New Orleans Mandatory Dog Spay/Neuter Ordinance ScrappedNovember 5, 2009 New Orleans City Council member Cynthia Hedge-Morrell withdrew her mandatory spay/neuter and breeding restrictions proposal on late Nov. 4, a day before it was to be voted on by the full council. Hedge-Morrell introduced the ordinance in September stating that the aim was to encourage pet owners to be responsible as well as help fund animal control operations. The ordinance had been amended since the introduction to allow dog owners to have the choice of whether to keep their dog intact by paying an initial $30 permit application fee plus a $20 annual permit fee. However, since the proposed fee must first be advertised to the public before the council can vote on it, the ordinance was withdrawn from the agenda, according to Joshua Barnett, director of communications, Office of Councilmember Cynthia Hedge-Morrell. “We are going to use this time as an opportunity to get more info and input from breeders and veterinarians [to make this the best ordinance it can be],” Barnett said. A time frame as to when the topic would be re-visited couldn’t be determined, according to Barnett. The American Kennel Club has been strongly opposed to the ordinance and …
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New Legislation Aims To Regulate How Research Facilities Acquire AnimalsNovember 5, 2009 Two bills were recently introduced that aims to ensure that all dogs and cats used by research facilities are obtained legally. House Bill 3907 and Senate Bill 1834 would amend the Animal Welfare Act through the “Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2009.” Similar legislation was introduced in 2007, but no action was taken. The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council recently sent out an alert urging people to read the bills and to contact the committee members with any inquiries. The legislation, as outlined by PIJAC, states that a research facility or a Federal research facility, or any person selling, donating or offering a dog or cat to a research facility or a Federal research facility, may obtain a dog or cat for research or educational purposes from the following: a dealer licensed under section 3 that has bred and raised the dog or cat; a publicly owned and operated pound or shelter that a) is registered with the Secretary, b) in compliance with the Animal Welfare Act and c) obtained the dog or cat from its legal owner, not a pound or shelter; a person that is donating the dog or cat and …
Iowa Cat Tests Positive For H1N1November 4, 2009 Iowa officials confirmed Nov. 4 that a cat has tested positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. This is the first time this strain of influenza has been diagnosed in a cat. Up until this point, H1N1 had only been found in humans, pigs, birds and ferrets. The 13-year-old indoor cat was taken to the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center at Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, where it was tested. “Two of the three members of the family that owns the pet had suffered from influenza-like illness before the cat become ill,” said Ann Garvey, DVM, public health veterinarian at the Iowa Department of Public Health. “This is not completely unexpected, as other strains of influenza have been found in cats in the past.” Both the cat and its owners have recovered from their illnesses. The diagnosis was made in collaboration of the Iowa Department of Public Health, the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, the Center for Advanced Host Defenses, Immunobiotics and Translational Comparative Medicine, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Animal Industry Bureau. This is not the only recent H1N1 first. On …
Canine Influenza Virus Shelter Study LaunchedNovember 3, 2009 The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has launched a three-year study on Canine Influenza Virus (CIV), also commonly called the dog flu. The study, funded by the Morris Animal Foundation, aims to help shelters develop testing and control methods to limit the effects of the disease in communities nationwide. Miranda Spindel, DVM, ASPCA director of veterinary outreach, and Gabriele Landolt, DVM, of Colorado State University’s Department of Clinical Sciences, will conduct the study, which will include ASPCA shelter partners in Tampa, Fla.; Austin, Texas; Sacramento, Calif.,; Charleston, S.C.; New York; and Denver, Colo. “Infection control practices can reduce the risk of CIV and are key to preventing the spread of viral disease within facilities,” Dr. Spindel said. “Due to the fact that the virus is easily transmitted between dogs housed in close contact with each other, it is problematic for animal shelters. This study seeks to address this vulnerable population.” The study will also determine whether a rapid “bedside” test can be effectively used for screening dogs upon entering the shelter. If such a test were available, dogs could be tested for CIV prior …
FDA Issues Alert On Pet Insulin Product Due To Formulation ProblemsNovember 3, 2009 Veterinarians are being warned to closely monitor dogs and cats receiving Vetsulin because the product may have varying amounts of crystalline zinc insulin in the formulation, according to an alert sent out Nov. 2 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. Vetsulin, which is manufactured by Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, is a porcine insulin zinc suspension used to treat diabetes in animals. Because the product is out of specification, there could be a delay in insulin action and overall longer duration of insulin activity, according to the FDA. Products having significant problems with stability can affect the management of chronic diseases. Unstable insulin products can result in unpredictable fluctuations in the glucose levels of diabetic patients, the FDA noted in its alert. Veterinarians are urged to monitor patients for any changes in onset or duration of activity, or for any signs of hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. The classic signs of hyperglycemia include increased thirst, increased urination, weight loss and lethargy. The classic signs of hypoglycemia include disorientation, unsteadiness, weakness, lethargy and seizures. The FDA said that while Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health is working with them to resolve the issue, supplies may be limited. Therefore, the FDA …
