Banfield Pet Hospital launches vet debt relief programNovember 9, 2017 Banfield Pet Hospital announced its new Banfield Veterinary Student Debt Relief Pilot Program, marking the latest development in the practice's commitment to supporting its associates' financial well-being, according to the company. The company is set to launch a new debt-relief program for its veterinarians next month. "High levels of veterinary student debt are plaguing the industry, and Banfield is committed to helping veterinarians address this significant burden," said Daniel Aja, DVM, senior vice president and chief medical officer for Banfield. "As we continue to dedicate ourselves to continuous improvement as a practice, we're investing in the new [program] to support our doctors first and foremost—but also set the bar for the veterinary profession to help address this industry-wide issue." The program for eligible doctors will include three main elements: A low-interest refinancing option with supplementary 0.25 percent interest-rate reduction from a third-party financial institution A monthly student-loan contribution of $150 paid by Banfield directly on qualifying student loans A one-time $2,500 payment for each qualifying Banfield student program in which the doctor participates prior to graduating Research shows veterinarians carry a staggering amount of student debt, averaging more than $167,000. "When I graduated from veterinary …
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Animal Cancer Foundation receives $1 million for canine cancer genome projectNovember 8, 2017 The Animal Cancer Foundation (ACF), a national nonprofit organization that supports comparative oncology research that studies the similarities between cancers in people and pets to help find cures for both, has received a $1 million dollar donation from the Blue Buffalo Foundation. The grant will provide funding for the Canine Cancer Genome Project (CCGP), which will map the tumor genomes of the most common canine cancers. Understanding the genetic makeup of canine cancer tumors, and comparing their genetic makeup to those of people with cancer, will allow researchers to discover additional targeted drug therapies and the least toxic doses of those therapies that are most effective in curing the individual, whether canine or human, according to ACF. The initiative arose as a result of a review conducted in 2015 by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science and supported in part by ACF that highlighted the value of comparative oncology and the inclusion of veterinary oncologists in accelerating cancer drug development. ACF has pledged to raise an additional $1 million dollars in support of the CCGP. The fundraising effort is supported by Blue Buffalo Foundation, which has partnered with …
$295 million settlement preliminarily approved in Stericycle class actionNovember 8, 2017A $295 million settlement has been reached on behalf of a nationwide class of Stericycle customers, following a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of engaging in a price-increasing scheme that automatically inflated customers' bills up to 18 percent biannually, according to Hagens Berman class-action attorneys. The court granted preliminary approval, moving closer to final approval and implementation. Under the settlement agreement, Stericycle also will discontinue the pricing practices at the core of the lawsuit within 60 days of preliminary approval by the court. The company's compliance with the settlement terms will be monitored for three years by a retired federal district judge. "For years, Stericycle got away with a pricing scheme that boosted the bills of its customers, violating contracts and threatening the existence of small businesses paying for Stericycle's services," said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman. "We're incredibly pleased to bring both immediate financial relief and an end to this fraudulent billing practice to Stericycle's customers who have been plagued by inflated bills for so long." The settlement agreement affects Stericycle customers that had flat-fee Steri-Safe or variable "transactional" medical waste disposal contracts with the company and were subjected to …
Nationwide supports National Pet Cancer Awareness Month through social mediaNovember 8, 2017November is National Pet Cancer Awareness Month, and Nationwide is partnering with the Animal Cancer Foundation to increase awareness and raise funds to fight the number one disease-related killer of dogs and cats. Last year, the company received more than 78,000 pet insurance claims for cancer diagnosis and treatment in pets, making cancer-related conditions one of the most common types of medical claims. In fact, last year members accumulated more than $23 million in medical expenses for pet cancer-related conditions. During the month of November, Nationwide will donate $5 to the Animal Cancer Foundation up to $50,000 for every photo, story, or statistic shared on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using #CurePetCancer (visit curepetcancer.com for more information). The 10 most common pet cancer-related claims, in order, received by Nationwide last year: Malignant skin neoplasia Lymohosarcoma Splenic neoplasia Hepatic neoplasia Bone or joint neoplasia Thoracic neoplasia Bladder neoplasia Anal sac neoplasia Malignant oral neoplasia Brain or spinal cord neoplasia
Texas veterinary medical foundation launches new websiteNovember 7, 2017 The Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation (TVMF) launched its newly redesigned website, tvmf.org, to offer visitors a better experience and greater understanding of the foundation's diverse program offerings, innovative education initiatives for pet owners, and advocacy and impact within the veterinary medical profession. The website features more in-depth program pages and stories about Texas community members who have been impacted by one or more TVMF programs, as well as a user-friendly donation page to simplify foundation support. Users have unlimited access to TexVetPets.org articles, which are written and reviewed by veterinarian professionals for pet owners. The new website will be updated regularly with timely updates about programs, upcoming events, pet owner resources, support opportunities for veterinary professionals, and original content in support of TVMF's three-part mission of caring for animals, advancing the veterinary profession, and serving pet owners across Texas, according to the foundation.
