Vets More Likely to Suffer From Mental Illness, Study ShowsMay 8, 2015Originally published in the April 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News U.S. veterinarians suffer higher rates of suicidal thoughts and depression compared to the general adult population, a government study has found. An online questionnaire completed by more than 10,000 working veterinarians found that 7 percent of men and just over 1 in 10 women displayed signs of serious psychological distress. In addition, about 1 in 6 respondents had entertained suicidal thoughts since graduation from veterinary school. The subject of suicide and depression in the veterinary profession was brought into focus again in September 2014 when animal behaviorist Sophia Yin, DVM, MS, killed herself in her Davis, Calif., home. Colleagues reported seeing few or no signs of mental distress in Yin in the weeks leading up to her death. The government study, released Feb. 13, was conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in cooperation with Veterinary Information Network and other partners. The findings also showed that among veterinarians, 1.1 percent of men and 1.4 percent of women had attempted suicide. The percentages were lower than those for U.S. adults in general, but for a tragic reason. Kimberly A. May, DVM, MS, the American Veterinary Medical Association’s …
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UC Davis Names Dr. Pam Hullinger Director of Large Animal ClinicMay 7, 2015The University of California, Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital has named Pam Hullinger, DVM, Dipl. ACVPM, as director of the Large Animal Clinic. The appointment became effective April 27. Dr. Hullinger joins UC Davis from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where she served as chief veterinary officer of the Agricultural Security Program. She will also maintain her previously held position at UC Davis in the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Medicine and Epidemiology as a specialist/clinical diagnostic epidemiologist and lecturer. “I am honored to be returning to UC Davis to work with such an esteemed team of veterinarians and patient care technical specialists,” Hullinger said. “I look forward to working with the faculty and staff to implement a strategic planning effort that will improve on the Large Animal Clinic’s already excellent level of clinical equine and livestock programs.”
Lincoln Memorial Partners with Daemen CollegeMay 5, 2015Under a new agreement, students from Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y., will be able to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree through an accelerated program at Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine. The memorandum of agreement—the first like this that LMU-CVM has established with another institution—was signed on April 20. “We are excited to enter into this agreement with Daemen College,” said Glen F. Hoffsis, DVM, dean and vice president of the college. “LMU is proud of its new College of Veterinary Medicine and we are pleased to provide an opportunity for Daemen students to follow their dream of becoming a veterinarian.” Under the agreement, Daemen students will attend the Amherst-based college for three years and then apply to advance to the four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at LMU in Harrogate, Tennessee. Upon completion of their first year at LMU, students will earn a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences from Daemen and continue with their veterinary studies that will lead to a DVM from Lincoln Memorial University. The program will launch in fall 2015.
Patterson to Buy Animal Health InternationalMay 4, 2015Two leading distributors of veterinary products—Patterson Companies Inc. and Animal Health International Inc.—have agreed to a $1.1 billion merger that would double Patterson’s veterinary business. Patterson’s takeover of Animal Health International was announced today and is expected to close by late July. The deal came less than three months after another major acquisition in the veterinary channel: AmerisourceBergen Corp.’s $2.5 billion purchase of MWI Veterinary Supply Inc. Patterson, a St. Paul, Minn., company that also distributes products in the dental and medical rehabilitation fields, announced that it would try to sell its smaller rehabilitation subsidiary. “We believe concentrating Patterson’s resources and management on growing our closely aligned dental and veterinary units—both organically and through acquisitions—will enrich our ability to maximize the return on the capital we invest,” said chairman and CEO Scott P. Anderson. The company’s Devens, Mass.-based subsidiary, Patterson Veterinary Supply, generated more than $1.2 billion in sales in fiscal 2014 across the United States and United Kingdom. Doing business primarily with small animal hospitals, Patterson distributes veterinary consumables, equipment, software, vaccines and drugs. Animal Health International, based in Greeley, Colo., reported sales of $1.5 billion in the 12 months ended …
Careless Dog Owners Could Be in Mess of TroubleMay 4, 2015Dogs can run, but they can’t hide from PooPrints. BioPet Vet Lab, which specializes in canine genetic testing, is partnering with the appropriately named London borough of Barking and Dagenham to track down dog owners who fail to remove their pets’ public deposits. Starting in September 2016, people who don’t pick up after their dogs could be fined 80 pounds, or about $125. The registration of dogs’ DNA could become mandatory five months earlier if a pilot program proves successful. That’s where BioPet and its U.K. licensee, Streetkleen Bio, come in. Canine cheek swabs will be taken and sent to BioPet’s Knoxville, Tenn., laboratory for identification and registration of the dogs. When Barking and Dagenham party poopers come across a pile of dog doo, a sample will be shipped to BioPet in an attempt to identify the canine offender. “Wardens will patrol the borough’s 27 parks and open spaces and test any rogue mess,” the BBC news agency reportedly bluntly. Borough leaders decided to enforce a Public Space Protection Order, a quality-of-life measure that allows governments across the United Kingdom to crack down on anti-social behavior in public areas such as parks, cemeteries and beaches. The effort in Barking and …
