New Competition Gives Vet Students a Chance to Present Their Big IdeaApril 6, 2016 The Idea - Explainer from XPrep Learning Solutions on Vimeo. Are you a vet student with a big idea? Then you might want to enter it in the “The Idea” competition. “The Idea” is a veterinary student innovation competition. The Idea is hosted by VetPrep in collaboration with the Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) and the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA). “We are doing this because we started our company when we were veterinary students and our business allows us to interact with veterinary students frequently,” says Dr. Ira Gordon, co-founder of VetPrep. “Students have so many great ideas but often times lack the confidence, resources and mentorship they need to turn their ideas into reality. This competition can help with all three. It is an opportunity for us to provide the type of assistance that we wish was available to us back when we were students.” The Idea was announced during the SAVMA Symposium in Ames, Iowa on March 19, 2016. “It was so inspiring to talk to students and see the enthusiasm for this event and to hear that …
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Funds Available from USDA for Veterinary Loan RepaymentApril 6, 2016Like working with large animals and looking to repay your school loans? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $4.4 million in available funding to help repay veterinary school loans if veterinarians will serve in areas lacking sufficient veterinary resources. The funding is available through the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP), administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). “Veterinarians are critical to America’s food safety and security, as well as to the health and well-being of both animals and humans,” said Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy, the NIFA administrator. “There are significant shortages of veterinarians in areas of this country, and a leading cause is the heavy cost of four years of professional veterinary medical training, which leaves current graduates of veterinary colleges with an average debt of more than $135,000.” The VMLRP will pay up to $25,000 each year towards qualified educational loans of eligible veterinarians. Recipients are required to commit to three years of veterinary service in a designated veterinary shortage situation. Loan repayment benefits are limited to payments of the principal and interest on government and commercial loans received while attending an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)-accredited college of veterinary …
Watch This Adorable Rhino Snuggle with a Vet NurseApril 5, 2016 brightcove.createExperiences(); Laura Ellison is an Australian wildlife veterinary nurse living in South African and working for The Rhino Orphanage. She has a friend named Kabelo (his name means "gift"), a white rhino, who is described as having a "gentle, playful personality, very curious and brave." One of the things Kabelo loves "is his milk and going for walks in the bush" and as this video shows, he loves to snuggle too. Really, I'm just his pillow. While I want you all to experience the gentleness of rhinos, to fall in love with them as I have and inspire the same desperation I have to save them, I must stress the relationship I have with our rhinos that allow these experiences. I have been with Kabelo since his arrival to the orphanage and we have developed such a strong bond. While Kabelo is so comfortable with me, he is not with many others. Please appreciate that he is still a wild animal.. But also with the capacity to …
UGA Honors Four Alumni with Service AwardsApril 5, 2016The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine’s Alumni Association recently presented four alumni with service awards during its 53rd Annual Veterinary Conference and Alumni Weekend. Specifically, the awards recognize alumni contributions to animal and human health-related public service; involvement in the local community, state or nation; veterinary educational research and/or service to veterinary associations at various levels; contributions to the college’s alumni association; and professional service. This year’s recipients are Stephan Schaefbauer, DVM, of Ankeny, Iowa, as young achiever; and Walter T. Stinson, DVM, of Wilkesboro, N.C., Lisa K. Nolan, DVM, Ph.D., of Ames, Iowa, and Rebecca E. Stinson, DVM, of Reidsville, N.C., as distinguished alumni. Dr. Schaefbauer graduated from UGA in 2006. She then pursued a master’s degree in public health and a residency at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Animal Health. Near the end of her program, she was hired as a veterinary medical officer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in St. Paul. In 2008, she moved to the APHIS office in Raleigh, N.C., where she served for two years an import risk analyst …
Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute Event to Cover One HealthApril 4, 2016The Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute Event to Cover One Health is teaming up with the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine for a two-day symposium that will focus on translational and comparative aspects of human and animal medicine. The event will be held August 28 to 29, 2016, at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Mo. The event, “One Health Innovations — The Nexus of Human and Animal Medicine” is for physicians, veterinarians and scientists interested in both research and clinical studies. The two-day symposium will feature speakers including: Francis Karanu BVM, PhD, Cell Therapy Research Scientist Likarda, LLC, David Baron, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation Jeffrey Bryan, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM – Oncology, Associate Professor of Medical Oncology, University of Missouri James Cook, DVM, PhD, William and Kathryn Allen Distinguished Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery, Director, Orthopaedic Research Division, University of Missouri The symposium will be presented in 1-hour segments on topical areas with 3 speakers, a human health, animal health and industry/regulatory …