Can allogenic stem cells treat canine atopic dermatitis?November 7, 2017 VetCell Therapeutics, a pet-focused cell therapy division of PrimeGen Biotech, announced it will partner in a collaborative clinical study with Western University of Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine to study the feasibility of treating canine atopic dermatitis (AD) with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). The project's goal is to determine if allogeneic MSCs can serve as a safe, effective, and more extended treatment alternative to corticosteroids and other medical strategies for treating canine AD. The project will be led by the principal investigators Jijun Hao, Ph.D., assistant professor, and Gagandeep Kaur, DVM, Ph.D., a veterinarian and assistant professor, both at Western University of Health Sciences. VetCell Therapeutics will supply allogeneic MSCs for the study. Recently, cell therapies using MSCs have emerged as a novel approach to treating various chronic and degenerative diseases due to the cells' ability to modulate the immune system and control inflammation, according to VetCell Therapteutics. The company said it believes this can aid in relieving symptoms associated with AD. In addition, MSCs boast properties of low immunogenicity making them a promising, low-risk cell-based therapy, the company added. According to VetCell Therapeutics, it produces its MSCs …
Veterinary researcher earns grant to improve traumatic burn, wound healingNovember 7, 2017Holly Sparks, DVM, a large animal surgeon and Ph.D. candidate in regenerative medicine at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM), is researching stem cell-based therapies to improve skin grafts and improve skin wound and burn healing in humans and horses. "Humans and horses are obviously different species, but when it comes to wound healing they are more alike than one might realize," said Dr. Sparks. "Like people, horses that suffer severe burns or large wounds on their lower limbs have similar difficulty with optimal healing. Instead, horses commonly develop chronic, non-healing wounds which are reminiscent of the scarring and sub-optimal healing seen in human burn survivors as well as those with diabetic leg ulcers." AIHS Clinician Fellowship Award Sparks is investigating the use of dermal stem cells and novel bioengineered "scaffolds" to place new, healthy cells on top of wounds to regenerate and promote healing. Sparks has been awarded an Alberta Innovates: Health Solutions (AIHS) Clinician Fellowship Award to fund her work for the next three years. "These are highly competitive and typically awarded to physicians in human medicine, so it's a real accomplishment for a veterinarian to be granted this award," …
Kansas State University expands joint DVM training program with ChinaNovember 3, 2017A program initiated by Kansas State University that helps students from China earn veterinary medical degrees in the U.S. is increasing the number of students it serves. A memorandum-of-understanding signing ceremony was conducted Oct. 19 in Beijing, China, expanding the U.S.-China Joint Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Scholarship Program, which was initiated in 2012 by the U.S.-China Center for Animal Health at Kansas State University, along with the China Agricultural University and Chinese Veterinary Medical Association. The joint program has been sponsored by China Scholarship Council, Kansas State University, Zoetis and the International Veterinary Collaboration for China. Zoetis originally provided funding to the program for 30 students' pre-veterinary tuition and related activities. The China Scholarship Council has provided full-ride scholarships for four years of DVM tuition and five years for living stipends. Kansas State University has sponsored the program by providing program management service and additional scholarships. Under the new agreement, Zoetis will continue to support the program by providing pre-veterinary tuition funding for an additional 15 students with Kansas State University and the Chinese Veterinary Medical Association. The U.S.-China Joint Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program is a five-year training program with …
Animal cruelty charges against St. Catharines vet droppedNovember 3, 2017Animal cruelty charges have been dropped against Dr. Mahavir Rekhi, the veterinarian of Skyway Animal Hospital in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, who made national headlines for animal abuse and was charged with 16 counts of animal cruelty. Dr. Rekhi faced eight counts of causing unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal and eight counts of failing to provide suitable and adequate care for an animal. Rekhi was charged by the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) after a group of his former employees approached CTV News Toronto in 2016 with video showing Rekhi choking and hitting animals in his care. The charges were dropped by the state because the OSPCA investigation proceeded without first obtaining a formal complaint. Canada's Crown said that Rekhi already was disciplined from the College of Veterinarians of Ontario; college found him guilty of professional misconduct and suspended him for 10 months. He returned to work at the clinic in February after submitting to retraining and unannounced inspections. Rekhi continues to practice at Skyway Animal Hospital. In videos provided to CTV News Toronto, Rekhi can be seen hitting a dog over its snout with nail clippers …
Purdue CVM receives Higher Education Excellence in Diversity AwardNovember 3, 2017The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine recently was awarded the 2017 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. The award is a national honor recognizing U.S. veterinary medical, medical, dental, pharmacy, osteopathic, nursing, and allied health schools that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. "This recognition spotlights the tremendous effort that our faculty, staff and students have put forward in creating a climate and educational setting that truly supports all aspects of diversity and inclusion," said Dr. Kauline Cipriani, Purdue Veterinary Medicine director for diversity and inclusion. "It is no small achievement to be one of the first veterinary colleges nationally to receive the Health Professions HEED Award." The award is open to all colleges and universities across the US. Applications cover all aspects of campus diversity and inclusion. One of the goals of the application process is to help institutions of higher education assess their diversity efforts in order to build on their success and improve where necessary. "This award makes an important statement about the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine being …
