Preparing For The WorstJune 10, 2011Chemical spills, electrical fires and even terroists can force a practice to pause. First responders make up only about 2 percent of the U.S. population, so the other 98 percent would be wise to prepare for a natural disaster or other emergency situation. Complacency and a natural aversion to thinking about potential disasters means veterinarians, like many people, put off making a plan to protect their homes, practices and patients. “Too often veterinarians don’t think about a disaster until it’s on top of them,” says Roberta Dwyer, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVPM, professor at the University of Kentucky and a spokeswoman for the American Association of Equine Practitioners. “Less than 3 percent of veterinarians have a business plan, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.” Recent news events, including the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the tornadoes in the South and Texas wildfires, underscore the imprtance of disaster preparation. Making an emergency plan enables veterinarians and their staff to coherently and effectively act during an emergency. Heather Case, DVM, MPH, Dipl. ACVPM, AVMA, VMAT, says preparing for an emergency doesn’t have to be a negative experience. “I focus on the peace of mind …
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Supplements For Chronic ConditionsJune 9, 2011 Many people believe that supplements can help manage health issues and chronic conditions in their horses, leading to a more productive and better quality of life. Clinical and field experience has demonstrated that many health problems and disease conditions can be either prevented or effectively treated with proper nutrition and the use of specialty health products and supplements, says Roger V. Kendall, Ph.D., vice president of research and development at Vetri-Science Laboratories in Essex Junction, Vt. “[For example,] the use of antioxidants to reduce the damaging effects of free radicals in equines has found applications to deal with many metabolic issues,” he says. Though nutrients and other natural ingredients such as glucosamine and perna canaliculus (New Zealand green shell mussel) may work more slowly than selected drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Kendall says, in the long run they may enhance metabolic processes and help restore function and balance to the body. “Selected supplements and animal health products can contribute important metabolites for cellular regeneration, improve the flow of energy, enhance immune function, detoxify cellular toxins and improve enzyme activity,” he says. “Such supplements can contribute to the animal during times of stress and aid …
UC Davis Offers Umbilical Cord Banking ServiceJune 9, 2011 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. The University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine reported in early March that horse owners can now collect umbilical cord tissue immediately after a foal is born and save it as a future source of therapeutic stem cells through the school’s Regenerative Medicine Laboratory. The laboratory provides kits that allow the horse’s owner or veterinarian to collect the umbilical cord tissue and send it to the UC Davis laboratory, where it will be minimally processed. One dose of stem cells will be sent back to the horse owner’s veterinarian and another sample will be frozen and stored for as long as four years, according to the school. If the horse should later need stem cell therapy to treat an injury or the effects of disease, the tissue sample can be retrieved from the frozen archive and treated to encourage growth of the stem cells. The method is modeled after procedures currently used in human medicine to collect and bank babies’ cord blood for potential use in cell-based therapies, the school noted. “The advantage is that, unlike collecting stem cells derived from bone …
Cornell Develops Pocket-Sized Equine Ultrasound Healing DeviceJune 9, 2011 The UltrOZ Elite Therapy System, a pocket-sized equine ultrasound device is available for purchase in the veterinary and trainer market. The device aids in healing injured legs of horses and is the first wearable, therapeutic equine ultrasound system, according to its maker. The battery-operated product is roughly the size of an iPod Nano, and fits within neoprene leg wraps. It's designed so that horses can exercise or feed in the pasture unencumbered while receiving up to six hours ultrasound therapy. ZetrOZ, a business spinoff from the Cornell University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, is selling the device online through FarmVet, a distributor of equine products. The company says the device’s ultrasound properties accelerate and compresses the inflammatory phase of healing, increases local circulation, boosts cellular permeability, improves collagen synthesis, decreases edema and causes the release of cytokines and natural analgesics for pain control. “UltrOZ’s system provides a consistent, controlled, easy to use method of providing long-term ultrasound therapy,” says George Lewis, medical ultrasound researcher, Cornell University and ZetrOZ owner. Funding for this research was provided in part by the National Science Foundation. Visit ZetrOZ's website or FarmVet's website for …
Penn Vet Adds Staff To New Bolton CenterJune 9, 2011 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. Tamara Dobbie, DVM, has joined the Section of Reproduction at New Bolton Center as a staff veterinarian. New Bolton Center is University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s large animal campus in Kennett Square, Pa. “I will be providing emergency coverage and assuming some of the clinical workload for the other clinicians,” Dr. Dobbie said. “I’ll also have the opportunity to assist with clinical laboratories and teaching the veterinary students.” Dobbie completed her residency in large animal reproduction at New Bolton Center in 2000 and remained as a lecturer for two more years. She then worked in private practice. Dobbie will lead the clinical service program for reproductive emergencies at George D. Widener Hospital at New Bolton Center. She will also teach a food animal reproduction clinical rotation to fourth-year veterinary students. In related news, Angela Dion has taken over as assistant biosecurity officer at New Bolton Center. Dion formerly worked in the sports medicine department. In her new position, she will assist Helen Aceto, VMD, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology and director of biosecurity at New Bolton Center, and assume responsibilities …
