Dr. Leininger Of Hill’s To RetireApril 17, 2009 Mary Beth Leininger, DVM, director of Professional Affairs at Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. of Topeka, Kan., is retiring after almost 10 years of service. Daniel Aja, DVM, will fill the position in January. Dr. Aja is the owner and hospital director of Cherry Bend Animal Hospital in Traverse City, Mich. He served as the 2005-2006 president of the American Animal Hospital Assn. and currently serves as the AAHA delegate to the American Veterinary Medical Assn. Dr. Leininger will stay on to assist with the transition through the end of March. “I can’t say enough about my experience here at Hill’s,” she said. “This is a company that is truly committed to the veterinary profession. It has been an honor for me to be a part of it and especially to have the opportunity to speak on behalf of the wonderful people who make up the Hill’s organization. Dr. Aja is a truly gifted and dedicated professional and I am thrilled that he is joining Hill’s. The best is yet to come.” In related news, Leininger was recently named a Distinguished Practitioner in Veterinary Medicine in the …
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FDA Seeks Comments On Third-Party Pet Food CertificationApril 17, 2009 Citing an increasing number of retailers and other food sellers who expect their suppliers to be certified for food safety and quality issues, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seeking public comments on the use of third-party certification programs for foods and feeds, including pet foods. An interagency working group last November released an Action Plan for Import Safety: A Roadmap for Continual Improvement. That plan included a recommendation to verify compliance of foreign producers with United States safety and security standards through certification. Essentially, the FDA wants to identify existing certification programs and understand how it can ensure these programs help ensure safe and secure food products that meet FDA requirements. According to the government, third-party certification programs of foreign producers would not replace FDA inspections but rather “augment the federal government’s and the importing community’s ability to ensure that products imported into the United States meet U.S. safety and security standards.” The FDA envisions using third-party certification programs to allow it and other agencies to “focus their resources on products from non-certified firms or for which information suggests there may be safety or security concerns.” The FDA would …
Neogen Acquires Animal Health, Hygiene Product LineApril 17, 2009 Neogen Corp. of Lansing, Mich., has acquired a product line used in animal health and hygiene applications from DuPont Animal Health Solutions. The purchase price and terms were not disclosed. The group of products adds to Neogen’s strategy of providing biosecurity solutions in the farm production markets. It also expands the company’s offering in veterinary clinics, as the products can help maintain sanitary conditions and limit the potential hazards of bacteria, fungi and viruses. In addition, Neogen has gained rights to distribute other DuPont Animal Health Solutions products in North America. “This group of products, with its time-tested chemistries that are accepted as effective disinfectants and cleaners worldwide, allows Neogen to expand its offering to animal producers and veterinary clinics,” said James Herbert, Neogen’s chief executive officer. “In many cases, the products will be companions to Neogen’s rodenticide products that control rats and mice that act as disease vectors.” The company expects revenue from the acquired products and distribution of other products to exceed $7 million in its current fiscal year, which began June 1. <HOME>
California Spay-Neuter Bill Officially DeadApril 17, 2009 Supporters of a bill that sought to mandate the spaying or neutering of cats and dogs in California said they wanted to make a big impact on the state’s pet population. After several amendments to the measure, however, Assembly Bill 1634 officially died Friday because the cosponsors decided not to back the latest version. The bill, formerly know as the California Healthy Pets Act and then cited as the California Responsible Pet Ownership Act, was granted reconsideration last week, meaning it was eligible for another vote as it stood. Judie Mancuso, campaign director and sponsor of the bill, said the drastic changes made to the bill as it went through the local government committee left no reason to try to get votes for it in order to try to push it through by the Aug. 31 deadline. Recent amendments to the bill sought to mandate microchipping for certain problem pets and to give pet owners license fee discounts for microchipping and spaying or neutering their pets. “Yes, I’m bummed, obviously,” Mancuso said Friday. “but what I do focus on is all the victories we had along the way.” She pointed out that in the …
Small Dose Of Patience Can Deter LawsuitsApril 17, 2009 “Patients don’t file lawsuits because they’ve been harmed by shoddy medical care. Patients file lawsuits because they’ve been harmed by shoddy medical care and something else happens to them.” What that “something else” is, yours truly discovered in “Blink,” a fascinating book and best-seller written by Malcolm Gladwell.1 The author was writing about physicians and human surgeons, but his analysis certainly pertains to veterinarians in general and veterinary surgeons in particular. A malpractice insurance company was trying to predict which surgeon would be most likely to be sued. The researchers listened to very short excerpts of recorded conversations between surgeons and patients. The study revealed the “something else.” “It’s how they were treated, on a personal level, by their doctor,” Gladwell explains. “What comes up again and again in malpractice cases is that patients say they were rushed or ignored or treated poorly.” Gladwell quotes a malpractice lawyer: “People just don’t sue doctors they like.” Gladwell also refers to a 1997 article by Wendy Levinson, et al.2 The results are astonishing. What is the difference between patients who felt rushed and the happy others? Malpractice-accused surgeons spent an average of 15 minutes …
