2 Researchers To Study Equine Pigeon FeverDecember 3, 2012The 2012 Advancement of Equine Research Awards were announced at the American Association of Equine Practitioners conference, which continues through Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif. The grants will go to Roberta R. Pollock, Ph.D., a biology professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles, and Allison J. Stewart, BVSc, a professor of equine internal medicine at Auburn University in Alabama. A panel of equine practitioners, university professors and researcher chose Drs. Pollock and Stewart. Pigeon fever, also known as dry land distemper, is a regional disease caused by the bacteria C. pseudotuberculosis. It produces external and internal abscesses, the latter of which is fatal in about 40 percent of cases, Pollock said. She called the disease “underfunded and underappreciated.” Pollock intends to combine equine disease infection studies with a mouse model to identify and clone protective antigens from C. pseudotuberculosis. Stewart and graduate student Marta Barbra Recreo will study the transmission of C. pseudotuberculosis by houseflies, the disease’s seasonality and insect vectors. The topic for the third annual Advancement of Equine Research Awards, sponsored by St. Joseph, Mo.-based BIVI, will be announced in …
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Homeopathy To Headline AVMA House Of Delegates Debate In 2013November 30, 2012 The American Veterinary Medical Association’s House of Delegates will meet early next year to vote on issues ranging from livestock handling to homeopathy. The House will vote on seven resolutions and one bylaw change when it convenes for its annual Winter Session on Jan. 5 in Chicago. Among the policy changes to be considered is one that would repudiate the efficacy of veterinary homeopathy. Submitted by the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association, the resolution calls for the AVMA to adopt a policy stating that homeopathy is an ineffective practice and that its use as veterinary therapy should be discouraged. Proponents of homeopathy welcome introduction of the resolution. “This is a wonderful chance for us to educate other vets about the benefits of homeopathic veterinary medicine,” said Jeff Feinman, VMD, CVH. “The main argument [against] homeopathy is that it’s implausible, and we will show that that’s not true at all. The research is just now catching up with the basic science.” The Connecticut VMA board of directors, which crafted the resolution, argued that there is “strong, widely accepted scientific evidence that the theoretical foundations of homeopathy …
Higher Consternation: New Vet School Plans Press On Amid An Industry In FluxNovember 30, 2012In the past three decades, only one new veterinary school has been established in the United States. But in just the past 18 months, four new schools have been proposed. At least one will open by 2014. The wave of proposals has stakeholders in academia and the profession at large wondering about the wisdom of starting new schools considering the economic reality facing today’s new veterinarians: lower wages, fewer job opportunities, rising tuition and skyrocketing student loan debt. The New Players Of the four proposed schools, only one is assured. The other three are in the planning stages. Like Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif., which boasts the most recently established college of veterinary medicine, Midwestern University is a private, nonprofit institution that offers degrees in several medical disciplines at campuses in Glendale, Ariz., and Downers Grove, Ill. The school’s first class of 100 veterinary students will arrive on the Arizona campus in fall 2014. Meanwhile, 120 miles to the southeast in Tucson, the University of Arizona’s board of regents committed $2 million to investigate building a school of veterinary medicine, which Shane Burgess, Ph.D., dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, called a natural …
Wendy Valla, VMD: Finding A Fit In PharmaceuticalsNovember 28, 2012 Wendy Vaala’s first vaccine research and development meeting made her realize that she was well prepared to work in pharmaceuticals. “I [thought], whoa, I have an opinion on this,” recalls Vaala, VMD, Dipl. ACVIM, a senior equine technical services veterinarian for Merck Animal Health of Summit, N.J. “They would say, ‘What do you think?’ or ‘How important is this disease?’ I felt like I was raising my hand every 15 minutes with ‘Let me tell you.’” A Pennsylvania native now residing in Alma, Wis., Dr. Vaala says her nearly 25 years working in private practice and academia has made her the equine neonatology and perinatology specialist she is today. She has been with Merck since 2004. “Coming from the northeast, I think we had more infectious diseases so we probably vaccinated more than anywhere else in the country,” Vaala says, adding that diseases she saw ranged from rabies to botulism. “Maybe I was unknowingly super-prepared.” Companies are always looking to bring new things to market, Vaala says. But in order to sell the product, it must be successful. To be successful, the product needs to be developed with the right profile in mind and it …
Feds Halt Production At Sunland PlantNovember 27, 2012 Editor's note: This story was updated to include quotes from pet companies involved in the recall and to add details to the manner in which the pet products were recalled. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday shuttered a New Mexico peanut processor linked to a salmonella outbreak and the subsequent recall of hundreds of food products, including four voluntarily pulled from shelves in the pet trade. The shutdown of the Sunland Inc. plant in Portales, N.M., was the first of its kind under the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act, the FDA noted. Forty-one people in 20 states have been sickened by Sunland products tainted with the strain salmonella Bredeney, the agency added. The FDA issued a scathing report about the salmonella outbreak and Sunland’s culpability, including a finding that Sunland detected salmonella in nut butter samples over a 30-month period ending in September 2012 but still distributed some of the products. Among the agency’s other discoveries: • FDA inspections in September and October 2012 revealed salmonella on plant surfaces, in 13 nut butter samples and in a sample of raw peanuts. • Equipment, containers and utensils used …
