Insuring Their FutureJune 21, 2011 Providers are making strides to persuade owners that coverage is worthwhile. The pet health insurance industry has seen its share of obstacles—from veterinary apprehension to policy confusion—since its 1980 debut. But industry insiders predict a bright future through not only the forging of business partnerships and the launch of new products and services but also a reduction in competition. Kristin Lynch, executive director of the 4-year-old North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA), works on behalf of two clienteles: insurance buyers and sellers. “We are an independent source for pet consumers and can explain what services should be provided with a policy,” Lynch says. “As the perception of pets increasingly becomes ‘one of the family,’ insurance will be more in demand,” she says. “There are very different ideas of pets’ role in life in urban and rural areas. As this bridge narrows … owners will want to be able to care for all of their pets’ medical needs.” For pet insurers, NAPHIA grants membership to qualified companies and strives to set professional and ethical standards. Another goal is to provide accurate benchmark statistics. One survey now under way asks about the average turnaround …
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Groups Team To Contain EHV CasesJune 21, 2011 The American Horse Council and the American Association of Equine Practitioners are working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the reporting of horses infected with equine herpesvirus after an outbreak that is believed to have started in late April. As of June 2, 84 confirmed cases of equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) or its neurologic form, equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM), had been reported in 10 states—Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The USDA reported that of the 84 cases: • 58 involved horses that attended the National Cutting Horse Association’s Western Regional Championship, held April 29-May 8 in Ogden, Utah. • 12 horses were dead or had been euthanized. • Two newly identified premises had suspected or confirmed cases. The collaboration between state and federal veterinarians and private practitioners is significant given the lack of federal regulations requiring reporting of EHM cases. To contain the outbreak, show organizers canceled competitions, the Bureau of Land Management postponed a Mustang adoption event in Tulare County, California, and horses were not shipped to remote adoption centers. EHM affects the brain and spinal cord, often leading to weakness, ataxia and …
Seven Antibiotics Classes Possibly Limited For Ag Use If Act Becomes LawJune 20, 2011 U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) introduced S. 1211, known as the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2011 (PAMTA), on June 15. The bill amends the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to withdraw seven classes of antibiotics critical for treating infections in humans from use on industrial farms unless animals or herds are sick with disease. “The emergence of drug-resistant superbugs is a human health problem that affects us all,” says Laura Rogers, project director of Pew Human Health and Industrial Farming. “We commend Sen. Feinstein, Sen. Collins, Sen. Reed and Sen. Boxer for their bipartisan collaboration to ensure that our antibiotics will work for us when we need them most.” The American Medical Association and other health organizations warn that overuse and misuse of antibiotics in food animal production presents a serious threat to human health because it creates strains of drug-resistant bacteria. A task force led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, antibiotic-resistant bacteria could render diseases like pneumonia, meningitis and tuberculosis untreatable. …
Idexx Laboratories Brings LNA Technology To Veterinary DiagnosticsJune 20, 2011 Exiqon today announced that it granted a non-exclusive license to Idexx Laboratories, Inc., to use Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) technology in products for veterinary diagnostics. LNA provides unique characteristics to molecular assays and offers many possibilities for developing competitive products. Exiqon will receive upfront, milestones and royalty payments on global sales of the products covered by this agreement. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. “We are pleased to see Idexx Laboratories has chosen to apply Exiqon's proprietary technology in the field of veterinary diagnostics,” says Lars Kongsbak, CEO and president of Exiqon. “We are excited that the LNA technology is now being applied in veterinary diagnostic products which emphasizes the broad applicability of the LNA technology.” <Home>
Million Heart Challenge Website Supports Canine Cardiology ResearchJune 20, 2011 Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. (BIVI) announced it will donate $15,000 to the American College of Internal Veterinary Medicine to support canine cardiology research after 1 million guests visit the Million Heart Challenge website. BIVI will also finance a vacation to a pet owner and veterinary professional participating in the challenge. “Diseases such as congestive heart failure (CHF) affect millions of dogs worldwide,” says Lara Sheeley, senior brand manager for BIVI. “These diseases dramatically reduce the quality of life for dogs and ultimately lead to their deaths. The Million Heart Challenge is our way of helping to educate pet owners about CHF and supporting promising new research while having some fun along the way.” About 10 percent of the 75 million U.S. dogs have heart disease. About 75 percent of older dogs and predisposed breeds have heart disease. “Canine heart disease is a critical challenge to dog owners, veterinarians and manufacturers,” Sheeley says. “The Million Heart Challenge is a way to work together toward our common goal of prolonging the lives of the dogs we love.” To participate, visit the Million Heart Challenge website. Click on the show your heart button …