Pfizer Donates $1.1 Million To Establish Canine Tumor BankApril 17, 2009 Pfizer Animal Health has donated $1.1 million to establish a national canine tumor biospecimen bank, named the Pfizer-Canine Comparative Oncology and Genomics Consortium Biospecimen Repository. The bank will allow the Canine Comparative Oncology and Genomics Consortium, a group of veterinary and medical researchers formed shortly after the completion of the canine genome, to study the mechanisms of cancer, evaluate new drugs and to better understand the relationship between human and animal cancers, said Michelle Haven, executive director of global discovery for Pfizer Animal Health. It will cost about $2.2 million and take about three years to populate the tissue bank. Once completed, the tissue bank will contain about 3,000 samples, including 600 osteosarcoma, 600 lymphoma, 600 melanoma, with the remaining 1,200 drawn from other cancers. Morris Animal Foundation, which will provide the oversight to monitor the progress of the consortium in collection, storage and distribution of tumor samples, and the AKC Canine Health Foundation provided the initial funding of $500,000 to launch the bank. The two will collaborate to secure the remaining funds. “The Pfizer-CCOGC Biospecimen Repository will bring together several communities working on the problem of cancer in animals,” said Matthew Breen, Ph.D., treasurer …
Salmonella Scare Prompts Voluntary Cat Food RecallApril 17, 2009Mars Petcare US on Monday issued a voluntary recall of a limited number of bags of Special Kitty Gourmet Blend dry cat food sold at Wal-Mart stores in 15 states because of potential Salmonella contamination. The pet food is being recalled after a positive test result indicating a potential contamination with Salmonella, the company said. The Wal-Mart locations are in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont and West Virginia. This product should not be purchased or fed to pets, according to the company. Pet owners are urged to dispose of the product in a securely covered trash bin, and return empty bags to the store where purchased for a refund. No complaints of illness have been reported, according to the company. Salmonella can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination caused by handling of the pet food, in people as well, especially children, elders and people with weak immune systems. Healthy people potentially infected with Salmonella should watch for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. On …
Senate To Hear Testimony On Pet Food RecallApril 17, 2009 This Thursday, key witnesses and pet industry experts will testify before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the recent pet food recall that embroiled nearly 100 brands. The hearing was called by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, to probe the effectiveness of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s role in the recall as well as other concerns surrounding the investigation. “Many cats, dogs and other pets, considered members of the family, are now suffering as a result of a deeply flawed pet food inspection system,” Durbin said. “The FDA’s response to this situation has been tragically slow. I want to learn exactly when the FDA knew about the contamination, who is inspecting pet food manufacturing plants, and whether we need to force the FDA to update their regulations to protect our pets.” The public hearing will take place at 2 p.m. Thursday in room 192 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Requested witnesses include Stephen Sundlof, DVM, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine; Duane Ekedahl, director of the Pet Food Institute; and Eric Nelson, president of the American Association of Feed Control Officers. At the time of …
EPA Considers Further Restrictions On Flea/Tick Pet ProductsApril 17, 2009 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported April 16 that it is intensifying its evaluation of whether further restrictions on the use of spot-on pesticide products for flea and tick control products are necessary to better protect pets. The increased scrutiny applies to both over-the-counter and veterinary channel flea and tick products for pets. EPA said the move is in response to recent increases in the number of reported incidents. More than 44,000 potential incidents associated with registered spot-on products were reported to EPA in 2008. Federal law requires EPA registrants to submit reports of possible adverse reactions that may be related to the use of their products, whether or not the products were used properly and according to label instructions. A report also does not indicate a cause and effect relationship between product and symptoms. Although incidents with flea and tick products can involve the use of spot-on treatments, sprays, collars and shampoos, the majority of the incidents reported to EPA are related to flea and tick treatments with EPA-registered spot-on products. Spot-on products are generally sold in tubes or vials and are applied to one or more localized areas on the body …
Pet Food Recall Hype Slows Down, FDA Continues InvestigationsApril 17, 2009 The Menu Foods Inc. pet food recall, which began mid-March and involved more than 100 brands of pet food, caught the attention of veterinarians, pet owners, pet food manufacturers, pet store retailers, as well as the general public. At press time, media coverage about the pet food recall had slowed down, with the latest recall being issued late May. This is a good indication that the problem is under control, says Kimberly May, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, American Veterinary Medical Assn.’s Communications Division. “There haven’t been any other complaints that have been brought to our attention,” Dr. May says. “I think people are becoming a little more comfortable that things have at least slowed down.” However, there are still concerns as to the long-term effects in animals that ate the tainted food, she says. “We’re not sure what’s going to happen as far as chronic problems,” May says. “Until we can get an idea of what that may be, I think there is going to be some concern on everyone’s part.” The recall has been quite an eye opener for many people who didn’t necessarily understand the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s role in this, …
