Nonprofits Still Taking Hit From RecessionAugust 17, 2010 Nonprofit groups continue to suffer in the wake of one of the nation’s worst economic downturns, according to GuideStar USA Inc.’s survey of public charity and private foundations. GuideStar, which provides data on more than 1.8 million IRS-recognized nonprofits, conducted the survey online in June. “The Effect of the Economy on the Nonprofit Sector: A June 2010 Survey” elicited responses from about 7,000 organizations, 5 percent of which were animal-related. Overall, about 40 percent of the respondents reported a further decline in contributions in the first five months of 2010 compared to the year-ago period. At the same time, 63 percent saw an increase in demand for their services. "Our survey echoes what we’ve been hearing from the nonprofit sector for the past couple of years,” said Chuck McLean, GuideStar’s vice president for research. “The results prove that nonprofits have a long way to go to achieve the success they experienced before the recession.” Among the survey's findings: • 8 percent of respondents indicated that their organizations were in imminent danger of closing. • In order to balance budgets, 17 percent of respondents reduced program services and 11 percent laid off employees. • …
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Former UC Davis Vet School Dean Dies At 91August 17, 2010 Donald Jasper, DVM, Ph.D., a former dean of the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, died July 25 at the University Retirement Community in Davis. He was 91. Dr. Jasper served as dean for eight years beginning in 1954. He then returned to a teaching and research position in 1962. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5, at the University Retirement Community auditorium, 1515 Shasta Drive. “Don was one of our founding faculty members and served as dean during the time when the school was rapidly developing,” said Bennie Osburn, DVM, the current dean. “After he stepped back into a faculty role, he became known as an expert in mycoplasma mastitis, a serious disease of dairy cattle, and was one of the leaders as clinical pathology for animals became a specialty. “Don was always well-liked as a person and as a highly valued member of our faculty.” During the late 1940s, Jasper was instrumental in developing pathology as a separate discipline at UC Davis, according to the university. Before that, pathology was part of the veterinary science division, with research focused strictly on disease-oriented, rather than discipline-oriented, …
University Of Florida Adds Shelter Medicine Certificate ProgramAugust 16, 2010 The University of Florida is now offering its students a shelter medicine certificate program. The program, which consists of a total of 15 units, is designed to address a shortage of veterinarians trained in the special needs of veterinary care in animal shelters, according to the university. “The certificate will identify students who have completed an intensive training program in this field, providing a valuable credential for those seeking a career in animal sheltering or competing for residency training,” said Julie Levy, DVM, Ph.D., director of Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida. “Our initial program will be conducted at U.F., but it’s our hope to develop online offerings so that students at other veterinary schools have access via distance learning.” The program aims to expose students to a cross-section of opportunities in shelter medicine, including care of sheltered animals, animal disaster management, cruelty investigations and forensics, shelter animal behavior and welfare, high-quality high-volume sterilization surgery and research in shelter medicine. A special projects elective offers the opportunity for mentored participation in an in-depth topic, such as working with a shelter to perform a shelter population management analysis, an infectious disease outbreak intervention or …
Merrick Expands Beef Treats Recall To All LotsAugust 16, 2010 Merrick Pet Care Inc. of Amarillo, Texas, has expanded its recall of Beef Filet Squares and Texas Hold’ems dog treats to include all lots of the two products. The recalled products come in 10-ounce packages and were shipped to distributors and retailers throughout the U.S., according to Merrick. Merrick issued limited recalls of both products earlier this month and in July after samples turned up positive for salmonella. No illnesses have been reported. Pets with salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Humans can become infected, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the treats or surfaces exposed to the recalled product, according to the company. Consumers who bought 10-ounce packages of Beef Filet Squares for Dogs and Texas Hold’ems are urged to return the unused portion to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions can contact the company at 800-664-7387 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT Monday through Friday.