Equine Wound Therapies: Negative Pressure And Biological GlassNovember 27, 2012 It’s been said that if there’s a way to get injured, a horse will find it. Thankfully, veterinary researchers continue to develop improved ways to heal hideously mutilated horse flesh. Vacuum Assisted Closure (V.A.C.) Therapy by KCI Animal Health in San Antonio works by providing negative pressure at the wound site through a patented system. Wound edges are drawn together, infectious materials are removed and granulation tissue is promoted at the cellular level. V.A.C. Therapy has been commercially available for about two years. RediHeal Wound Care by Avalon Medical Innovative Veterinary Surgical Products in Stillwater, Minn., is a borate-based biological glass material that imitates fibrin and traps blood platelets, forming a wound cover to support healing. Originally used in companion animals, the product is now marketed in a larger equine version. Avalon spokesman Todd P. Nelson said the company is testing a solubilized form of the material on corneal ulcers and deep fungal infections in equine eye cases. In V.A.C. Therapy, a reticulated open-cell foam (GranuFoam) dressing is placed directly into the wound bed, then covered with a drape and proprietary pad to seal the wound and connect it to a therapy unit. Patented technology uses …
Tips For Adding Exotics To The General PracticeNovember 27, 2012 General practitioners may choose to add exotics to their practice for a number of reasons: additional revenue, dog- and cat- owning clients are asking where they can take their exotic pet and/or an interest in learning more about exotics. But once the choice to add exotics is made, then what? A good place to start is deciding which exotic species to add, says Laurie Hess, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (avian), owner of the Veterinary Center for Birds & Exotics in Bedford Hills, N.Y. Most veterinarians who are used to treating dogs and cats feel more comfortable starting with mammals because they can extrapolate information from what they already know, Dr. Hess says. For instance, veterinarians can apply what they know about cats to ferrets. A genuine interest in the animal is a must, says Larry Nemetz, DVM, owner of The Bird Clinic in Orange, Calif. “If you don’t like the species, I believe you can’t get good [treating them],” Dr. Nemetz says. Nemetz says he decided to leave birds of prey to other specialty veterinarians because he doesn’t have a lot …
Idexx Software Discounts In The Works For AAHA MembersNovember 26, 2012 American Animal Hospital Association members will soon receive discounts on Idexx Laboratories Inc. practice management software, as the two entities today announced a preferred business provider partnership. Other benefits besides discounts on Idexx’s flagship Cornerstone Practice Management System and its Pet Health Network Pro client communication service have not been ironed out, AAHA spokeswoman Kate Spencer said. “The goal of this partnership is to create a client-centric approach to veterinary medicine,” Spencer said. “The two pieces will form the foundation for the first fully integrated client and practice management system.” The association chose Westbrook, Maine-based Idexx over other practice management software systems because both share a client-focused vision of veterinary medicine, Spencer said. “We believe that a client-centric approach provides profound opportunities for practice growth and pet health, which is why we are building this innovation into our software offerings,” said Jonathon Ayers, president and CEO of Idexx. “We are privileged to partner with AAHA and see partnerships like this as an important part of helping the profession grow.” The partners plan to create additional client-centric best practices, such as “forward-booking” appointments during checkouts and developing ways to better present diagnostic and other pet …
Crates Are Great, Says APDTNovember 21, 2012 The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) issued a position statement today that recommends crates for the training and transport of dogs. “We want to assure shelters, rescues, vets and dog owners that using crates is safe, humane and effective and in many cases can be what helps a dog stay in its home,” said Mychelle Blake, the group’s president and CEO. The statement, a spokeswoman said, was released in response to a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals campaign. The Norfolk, Va.-based organization has long opposed dog crates and this month ramped up its fight upon the news of a Tulsa, Okla., father who was accused of putting his toddler daughter in a metal crate. APDT noted that crates should be used for positive training of dogs, not for punishment, and that dogs should be introduced to a crate gradually. “It is important to choose a crate of appropriate size and adjust confinement times as the dog matures in order to build long-term success,” the position statement noted. “Avoid crating a dog who is experiencing anxiety, whether that anxiety stems from the confinement itself, separation from a …
GI Issues Plague Pets During Thanksgiving HolidayNovember 21, 2012 Thanksgiving is a notorious holiday for gastrointestinal issues with pets, as owners often leave hazardous leftovers and decorations within reach of their cats and dogs. The top-10 holiday-related claims reported to pet insurance provider Veterinary Pet Insurance Inc. of Brea, Calif., were GI related, with gastritis, enteritis and colitis comprising the top three most-common issues. “People tend to leave turkey breasts and carcasses out way too long after the meal is over,” said Cori Gross, DVM, field veterinarian for VPI. “Owners should just set them on the counter in the kitchen. They should take them out to the garbage immediately. “When we’re all relaxed and sleepy in the living room, that’s when the pets get on the counter.” Owners should keep a close watch on cats during the holidays because they are prone to hiding ailments better than their canine counterparts, Dr. Gross added. The most expensive common holiday claim is surgical removal of an intestinal foreign body, which cost an average $2,328 per pet, while the least expensive, enteritis, costs $105, according to VPI …
