Eli Global acquires veterinary derm company Stratford PharmaceuticalsAugust 28, 2018Eli Global LLC, based in Durham, N.C., has acquired Stratford Pharmaceuticals LLC, DBA Stratford Animal Health. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Stratford, which currently provides a wide arrangement of dermatology products to more than 10,000 veterinary hospitals in the U.S. and eight other countries, will continue to operate independently under the leadership of Brian Nugent, founder and CEO, from its Oldsmar, Fla., corporate headquarters. Greg Lindberg is chairman and CEO of Eli. "Partnering with Eli Global was a natural fit as it allows Stratford to keep our corporate identity, provide stability and continuity for our amazing employees while continuing to provide excellent products and services to our large base of veterinary hospitals in the U.S. and abroad," said Nugent. "In addition, Eli Global's resources include more than 100 businesses with 7,500-plus employees and over $20 Billion in proforma assets, which will allow Stratford to continue its double-digit organic growth while at the same time being extremely aggressive in the pursuit of animal health acquisitions."
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24 VCA Animal Hospitals donate $12K to NEADS nonprofitAugust 28, 2018VCA Animal Hospitals and its nonprofit partner organization VCA Charities have donated more than $12,000 to NEADS Inc. (formerly known as the National Education for Assistance Dog Services and Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans), the internationally accredited nonprofit organization that raises and trains service dogs for people with disabilities. From the beginning of April to June 2, 24 animal hospitals in Massachusetts and New Hampshire collected donations by encouraging clients to round up their transactions to the nearest dollar or to donate online. "We want to thank all of those clients, donors, and staff for helping to make this years' 'Pennies for Pets' a success," said Lauren McVey, regional operations director for VCA Animal Hospitals. "These funds are helping our valued animal-welfare partner groups improve lives in our community." NEADS service dogs offers service dogs for adults and children with a physical disability, service dogs for veterans, and hearing dogs and service dogs for children with autism or other developmental disabilities. The organization's assistance dogs are partnered with professionals in classroom, hospital, ministry, and courthouse settings. Learn more at neads.org. Reported by Sentinel & Enterprise.
Kansas State University experts confront African swine fever in AsiaAugust 28, 2018Jürgen Richt, DVM, PhD, Regents Distinguished Professor, KBA Eminent Scholar, and director of Kansas State University's Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), is providing guidance to officials in East Asia on the emerging problem of African swine fever. African swine fever is a highly contagious disease of domestic pigs and wild boar that causes high fever, respiratory problems, weakness, and stillbirths. Mortality rates among affected animals approach 100 percent. Dr. Richt was in Asia delivering a series of presentations when an outbreak of African swine fever was reported in China on Aug. 1, with a second outbreak reported on Aug. 16, and a third on Aug. 19. "Efforts to handle a potential outbreak have not succeeded, so we have to be concerned about the disease spreading across national boundaries," Richt said. "The first outbreak occurred only a little more than 120 miles north of North Korea." The disease presents trade problems for China and other Asian countries, Richt said. China produces nearly half the world's pork. Following his conversations with veterinary medicine faculty and students at Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea, and with members of South Korean media …
Veterinary ethics group supports Veterinary Nurse InitiativeAugust 27, 2018The Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics (SVME), which promotes discussion and debate of ethical issues relevant to veterinary practice, has announced its support of the Veterinary Nurse Initiative to create a registered veterinary nurse credential. This initiative seeks to bring continuity to the title through a multiyear, state to state strategy to work within legislation overseeing credentialing for veterinary technicians. "The SVME fully recognizes the professionalism and essential knowledge and skill brought to the team by veterinary technicians as vital members of the healthcare team and has expanded its own executive board membership to ensure the inclusion of veterinary technicians, who face many different as well as many of the same ethical concerns as their veterinarian team members," the association said in a statement. Veterinary technicians currently are identified under various titles, including certified veterinary technician, registered veterinary technician, and licensed veterinary technicians, which leads to confusion and decreased public understanding of the education and skill required of the position, the group added. "The SVME is in support of title unification and consistent educational standards nationwide to reduce confusion from inconsistent nomenclature and to increase the awareness of the role of veterinary technicians, the profession of …
Banfield Pet Hospital welcomes CFO, manager of mental health servicesAugust 27, 2018Ludek Janousek and Lisa Stewart-Brown have joined Banfield Pet Hospital as CFO and program manager mental health services, respectively. Janousek, charged with shaping key business decisions, strengthening the company's long-term financial health, and driving hospital vision and purpose within the broader organization, holds a master's degree in International Business from University of Economics in Prague, Czech Republic. In her newly created role, Stewart-Brown will develop and implement mental health strategies and initiatives that support the emotional and mental health of Banfield associates, reinforcing Banfield's holistic approach to health and well-being. Stewart-Brown, a licensed clinical social worker, holds a master's degree in social work from California State University, Sacramento, and an MBA with health care emphasis from California Miramar University.
