Wiley releases second edition on common neoplasias in geriatric dogs, catsDecember 5, 2017Canine and Feline Geriatric Oncology: Honoring the Human-Animal Bond, Second Edition by Alice Villalobos, DVM, with Laurie Kaplan, MSC, newly released by Wiley, provides a complete clinical approach to the most common neoplasias in geriatric dogs and cats.
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Study finds animal sterilization possibly safer than hysterectomy in womenDecember 4, 2017A six-year study of 113,906 spay/neuter surgeries performed in a Florida spay/neuter clinic found that the canine mortality rate was lower than that reported for hysterectomy in women. The study, presented at an international specialty conference last month, found a canine mortality rate of 0.9 per 10,000 surgeries (0.009 percent), compared to 1 per 10,000 surgeries in women. Even though cats didn't fare as well, with a mortality rate of 5/10,000 surgeries (0.05 percent), the overall mortality rate of 3.3/10,000 (0.03 percent) closely approached that found in human surgical practice. "This is a stunning validation of the expertise and skill of spay/neuter veterinarians," said lead researcher Julie Levy, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, DABVP, of the Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida. The research also echoed similar findings from human literature about the importance of specialized skills and volume of practice in achieving high surgical success rates. The study examined surgery performed at a high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter clinic operated by the Humane Society of Tampa Bay within the parameters of The Association of Shelter Veterinarians' Veterinary Medical Care Guidelines for Spay-Neuter Clinics. It's unsurprising that extreme focus on a specific set of …
KSU researcher protects pigs against PRRS during reproductionDecember 1, 2017 Raymond "Bob" Rowland, Ph.D., professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology in the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, has created a way to protect swine offspring from porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus during pregnancy. Rowland has found that mothers without the CD163 protein are resistant to the PRRS virus and give birth to healthy, normal piglets. The work appears in Nature's Scientific Reports. "We have created a protective shell against the PRRS virus during the reproductive phase of production," Rowland said. "The offspring does not become infected during pregnancy and is born a healthy piglet. During this critical phase of production, we have essentially ended a disease." The PRRS virus causes disease in two forms: a respiratory form that weakens young pigs' ability to breathe and a more severe reproductive form that causes mass deaths in pigs during late pregnancy. "The reproductive form not only has a tremendous economic impact, but also a psychological impact on people who work with pigs," said Rowland, who has spent more than 20 years studying the PRRS virus. "When we look at ways to control this disease, it really begins with reproduction. We want to keep this …
AAVMC reports veterinary college applicant pool up 6 percentDecember 1, 2017The number of applicants applying for admission to member institutions of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) continues to rise, according to final data compiled at the end of the annual application cycle. A total of 7,507 individuals applied through the AAVMC's Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) for admission to the class that begins their studies in fall 2018. That compares to 7,077 applicants who applied during the prior year admissions cycle and represents an increase of about 6 percent. The total number of applications submitted was 36,638, which rose about seven percent over last year, when 34,134 applied. Each applicant applied to an average of 4.88 institutions, which also slightly increased. This marks the second straight year that the number of applicants has increased about 6 percent year-over-year. A recently published report by the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests opportunities for careers in veterinary medicine will grow 18 percent by 2026 as a result of increased demand for companion animal care and food production and security. "Veterinary medicine offers a wide variety of rewarding career opportunities in many different sectors of the profession, including clinical care, food security, …
Zoetis accepting research grant proposals on controlling parasitic diseaseDecember 1, 2017Zoetis is accepting grant proposals for research into innovative approaches to help protect dogs, cattle, sheep, and poultry from parasitic diseases and to extend the efficacy of therapeutics through new formulations. Through a grant awards program, Zoetis will award a minimum of $25,000 and maximum of $150,000 to support each selected grant proposal. More than one grant may be awarded. "We at Zoetis are interested in advancing novel approaches to protect animals from parasitic diseases, to improve the health and productivity of livestock animals and to help companion animals live longer, healthier lives," said Debra Woods, Ph.D., research director, head of Parasitology Global Therapeutics Research for Zoetis. "Through this grant program, we aim to energize investigation into anti-parasitic therapeutics research and advance science in this area of high need in animal health." The company seeks proposals focused on helping to protect dogs from heartworm disease by taking novel biological or biopharmaceutical approaches to prevention and on developing diagnostic tools to detect the early stages of infection. Projects might also look at understanding early stages of heartworm infection, including the mechanisms of their migration through the tissues to the heart. In cattle and sheep, the company seeks proposals that explore …
