Veterinary Teams Get Candid In VHMA SurveyAugust 8, 2013 The "Candid Confessions” survey was completed by 1,597 individuals, including veterinary associates, assistants, technicians, office managers, hospital administrators, practice managers and practice owners. In regard to business profits, more than 60 percent of veterinary assistants, practice managers and hospital administrators were aware that the money is often reinvested to grow and improve the practice. Asked to identify areas in their practice that needed improvement, the top three responses among all respondents were training (45 percent), staff communication (40 percent) and client communication and service (32 percent). Respondents were asked to describe the culture of change at their practice. The responses were evenly distributed among "change is started but not followed through” (27 percent), "change is slow and difficult” (27 percent), "most of the team embraces change” (23 percent) and "we are always changing for the better” (20 percent). VHMA noted that the issues touched upon in the survey are routinely addresses in the organization’s webinars, conferences, products and publications, which may be accessed at VHMA.org. 8/8/2013 3:19 PM
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Oklahoma Veterinarians Rise To Challenge In Wake Of Moore TornadoAugust 7, 2013 MOORE, Okla.—It all boils down to this: If your kids are OK, you can face the unimaginable for what can seem an interminable time. One week after a mighty tornado demolished the better part of her town, Kristi Scroggins, DVM, continued to log countless hours working with animal victims, volunteers and owners, splitting her time between the Home Depot triage center and local animal shelters. "I was pretty much in shock, and the main thing was, I had to get to my kids,” Scroggins recalled as she paused for an interview during her marathon tenure as veterinary jack-of-all-trades at the tornado disaster site. Her serene and loving face belied the weariness and frustration Scroggins surely bore. Her extraordinary tale of how her 4-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son survived the storm, as did her veterinary hospital, employees and patients, is a reminder that we are certain only of this day. The value of a single human life outweighs billions of dollars’ worth of lumber, bricks, mortar, steel, vehicles, jewelry and landscaping. Storm Brewing On the afternoon of May 20, as hysterical, escalating warnings of an approaching deadly storm …
Fever PitchAugust 7, 2013 The fungal spores that cause valley fever are found in the soil in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. So why should veterinarians and pet owners living outside of places such as Phoenix and San Diego familiarize themselves with valley fever’s symptoms and treatments? "We have an enormous winter population that comes with their pets, and when Fluffy goes home and is coughing, limping or has seizures, then it is no longer a regional issue,” said Lisa Shubitz, DVM, who studies the disease in people at the University of Arizona’s Valley Fever Center for Excellence in Tucson. The infection, also known as coccidioidomycosis, or "cocci” for short, usually starts off as a persistent cough in dogs or as a draining skin lesion in cats, Dr. Shubitz noted. While everything from humans to alpacas are susceptible to the potentially fatal disease, dogs are most likely to contract it. Animal mortality rates have not been tracked. "Dogs are far and away the most affected and economically important species we see clinical cocci in,” she said. Getting Started Shubitz has been a consulting veterinarian at the Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson since 2004, when she …
Small Animal Arthroscopy: 30 Years Of LearningAugust 7, 2013 July 18 of this year will mark 30 years since I performed my first arthroscopic procedure. I performed this first arthroscopy on the stifle of a dog with an undiagnosed hind leg lameness and was able to diagnose a partially ruptured cranial cruciate ligament. Since that day I have performed more than 2,000 arthroscopic procedures on more than 1,500 cases. This saga has truly been a learning experience for me and, with the knowledge gained by all of those performing arthroscopy in small animals, it has been a learning experience for the profession. Arthroscopy has redefined our understanding of joint disease in dogs and has changed how we treat many of these disorders. My first attempts at arthroscopy were primitive at best as I did not have a video camera system. I could only look; I could not do. My primary motivation was that we could not diagnose the cause of lameness in anything but the most obvious cases. In the early 1980s, we were just beginning to recognize medial coronoid process disease in the elbow, but to make a diagnosis required performing an open arthrotomy. …
Illinois Tentatively Selects Purdue's Constable As Next DeanAugust 5, 2013 Illinois Tentatively Selects Purdue's Constable as Next Dean Peter Constable, Illinois, veterinary, college, Purdue, dean, Herb Whiteley, university Purdue University professor Peter D. Constable, BVSc, MS, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, is in line to become the next dean of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Peter Constable is expected to replace Herb Whiteley as dean of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. newsline Purdue University professor Peter D. Constable, BVSc, MS, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, is in line to become the next dean of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Constable’s appointment is subject to the approval of the Illinois board of trustees, the university reported Friday. He would replace Herb Whiteley, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVP, who will begin a sabbatical in January after 12 years as dean. Dr. Whiteley is expected to return from his sabbatical to work on collaboration between the College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Illinois at Chicago's College of Medicine. "We are grateful for Dr. Whiteley’s many years of leadership and look forward to his continued service to the college and university,” said Ilesanmi Adesida, the provost and vice chancellor for academic …
