Canine Cancer Lab TVAX Gets $2 MillionMarch 26, 2015Investors have put a lot of faith and money in TVAX Animal Health, a year-old company that is working on a T-cell-based cancer treatment for dogs. The Lenexa, Kan., subsidiary of TVAX Biomedical Inc. announced today that it closed on an additional $2 million in funding, adding to a stockpile that last summer totaled $12 million. “There are more than 3 million dogs treated for cancer each year, yet the available treatment options are limited,” CEO Tammie Wahaus said. “TVAX Animal Health strives to bring effective cancer treatment options to the U.S. veterinary market, and this round of financing will help us achieve this.” The cash infusion will fund a clinical trial of TVAX’s proprietary immunotherapy, which is designed to use a patient’s immune system to generate cancer-killing T-cells. The developer is focused on canine cancer but sees a potential market for the technology with cats and horses. The immunotherapy has the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s authorization. Among TVAX’s early investors were the Mid-America Angels network and the Kansas Biosciences Authority, both of which contributed to the new round of funding along with other parties. “We look forward to working with the TVAX management team to assist in …
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The 2015 "They Ate What?!" Radiograph Contest Now Accepting Entries!March 26, 2015Entries are being accepted for Veterinary Practice News' 10th annual radiograph contest, "They Ate WHAT?" Pet health insurer Trupanion of Seattle is sponsoring the contest. The top three winners will be awarded cash prizes. First prize is $1,500; second prize, $1,000; third prize, $500. Shawn Messonnier, DVM, Paws & Claws Animal Hospital, Plano, Texas Kermit the frog was the 2014 "They Ate What?!" Radiograph Contest winner. More than 30 small ornamental rocks were found inside Kermit, but were removed without complications. Entries must be submitted electronically by June 30. Clinics that don't have digital radiography may submit digital photos of their qualifying films. Email radiographs to VPNeditor@luminamedia.com or use our online submission form. The submission must include the submitter's name, clinic address, a telephone number and a short explanation of the case, including outcome. Photographs of the pet and removed items may also be sent, as in the case of last year's third-place winner, the dog that ate 43 ½ socks. The photo of the socks paired nicely with the X-ray. Entries become the property of Lumina Media, the parent company of Veterinary Practice News, which reserves the right to use …
VPI Price Study Contradicts U.S. NumbersMarch 26, 2015Is the cost of veterinary care rising or falling? It depends. The U.S. government’s Consumer Price Index for the years 2009 to 2013 revealed veterinary inflation of 15 percent. Veterinary Pet Insurance of Brea, Calif., provided Purdue University economists with millions of customer insurance claims and learned that prices actually declined by 1 percent over the same period. Why the discrepancy? The answer is a mystery, but VPI executives have some theories. “The difference … is that our singular focus was to analyze veterinary pricing trends based on more than 5.3 million actual medical claims rather than a few hundred phone surveys, providing us a much clearer look at these trends,” President Scott Liles said. VPI’s chief veterinary officer, Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, suggested that some veterinarians may have chosen to give clients a break. “It could be the associate vet saying, ‘I feel so bad for Mrs. Johnson, I’m not going to charge her the list price. I’m going to look for something a little less expensive on the price sheet,’” Dr. McConnell said. She also gave the example of a canine ear infection—a frequent problem—and how a veterinarian may rely on experience to omit a diagnostic step …
Kansas State Researchers Develop Mastitis TestMarch 26, 2015Researchers from Kansas State University say they have developed a test that can detect the early stages of mastitis in dairy cows. The test, according to the researchers, identifies the disease earlier and costs less than current technologies on the market. “The classical mastitis tests estimate the numbers, not the activity, of neutrophil cells, which are the dominant cells that travel to the inflamed udder during mastitis,” said Deryl Troyer, DVM, Ph.D., professor of anatomy and physiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Many times early and emerging cases of mastitis are not caught by the tests because they count the numbers rather than the activity. These are often the most important cases to catch.” Dr. Troyer is leading the project with Stefan Bossmann, Ph.D., professor of chemistry in the College of Arts & Sciences. Early detection will help dairy producers better treat cows with emerging cases of mastitis as well as reduce transmission to other cows in the dairy operation, according to the university. The project uses the duo’s nanoplatform technology that can quickly detect cancer cells and tumors before physical symptoms ever appear. The researchers said that the test easily translated to mastitis detection because several of …
AVBEC Thursday: Enter Our "A Veterinary Book For for Every Clinic" SweepstakesMarch 26, 2015Fill out the form below for the chance to win a copy of “BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Ophthalmology, Third Edition” courtesy of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association. According to the publisher, "This new edition of one of the BSAVA’s most popular Manuals has been extensively revised, drawing on the expertise of a predominantly new roster of authors. The Manual focuses on common ophthalmic conditions in dogs and cats, structured into examination and clinical techniques; diagnosis and treatment of common ocular diseases, and a problem-oriented approach to common clinical presentations. The Manual provides an accessible source of practical information for general practitioners, veterinary students, nurses and technicians, and will also be a useful resource for those working toward specialist qualifications." Entries close at 11:59 P.M. PDT on Tuesday, March 31, 2015. One entry per household. Loading... RULES & GUIDELINES: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of International Giveaway who are Age of majority in your Country of residence or older. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Begins: 12 A.M. PDT on March 26, 2015. Ends: 11:59 P.M. PDT on March 31, 2015. One entry per household. One winner will be chosen randomly using Random.org to …
