How vet school has changed over the yearsMay 9, 2016According to the philosopher Heraclitus, the only thing constant is change. Nowhere is this truer than in veterinary colleges, where yesteryear’s graduates might be surprised to find that students spend more time rehearsing for performance and less time nodding off in a lecture hall.
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MSU Launches Chronic Diarrhea Dog StudyMay 9, 2016The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine (MSU-CVM) is seeking local practitioners to participate in a new study designed to develop more practical and cost-effective methods of managing chronic diarrhea in dogs. These protocols, according to the college, are designed to be affordable for most pet owners and, whenever possible, to reduce the need for costly or invasive referral-level diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. MSU-CVM researchers plan to recruit up to 50 dogs. To assist the veterinarian and owner in working up these patients, funding of $300 will be provided to the referring veterinarian. The funds are to help subsidize diagnostic and therapeutic management, according to the college. The college anticipates that most typical cases will not require referral to MSU-CVM, and that the management of the patient will be covered in entirety at the veterinarian’s own practice. A follow-up study will be available for those patients that do not improve with the given in-practice treatment protocols. Subsidization will be provided.
Study: Autonomous Robot Outperforms Standard Surgery TechniquesMay 6, 2016Surgeons and scientists from Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children's National Health System are the first to demonstrate that supervised, autonomous robotic soft tissue surgery on a live subject (in vivo) in an open surgical setting is feasible and outperforms standard clinical techniques in a dynamic clinical environment. The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, reports the results of soft tissue surgeries conducted on both inanimate porcine tissue and living pigs using proprietary robotic surgical technology, Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR), developed at Children's National. This technology removes the surgeon's hands from the procedure, instead utilizing the surgeon as supervisor, with soft tissue suturing autonomously planned and performed by the STAR robotic system. "Our results demonstrate the potential for autonomous robots to improve the efficacy, consistency, functional outcome and accessibility of surgical techniques," said Dr. Peter C. Kim, vice president and associate surgeon-in-chief for the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation. "The intent of this demonstration is not to replace surgeons, but to expand human capacity and capability through enhanced vision, dexterity and complementary machine intelligence for improved surgical outcomes." While robot-assisted surgery (RAS) has increased in adoption in …
Cat-Friendly Practices Happy With ResultsMay 6, 2016Becoming a cat-friendly practice pays off, literally. A survey conducted by the American Association of Feline Practitioners found that nearly 7-in-10 hospitals designated as cat-friendly practices attracted new clients because of the status. Eleven percent gained at least 26 feline patients. Launched in 2012, AAFP’s cat-friendly practice (CFP) program aims to make hospitals more accommodating to the needs of cats and improve the animals’ handling, treatment and overall health. Reducing stress levels during a veterinary visit is of utmost importance. “Our 2015 survey results have definitively concluded that the CFP designation helps practices grow their client base of feline patients as well as positively impacts client compliance with the increase in feline visits,” said Ilona Rodan, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, co-chairwoman of the CFP Committee. Just over 950 veterinary hospitals carried CFP status as of early January. An additional 635 clinics were working to meet program requirements, AAFP reported. The time, money and effort involved in becoming more amenable to cats were worthwhile, the survey found. Ninety-eight percent of the respondents stated that they were satisfied with being designated a cat-friendly practice. The top benefits, according to the survey, included: Less stress in …
Cornell Vet College Names New DeanMay 6, 2016Cornell University has named Lorin Warnick, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVPM, as the Austin O. Hooey Dean of Veterinary Medicine. His appointment became effective May 6. Dr. Warnick has been interim dean for the college since August 2015. Prior to that, Warnick served as associate dean for veterinary education since 2007 and director of the Cornell University Hospital for Animals since 2012. “Lorin is the ideal choice to lead the College of Veterinary Medicine as dean,” said Cornell Provost Michael Kotlikoff, VMD, Ph.D. “He is a proven leader who has managed the college effectively and with great thoughtfulness since taking over as interim dean last year. He will keep the college on the cutting edge of best practices in veterinary medicine and scientific research.” Though Warnick has been a faculty member in the college since 1996, he said, “Being interim dean has given me new insights into how the college operates and an in-depth understanding of the main issues we are facing.” As dean, Warnick said his overall vision is “to excel in our core missions of research, veterinary education, graduate education and service to the public.” Specifically, on …
