Top Stories Of 2011January 4, 2012Top Stories of 2011Veterinary Practice News Top Stories 2011Veterinary Practice News' Picks for the Top Stories of 2011Veterinary Practice News Top Stories of 2011newslineTop Stories of 2011Posted: Jan. 4, 2012, 11:00 a.m. EST Now that 2011 has come to an end, Veterinary Practice News magazine invites you to take a look back at some of the veterinary stories that made headlines this year. Watch our video to see our picks for the top veterinary stories of 2011. Don't forget to tell us your picks in the comment section. http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/images/misc-images/TopStories-FINAL-300px.jpg1/4/2012 8:19 AM
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Why Dr. Just Graduated Can’t Find A JobJanuary 3, 2012 Make no mistake, we are making more veterinarians. Already, the industry supports 12,000 more practicing veterinarians than we had five years ago. And academic institutions are still taking on more students. Add into this mix a stagnant retirement rate (now that tough economic times have made a career’s graceful exit an uncomfortable non-reality) and you’ve got a recipe for too many cooks in the kitchen. So is it any wonder some sit idly by—if you consider a never-ending search for employment an idle respite—while the rest of us tarry on? Higher Unemployment What’s our problem? If we know our unemployment rate is on the rise, and meanwhile the retirement age creeps inexorably upwards ... why is it we insist on taking on more veterinary students? The simplest answer to the conundrum lies in our reliance on the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), its findings and our academic institutions’ willingness to accept these stats’ veracity. After all, this federal organization prides itself on its ability to track labor statistics and predict demand so that any industry can make judicious choices. So when BLS predicts veterinary doctorate demand to grow by almost 9 percent over the next …
Obtaining A Loan Can Be TrickyJanuary 3, 2012 Bleak evaluations of today’s financial environment often leave veterinarians leery about risks and their ability to obtain a loan to fulfill their professional aspirations. Lenders say that while changes have been made in the lending arena as an effect of ongoing housing market woes, the veterinary industry has maintained a good risk rating. However, veterinarians have not been unscathed by the economy. Just six months ago, a Bayer HealthCare LLC Animal Health Division study showed that 51 percent of veterinarians reported a net decrease in patient visits over the last two years, while 42 percent said that revenues decreased in 2010 as compared to 2009. Devise a Business Plan The study, conducted in co-operation with Brakke Consulting and the former National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues, measured the gap between veterinary and owner perceptions for the need for pet health care. Lenders closest to the veterinary industry say a major change in veterinarians’ ability to convey value in their services will guide the future of lending. “Veterinarians are starting to prepare themselves, while still in school, to be practice owners,” says Travis York, senior loan officer in the Atlanta office of Live Oak Bank, …
Veterinarians See Successes Ahead In 2012January 3, 2012 Medical, political advancements are within reach, leaders say.Veterinary leaders have high expectations for the industry in 2012. While the gap is increasingly narrowed between human and veterinary medicine, researchers discuss further medical and political advances for the profession.Veterinarians See Successes Ahead in 2012 By: Jessica Tremayne-Farkas Contributing Editor Veterinary leaders have high expectations for the industry in 2012. While the gap is increasingly narrowed between human and veterinary medicine, researchers discuss further medical and political advances for the profession. Clients’ growing response to medical options for their pets means an enhanced need to provide solutions for potentially fatal maladies, degenerative and quality of life issues. But on a more basic level, one veterinarian says political action by practitioners can help veterinarians tend to animals’ medical needs when finances prevent veterinary interventions. “Some veterinarians feel they’re too busy to take time away from patient care to listen to ways their state veterinary medical associations can help them care for more animals in need,” says Barbara Monaghan, DVM, of Kelley Animal Hospital in Birmingham, Ala., and president of the Alabama VMA Foundation. “Being active in the state foundation means actively raising money to facilitate surgeries …
PetSafe Fund Gives $3,000 To Animal Welfare GroupsJanuary 3, 2012 The PetSafe Ethos Charity Fund awarded $3,000 among six animal welfare groups in the fund’s inaugural year, PetSafe reported today. The fund supports the groups' care and rehabilitation of homeless pets to help make them more adoptable. “We created the fund because we share the passion and compassion of our fellow pet owners,” said Randy Boyd, CEO of Knoxville, Tenn.-based Radio Systems Corp., makers of the PetSafe brand. Each of the six nonprofit animal welfare organizations received $500, including: • Concerned Citizens for Animals of Simpsonville, S.C. • Rescued Pet Adoption League of Alba, Texas • SPEAK Animal Hospital and Animal Sanctuary of Binghamton, N.Y. • Nebraska Humane Society of Omaha, Neb. • Operation Education Animal Rescue of Murfreesboro, Tenn. • Midwest Pug Rescue, Minnesota Division. PetSafe, which makes pet behavior lifestyle products and services, accepts applications for aid through the Ethos Fund Charity on the company’s website. Product donations are made twice a month. Donations of any size can be can be made through the website. PetSafe gives a “Happy Dog” T-shirt to anyone donating $25 or more.