National Veterinary Referral Group FormsMarch 25, 2015Four founding members of the MOON veterinary collaborative have agreed to merge their referral groups, creating a 13-hospital company with locations in San Diego, Chicago, Denver and the Northeast. The as-yet-unnamed company will be made up of InTown Veterinary Group, Premier Veterinary Group, Veterinary Specialty Hospital and Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital. Each group will retain its local identity, said Matt Tompkins, DVM, the CEO of Premier Veterinary Group and president of MOON’s board. “We intend to build a national company with local culture,” Dr. Tompkins said. “Our name will reflect that philosophy.” The merger was announced Tuesday and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2015. The financial terms were not revealed, but Tompkins said each group will be represented on the company board. The marriage sprouted from the relationships the groups developed under MOON, which offers networking and education as well as preferred pricing from selected vendors. “Over the past several years, MOON has provided the opportunity for our members to collaborate,” Tompkins said. “We now have the opportunity to create a truly innovative, collaborative organization.” Several MOON members did not take part in the merger. They include Affiliated Veterinary Specialists in Maitland, Fla.; Atlantic Street Veterinary …
Heart Drug Effective in Canine MMVDMarch 25, 2015An international clinical trial involving the drug pimobendan showed such positive results in canine heart patients that the researchers ended their work early, Texas A&M University reported Tuesday. The full study, which is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, the maker of Vetmedin (pimobendan) chewable tablets, is expected to be published later. The research team, which included Texas A&M associate professor Sonya Gordon, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, conducted what the university called the largest clinical study ever involving dogs suffering from myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). A group of 360 canine patients was randomly split between those given pimobendan or a placebo in a double-blind study. Sixteen of the dogs were managed at Texas A&M, while the others were seen at 35 other trial centers in the United States and abroad. Pimobendan was found to delay the onset of clinical signs of congestive heart failure in dogs with increased heart size secondary to preclinical MMVD. “A midstudy analysis in mid-February 2015 indicated that pimobendan is clearly beneficial and did not raise any concern over the administration of pimobendan,” Texas A&M stated. “Based on these results the interim analysis committee recommended that the study be stopped and the lead investigators … …
“Aloha Vet” Shows What it’s Like to Work in ParadiseMarch 25, 2015Ever wanted to know what it was like to work in paradise? In “Aloha Vet,” a new series from National Geographic that premiered March 21, 2015, you can get a chance to see what it's like. The series stars Dr. Scott Sims, DVM, nicknamed the “Barefoot Vet,” as he can often be found without shoes on. Sims is a UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine graduate, and owns Pegasus Veterinary Clinic in Kilauea, Hawaii. Nat GEO WILD Dr. Scott Sims. In the show, according to National Geographic article "Meet Dr. Scott Sims", Sims, “along with his two assistants, Dia and Ella […] handle a wide variety of animals, both domestic and wild. His days are anything but boring as he traverses the wild, rural and oceanic grounds Kauai offers up.” He has even built his own plane to make house calls on the surrounding islands. The next episode premieres on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 9 p.m EST on Nat Geo WILD. A sneak peek of the episode is below.
3,000 Goldens Enrolled in Lifetime StudyMarch 24, 2015A suburban Chicago golden retriever will go down in history for her role in a ground-breaking study. Morris Animal Foundation announced today that young Chloe has enrolled as the 3,000th dog in the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, a years-long research project that aims to better understand canine diseases. The Denver-based foundation called the longitudinal study the first of its kind in the veterinary world. “We are extraordinarily grateful not only to the thousands of owners who enrolled their dogs in this study but also to the many veterinarians who are on the front lines helping us gather data,” said David Haworth, DVM, Ph.D., the president and CEO of Morris Animal Foundation. “Of course, the real heroes are all the beautiful golden retrievers we will be following throughout their lives.” Chloe’s owner, Meredith Walters of Riverside, Ill., didn’t hesitate to offer up her pup, especially since her golden retriever Amber died from cancer and Cushing’s disease at age 13. “My hope is that this study will uncover data that will lead to information on why golden retrievers in particular are susceptible to cancer,” Walters said. “I knew that by enrolling Chloe I could honor Amber’s memory in a tangible …
Vets Sold $191 Million in Supplements in 2014March 24, 2015U.S. veterinarians took in more than one-third of the estimated half-billion dollars that pet owners spent in 2014 on nutritional supplements for their cats, dogs, birds, small animals and reptiles. The market research group Packaged Facts, in its new report “Pet Supplements in the U.S., 5th Edition,” forecasts a domestic market of $697 million in 2019, a rise of 29 percent from $541 million last year. The increase, however, will be constrained because of growing sales of functional treats and “the tendency for veterinarians to prescribe medications with clinical evidence supporting their efficacy,” Packaged Facts noted. For which conditions are pet owners most likely to buy supplements? Joint health tops the list, followed by heart health, skin and coat, and digestive or hairball issues. Joint health was the most popular category among dog owners, while cat owners often looked for probiotics or senior formulas. About 45 percent of supplements were sold in pet specialty stores in 2014 and 35 percent—or $191 million—in the veterinary channel. The remainder was purchased online, at health and natural food stores, and at mass market retailers such as Walmart and Target. Supplement manufacturer Nutramax Laboratories of Lancaster, S.C., struck a …
