia after completing training but instead are going into private practice.newslineWisconsin Vet School Adds Director of Clinical Scientist TrainingIn a move to recruit veterinary clinical scientists, the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, has appointed Lauren Trepanier, DVM, Ph.D., to the new role of director of clinician scientist training. The school noted that specialists are not returning to academia after completing training but instead are going into private practice, citing salary and the difficulty of committing to additional research training. The average salary for a specialist pursing a doctorate degree is $45,000 to $51,000, whereas the same specialist can make about $90,000 to $200,000 in private specialty practice. “We need to instill a passion for research into our trainees so that money isn’t the only factor in their future career choices,” said Dr. Trepanier, who is a small-animal internal medicine specialist with a second board certification in clinical pharmacology. “Our goal is to mentor residents so they have a better idea of how to approach clinical research and how to get results.” The school is seeking a grant from the National Institutes of Health to host a …
VPI Reveals Costliest ClaimsApril 17, 2009 Intervertebral disc disease in dogs and foreign body ingestion (small intestine) in cats are the most expensive insured conditions commonly seen in each species, according to Veterinary Pet Insurance of Brea, Calif., which insures more than 460,000 pets nationwide. VPI ranked conditions based on the average fees attached to common claims it received in 2007. The most expensive common conditions for dogs and cats with the average claimed fees are: Dogs CONDITION COST Intervertebral Disc Disease $2,844 Lung Cancer $2,032 Gastric Torsion (Bloat) $1,955 Foreign Body Ingestion (Small Intestine) $1,629 Cruciate Rupture $1,517 Foreign Body Ingestion (Stomach) $1,398 Cataract (Senior) $1,244 Bone Cancer $1,059 Pin in Broken Limb $1,000 Brain Cancer $916 Cats CONDITION COST Foreign Body Ingestion (Small Intestine) $1,629 Urinary Tract Reconstruction $1,399 Foreign Body Ingestion (Stomach) $1,391 Rectal Cancer $1,011 Bladder Stones $989 Intestinal Cancer $942 Hyperthyroidism (Radiation) $920 Fibrosarcoma (Skin Cancer) $780 Acute Renal Failure $565 Mast Cell Tumors $497 Treatment costs vary case by case, and financial figures were compiled based on the average cost of initial claims. VPI states that the figures are not intended to suggest typical reimbursements, reflect a national average of veterinary fees or account for …
FDA Won’t Bar Extralabel Use Of CephalosporinApril 17, 2009 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has revoked its order prohibiting the extralabel use of cephalosporin antimicrobial drugs in food-producing animals. The order, originally announced July 3 in the Federal Register, would have gone into effect Nov. 30. The decision was made so the agency can fully consider the remarks submitted during the comment period. As detailed in the July 3 rule, the decision to prohibit extralabel use of cephalosporins in food-producing animals was based on information that such uses likely contribute to the emergence of cephalosporin-resistant zoonotic food-borne pathogens. If, after considering the comments and other information, the FDA wants to issue another ban, it will initiate another public comment period. <HOME>
Vets To Provide Free Eye Exams For Service DogsApril 17, 2009More than 140 board certified veterinary ophthalmologists and 1,300 general veterinarians across the United States will be providing free eye exams and preventative health reports to 5,000-10,000 service dogs the week of May 12. The event is being launched by the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, Pet Health Systems of Memphis, Tenn., and Merial of Duluth, Ga. The ACVO National Service Dog Eye Exam is expected to garner almost $1 million in services to help guide dogs, handicapped assistance dogs, detection dogs and search and rescue dogs. Participants will also receive a Pet Wellness Report (a preventative health diagnosis) and blood panel through their primary care veterinarian. The idea of the national eye exam was spurred after the success of a similar local event in Memphis. Bill Miller, DVM, Dipl. ACVO, of Advanced Animal Eye Care, examined 87 service dogs. Click here for details. <HOME>
FDA To Hold Pet-Food Standards MeetingApril 17, 2009The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans a May 13 public meeting to collect information about pet-food standards from various stakeholder groups. These stakeholders include, but are not limited to, the Association of American Feed Control Officials, veterinary medical associations, animal health organizations and pet food manufacturers. As mandated by the FDA Amendments Act of 2007, the agency is working to develop standards including ingredient standards and definitions, processing standards and updated labeling standards. The FDA also wants input from these stakeholders as to whether these standards should cover all animal feeds. The meeting will take place from 8 a.m. to 4: 30 p.m. May 13 at the Holiday Inn in Gaithersburg, Md. The FDA requests that parties interested in making public comment pre-register for the meeting by sending basic information (name, company or association name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and whether one plans to speak on behalf on an organization or as an individual). Information should be sent to Nanette Milton at nanette.milton@fda.hhs.gov. In addition, the FDA is accepting written comments on pet food standards (identify comments for Docket No. FDA-2007-N-0442) through June 13, 2008, via www.regulations.gov or mailed to Division of Dockets Management …
Drawing A Bead On Cancer CellsApril 17, 2009 Chemotherapy, with its side effects, is often the worst part of the cancer treatment process. But what if there were a noninvasive treatment that could target a tumor and leave the healthy tissue alone? Engineers at Rice University in Houston have successfully tested a new cancer therapy based on nanoshells gold-coated quartz spheres roughly 1/500th the width of a human hair. By adjusting the relative size of the two parts of the nanoshell, the core and the shells, they can tune the optical properties of that nanoparticle such that they can control what wavelength of light or color it absorbs. Naomi Halas reported in the journal Cancer Letters in 2004 that the nanoshells' ability to capture light and convert it to heat has, in lab tests on mice, destroyed tumors. She and Rice biomedical engineer Jennifer West coat the nanoshells with a substance that binds them to cancer cells. Once they're in place, infrared light is shined through the skin and down into the tumor site. It's a very simple handheld laser, used only for three minutes. Nanoshells absorb light and convert it to heat extremely efficiently, and three minutes is sufficient to kill the …
Craniosacral ControversyApril 17, 2009 A controversial manipulative-therapy approach for humans is making headway into the treatment of animals. At the time of its discovery in the early 20th century by William Garner Sutherland, DO, craniosacral manipulation "was generally regarded as the dream of an erratic."1 Over time, the approach made inroads into the osteopathic profession. In 1947, students of Sutherland formed The Cranial Academy www.cranialacademy.org, whose membership comprised physicians and dentists dedicated to the research and promotion of osteopathy in the cranial field. The popularity of craniosacral therapy widened after John E. Upledger, DO, broke from osteopathic tradition and began teaching the technique to non-physicians. According to Upledger Institute Inc. (www.upledger.com) craniosacral therapy treats traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, orthopedic problems, "motor-coordination impairments," chronic back pain, colic, neurovascular and immune disorders and "post-surgical dysfunction." For several years, the Institute has been offering courses in craniosacral therapy for animals, including workshops on dogs, wolves, foxes, coyotes and horses. The fundamental tenets of the technique hold that the bones of the cranium and pelvis exhibit subtle, periodic motions as a result of the rhythmic coiling and uncoiling of the central nervous system and …
