AAVSB announces new blueprint for Veterinary Technician National ExamNovember 2, 2017The American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) has announced a new blueprint for the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE) based on a yearlong comprehensive job analysis project. The first exam with the new blueprint will be administered July/August 2018. The VTNE Committee reviewed the validation survey results and recommended a new VTNE blueprint, which is closely aligned with the survey data in keeping with credentialing best practices. The results from the job analysis verified the current structure of nine domains. The veterinary technician tasks and knowledge areas were updated and validated by survey participants. The new blueprint will be available on the AAVSB website for VTNE candidates to review after the March 15 - April 15 exam administration ends. Program directors are asked not to present information to their students about the new blueprint until that time. The AAVSB re-evaluates the exam approximately every five years to ensure that the questions are current and accurately reflect the responsibilities and competencies of entry-level veterinary technicians.
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Heska announces 7-Year agreement with PetVet Care CentersNovember 2, 2017 Heska Corp. in Loveland, Colo., announced an agreement to supply more than 100 PetVet Care Centers veterinary hospitals with in-house laboratory diagnostic equipment and supplies through 2024, with the option for the agreement to be extended. Under the agreement, Heska's in-house blood diagnostics analyzers will be placed into PetVet Care's general, specialty referral, and emergency hospitals throughout the US. Included in the program are Heska's Element DC Chemistry, Element HT5 Hematology, Element POC Blood Gas & Electrolyte, and Element I Immunodiagnostics analyzers, along with the company's newly released Element COAG analyzer, which performs coagulation, fibrinogen, and blood typing tests. Upgrades to Heska solutions have begun in select PetVet Care hospitals and will be broadly released throughout 2018 as requested by each PetVet Care local leadership team.
Penn Vet to host inaugural Cancer Center SymposiumNovember 2, 2017The Penn Vet Cancer Center is scheduled to host a two-day, inaugural Cancer Center Symposium that will kick off with a presentation by Cheryl London, DVM, Ph.D.: "Of mice, dogs and men: Transforming cancer outcomes through comparative oncology." Dr. London is a research professor at both the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine and the Molecular Research Institute at Tufts Medical Center, and also is an associated faculty professor at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine (OSUCVM). She is director of the Clinical Trials Office at the OSUCVM and director of Translational Therapeutics at the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences at OSU's College of Medicine. Her research interests center primarily on targeted therapeutics and translational/comparative oncology. The keynote presentation takes place Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Penn Vet's Hill Pavilion. Admission is free, but registration is recommended here. Symposium Day 2 Presentations for the scientific community will take place on Friday, Dec. 1, 2017, at the Hill Pavilion. Registration is available here. Speakers include: Steven Dow, DVM, Ph.D., director, Laboratory for Immune and Regenerative Medicine, Colorado State University Andrew Ewald, Ph.D., associate professor, Department …
Heska announces new Element COAG Veterinary AnalyzerNovember 1, 2017Heska Corp., a provider of veterinary diagnostic and specialty products, has announced the release of its new Element COAG Veterinary Analyzer. The compact bench-top analyzer delivers coagulation and blood typing parameters to complement the company's chemistry, hematology, immunodiagnostics blood gas, and electrolyte analyzers. Within minutes and with only 100uL of sample, Element COAG delivers accurate PT/aPTT (coagulation), canine fibrinogen, equine fibrinogen, canine DEA 1.1 blood typing, and feline A/B blood typing. The analyzer is available for purchase or under Heska's six-year Reset program.
VCA launches mobile app for its CareClub membersNovember 1, 2017 VCA Animal Hospitals has launched a mobile app available exclusively for its VCA CareClub members. Available through Apple's App Store and Google Play, the app gives VCA CareClub members access to their pets' health information on the go and a host of resources to manage their pets' wellbeing. The app provides free, unlimited 24/7 live chat with a veterinarian, health care reminders, VCA CareClub plan details, plus appointment booking. VCA CareClub is VCA's own comprehensive wellness management plan for pet owners. Membership includes annual wellness exams, doctor recommended vaccines and testing, microchip services, dental care, and more.