Kern County and Bakersfield On Lookout for VeterinariansApril 4, 2016Kern County in California, and one of its cities, Bakersfield, is on the lookout for veterinarians ... but aren't having much luck filling the positions. According to The Bakersfield Californian, Kern County Animal Services and Bakersfield Animal Care Center are offering veterinarians' salaries that range from $75,000 to $100,000, plus benefits. Despite advertising in several publications, only one application has come in. They have even gotten help from the director of UC Davis's shelter medicine program, Kate Hurley, who posted the position on the university website as well as on her own website. The city and county work with local, private veterinarians for their animal care needs. However, in Bakersfield's case, the city wants someone who can implement new programs, such as spay-and-neuter campaigns. For Kern County, they are looking for someone similar. “I’m looking for someone who is looking to change Kern County, someone who wants to make a difference,” Kern County Animal Services Director Nick Cullen told the The Bakersfield Californian. “It needs to be the right person. I don’t know who that is. But I’ll know it when I see it ... They'll have the ability to set the tone for …
Colorado's PetCheck Offers Free Wellness Exams to Low Income Pet OwnersApril 4, 2016Live in Colorado and know someone who can't afford veterinary care for their pet? On April 9 and 10, the annual PetCheck in Colorado will provide free wellness exams for dogs and cats across several Colorado cities. This is in thanks to a partnership between 9NEWS, KOAA News 5, the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and more than 60 veterinary clinics. The annual event is 5 years old. According to the CVMA: "Each year, CVMA partners with 9News to bring the 9PetCheck to Colorado. CVMA member veterinarians generously donate their time and open their clinics to provide free wellness exams and rabies vaccinations to pet owners across the state who are facing economic adversity. The event not only helps give back to local communities, it provides an unparalleled opportunity to underscore the importance of preventive pet healthcare as well as the veterinarian’s crucial role in public health protection. The coverage 9News provides – before, during, and after the event – puts veterinarians on the air and in the public spotlight in a way we’ve only been able to dream about! People are asked to call Monday, April 4th between 4 to 8 central time to schedule an appointment. Only owners …
Merck Animal Health, AVMF, Announce Scholarship WinnersApril 4, 2016Merck Animal Health and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) have announced the recipients of the 2016 Merck Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Program. Thirty-four second- and third-year veterinary students from around the world each received a $5,000 scholarship. “As a company rooted in science, we recognize and value the vital role veterinarians play in our world,” said Scott Bormann, vice president of Merck Animal Health, North America. “Veterinary students’ future success is dependent on the educational foundation that we help them build. The support we offer now will not only benefit them, but also the animals and people they will impact during their careers. Merck Animal Health is proud to help support these deserving students in their educational pursuits.” AVMF, the charitable arm of the American Veterinary Medical Association, has a 53-year history of supporting veterinary students to help offset the financial burdens that accompany veterinary medical education. “The AVMF is devoted to ensuring the future of veterinary medicine by identifying and supporting remarkable students,” said Deborah Harp, CFRE, AVMF executive director. “We are honored to partner with Merck Animal Health to support these veterinary students with their education, as …
Vet Assistant Saves Choking German ShepherdApril 1, 2016A veterinary assistant is being called a hero after he saved a choking German shepherd. German Shepherd Nadia was out playing fetch with her owners when she swallowed the ball. When she passed out, her owners rushed her to the Fort Smith Animal Emergency Clinic in Fort Smith, Ark. Veterinary Assistant Justin Rouse, just arriving to start his shift, met them in the parking lot. “I saw some emergency flashers on their SUV and the back hatch was opened up, so I pulled in real quick, and I saw their dog kind of, I could see that it was kind of laying there, you know, it was lifeless,” Rouse told 5News. Rouse realized that the ball was still in the dog's throat. “I could feel the ball, so I pushed behind it and pushed up, and it lodged it out,” he said to 5News. After that, he took Nadia into the clinic for oxygen. When Nadia came to, aside from an irritated throat, she was fine. Nadia's owners were shocked and "mind-blown," according to 5News. Rouse said in his eight years working at the clinic, this was the …
Sea Turtle Undergoes Hyperbaric TherapyApril 1, 2016A sea turtle is claiming the No. 1 spot as the first nonhuman to be treated in the United States in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle. Veterinarians are hoping to compress internal gas bubbles that are keeping the turtle from diving and staying underwater. According to the Seattle Aquarium: “The 70-pound olive ridley sea turtle, named Tucker by aquarium staff who have cared for him since December, is undergoing tests at the Seattle Aquarium this week to determine if ridley sea turtle, named Tucker by aquarium staff who have cared for him since December, is undergoing tests at the Seattle Aquarium this week to determine if hyperbaric therapy—which involved breathing 100 percent oxygen for about 2 ½ hours—corrected his buoyancy problem. The turtle cannot be safely released back into the Pacific Ocean until he is able to dive normally, which is important for him to find food and avoid predators and other threats, such as boats.” Virginia Mason, Seattle Aquarium partner to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy to help rescued sea turtle recover. It is believed to be the …