UK Vets Extract Tooth from ElephantMay 5, 2016Lucha, a 33-year-old Asian elephant living at Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Whipsnade Zoo, had stopped eating, and veterinarians there quickly found out why: She had a wobbly tooth that had become infected. Veterinary dental surgeon, Dr. Peter Kertesz, who practices in central London, was called in to work with Lucha. He easily extracted the tooth, thanks in part to Lucha being so well-trained. “While most people dread the idea of a visit to the dentist, for Lucha the elephant it was a relaxed experience, due to the regular training and close relationship she has with our keepers," said Nic Masters, head vet at ZSL, on their website. He also added, "When anesthetizing an animal, we can’t predict what side they’ll lie down on, but thanks to training, Lucha was able to lay down on the right side, ensuring we could access her gum easily, and quickly remove the tooth to get her back on her feet as soon as possible.” The whole procedure was caught on camera, which you can watch below: Have you ever …
Study: Labs More Interested in Food Than Other BreedsMay 5, 2016Dog owners tell their vets that Labrador retrievers are always interested in food, and new work shows there might be a biological truth to the claim. A study in the journal Cell Metabolism links a gene alteration specifically found in Labs and related flat-coat retrievers to greater food-motivated behavior, describing the first gene associated with canine obesity. The variation also occurs more frequently in Labradors chosen as assistance dogs, and might explain why these canines seem more trainable with food rewards. The study was called “A Deletion in the Canine POMC Gene Is Associated with Weight and Appetite in Obesity-Prone Labrador Retriever Dogs.” Labrador retrievers are more interested in food and tend to be more obese than other breeds, regardless of owner. "Whenever there's something more common in one breed than another, we think genetics are involved," said Eleanor Raffan, MRCVS, a veterinary surgeon and geneticist at the University of Cambridge who previously studied human obesity before investigating the canine angle. Starting with an initial cohort of 15 obese and 18 lean Labrador retrievers, Raffan and her colleagues selected …
Dean of Purdue’s Vet College Receives Black Graduate Student Association AwardMay 5, 2016The Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA) recently honored Willie Reed, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVP, Dipl. ACPV, dean of Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, with the 2016 Distinguished Service Award. The award honors individuals who have made significant and sustained contributions to Black Higher Education within the state of Indiana. Designated honorees share “a commitment to play vanguard roles in the struggle to equip tomorrow’s leaders of African descent with the requisite intellectual attainment, technological skills, humanitarian focus, and social commitment and political consciousness so that their scholarly and societal contributions can be more enlightened and enduring than that of the previous and current generations,” Purdue University noted. The award was presented at BGSA’s annual banquet in early April. BGSA members were also honored, including several from the College of Veterinary Medicine, who have completed or will complete the requirements for graduate or professional degrees this academic year. This included: Corina Collins and Stara Robertson of the DVM Class of 2016 and graduate student Moriah Hurt, who will complete her M.S. Animal Welfare in August.
Ruling Months Away in Texas Cat CaseMay 5, 2016Embattled veterinarian Kristen Lindsey, DVM, who admitted using a bow and arrow to kill a cat and then bragged about the act on social media, should learn this fall whether she will keep or lose her Texas license. A two-day hearing held in late April in Austin featured testimony on whether the cat was feral or actually a neighbor’s pet, how fast the animal died and why rural residents often kill undomesticated cats. Both sides are expected to submit and respond to written closing arguments by July 1. Two administrative law judges who presided over the hearing will issue a recommendation to the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, which may approve a final decision Oct. 18. Dr. Lindsey could continue her fight by appealing to a state district court. Her attorney, Brian Bishop, criticized the board for pursuing the year-old case, which advanced to the hearing after a mediation attempt failed. “It should be very troubling to Texas taxpayers and to all regulated licensees that the [board] diverted so much in tax money and resources to the prosecution of a license revocation action based on ‘politically incorrect’ actions that had nothing to do with the practice of veterinary medicine,” …
Two Suspects Arrested for Veterinarian's DeathMay 3, 2016A sad story out of Burlington, Colo.: A veterinarian was murdered by her stepson and his friend. According to the police, Cynthia Campbell Eason, DVM, was killed when her stepson and his friend entered her home, beat her to death, and then stole items from the residence. Eason was found dead on Friday afternoon. A tip led police to arrest Dylan Eason, 19, and Isaiah Churchwell, 24, according to Fox 31 Denver. The father of Dylan Eason, Jon Eason, has called for the death penalty for his son and friend. As he wrote on Facebook: "I am wondering as a parent, why I'm so insistent on my son and his friend receive the death penalty for killing my wife over simple greed. I have never felt hate before, but I'm so engulfed in hate, that I want my kid and his friend to pay with their lives. I'm ashamed of feeling this way, I know Cindy would not like my anger and madness that I'm living with." Neighbors and friends reported that they knew Dylan was violent and were "saying he was going to snap one day," …
