Congress To Consider Ban On Exotic PetsApril 21, 2009 A hearing is set for April 23 on federal legislation that could halt the trade in thousands of nonnative animal species in the U.S., including most birds, reptiles, fish and several mammals — hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs and ferrets — commonly kept as pets. The bill, House Resolution 669, the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act, would exempt dogs, cats, horses and goldfish and a variety of farm animals. It will be considered before the House Committee on Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife. The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, a Washington, D.C.-based pet industry trade group, is urging pet industry members, including veterinarians, to contact the subcommittee with concerns about the proposal. Marshall Meyers of PIJAC has been invited to speak as the sole spokesman for the private sector, including pet owners and the pet industry. He will testify against the bill in its current form. PIJAC has posted a list of subcommittee members. Bob Vetere, president of the American Pet Products Assn., also opposes the bill as written. “If passed, it could negatively impact the entire pet industry,” he wrote in a letter to members …
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World Veterinary Day Celebrates Partnerships With Livestock FarmersApril 21, 2009 Veterinary professionals on April 25 will celebrate World Veterinary Day, instigated by the World Veterinary Assn. in 2000. This year’s theme is “Veterinarians and Livestock Farmers, A Winning Partnership.” “Veterinarians play a key role in all countries as guarantors of animal health and public health,” according to the association. “But the effectiveness of their action is strongly linked to and dependent on their relationship with farmers. Livestock farmers all around the world are the first sentinels of animal disease events and a rapid response in the fight against animal diseases cannot leave aside their crucial role.” The veterinary association that best publicizes the theme by involving livestock farmers in the organization of events as well as other stakeholders, such as the media and the public, will receive the 2009 World Veterinary Day Award. It will be presented at the 77th OIE General Assembly in Paris on May 24-29. The World Veterinary Assn. and the World Organization for Animal Health created the award in 2008 to reward the most successful celebration of the veterinary profession by national veterinary associations alone or in cooperation with another veterinary group. The Kenya Veterinary Assn. won the $1,000 award last …
AVMA And Hill’s Release Obesity PSAApril 21, 2009 As part of their The Alliance for Healthier Pets—Obesity and Awareness and Prevention Program, the American Veterinary Medical Association and Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. have produced a video public service announcement designed to raise awareness of pet obesity among pet owners. The 30-second spot, titled “The Scale,” informs pet owners that even a few extra pounds on their pet could lead to diabetes, arthritis or heart disease and encourages them to visit a veterinarian. It also encourages viewers to visit the website that promotes Hill’s, pet fitness and the alliance. The Alliance distributed the PSA to about 800 broadcast and 500 cable stations, beginning in March. It expects the spot will run more than 100,000 times and generate more than 500 million audience impressions, thereby driving more pet owners to make veterinary appointments to discuss obesity prevention and eradication. <HOME>
Taming HeartwormApril 17, 2009Taming HeartwormTaming Heartwormcover stories, smlanimalBy Marissa Heflin04-06-2009 Click to enlarge When it comes to educating pet owners about heartworms, veterinarians need not stand alone. The American Heartworm Society and the Com-panion Animal Parasite Council have ample education materials and resources, but another group is making a push: the companies behind the preventive medications. For instance, Merial of Duluth, Ga., recently partnered with the America Heartworm Society to launch "April is Heartworm Awareness Month." The campaign supports veterinary clinics in their efforts to educate pet owners about the potentially deadly disease and to correct some of the most common misconceptions about its prevention, transmission and treatment. Almost 50 percent of dog owners who took part in a recent survey regularly took their pets to veterinarians but did not give the animals heartworm preventives, according to the campaign's marketing material. "We are trying to equip the clinic to have a conversation with the pet owner that leads to more pets being on heartworm prevention," said Michael Murray, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, technical marketing director for USA pet parasiticides at Merial. As part of the campaign, the society and Merial developed an unbranded Heartworm …
Lions And Penguins And Bears: Oh My, The CE ExperiencesApril 17, 2009Lions and Penguins and Bears: Oh My, the CE ExperiencesLions and Penguins and Bears: Oh My, the CE Experiences04-06-2009cover stories, smlanimalBy Dennis Arp Once Carol Walton, DVM, gets rolling, the stories trundle from her memory with all the vibrant color of a Kalahari sunset. There's the time she and her adventure-travel clients hunkered in a Botswana clearing as a leopard descended from a tree, then quickly realized he was in the path of approaching lions. "We were terrified the lions would rip the leopard apart right in front of us," Dr. Walton recalls. Instead, the leopard slipped unseen into the marshy grass of a palm island as the lions plopped down in the shade of the same tree, not 15 feet from where he now hid. The visitors enjoyed a clear view as the leopard sat motionless for a while, then slunk silently away, disappearing into the safety of a nearby thicket. Adventure Time Looking for one or more of those veterinary travel opportunities? Below are a few you might want to consider. Except where noted, prices are per person, double occupancy, and don't include …