Weiner Dog's Scuffle Puts Him In Running For HamboneJune 17, 2011 Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) announces the most unusual insurance claim submitted in May involving a 10-pound dachshund and a seagull. The claim was chosen by company employees and will be submitted for the 2011 VPI Hambone Award. newsline The most unusual insurance claim in May involved a 10-pound dachshund named Harley and a seagull, Veterinary Pet Insurance announced. The claim was chosen by company employees and will be submitted for the 2011 VPI Hambone Award. Each month, VPI employees nominate the most interesting claim submitted. In September VPI will ask the public to vote for the most unusual claim of the year. The Hambone Award is named for a VPI-insured dog that got stuck in a refrigerator and ate an entire ham while waiting for someone to find him. The dog was found with a licked-clean ham bone and a mild case of hypothermia. The most unusual insurance claim in May involved a 10-pound dachshund named Harley and a seagull, according to Veterinary Pet Insurance. May's unusual insurance claim winner, Robin Baer of Ventura, Calif. says despite living near the beach, she never expected a seagull to pose a …
Banfield Survey Shows Pet Owners Fear Bed Bugs More Than FleasJune 17, 2011 A nationwide survey of pet owners conducted by Banfield Pet Hospital showed that three out of four pet owners say they are aware of the dangers of fleas, but only 11 percent feel it is worse to have fleas in the bed than bed bugs. According to Banfield Pet Hospital’s The Other Bug in the Bed survey, conducted by Directive Analytics, 67 percent of pet owners allow their pet to sleep in their bed, but only 16 percent are more worried about fleas than bed bugs. Fleas can transmit diseases to humans, unlike bed bugs, which pose no serious health risk, according to Banfield. “While Banfield Pet Hospital is certainly not discounting the issue of bed bugs, the survey brought to light the need to educate pet owners about the dangers of fleas and proper year-round flea prevention,” says Jeffrey Klausner, DVM, senior vice president and chief medical officer of Banfield Pet Hospital. “With nearly seven out of 10 pet owners sharing the bed with their pets, it is important that both the public and pet owners understand fleas not only bite, but also spread disease to humans and pets.” A recent study released by the …
New Lyme Disease Test Speeds DiagnosisJune 17, 2011 A new multiplex test for Lyme disease in horses and dogs developed by researchers at the Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell, speeds diagnosis and pinpoints time of infection, the researchers say. The Lyme disease infection becomes progressively harder to fight as the bacteria hides in the joints, nervous tissues and organs of the host. The disease causes arthritis or lameness in dogs. The bacteria burrow into the nervous system, the spine or the brain in horses, causing pain, paralysis or behavioral changes. By the time clinical signs appear, the bacteria are usually not in circulation anymore. Detection features of the new test allow for more effective treatment plans. “Now we can distinguish between infection and vaccination and also between early and chronic infection stages,” says Bettina Wagner, DVM, associate professor of Equine Health at Cornell’s veterinary college and lead test developer. “You were able to say whether an animal was infected [with older tests], but not when it was infected or how far the infection had developed.” The multiplex procedure requires smaller samples and can detect three different antibodies produced in response to the bacteria associated with Lyme disease using a single test on the …
MSU Veterinary Camp Offers Hands-On Learning For KidsJune 17, 2011 Tori Hall, a student at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, planned a veterinary camp for school-age children with her first-year classmates. Hall’s goal was to develop a program that would give participants a crash course in the first two years of veterinary school. The veterinary camp took place at the CVM with two three-day sessions in June for 13 to 15-year-olds. “We wanted participants to really get a feel for what vet school is all about,” Hall says. “We knew kids would leave the camp with either a deeper interest in veterinary medicine or the realization that perhaps vet school isn’t for them. Either way, kids attending the camp got hands-on experiences led by actual veterinary school professors. We have been thrilled with the interest and want to expand it next year so that we can include more kids.” Campers were engaged in activities from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day of the camp, spending time in anatomy, critical care and microbiology laboratories. Campers had the opportunity to learn two common sutures used in veterinary surgeries and then practice those stitches on plush toys. Other sessions introduced the teens to equine …
Paralyzed Dog Walks Again Thanks To University Of Missouri VeterinariansJune 16, 2011 A 10-year-old Cocker Spaniel named Sugar was recently found paralyzed in a drainage ditch a few blocks from her owners’ tornado-leveled home. After a local humane agency referred her owners to the University of Missouri Veterinary Hospital and receiving extensive medical care, Sugar is on her way to recovery. Following the May 22 incident, Sugar initially received radiographs and an MRI at the hospital. Fred Wininger, VMD, MS, an assistant professor of neurology and neurosurgery in the college of veterinary medicine, examined the dog and noted that while she had no use of her hind legs, she retained pain sensation in her paws. Dr. Wininger determined she had sustained a traumatic T12-13 intervertebral disc rupture. “The intervertebral disc is like a jelly donut that is soft at its core and harder on the outside,” Wininger says. “Its function is to cushion the vertebral bones around the spinal cord. With severe enough injury, the jelly center, also known as the nucleus pulposus, can extrude out of the shell and compress the spinal cord.” The rupture caused severe bruising to Sugar’s spinal cord and mild subluxation or malalignment of the bones. With pain sensation intact, immediate surgical intervention …