AVMA MyVeterinaryLife website supports early-career vets, studentsAugust 27, 2018MyVeterinaryLife.com, a new American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) website for early-career veterinarians and vet students, answers commonly asked questions about the industry and offers career tips, financial guidance, and ways to deal with work-related stress. MyVeterinaryLife.com is dedicated to offering a chance for trainees in the field to receive the critical resources veterinary students and young professionals need to support themselves and their well-being as the next generation of veterinarians, according to the AVMA. Organized based on career stage, the site includes sections for readers in veterinary school, in transition from school to the workforce, or already working as a veterinarian. The platform also provides access to a salary calculator, a student externship locator, and the ProQOL well-being assessment. Other tools on the site include financial tips for fourth-year veterinary students, a series of webinars exploring different veterinary careers, lessons on financial literacy, and more.
Zoetis Core EQ Innovator equine vaccine fights five core diseasesAugust 24, 2018Zoetis' new Core EQ Innovator equine vaccine contains all five core equine disease antigens—West Nile, Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis, tetanus, and rabies—in one vaccine. Core EQ Innovator provides a safe and effective immune response against the five core equine disease antigens as demonstrated in safety and efficacy trials, Zoetis stated, adding that the vaccine has been field tested in more than 1,000 horses with 99.7 percent of horses being reaction free.2,3 "Viral respiratory and neurologic diseases are the leading preventable causes of death in horses," said Jacquelin Boggs, DVM, MS, DACVIM, senior veterinarian, Equine Technical Services at Zoetis. "While annual vaccination against the core equine diseases has long been an established standard of care, Core EQ Innovator will simplify compliance and help provide protection to all horses against these deadly diseases. We trust this vaccine will better equip veterinarians with the tools they need to help protect the health and well-being of horses." All of the disease antigens in Core EQ Innovator are backed by the Zoetis Equine Immunization Support Guarantee, which provides horse owners and veterinarians with vaccination support, including diagnostic testing and treatment, the company stated. Available in a 1-mL dose and safe …
New research for canine, human Type 1 diabetes holds promiseAugust 24, 2018Reversing Type 1 diabetes in dogs and humans without the use of daily insulin injections or pumps may become a reality, thanks to a collaboration between Purdue University and the Indiana University School of Medicine. In a preclinical study, researchers developed a mixture of collagen and pancreatic cells and engineered a delivery method that successfully reversed Type 1 diabetes within 24 hours and maintained insulin independence for 90 days. A clinical study in dogs with naturally occurring Type 1 diabetes in collaboration with Purdue's College of Veterinary Medicine is next. "We plan to account for differences from mouse to human by helping dogs first," said Clarissa Hernandez Stephens, first author on the work and a graduate researcher at Purdue's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. "This way, the dogs can inform us on how well the treatment might work in humans." Because diabetes in dogs and humans occurs the same, both potentially could benefit from the same cure: A new set of pancreatic cells to replace islets (clusters of cells) that aren't releasing insulin to monitor blood glucose levels. Islet transplantation isn't new, and it poses challenges: It requires multiple donors, it's invasive, and large numbers of transplanted …
NIH awards UF veterinarian five-year grant to study canine diabetesAugust 24, 2018Allison O'Kell, DVM, a small animal internal medicine specialist and clinical assistant professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, has received a Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health in support of her studies relating to canine diabetes. The five-year grant, known as a K08, will support Dr. O'Kell's career and research project. "The overall goal of my research is to study the causes of diabetes in the dog," O'Kell said. "We hope that the work will benefit dogs with this disease, but also to help us better understand whether studying the disease in dogs may be a novel way to understand the disease in humans." The disease has been increasing in prevalence over time in both dogs and humans, emphasizing the importance of research to determine the underlying causes of the disease as well as methods for prevention and treatment, she added. O'Kell's primary mentor is Mark Atkinson, PhD, the American Diabetes Association Eminent Scholar for Diabetes Research and Jeffrey Keene Family Professor in the UF College of Medicine. Atkinson also directs the UF Diabetes Institute and has been investigating human Type 1 diabetes for …
Blue Buffalo Co. launches canine obesity, joint health dietAugust 23, 2018Blue Buffalo Co. has launched BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet W+M Weight Management + Mobility Support for dogs. According to the company, the therapeutic diet contains L-carnitine, which has been shown to facilitate weight loss and help maintain lean body mass in dogs; betaine, which supports dogs' ability to metabolize fat; moderate levels of dietary fiber from powdered cellulose, pea fiber, dried tomato pomace, and chicory root, which promote satiety and weight loss; turmeric, vitamin C, and vitamin E to limit oxidative stress, which has been found to be involved in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. It also contains EPA, DHA, glucosamine, and chondroitin sulfate, as well as deboned salmon, fish oil, canola oil, flaxseed, and shrimp meal.
