FDA Approves Vetsulin Critical-Need ProgramMay 6, 2010 Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health will begin offering a limited supply of Vetsulin (porcine insulin zinc suspension) through its Vetsulin Critical-Need Program, starting May 24. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the program after hearing concerns from veterinarians regarding the supply of the product. In November, the FDA questioned the stability of Vetsulin and recommended that diabetic dogs and cats receiving Vetsulin be switched to other insulin products. “In response to the Vetsulin product alert issued in November 2009, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has been working with the FDA to address an issue identified with our Vetsulin product,” Christopher Pappas Jr., DVM, director of technical services, wrote in a letter to veterinarians this week. “Since that time, we have recommended that pets be transitioned to other insulin products as we anticipated a limitation on supply and eventual supply depletion. During the process of transitioning pets to other insulin products, we heard from a number of veterinarians and pet owners who expressed significant concerns that specific dogs and cats cannot be effectively managed on an insulin product other than Vetsulin. “After working with the FDA on this situation, Intervet can now offer a limited supply of Vetsulin to …
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P&G To Buy Natura Pet ProductsMay 6, 2010 Procter & Gamble Co. of Cincinnati reported May 5 that it signed a deal to acquire privately held pet food company Natura Pet Products. Financial terms were not disclosed. P&G said the move will allow it to expand into the holistic and natural pet food segment, which according to the company complements its Iams and Eukanuba brands. Natura’s brands include Evo, Innova, Karma, California Natural, Healthwise and Mother Nature. They are sold in a limited number of pet specialty stores and through veterinarians, mainly in the U.S. and Canada. “These outstanding brands and the great employees of Natura Pet Products will complement our Eukanuba and Iams brands very well,” said Dan Rajczak, senior vice president of P&G’s global pet care and snacks business. “This acquisition gives us a strong position in the holistic and natural pet food segment. It will enable us to enhance the health and well-being of even more dogs and cats and represents an exciting new source of growth for our business.” Natura founder and owner John Rademakers said “the right company” can take Natura's brands to the next level. “P&G is that company,” he said. “We know that P&G will …
An Expert’s Approach To OsteoarthritisMay 5, 2010We spoke with Denis Marcellin-Little, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, to obtain reliable information about appropriate osteoarthritis treatments in 2010. A professor at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Marcellin-Little is involved in both orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation. Dr. Denis Marcellin-Little What is your background? I teach orthopedic surgery at North Carolina State University, where I have been working for 19 years. I share my time between clinics, clinical research and bioengineering research. I enjoy discussing the management of common orthopedic problems in companion animals. How did you become so interested in osteoarthritis (OA)? OA is most likely the most common orthopedic problem in dogs and probably the most common orthopedic problem in cats. As a profession, for a variety of reasons, we do not do the best possible job at successfully managing that lifelong problem. I am particularly interested in improving our ability to detect the disease early, in providing perspective on its impact over a lifetime and in treatments with proven efficacy. A radiograph shows severe stifle osteoarthritis in a 7-year-old Labrador retriever. Photo courtesy of Dr. Phil Zeltzman What has been scientifically proven to help dogs with arthritis? As reported by …
Just Say ‘No’ To Big-Ag Antibiotics?May 5, 2010 How many times do we small animal types hand out a vial full of antibiotics, urging our clients to administer every last pill on schedule, only to have them decline: “No need. We have a bunch left over from last time. Remember Fluffy’s UTI last year?” Our clients’ chronic failure to comply with our antibiotic drug recommendations means we’re contributing to the development of antimicrobial resistance. In which case it won’t be our patients’ health alone that suffers, but eventually ours, too. We stress over this as we try to devise and recommend new delivery methods, hedging against poor client compliance with long-acting injectables, expanding our indications for pre-drug selection culture and sensitivity and generally employing more conservative antibiotic protocols. The standard of care in veterinary medicine is rapidly evolving to address how our antimicrobials are acting––or rather, failing to. No longer does that spay go home on a week’s worth of cephalexin just because. Nor do we base our antibiotic decisions on the nicely laminated, paint-by-numbers wall charts our drug reps recommend. This evolution in daily practice comes courtesy of the science underlying microbial mutation: Chronic or episodic exposure of bacteria to …
Homotoxicology: Rise To Rationality?May 5, 2010 Homeopathic “medicine” suffers second-class status in relation to its scientific counterpart, allopathic medicine. This is largely because homeopaths have chosen to immerse themselves in irrational ideas about the healing power of infinitesimal dilutions. Continuing education courses still teach participants how to prescribe homeopathic remedies despite the lack of validation and a solid factual foundation. Homeopaths have failed to provide solid proof of effectiveness even after two centuries of practice. In light of this, more medical practitioners are coming to realize that classical homeopathy may actually equate to a highly ritualized means of recommending costly placebos. In Great Britain, for example, government agencies that formerly backed homeopathy are contemplating elimination of National Health Service coverage for homeopathic care precisely on account of this concern. Given the pressure on homeopaths to produce clear evidence of benefit, one might think that a recently published clinical trial might silence the skeptics. This study, by University of Helsinki veterinary medical faculty, showed that a “homeopathic” combination called “Zeel” successfully treated chronic pain in osteoarthritic dogs.1 The study was randomized, double-controlled and double-blinded. The investigators received multiple sources of funding in addition to that from the makers of Zeel (Heel …