Oregon CVM resumes normal operations after EHV-1 caseDecember 1, 2017Three weeks after diagnosing a horse with a form of equine herpes virus (EHV-1) and suspending all elective surgical and medical services for horses and camelids, the Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine has resumed normal operations. EHV-1 is a naturally occurring virus that can cause serious neurologic illness in horses. "There was no transmission of the virus to other horses within or outside of the hospital, so we are lifting quarantine and returning to normal operations effective immediately," said Erica McKenzie, professor of large animal internal medicine. "The college thanks everyone for their patience and assistance during the quarantine period." EHV-1 can cause abortion in pregnant mares, which should be kept away from horses showing signs of the disease and also kept away from horses that have been in contact with exposed animals. Although a vaccine exists for EHV-1, it does not prevent infection and is not known to prevent clinical signs of neurologic disease related to the neurotropic form. "Horse owners should be aware that although EHV-1 is not transmissible to humans, people can spread the virus on their hands and clothing to horses, alpacas or llamas if they are in contact with an infected horse," McKenzie …
What to do about growing stress in the veterinary professionNovember 30, 2017 Stress is an all-pervasive phenomenon in modern day societies and various professions, but the veterinary discipline suffers from the negative effects of stress and its sequelae at a troublingly disproportionate rate. A recent report, written by Richard W. Kim and his colleagues at the DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, Center for Animal and Human Health at Lincoln Memorial University, and School of Public Health at Jackson State University, published in the November 2017 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, discusses the issue of negative stress in veterinarians and veterinary students and suggests a novel approach in combating this scourge. Pervasive problem with elusive effective change Negative stress, often called distress, is at the root of many mental health problems and dysfunctional behaviors. Surveys by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other researchers have found that veterinarians suffer two to three times the prevalence of serious mental illness and feelings of despair relative to the general population. According to a 2015 survey published by Nett et al in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, it has been reported that almost a third of veterinarians had experienced depression, with as high as …
Ehave moves to expand health informatics tech into vet medicineNovember 30, 2017Ehave Inc., a healthcare company that delivers digital solutions to the mental health community, will be expanding its business into veterinary medicine. Companion Healthcare Technologies Inc. (CHT) will license Ehave's core health informatics platform for animal health. "The veterinary healthcare market continues to undergo explosive growth marked by a drive for new medicines, diagnostics, and technologies that can elevate the quality and access to care for companion animals," said Prateek Dwivedi, CEO of Ehave. "This expansion into yet another emerging healthcare vertical exemplifies the versatility and utility of our technology and is in line with our efforts to fully leverage the flexibility of our core health informatics platform in areas where there is an opportunity to add immediate value and revenue. As the pace of innovation in animal health continues to accelerate, our platform is ideally designed to support the growth of this exciting industry. Similar to our established applications in mental health and medical cannabis, by licensing our core platform, CHT and its partners in veterinary research and clinical practice will be able to more effectively monitor, utilize, and improve therapeutic outcomes for pets by capturing and analyzing real-time, objective patient data." Under the proposed license agreement, CHT will …
FDA warns of possible bone treat dangersNovember 30, 2017U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a statement that it has received about 68 reports of pet illnesses related to processed and packaged "bone treats." A variety of commercially available bone treats for dogs—including treats described as "Ham Bones," "Pork Femur Bones," "Rib Bones," and "Smokey Knuckle Bones"—were listed in the reports. The products may be dried through a smoking process or by baking, and may contain other ingredients such as preservatives, seasonings, and smoke flavorings. "Giving your dog a bone treat might lead to an unexpected trip to your veterinarian, a possible emergency surgery, or even death for your pet," said Carmela Stamper, DVM, a veterinarian in the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the FDA. Illnesses reported Illnesses reported to FDA by owners and veterinarians in dogs that have eaten bone treats have included: Gastrointestinal obstruction (blockage in the digestive tract) Choking Cuts and wounds in the mouth or on the tonsils Vomiting Diarrhea Bleeding from the rectum Approximately 16 dogs reportedly died after eating a bone treat. The reports, sent in by pet owners and veterinarians, involved about 90 dogs (some reports included more than one dog). In addition, FDA received seven reports of product problems, …
Cornell offers alternative procedure for treating equine atrial fibrillationNovember 28, 2017Cardiologists at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine are touting a new procedure to treat atrial fibrillation (AF): transvenous electrical cardioversion (TVEC). "I'm very excited to be able to offer this procedure," said Bruce Kornreich, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, associate director of the Feline Health Center and staff cardiologist. "AF is a very common condition in horses that we're often asked to diagnose and treat. This is another tool in our toolbox to convert these patients back to a normal heart rhythm." Cornell's Equine Hospital offered TVEC until about five years ago, when the hospital could no longer purchase catheters needed for the procedure, which involves electrodes in the heart to reset its rhythm via an electric shock. Recently, the catheters came back onto the market. At around the same time, Cornell veterinary students examined On-Star, a 19-year-old mare from the Cornell Equine Park teaching herd. "The students picked up the arrhythmia, and we diagnosed it as AF," said Gillian Perkins, DVM, DACVIM, medical director of the Equine/Nemo Farm Animal Hospitals, who coordinated the procedure. For horses that don't respond well to the traditional quinidine treatment or that have had AF for several years, TVEC might be …