Synthetic Genomics, Ceva partner to develop livestock vaccinesNovember 1, 2017 Synthetic Genomics Inc. announced that it has partnered with Ceva Santé Animale to utilize Synthetic Genomics' next-generation synthetic RNA replicon platform to develop vaccines for livestock. Synthetic Genomics' RNA replicons are programed to deliver genetic instructions to a body's own cells to unleash a powerful immune response against a specific disease, the company said. These RNA replicons carry the genetic code for a self-replication engine as well as antigens that signal for an immune response. The self-amplifying, RNA-based vaccine triggers rapid and immediate antigen expression within host cells, which induces strong T cell and B cell responses. These fully synthetic vaccines have lower dose requirements and simplified manufacturing compared to traditional vaccine approaches, according to the announcement. "We have made tremendous progress to date in programming RNA to develop next-generation vaccines that are multigenic, tunable and, most importantly, scalable for commercially competitive markets such as animal health," said Synthetic Genomics CEO Dr. Oliver Fetzer. "This partnership with Ceva, a leader in animal health, highlights the promise in deploying our synthetic biology capabilities to build RNA systems capable of improving global health in a variety of ways." Financial terms of the agreement were not …
Patterson Veterinary partners with Cutting EdgeOctober 27, 2017Cutting Edge Laser Technologies, a Fairport, N.Y., provider of laser technologies for veterinary and medical professionals worldwide, has entered into an exclusive partnership with Greely, Colo.-based Patterson Veterinary. Patterson Veterinary will be distributing multiwave locked system (MLS) therapy lasers and surgical lasers nationwide with Cutting Edge. Cutting Edge currently serves more than 10,000 medical and veterinary professionals worldwide. "By bringing together the research, development and educational resources of CE Laser, and Patterson's world-class distribution and sales capabilities, we expect to provide our veterinary clients significant practice enhancing benefits and support," said Dan Reinhardt, director of marketing - equipment at Patterson. "Patterson is well known throughout the industry for being an outstanding supplier," said Mark Mollenkopf, president of Cutting Edge. "The partnership will allow Cutting Edge to extend the reach of our product offerings and enable more veterinarians to provide a higher level of care to their patients, while providing additional revenue streams in an increasingly competitive marketplace." The MLS therapy laser is an easy-to-use, noninvasive tool for treating acute and chronic pain, post surgical pain, pain associated with arthritis, IVDD, sprains/strains, muscle trigger points, and both contaminated and noncontaminated wounds, according to Laurie McCauley, DVM, DACVSMR, CCRT, CVA, …
SCA Pharmaceuticals issues recall on morphine, fentanylOctober 26, 2017A voluntary recall has been issued by SCA Pharmaceuticals, a sterile compounding company. The recall is for 11 lots of its injectable morphine and fentanyl products due to possible microbial contamination. The products associated with this recall were distributed nationwide to human and veterinary hospitals. The company not received any customer complaints or reports of adverse events related to this issue, the manufacturer stated. SCA Pharmaceuticals is notifying its customers via telephone, email, and the USPS, and is arranging for return/replacement of all recalled products. Customers who have product being recalled should discontinue use immediately and return the product to SCA Pharmaceuticals at SCA Pharmaceuticals, 8821 Knoedl Court, Little Rock, AR 72205. Consumers can contact SCA Pharmaceuticals at 877-550-5059 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central Standard Time, Monday through Friday. Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax. Complete and submit the report online at fda.gov.medwatch/report.htm; to submit by regular mail or fax, download the form at fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm or call (800) 332-1088 to …
Pennsylvania dog wins 9th annual Nationwide Hambone AwardOctober 26, 2017The winner of the 9th annual Hambone Award, which honors the most unusual pet insurance claim of the year, is Rooster, a hound mix from Scranton, Pa.
Southern Veterinary Partners adds 6 hospitals to its networkOctober 26, 2017 Southern Veterinary Partners (SVP) has expanded into North Carolina with the addition of Wilkinson Animal Hospital in Gastonia and Charlotte Street Animal Hospital in Asheville. Additionally, Goodwin Animal Hospital and Taylor Crossing Animal Hospital, both in Montgomery, Ala., and Barry Veterinary Hospital in Destin, Fla., and Soundside Animal Hospital in Navarre, Fla., have joined SVP's growing network of animal hospitals. SVP now has 33 animal hospitals in 10 southern states. The Birmingham, Ala.-based network is a veterinarian-owned and -operated regional network of Southeast animal hospitals. SVP provides centralized support for the animal hospitals in its network including marketing, HR, finance, inventory, and purchasing management. The hospitals retain their names, culture, and local commitment to their communities as well as veterinarians and staff. Visit svp.vet for more information.