50 Years Of Collegiality On And Off SlopesMay 5, 2010 Do you have a group of friends in the profession who mentor you and whom you enjoy being with? Ever since joining one special professional group, I have not missed one winter meeting. In fact, I have scheduled my life to spend time with this group as much as possible, with perfect attendance at the winter meetings for the past 38 years. Fifty years ago, Robert M. Miller, our profession’s famous veterinary cartoonist RMM and the author of “Mind Over Miller,” organized an association for veterinarians who love to ski and learn. The first four winter meetings were held at Mammoth Lakes, Calif. The founders were Dr. Miller and the late Drs. Mil Custer, John Puckett and Robert Stansbury. The group grew every year and evolved into the Sierra Veterinary Medical Association. The SVMA has forged a colorful history of collegiality, friendship, recreation, travel and professional enrichment. Dr. Miller retired more than 20 years ago from his Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Since then, Bob and his wife, Debby, have traveled the globe, working hard with the mission to liberate horses from slavery through “Natural Horsemanship.” Go to his website, RobertMMiller.com, for details. …
Pfizer Hands Out First Awards Of New $2M Scholarship ProgramMay 5, 2010 Pfizer Animal Health of New York has awarded 222 second- and third-year U.S. veterinary students with a total of $555,000 in scholarships. The awards are part of the company’s new $2 million scholarship program, designed “to support the future of the veterinary profession.” The program, which will distribute the $2 million over its first three years, is administered in partnership with the American Veterinary Medical Foundation. Although open to all students, 18 percent represent students from diverse backgrounds and two-thirds are studying to practice food animal veterinary medicine. Pfizer Animal Health noted that the scholarship program is part of its broader commitment to support the future of the veterinary industry, including scholarships, training and education and research and development. “Rising debt, insufficient diversity and fewer practicing or skilled food animal veterinarians in rural America are serious challenges to the veterinary profession,” said Michael McFarland, DVM, group director, Veterinary Medical Services & Corporate Citizenship, for Pfizer Animal Health. “As a market leader, we have a responsibility and an obligation to help support the future of the veterinary profession.” Click here for a list of winners and program details.
We’ve Come A Long Way In 40 YearsMay 4, 2010 Back in the late 1960s, I applied for a job at three veterinary clinics, wanting to be a veterinarian. I got head shakes that said “no” and looks of pity. Once I was in veterinary school, it was obvious that women were not entirely welcome by some staff and classmates. I was the only student who was overtly upset when our pharmacology professor demonstrated seizure activity by administering a drug to a dog. After class, I approached our professor. “This is 1968,” I told him. “We have TV and film. I’d rather watch seizure activity on the screen so that only one dog would have to be subjected to this. Here we are in vet school to save animals and we feel horrible to see this type of unnecessary live demonstration.” The professor replied that he hated that particular class and that it was getting more difficult for him every year. He said he would film the next case so future classes would not feel so badly. Was I one of the first animal welfarists back then? Now, women are the majority in every U.S. veterinary school and ethical concern for animal welfare is standard procedure. …
Leading Lady: Jennifer Muller, VMDMay 4, 2010 Jennifer Muller, VMD, didn’t take the conventional path into veterinary medicine. Armed with a bachelor’s degree from Brown University, she went to work in the mid-’90s in Washington, D.C., first as a White House intern and later as a policy adviser to Vice President Al Gore. When the 2000 elections swept the Bush administration into power, she changed course, moving to California to start a career in scriptwriting. Hollywood’s loss turned out to be the veterinary profession’s gain. Dr. Muller’s unconventional career path was excellent preparation for the role she ended up taking on: Helping to create policies that have drastically improved the regulation of, and living conditions at, Pennsylvania’s commercial dog breeders.“That worked out so well, I ended up going to vet school,” she says dryly. She has served on Pennsylvania’s Dog Law Advisory Board since 2006 and has chaired the state’s nine-member Canine Health Board since 2008. The regulations she has had a hand in are a model for other states trying to improve conditions in their kennel industries, Muller says. Vet of the Year The veterinary profession has taken notice, too. Muller, 36, was named Summit VetPharm’s Veterinarian of the Year, receiving the …
U.K. Suicide Study Prompts Calls To ActMay 4, 2010 Researchers in the United Kingdom reported in March that the suicide rate of veterinarians there is four times that of the general public and double that of other health professionals. While similar research doesn’t exist for the U.S., authorities believe there is a parallel. An Issue Close to Home Jerome Williams, DVM, chairman of the Alabama Wellness Committee and owner of Red Mountain Animal Clinic in Birmingham, Ala., has been in practice since 1969. He says his recovery from an opiate addiction has been extremely difficult and remains a challenge. He believes that professional mental health assistance is essential for a meaningful recovery. Alabama’s wellness program, overseen by the state medical board, assists veterinarians and veterinary technicians in need. An addiction/occupational medicine specialist directs the wellness program. Dr. Williams says a study looked at what became of physicians disciplined for psychiatric problems rather than supported and treated. That group had a very high suicide rate—more than 20 percent killed themselves over 10 years. “Later studies have shown that physicians with psychiatric problems, when supported and referred …