WVC Emphasizes Commitment To Continuing EducationAugust 1, 2013 Western Veterinary Conference, which hosts an annual convention in Las Vegas and operates the Oquendo Center training facility, today renewed its dedication to continuing education and unveiled a program designed to improve the skills of faculty and presenters. A new WVC mission statement "provides more inclusive language, recognizing the wealth of opportunities made available by both the annual conference and the Oquendo Center.” The WVC board of directors also revised the nonprofit organization’s mission statement. "The WVC board feels the new statement provides more inclusive language, recognizing the wealth of opportunities made available by both the annual conference and the Oquendo Center to provide a holistic view of WVC’s educational activities,” CEO David Little said. New Mission Statement The mission of Western Veterinary Conference (WVC) is to provide the highest quality year-round continuing education to veterinary health care professionals by engaging recognized authorities to deliver valuable information utilizing innovative and effective methodologies, to enhance animal and human health worldwide. "From a more global perspective, the idea that the board took the time and made a genuine effort to reconstruct the WVC mission statement shows a renewed interest in and dedication to the education WVC provides to …
Some Dogswell, Catswell Treats Pulled From MarketJuly 29, 2013 Dogswell and Catswell jerky treats made with chicken or duck and bearing a "Best Before” date of Jan. 28, 2015, or earlier are being withdrawn because they may contain trace amounts of an antibiotic residue not approved for use in the United States.Withdrawn products include Chicken Breast and Duck Breast jerky under the Dogswell and Catswell jerky treats made with chicken or duck and bearing a "Best Before” date of Jan. 28, 2015, or earlier are being withdrawn because they may contain trace amounts of an antibiotic residue not approved for use in the United States. The treats should not pose a health risk to pets or people, according to the manufacturer, Los Angeles-based Arthur Dogswell LLC. The company reported Friday that the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets discovered the antibiotic during routine product sampling. The antibiotic is accepted for use in poultry in other parts of the world, the company added. The withdrawn products include Chicken Breast and Duck Breast jerky under the Breathies, Happy Heart, Happy Hips, Mellow Mut, Shape Up, Veggie Life, Vitality and
Half Of American Cats Don’t Get Regular Veterinary CareJuly 29, 2013 More than half of U.S. cats have not seen a veterinarian within the past year for needed checkups, according to a study conducted by Bayer HealthCare and the American Association of Feline Practitioners. Reasons for the lack of feline veterinary care range from how cats are acquired to people’s perceptions of the health care they need. The study’s findings, released at the American Veterinary Medical Association convention in Chicago, uncovered several reasons for the lack of veterinary care. They ranged from how cats are acquired and people’s relationships with them to feline personalities and people’s perceptions of the health care they need. The third phase of the "Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study” was based on an online survey of 1,938 cat owners and several focus groups. Sixty percent of survey respondents were from cat-only households, while 40 percent had both cats and dogs. The study "confirms that we treat cats differently than dogs when it comes to caring for their health, in part because cats are so effective at masking signs of illness and injury,” said Ian Spinks, president and general manager of Bayer HealthCare’s North American …
Blood Analyzers: How Old Is Too Old?July 26, 2013 In-house veterinary blood analyzer technology has come a long way in the past two decades, and with the rise of large multi-specialty practices and emergency clinics the use of in-house laboratory testing has also greatly increased. Everything from simple CBC and biochemistry analyzers to instruments that measure serum electrolytes, blood gases, hormone levels and pancreatic malfunction are on the market. And while some estimate that a large percentage of veterinary hospitals have one or more in-house lab machines, at least half of those machines in use are thought to be antiquated. "There is a wide range of age in in-house analyzers in the field today,” said Michael Solomon, director of business development for Abaxis North America Animal Health headquartered in Union City, Calif. "I estimate that greater than 90 percent of clinics have at least some type of in-house analyzer that they may use in various situations. Of these, at least 50 percent are older analyzers that may lack some of the features and benefits of the newer generation of in-house equipment.” Deciding whether an in-house lab system is outdated depends on a number of factors. "The definition of ‘antiquated’ could simply be …
Benjamin L. Hart, DVM, Ph.D., Named AVMA Companion Animal Veterinarian For 2013July 24, 2013 On the eve its annual convention, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) named Benjamin L. Hart, DVM, Ph.D., the Bustard Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year. The award is named for the late Leo K. Bustad, DVM, Ph.D., a former dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University and past president of Pet Partners, a therapy animal training group based in Bellevue, Wash. Dr. Hart received the award, in part, for his recently published study, the first to look at single breeds—golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers—and the effects of early neutering on the rates of cancer diagnosis and joint disorders by gender. The study was funded by the American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation (CHF), based in Raleigh, N.C., with a grant for $12,960. Hart reviewed the medical records of 789 golden retrievers going back 15 years and more than 2,000 records for Labrador retrievers and focused on comparing the effects of neutering on increases or decreases in the risks of various diseases. The dogs in Hart’s study were neutered …