Nestlé’s Purina, Jenny Craig Units Launch Joint Weight Loss ProgramJanuary 3, 2012 Nestlé launched a program through its Nestlé Purina and Jenny Craig divisions aimed at helping owners and their pets with their New Year’s weight-loss resolutions in 2012. Through the program, veterinarians can obtain clinic materials on the Nestlé Purina Project: Slim Down website to promote pet weight loss, as well as special offers for owners who want to lose weight along with their pets. Jenny Craig Centres will also promote the Project: Pet Slim Down program and provide special offers for clients with pets. The joint program started Sunday and runs through March 31, 2012. Project: Pet Slim Down is a free program from Purina that teams owners of overweight dogs and cats with veterinary professionals who work with them to create an individualized feeding and exercise program to help pets reach a healthy weight. Elements of the program include: • Feeding software that enables veterinary professionals to calculate feeding recommendations for 1 to 2 percent weekly weight loss; • Client education; • Regular pet weight-ins; • Product coupons to help get patients started; • Rebates to help clients stay compliant. <HOME>
Charity, Exercise And Grooming Top Pet Owners’ Resolutions, Survey FindsDecember 30, 2011 Nearly 95 percent of pet owners plan to help animals in need in 2012 and nearly 90 percent plan to exercise and groom their pets more in the new year, according to a survey conducted by Tampa, Fla.-based pet food maker Halo, Purely for Pets. The Pets Parents’ New Year’s Resolution Survey polled 1,045 pet owners from Dec. 21 to Dec. 23. Of those pet owners, 94.1 percent reported planning to help pets in need, according to the survey, with 69.8 percent planning to donate to a rescue or a shelter; 65.6 percent planning to continue whatever they already did; 45.5 percent planning to play on Halo-sponsored FreeKibble.com and Freekibblekat.com websites to earn kibble for shelters; 11.5 percent planning to adopt a new pet; and 11.5 percent planning to foster an animal. Nearly 90 percent of pet owners (88.7 percent) reported planning to help their pets get more exercise in the coming year. Of those, 68.3 percent plan to play with their pets more, 62.4 percent plan to walk with their pets more, 30.3 percent plan to find a new game to play and 20.2 percent plan to go to the dog park more often, according to the …
Aflatoxin Leads To Another Dog Food RecallDecember 28, 2011O’Neal’s Feeders Supply Inc. of DeRidder, La., voluntarily recalled some lots of its dry Arrow Brand dog food because it contains corn with higher than acceptable levels of aflatoxin. The affected products were manufactured between Dec. 1, 2010, and Dec. 1, 2011, and include: • Arrow Brand 21 percent Dog Chunks, SKU #807, 40-pound bag. • Arrow Brand Super Proeaux Dog Food, SKU #812, 40-pound bag. • Arrow Brand Professional Formula Dog Food, SKU #814, 50-pound bag. The recall applies only to the products above that show packaging date codes 4K0341 through 4K0365 and 04K1001 through 4K1325. The dry dog foods were distributed in Louisiana and Texas. Retailers were instructed to remove the affected brands and products from store shelves. No illnesses have been reported in association with the recalled products, and the recall was precautionary. The company urged consumers to return the recalled products, whether opened or opened, to the place of purchase for a full refund. Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring mold byproduct. Pets that consumed the recalled product and showed signs of sluggishness or lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat, vomiting, a yellowish tint to the eyes or gums, or diarrhea should be seen …
Abaxis Launches Quantitative Canine Lyme Disease TestDecember 27, 2011Abaxis Inc. added a quantitative antibody test for canine Lyme disease to its line of tests available through the Abaxis Veterinary Reference Laboratories Division in Olathe, Kan., the company reported today. The test measures a combination of antibodies to peptides which mimic certain antigens of the Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete. The antibodies are not found in vaccinated or noninfected patients, allowing for a definitive diagnosis of the disease, according to Kenneth Aron, Ph.D., Abaxis' chief technology officer. The test may be used as a standalone diagnostic test to determine infection status or efficacy during treatment. It also may be used as a quantitative confirmation test for Abaxis’ upcoming VetScan Lyme Rapid Test, which is under development, according to the Union City, Calif.-based company. <HOME>
Belize Wildlife Center Wins $25,000 In Heska ContestDecember 21, 2011 The Belize Wildlife and Referral Center won the $25,000 grand prize in the 2011 Inspiration in Action contest sponsored by Heska Corp. The center is the only wildlife medical facility providing critical cervices to many rare and endangered wildlife species, according to Heska. Center officials will spend the prize money on providing medical services, expanding services in Belize and deploying mobile medical equipment in the field. The Belize Wildlife and Referral Center also plans to teach veterinary professionals about wildlife medicine, wildlife conflict resolution and the importance of wildlife conservation. Locust Trace Veterinary Clinic in Lexington, Ky., won the $5,000 second-place prize. The clinic recently opened a full-service animal hospital on the campus of the Fayette County School’s Locust Trace Agriscience Center. The facility allows high school students to observe and assist veterinarians caring for pets, horses and food animals. Locust Trace hopes the facility will serve as a prototype for other communities. The $5,000 award will be used to provide students with scholarships to pursue careers in veterinary medicine. Heska, based in Loveland, Colo., will honor the winners at a reception Jan. 16, 2012, during the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, …
