Going Broke, UC Davis Fracture Program Needs HelpOctober 30, 2015UC Davis veterinary students learning to save the lives of pets are now trying to breathe life into a service that has assisted hundreds of homeless animals. The Shelter/Rescue Fracture Surgery Program Fund, which was founded in 2008 and relies on donations, is running out of money, second-year student Ayswarya Sundaram said. “The program has been funded for around $30,000 a year, but more recently the costs are closer to $80,000,” Sundaram said. Collaborating with shelter and rescue organizations, the service accepts young dogs and cats in need of fracture repairs. University of California, Davis, veterinarians donate their time in the operating rooms at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, but equipment, drugs and post-surgery care must be paid for. The costs average $800 per patient, Sundaram said. The surgeries also serve as instructional sessions for veterinary students. “[The] fracture program is amazing because it helps us learn about orthopedic surgeries while at the same time helping shelter animals,” one student said. “If this program discontinues, due to lack of funds, it would be a great loss to us and the animals.” More than 450 fractures in shelter and rescue animals have been repaired over the years. Without medical intervention, …
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New Test Identifies Troublesome Equine FoodsOctober 30, 2015Veterinary diagnostics expert W. Jean Dodds, DVM, has released a version of the NutriScan food sensitivity test for the equine market. The saliva-based test requires a horse to chew on a cotton rope, which is then checked to detect the animal’s intolerance to different foods. They include alfalfa, apples, barley, Bermuda grass, brome grass, carrots, corn, cotton seed, fescue grass, flaxseed, Kentucky blue grass, meadow foxtail, molasses, oatmeal, orchard grass, red clover, rice, rye, rye grass, sugar beets, timothy grass and wheat. NutriScan, which also comes in canine and feline kits, “is simply another tool in a horse caregiver’s arsenal,” Dr. Dodds said. “Show, racing and recreational horses need to be in top condition at all times,” she said. “Horses do stop to pass stool. Several stops, though, are aggravating for the rider and may indicate that the horse is uncomfortable, distressed and in pain.” NutriScan for horses required two years of research, said Dodds, the founder of Hemopet, a Garden Grove, Calif., diagnostics laboratory and canine blood bank. NutriScan canine and feline saliva tests were released five and two years ago, respectively. The equine test is not the first on the market. Competing products examine the antibodies IgE …
Jaguar Optimistic About Diarrhea DrugOctober 30, 2015Jaguar Animal Health, which last year launched its initial gastrointestinal product, over-the-counter Neonorm Calf, expects to enter the prescription drug market in the first half of 2016. The San Francisco company has submitted data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in support of Canalevia, which would be used to treat chemotherapy-induced diarrhea in dogs. Jaguar is requesting MUMS (minor use in a major species) status. Also in the prescription pipeline is a formulation of Canalevia to treat acute diarrhea in dogs. A pivotal efficacy trial could begin by year’s end, and Jaguar hopes to file a New Animal Drug Application (NADA) in 2016. Both Canalevia versions contain the active ingredient crofelemer, a botanical extract of the Croton lechleri tree. Jaguar is investigating Canalevia formulations for cats and horses. The manufacture of enteric-coated crofelemer tablets would be done by Patheon Inc. of Durham, N.C., under a contract signed in mid-October. Patheon makes a similar product for human HIV patients suffering from noninfectious diarrhea. In other news announced this month, Jaguar: Signed a four-year supply agreement with India-based Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. for the production of crofelemer. Completed an additional field study of Neonorm Calf, an enteric-coated tablet administered …
N.Y. Hospital Opens Pet Cancer InstituteOctober 30, 2015New York’s Animal Medical Center, billed as the world’s largest small animal practice, this month added another claim to fame: a top-of-the-line oncology center. The 2,470-square-foot Cancer Institute fills the remodeled uppermost floor of the eight-story hospital on East 62nd Street in Manhattan. The uniting of the hospital’s oncology services was made possible through a $5 million gift from Animal Medical Center trustee Elaine Langone and her husband, Kenneth. “The core mission of the institute is to provide the highest quality of life for animals with cancer as well as to maximize the amount of time owners can spend with their beloved pets,” Elaine Langone said. “Having lost quite a few dogs to cancer, Ken and I believed the new Cancer Institute … was an initiative worth supporting.” Four board-certified oncologists staff the institute along with 18 other hospital employees. One of the doctors, Rachel St-Vincent, DVM, MVSc, Dipl. ACVR, is the state’s only onsite, full-time radiation oncologist, a hospital spokeswoman said. Animal Medical Center, which opened in 1910, employs about 100 veterinarians and sees 44,000 patients a year. The nonprofit hospital has long participated in pet cancer research. Collaboration between Animal Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and drug …
Penn Vet to Install Robotics-Controlled Equine Imaging SystemOctober 30, 2015The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) will soon sport a robotics-controlled imaging system for use in the standing and moving horse. Penn Vet says it is the first veterinary hospital in the world to own the revolutionary technology, which was created by Four Dimensional Digital Imaging (4DDI) of New York City. The equipment will be installed in New Bolton Center’s high-speed treadmill building in December. The Equimagine imaging system consists of four robots that can perform multiple modalities: CT, fluoroscopy, tomosynthesis, digital radiography and a high-speed radiographic camera and will be able to operate at up to 16,000 frames per second. The system will be used in conjunction with a high-speed treadmill. Existing CT systems require the horse to be anesthetized, and are limited to the parts of the animal that fit into the cylindrical machines, Penn Vet noted. The Equimagine system’s robotics-driven design provides an unlimited range of motion and unencumbered access to the horse’s entire anatomy. The quality and resolution of the real-time images created with the system far exceeds …