AVMA: Pharmacists Need Veterinary SchoolingMay 4, 2015The American Veterinary Medical Association thinks pharmacists should learn more about veterinary drugs as online and brick-and-mortar stores capture a greater share of the pet medications market. The AVMA board of directors is recommending that the House of Delegates approve a resolution calling for veterinary pharmacology courses in pharmacy school and related continuing education classes for professional druggists. The idea, one of four resolutions scheduled for discussion in July at the AVMA convention in Boston, aims to reduce pet medication errors and improve communication between pharmacists and veterinarians. A 2012 survey conducted by the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association found many instances of pharmacists changing prescribed doses of pet medications or substituting a different product without the veterinarian’s authorization. In some cases, the actions led to an animal’s death, the survey found. The issue has become more pronounced as pharmacies large and small, including mass market retailers Walmart and Target, move into veterinary prescriptions. The market research firm Packaged Facts in 2013 reported that veterinarians still sold a majority of dog and cat medications—an estimated 58 percent—but that sellers on the human side were doing a brisk and growing business. Besides urging wider education of pharmacists, Resolution 8: Encourages pharmacists …
Longtime Pet Hospital Shutting DownMay 4, 2015That’s it. We’re done. The owners of Sparling Veterinary Clinic will walk away from their business and careers May 13, permanently closing a hospital that has served the residents of Chehalis, Wash., for 62 years. Anna Sparling, DVM, and her husband, Alan Sparling, DVM, are retiring without ever trying to sell the practice. They have advised clients to pick up their pets’ medical records and patronize nearby veterinarians. “After 37 years of providing veterinary service to Lewis County, we are retiring,” the couple stated candidly on their clinic’s Facebook page. Located halfway between Portland, Ore., and Seattle, Sparling Veterinary Clinic caters to low-income pet owners and is undoubtedly low tech. “The clinic is 62 years old and has changed very little in that time,” Anna Sparling said. “We heat with wood and do all of the woodcutting ourselves. We are not computerized, and we have one employee, who has been with us for 20 years. “We do everything ourselves, from taking blood, taking X-rays—and developing them in dip tanks—to bookwork and cleaning cages.” The practice has provided the couple with a very modest income—one that “We have learned to live with, so we have no debt,” Anna Sparling said. …
Survey: Clients Want to Know About ParasitesApril 30, 2015Originally published in the March 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Tens of thousands of dollars in additional revenue may be a series of phone calls away for U.S. veterinary hospitals. The Companion Animal Parasite Council and Bayer Animal Health in January released the results of a survey that found that 90 percent of U.S. pet owners want to hear about local spikes in pests such as disease-carrying ticks and heartworm-transmitting mosquitoes. Pet owners are willing to open their wallets, too, with 89 percent saying they likely would schedule an appointment to get their pet tested if a heightened parasite risk was communicated. The survey’s sponsors forecast that a two-doctor practice that informed clients about urgent parasitic risks in their home county and delivered related services could generate from $163,000 to $789,000 a year in extra revenue, depending on the level of pet owner response. “It’s amazing what some fairly simple changes can do financially for our profession,” said Karen E. Felsted, MS, DVM, CPA, CVPM, founder of president of PantheraT, a practice consulting firm in Dallas. She is the former CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues. Dr. Felsted was joined by CAPC leaders Susan E. Little, …
Penn Vet Names Recipients of New ScholarshipApril 30, 2015The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) has named the recipients to its inaugural Commonwealth One Health Scholarship: Allyson Elliott of Coudersport, Pa., Amy Kraus of Aliquippa, Pa., and Enoch Kraycik of Bethlehem, Pa. All three Class of 2019 recipients have demonstrated a strong commitment to food animal medicine, Penn Vet noted. “The Commonwealth One Health Scholarship recognizes the important role of veterinarians in production agriculture,” said Joan C. Hendricks, VMD, Ph.D., the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “We are thrilled to offer an array of scholarships to decrease student debt burden and recruit the best and brightest to Penn Vet. Allyson, Amy and Enoch were selected from a group of highly competitive applicants, and we look forward to watching them proudly serve Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry.” The scholarship provides full tuition subsidy for four years at Penn Vet. Penn Vet hopes more students can benefit from the scholarship in coming years. “We are aiming for up to five [students] if we can find meritorious applicants (Pennsylvanians with excellent credentials and a demonstrated commitment to rural large animal practice in Pennsylvania),” Dr. Hendricks said. “In the long run, with sufficient …
InstaVet Unveils NYC Mobile PracticeApril 29, 2015The doctors are in the house. A startup company, InstaVet, has brought veterinary house calls and around-the-clock emergency transportation to pet owners in the New York City boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. For $199, InstaVet offers a comprehensive examination and follow-up telephone consultation. Vaccinations, diagnostics and other services cost extra. For the same price, a licensed veterinary technician driving a van or SUV will transport an ill or injured animal to a veterinary office or emergency hospital under a service called Pet 911. Several veterinarians have joined the InstaVet roster, including Cindy Bressler, DVM, and Rob Proietto, VMD, both of whom have experience in house calls. Mobile veterinarians and pet owners are brought together under InstaVet’s business model. “We live in a world where you can get taxis or takeout on demand,” said Elijah Kliger, the company’s founder and CEO. “Why not offer the pets we love that same level of convenience? Now we can finally treat our pets the way we treat ourselves.” In-home, 45-minute appointments are available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week and may be booked at www.InstaVet.com or by calling or texting. A mobile app that …