Seasons Of Suppers Pet Food Drive Now Under WayNovember 3, 2009 The Seasons of Suppers campaign is under way and once again aiming to feed a record number of pets owned by homebound seniors who receive meals from Meals On Wheels. The campaign, now in its fourth year, is run by the Banfield Charitable Trust in partnership with Banfield, The Pet Hospital and Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA). The Banfield Charitable Trust said that it hopes to double monetary donations this year to fund, or start, new pet feeding programs through We All Love Our Pets (WALOP) grants. Last year, the Trust raised $42,000 in monetary donations, which funded more than 50 WALOP grants. Meals On Wheels programs throughout the country can apply for these grants to initiate or sustain pet-food distribution programs locally. In addition to the money raised last year, the campaign also collected thousands of pounds of pet food that local Meals On Wheels programs distribute. Banfield alone collected 13,000 pounds last year at its main campus in Portland, Ore. “MOWAA’s mission is to eradicate senior hunger by 2020,” said Enid Borden, president and chief executive officer of the association. “That is our focus, and …
UPDATE: FTC Extends Red Flags Rule Enforcement To 2010November 3, 2009 The Federal Trade Commission is delaying enforcement of the Red Flags Rule, a section of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act of 2003, until June 1, 2010. The FTC posted a notice on its website Friday stating that the delay is at the request of Members of Congress. Enforcement was to begin Nov. 1. The rule is an anti-fraud regulation requiring creditors and financial institutions with covered accounts to implement programs to identify, detect and respond to the warning signs, or “red flags,” that could indicate identify theft. Veterinarians fall into the category of creditors, which is defined as any entity that regularly extends or renews credit—or arranges for others to do so—and includes all entities that regularly permit deferred payments for goods or services. However, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 3763 proposing to exempt certain businesses, including veterinarians, with less than 20 employees from having to comply with the rule. The bill replaces H.R. 2345 and now goes to the U.S. Senate. Since the bill has not been passed into law, veterinarians are still expected to comply with the rule before the current enforcement date, according to the American Veterinary Medical …
Obesity Is Just As Bad As SmokingNovember 1, 2009The fact that obesity reduces lifespan is a well established fact in dogs and several other animal species. Dr. Kealy1 and others have shown, in a classic study, that thin Labs outlive overweight Labs by almost two years (13 years vs. 11 years on average). I've always wondered when physicians would show a similar correlation in people. They finally have. A recent article in the Lancet2 made the point. This is a gigantic study: The researchers reviewed 57 studies, for a total of 900,000 human patients in the US, Europe, Japan, etc. These results should therefore be reliable. Moderate obesity (about one third overweight, or 50 to 60 pounds over the ideal) reduces human lifespan by about three years. Severe obesity (double the ideal weight), reduces lifespan by 10 years, or about as much as smoking. The body mass index (BMI) helps describe overweight and obesity. BMI is the weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of the height (in meters). A BMI greater than 50 kg/m2 defines obesity. Mortality is the lowest for a BMI between 22.5 and 25 kg/m2. For each 5 kg/m2 increase of the BMI, mortality increases by 30 percent. The most common causes …
How (In)competent Are You?November 1, 2009Some vets are constantly questioning themselves--not because they lack confidence, but rather because they wonder how they could have done better. Are you confident in your diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities? Here is an interesting way to look at competence: There are four stages in every endeavor, whether you are doing a laparotomy, learning photography, perfecting your golf swing or landing a plane on the Hudson River. They are: Unconscious incompetence Conscious incompetence Conscious competence Unconscious competence. Unconscious incompetence is when you have no clue what you're doing. But worse, you don't even realize that you are incompetent. Ouch. This is the baby trying to crawl. Or the toddler learning to eat with a spoon. Sadly, this is also the case of many people learning the ropes, including in medical professions. Of course the good news is that babies, toddlers and medical professionals have someone to guide them. In time, they will climb the ladder … of incompetence. Conscious incompetence is when you have no clue what you're doing, but at least you're aware of it. I think we can honestly say that this is how many of us felt when we first started working "in the real world." Conscious competence is hopefully …
Reminder: Drug Reports Must Be Submitted Online Starting Nov. 1October 30, 2009 Beginning Nov. 1, California veterinarians, practitioners, pharmacies and other drug prescribers will be required to submit drug reports online. Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) reports previously could be mailed or faxed in, but now the reports must be submitted through an online reporting application hosted by Sacramento-based Infinite Solutions Inc. (ISI). The new system will make it much easier for authorized prescribers to quickly review controlled substance information via the automated Patient Activity Report in an effort to identify and deter drug abuse and diversion through accurate and rapid tracking of Schedule II through IV controlled substances, according to the Office of the Attorney General. ISI validates submitted controlled substance prescription data using a validation criteria established by the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement. ISI performs the validations and accepts data that meets the established criteria and rejects data that doesn’t. Errors and warnings are generated if the submitted data does not meet the validation criteria. Veterinarians and others are required to register with ISI prior to submitting their reports. Each registered user can sign up for a user name and password. Click here for registration …