There are Times When a Cat WANTS to go to the VetOctober 29, 2015Chances are you’ve seen more cats desperately wanting to leave your veterinary clinic rather than enter it. For the Mill Road Vet Clinic in Whangarei, Northland in New Zealand, it was quite the opposite. Earlier this month staff at the clinic found four kittens in a box that they believed were between three and four weeks old and abandoned by their mother, Independent reports. However, the staff was wrong. The veterinary clinic posted on Facebook, “This morning we noticed a tabby cat hanging around our front door, trying to sneak in every time a client arrived. When we realized it wasn’t going to go away, we picked her up [and] discovered she was a feeding Mum. Then the penny dropped! Sure enough, we introduced her to the ‘orphan’ kittens [and] there was a very happy reunion! Presumably she had been in the box too [and] escaped before we arrived for work. She’s probably been prowling around all night looking for her kidnapped kittens!” Currently, the mama …
Purdue Breaks Ground on Equine CenterOctober 29, 2015Purdue University broke ground in late October for its $8.8 million Centaur Equine Diagnostic and Surgical Center, located in Shelbyville, Ind., near Indiana Grand. The facility will serve as a satellite facility of the College of Veterinary Medicine, providing specialty medical and surgical services for horse owners and supporting equine research and education of future equine specialists. “This is an exciting day that marks a major milestone in our dream of creating a state-of-the-art equine referral hospital on location in the heart of Indiana’s horse racing industry, enabling our college to bring advanced medical and surgical services directly to the equine athletes and their owners,” said Willie Reed, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and professor of veterinary anatomic pathology. “This center will house the most technologically advanced medical equipment to diagnose and treat equine patients while also facilitating groundbreaking research and vital educational opportunities for students preparing for careers as equine specialists. “The location in proximity to Indiana’s two race tracks is especially significant …
Ear Cropping Ban Spreads to Western CanadaOctober 28, 2015Veterinary regulators in British Columbia, Canada, this week banned practitioners from performing cosmetic ear cropping on dogs, a controversial surgical procedure that has been outlawed in some countries. The policy change brings the province in line with Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan. "Ear cropping is an unnecessary procedure unless carried out in cases of injury or for reasons of health concerns," said Larry Odegard, the CEO and registrar at the College of Veterinarians of British Columbia, which oversees the province's more than 1,600 practitioners. Canada's most populous province, Ontario, allows ear cropping, which traditionally has been performed on purebreds such as boxers, Dobermans and great Danes. The College of Veterinarians of Ontario has not banned the procedure despite the 4,400-member Ontario Veterinary Medical Association's position that cosmetic surgery is unnecessary and that breed associations should change their standards, OVMA spokeswoman Melissa Carlaw said. British Columbia veterinarians who defy the ear cropping ban will face disciplinary action on charges of unethical practice of veterinary medicine, the college reported. "The province's Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act authorizes the BC SPCA to investigate and recommend charges against any person, veterinarian or otherwise, believed to be carrying out such procedures," …
Vet Techs Say Sedation Is UnderutilizedOctober 27, 2015Being bitten, scratched or kicked by a patient is an accepted part of life at a veterinary hospital. But members of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) believe the risk of injury would be reduced if more animals were sedated. A survey published in the October/November issue of The NAVTA Journal found that a veterinary technician is called upon to physically restrain a patient an average of 11 times a week and that sedation was used in less than half of the cases where it would have been appropriate. The American Animal Hospital Association’s “Anesthesia Guidelines for Dogs and Cats” states that sedation may be suitable during short, minimally invasive procedures such as diagnostics, joint injections, suture removal and wound management. More complex cases and treatments lasting more than 30 minutes may require anesthesia. The 1,262 NAVTA members who responded to the survey reported that sedation was used most often during exploration or repair of wounds or cuts, during euthanasia and when an animal had a troublesome temperament. Other top cases that called for sedation were during radiology procedures, fracture stabilization and the removal of foreign objects. “Interestingly, you reported that procedure type has more influence on …
Nationwide Launches All-Inclusive Pet Insurance PlanOctober 27, 2015Nationwide pet insurance today rolled out what it called the most comprehensive plan in the United States, covering medical and emergency care and wellness visits. What’s Covered Whole Pet with Wellness, from Nationwide, reimburses for: Veterinary exams, including wellness, specialty and emergency visits. Vaccinations, teeth cleaning, parasite control and sterilization. Hospitalization and surgeries. Injuries and illnesses, including cancer and hereditary or congenital conditions. Diagnostic testing, including X-rays, MRIs, CT scans and ultrasounds. Prescribed nutritional supplements, therapeutic diets and medications. Prescribed holistic, alternative and preventive care. Source: Nationwide The policy comes with a 90 percent reimbursement rate on veterinary expenses, a change from the Brea, Calif., company’s traditional use of a benefit schedule, which pays a set amount for common expenses. Nationwide’s other plans—one that provides limited coverage of accidents, illnesses and hereditary conditions and one that pays for wellness procedures—remain in place. Companies such as Trupanion and ASPCA also pay 90 percent of expenses, while some return 65 or 70 percent, depending on the level of coverage selected. Nationwide’s new plan, called Whole Pet with Wellness, features an annual deductible, which the company’s chief pet insurance officer, Scott Liles, described as a “key differentiator.” “Many pet health insurance companies offer per-incident …