UPDATE: Florida Spay/Neuter Bill AmendedApril 17, 2009UPDATE: Florida Spay/Neuter Bill AmendedUPDATE: Florida Spay/Neuter Bill AmendednewslinePosted: Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 8:07 p.m., EDT A mandatory spay/neuter bill under consideration in Florida has been revised so that it's no longer required for pet owners to get their dogs or cats sterilized. As of March 24, House Bill 451 was amended to remove all mandatory spay/neuter language. Instead, the new version of the bill gives the local government the option to use a $5 surcharge added to animal-control citations to help pay for low-cost spay/neuter programs. The "strike-all" amendment to the bill was adopted by the Florida House Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Committee. As originally introduced, the bill called for most dogs and cats to be sterilized at 4 months of age. <HOME> Related Story: Florida Mandatory Spay/Neuter Bill Set for Hearing A mandatory spay/neuter bill under consideration in Florida has been revised so that it's no longer required for pet owners to get their dogs or cats sterilized.A mandatory spay/neuter bill under consideration in Florida has been revised so that it's no longer required for pet owners to get their dogs or cats sterilized.spay/neuter, Florida, House Bill 451, Florida House Agriculture and Natural Resources …
PawsPlus To Acquire Animal Health AssociatesApril 17, 2009PawsPlus to Acquire Animal Health AssociatesPawsPlus to Acquire Animal Health AssociatesPosted: Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 5:14 p.m., EDTnewsline PawsPlus Inc. has agreed to acquire Animal Health Associates Inc. Both companies are based in Sarasota, Fla. Animal Health's corporate philosophy, organizational structure and business model mirrors PawsPlus' operating subsidiary, Vetco Hospitals Inc., said K. Bryan Shobe, CEO of PawsPlus. "PawsPlus will consolidate its corporate headquarters by expanding the Florida headquarter office of Animal Health in Sarasota and relocating some staff from its offices around the country," Shobe said. "Animal Health and Vetco Hospitals will continue to operate as separate subsidiaries of PawsPlus, maintaining their brands in the markets where they currently operate." Vetco Hospitals was launched in the Southern California market in April 1996 with five full-service animal hospitals. In addition, it operates more than 350 temporary vaccination clinics in more than 175 retail locations a month in six Western states. Shobe reported that Vetco Hospital sales increased by 40.5 percent, to $11.7 million, in 2008 from $8.3 million in 2007. Animal Health Associates was launched in Sarasota in May 1997. It operates 180 temporary vaccination clinics in more than 130 retail locations a month in Florida and Georgia. "Animal Health …
USDA Probes Alleged Misuse Of Veterinary CredentialsApril 17, 2009USDA Probes Alleged Misuse of Veterinary CredentialsUSDA Probes Alleged Misuse of Veterinary CredentialsnewslinePosted: Thursday, February 5, 2009, 5:10 p.m., EST The U.S. Department of Agriculture has placed 19 employees from its laboratories in Ames, Iowa, on administrative leave after allegations that some used veterinary credentials to purchase medications for human use to provide other employees with low-cost prescription drugs. None of the drugs were narcotics, said USDA Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford, DVM. They were primarily antibiotics, pain relievers such as prescription ibuprofen, and blood pressure medications, he said. The USDA did not release the names of the employees, noting that it is possible that more will be indentified in the investigation. In a statement released Feb. 4, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack called it "a very serious situation that requires immediate and decisive action." Vilsack said accountability is of the utmost importance and that he has commissioned two third-party reviews—one of the laboratory processes at the Ames facility and the other of the management process. "The laboratory review has been completed, and although we are still in the process of thoroughly evaluating the results, we are gratified to see that it affirmed the laboratory is generally functioning very well," …
Study May Pave Way To Alternative Bone Grafting ProceduresApril 17, 2009Posted: Tuesday, November 11, 2008, 2:17 p.m., ESTnewsline A new study conducted by TR BioSurgical LLC of Chandler, Ariz., indicates that its TR Matrix is equal or superior to autologous bone grafting in clinical and radiographic scoring and may be a viable alternative to bone grafting procedures, according to the company. The study compared the use of TR Matrix, an osteopromotive bioscaffold, to autologous cancellous bone graft for osteotomy repair associated with the Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA) surgery. "The ultimate goals of cranial cruciate ligament repair in dogs are rapid recovery time and a return to near normal structure and function," said Jeff Kellerman, DVM, vice president of research and development at the company. "In order for the Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy and TTA procedures to achieve these goals, they require cutting of healthy bone in the patient, referred to as an osteotomy. Application of TR Matrix is a critical step in achieving rapid and unimpaired healing of these osteotomy sites thereby accomplishing key goals in cruciate ligament repair and surgical outcome." In related news, as part of a new multi-million dollar manufacturing, supply and distribution agreement, Healionics will provide its STAR biomaterial …
Researchers Identify Gene Linked To Exercise-Induced Collapse In LabsApril 17, 2009Researchers Identify Gene Linked to Exercise-Induced Collapse in LabsResearchers at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Saskatchewan's Western College of Veterinary Medicine say they have identified a gene in Labrador retrievers that is highly associated with the syndrome called exercise-induced collapse (EIC).Researchers at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Saskatchewan's Western College of Veterinary Medicine say they have identified a gene in Labrador retrievers that is highly associated with the syndrome called exercise-induced collapse (EIC).Researchers Identify Gene Linked to Exercise-Induced Collapse in LabsPosted: Tuesday, September 23, 2008, 10:49 a.m., EDT Researchers at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Saskatchewan's Western College of Veterinary Medicine say they have identified a gene in Labrador retrievers that is highly associated with the syndrome called exercise-induced collapse (EIC). Labradors affected with EIC—about 3 percent to 5 percent of Labs are said to have this condition—may start to lose control of their hind limbs after intense hunting or retrieving exercises. In most cases, their legs get wobbly and the limbs give out. In rare cases, they may die, according to researchers. …