Harrison’s Seeks Equine Vets To Test EHV-1 ProductJune 9, 2011 In light of the recent equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) outbreak stemming from the National Cutting Horse Association event in Ogden, Utah, Harrisons’ Pet Products is offering free Booster Concentrate samples to veterinarians willing to try the product on infected horses. Clinical studies have not been conducted on this strain in horses, the company reported. However, Booster Concentrate does inactivate enveloped viruses, and the company is requesting that veterinarians report the outcome of the product’s use on infected horses. The company reports that Booster Concentrate is a highly purified monolaurin nutritional lipid that has been shown in laboratories to inactivate bacteria, enveloped viruses and fungi/yeast. According to Harrisons’ Pet Products, using Booster Concentrate has been demonstrated to help support the immune system by biochemically balancing the body for optimal health and self-healing. No contraindications have been observed and Booster Concentrate does not interfere with the body’s native bacteria. The company states the product is nontoxic and approved and is recognized as a safe (GRAS) direct food additive by the Food and Drug Administration. See related story: Washington State Veterinarian Cautions Horse Owners About EHV-1 Outbreak <Home>
Update On Extracorporeal Shockwave TherapyJune 9, 2011 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. When extracorporeal shockwave therapy appeared on the equine scene in 1998, it was found only in specialty clinics. Today, the device's use has become more widespread, and funding has been poured into studies proving ESWT has merit. But in 1998 practitioners had none of this knowledge and results were largely anecdotal. "As with most things new, ESWT originally claimed to fix everything from the hoof to the head," said Dr. Scott McClure, assistant professor of surgery at Iowa State University. "Of course, this isn't true. However, we know now that there are a number of things that it truly works for." On the other side of the coin, many practitioners and owners were suspicious of the product's efficacy. "A number of people thought it didn't stimulate any healing, rather it just numbed the pain, McClure said. "This isn't so. There are a few days of analgesia, but studies are showing true positive effects on healing." McClure started using the device in 1998 on a recommendation by David McCarroll, DVM, of Interstate Equine Services in Oklahoma, one of the first veterinarians to take …
Food Animal Vets Dispute Abuse ChargesJune 9, 2011 When animal abuse is called the standard of care in food animal production, food animal practitioners take issue, maintaining that the acts of a few bad apples do not define the industry. Food animal veterinarians say special-interest groups release video footage and anti-farming propaganda in an effort to quash the use of animals for food in any capacity. The practitioners fear that using the popular media to spread negative messages is just the first leg in the activists’ campaign to pass legislation that would virtually annihilate producers’ and farmers’ financial ability to operate. “The topic of the level of care for animals raised for food is one of the most misrepresented facets of animal agriculture,” says M. Gatz Riddell Jr., DVM, executive vice president of the 4,000-member American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP). “What food animal veterinarians and the industry in general must do is supply good information to the public about modern agriculture, animal care and food safety,” Dr. Riddell says. “The public needs to be made aware of the efforts being made in the areas of animal welfare, food safety and resource sustainability while maintaining the integrity of the food production systems in the …
Plan For Expansion In Clinic DesignJune 9, 2011 A good equine hospital needs to offer enough services to be attractive to clients and top veterinary school graduates, says architect Heather Lewis of Animal Arts Design of Boulder, Colo. “[We encourage] equine veterinarians to build hospitals that offer diagnostics, internal medicine, reproductive services and surgery,” says Lewis, AIA, NCABB. Animal Arts Designs has designed more than 600 hospitals in 40 states, Canada and overseas. Specialization of surgical services draws clients. “Each service often requires its own staff and its own space,” Lewis says. “But a hospital that can provide minor surgical procedures, orthopedics and colic surgeries under one roof can become the full-service surgical center for an entire region.” Brad Jackman, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, owner of Pioneer Equine Center in Oakdale, Calif., says the first step in planning an equine hospital is to determine what a practice can afford. Pioneer Equine has 10 veterinarians on staff and specializes in surgery and lameness. “First, look at your existing business,” Dr. Jackman says. “If rent is 8 to 10 percent of your revenue, you’ll be making more profit than if rent is 6 to 7 percent of your revenue.” “Realize that new construction …
Boehringer Ingelheim Calls For Equine Research Award ProposalsJune 9, 2011 Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. announced their first sponsored Equine Research Awards, which were designed to support veterinary research that results in insights or treatments for equine diseases. The awards are open to U.S. and Canadian veterinarians, diagnosticians and public and private researchers to submit proposals for research programs that help advance the diagnosis, treatment and understanding of equine diseases. Boehringer Ingelheim will provide three $25,000 awards to fund the selected research proposals. The award, projected to become an annual event, will focus on a specific equine disease each year. For 2011, the equine disease of focus is Equine Rhinitis Virus (ERV). Specifically, four areas of interest surrounding ERV have been identified: • Pathophysiology of ERV in the horse • Incidence and implications of co-infection with ERV and other equine respiratory pathogens • Incidence of ERV related to geographical location and equine discipline • Acute/chronic effects of ERV on lower airway disease in the horse Research proposals will be reviewed by an independent equine research review board comprised of practicing equine veterinarians and researchers. Research proposals must be submitted by Sept. 1 and will be awarded during the 2011 American Association of Equine …