Hagyard Vet To Head Equestrian Quarantine TeamAugust 12, 2010 Jennifer Feiner, VMD, will be the veterinarian in charge of quarantine at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, according to Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, which made the announcement today. The games are set to take place Sept. 25 to Oct. 10 at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. Dr. Feiner, who works with high-performance sport horses at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, was a quarantine veterinarian during the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong. For the upcoming games, Feiner will oversee a team responsible for monitoring about 600 horses. They will follow protocols provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Responsibilities will include monitoring the unloading of horses from airplanes, monitoring horses in quarantine and checking their disease status. “I look forward to the World Equestrian Games and I am confident that I and the team will be prepared for this event,” Feiner said. “We are comfortable with the entire process and the long flights because of our clinical experience flying clients' horses back and forth to Europe, South America and Australasia.” <HOME>
Ontario Veterinary College Creating Anniversary BookAugust 11, 2010 Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph plans to help celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2012 by producing a collection of poems, stories, essays and remembrances about how companion animals enrich lives. The collection also would honor veterinary professionals who sustain and are part of man's life-long relationships with animals. The college is asking veterinarians, veterinary staff members, pet owners, children and other pet enthusiasts to make a submission by Oct. 15. Submissions can be up to three pages or 750 words. Topics include: • Companionship: What does the relationship between people and animals mean? What are the benefits of companion animals? What do they bring to your life? • Passages: Stages of life from youth to old age, death and grieving. How have you been affected by acquiring a new companion animal? How has your life been touched by a pet’s illness or death? • Scenes From the Veterinary Clinic: From the client, veterinary professional or animal perspective. • Imagination Itself: How animals inspire imagination. • Becoming a Veterinarian: Why be one? What is the transition like? • For …
VCA Antech Revises Financial ResultsAugust 10, 2010 VCA Antech Inc. of Los Angeles today reported revised financial results to reflect an incremental $14.5 million non-cash charge primarily linked to consulting agreements and supplemental executive retirement programs (SERPs) entered into with the company’s senior executive officers in June. The revised results include net income of $30.5 million for the second quarter ended June 30 and net income of $63.4 million for the six months. VCA Antech reported second-quarter results July 22 that did not include the compensation charges associated with the consulting agreements. The company had reported second-quarter net income of $39.4 million on revenue of $353.9 million, compared to $39 million and $344.9 million, respectively, in the year-ago period. Year to date, the company had reported net income of $72.3 million on revenue of $684.7 million, compared to $71.8 million and $660.7 million, respectively, in the year-ago period. “Following further analysis of applicable accounting literature, and after further consultation with its outside auditors, the company determined that it should accrue the full cost of the benefits under the consulting agreements, the SERPs and outstanding share awards for two of the executives on the date the agreements were executed during the second quarter of …
Profit Prophet: Karen Felsted, DVM, MS, CVPMAugust 10, 2010 As a high school student, Karen Felsted was interested in a career in veterinary medicine, so she arranged to spend a Saturday shadowing a veterinarian who went to her church. It didn’t go well. “They had these little puppies and they had to remove their dewclaws, and they bled and cried and it was horrible,” she recalls. “So I just walked away, thinking, ‘I can’t do this.’ No one in my family has a medical background, so there was nobody to say, ‘You’ll get used to it.’ ” Instead, she majored in marketing, eventually becoming a CPA. So after she went back to her first love, graduating from the Texas A&M University veterinary college in 1996, she was uniquely positioned to serve where she is today: as CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues (NCVEI). As both a veterinarian and an executive, Felsted, DVM, MS, CVPM, is passionate about the nonprofit group’s mission. The NCVEI was created in 2000 by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Animal Hospital Association and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges to help ensure the economic future of veterinary medicine. “This gave me an opportunity to …
To Avoid Culture Shock, Master The ArtAugust 10, 2010 Cultures can be very valuable tests in a surgical or medical patient as long as the specimens are collected and submitted correctly. We spoke with Shelley C. Rankin, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and chief of clinical microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine, about the art of performing reliable cultures. When and how do you recommend performing a culture? Whenever an infectious process is suspected, appropriate tests must be ordered. The proper collection and transport to the laboratory of a specimen are critical to confirm that a microorganism is involved and determine which one. The site of the infection and clinical signs should determine what to submit for culture—aerobic, anaerobic, fungal—but it is important that the material collected be obtained from the actual site of infection with a minimum of contamination from adjacent tissues, organs or secretions. Do you have any tips to improve the yield of the culture? Here are my top five: A sufficient quantity of specimen should be submitted to the lab. Specimens should be maintained in as close to native conditions as possible. Transport to the lab in a timely manner. Submit specimens in …
Purebreds, Clients And Good Old DaysAugust 10, 2010 I grew up on purebreds. My parents raised backyard black Labs in loving, not-for-money conditions for a total of three litters in three years. All 33 puppies got their shots and vet visits and found great homes (or so we like to believe) for a mere $150 a pup, “papers” included. But then, this was the ’70s, when pet breeding was considered a family-friendly endeavor, neutering male dogs was not a “done” thing, and the spay was considered more a convenience measure than the near-moral imperative it is today. Meanwhile, puppy shots could be had for $5 a pop and the issue of genetic health—never mind hip and eye screening—was never raised by the veterinarian who made all those well-puppy house calls. Dr. Khuly Responds to AVMA President Larry Corry American Veterinary Medical Association President Larry R. Corry explicitly chastises me in the July issue of Veterinary Practice News for a variety of statements I did not make in June’s column on the role of veterinary medicine in antimicrobial resistance: My definition of industry-oriented veterinarians, for example, is called …
