Eklin Names VP Worldwide Sales, VP Corporate CommunicationsApril 17, 2009 Eklin Medical Systems of Santa Clara, Calif., has named Robert Royea vice president of worldwide sales. He has about 25 years of sales and marketing management and operational experience and has held senior executive positions with medical device and PACS companies such as Acuson, AGFA Healthcare and Siemens Medical Systems. Eklin also recently named Laurie Hallwyler its vice president of corporate communications. Hallwyler, who has consulted with Eklin for more than three years, has more than 25 years experience in corporate and marketing communications with experience in health care. Posted February 28, 2008, 7:05 p.m., EST <HOME>
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Cloned Cat Fetches $50,000April 17, 2009 Bioject Medical Technologies reported this morning that it received milestone payments during its fourth quarter from Merial. The payments are part of a collaboration agreement that allows Merial to use a modified version of Bioject’s Vitajet needle-free delivery system for the companion animal market, Bioject reports. One payment was based on regulatory approval of a vaccine developed by Merial and designed to be administered with the needle-free system. Bioject also received a second milestone payment during the quarter following the delivery of 10 prototype devices to Merial. "We are looking forward to the commercial launch of the product for the companion animal market during the first quarter of 2005," said Jim O’Shea, chairman and chief executive officer of Bioject. <HOME>
Pain Management Webcast Set For March 13April 17, 2009 Robin Downing, DVM, will be leading a live webcast on pain management for pets on March 13 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. (EST). The webcast, sponsored by Morris Animal Foundation, will cover common pain issues, overlooked causes of pain, anticipating and scoring pain, team training and resources and critical client communication. Dr. Downing is founder and past president of the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management and was co-chair of the task force that authored the 2007 American Animal Hospital Assn. and the American Assn. of Feline Practitioners Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. To participate, visit www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/livechat. It will be available indefinitely for viewing at the webcast address. <HOME> Posted March 4, 2008, 11:15 a.m., EST
VCA Offers Free Boarding For Pets Affected By Southern California FiresApril 17, 2009 Southern California VCA Animal Hospitals are offering free boarding for companion animals whose families have been evacuated or displaced due to the current fires. Boarding assistance for pets is based on space availability up until Nov. 5 at individual VCA Animal Hospitals throughout Southern California. Pet owners can call the following VCA facilities that currently have space available: Alhambra: VCA Mission Animal Hospital; (626) 289-3643 Arroyo Grande: VCA South County Animal Hospital; (805) 489-1361 Bellflower: VCA Lakewood Animal Hospital; (562) 633-8126 Big Bear City: VCA Lakeside Animal Hospital; (909) 866-2021 (Limited Capacity) Burbank: VCA Animal Hospital (Burbank); (818) 845-7246 Canoga Park: VCA Companion Animal Hospital; (818) 340-1569 Cypress: VCA College Park-Ana Brook Animal Hospital; (714) 827-6861 (Limited Capacity for large dogs) Encinitas: VCA North Coast Animal Hospital; (760) 632-1072 (FULL) Glendale: VCA Arden Animal Hospital; (818) 246-2478 Hermosa Beach: VCA Coast Animal Hospital; (310) 372-8881 Hesperia: VCA Victor Valley Animal Hospital; (760) 244-8022 La Mesa: VCA Grossmont …
Secrets Of A Successful Exploratory LaparotomyApril 17, 2009 A great modern philosopher (her name is Patty Khuly, VMD) wrote about her concerns when dealing with some laparotomy cases ("Surgery Peek and Shriek: My Worse Nightmare," November 2007). Some procedures are technical or specialized, but with any laparotomy, there are a few secrets worth sharing. Three critical steps of an exploratory laparotomy include the amount of hair clipped, the length of the incision and how systematic you are. The surgical site must be clipped adequately to allow a sufficient skin incision. This means that hair is generously clipped from cranial to the xiphoid region to the pubis. Laterally, the area extends to the inguinal folds. Very few clients will object to that once they understand it is in the pet’s best interest— and that incisions heal side to side, not end to end. Therefore, a 10-inch incision heals at the same rate as a one-inch incision. A celiotomy starts with a ventral midline skin incision, which must be long enough to access and visualize every abdominal organ from the liver to the bladder. In cats and female dogs, an incision from the xiphoid process to the pubis is recommended. This is …
Winslow Animal Hospital To Build $3.5 Million FacilityApril 17, 2009 Winslow Animal Hospital reported on Nov.18 that it is moving from a 2,000-square-foot facility in Sicklerville, N.J., to a $3.5 million, 10,500-square-foot animal hospital just a half mile down the road. Construction is set to begin in December with an expected opening date of September 2009. The move is due, in part, to the population growth in the area, which is in southern Camden County, about 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia. The hospital currently has about 3,500 active clients, but that number is expected to increase 30 percent once the new facility is open. The building will be located on three acres and will feature 10 examination rooms, two surgical suites, two dental suites, a surgical orthopedic physical rehabilitation area featuring an underwater treadmill and a room designed for endoscopic procedures and diagnostic ultrasound. The floorplan for the new animal hospital. Owner Philippe Coudrai, DVM, performs about 200 orthopedic surgical procedures a year for more than 30 referring veterinarian hospitals. The facility will also have an expansive reception area, food prep and laundry areas, dog and cat ward, doctors’ station, pharmacy, laboratory, an X-ray room and utility rooms. …
August Issue Footnotes For Complementary MedicineApril 17, 2009 1 Cuendet M and Pezzuto JM. The role of cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase in cancer chemoprevention. COX and LOX in Cancer Prevention. 2000;17(1-4); 109-157. 2 Salvioli S, Sikora E, Cooper EL, et al. Curcumin in cell death processes: a challenge for CAM of age-related pathologies. eCAM. 2007;4(2):181-190. 3 Aggarwal BB, Kumar A, and Bharti AC. Review. Anticancer potential of curcumin: preclinical and clinical studies. Anticancer Research. 2003;23:363-398. 4 Aggarwal BB, Kumar A, and Bharti AC. Review. Anticancer potential of curcumin: preclinical and clinical studies. Anticancer Research. 2003;23:363-398. 5 Salvioli S, Sikora E, Cooper EL, et al. Curcumin in cell death processes: a challenge for CAM of age-related pathologies. eCAM. 2007;4(2):181-190. 6 Attri A, Rajora VS, Gupta DK, et al. Therapeutic efficacy of topical herbal formulation against dermatomycoses and bacterioal dermatitis in dogs. Indian J Vet Med. 2005;25(1):51-52. 7 Kiuchi F, Goto Y, Sugimoto N, et al. Nematocidal activity of turmeric: synergistic action of curcuminoids. Chem Pharm Bull. 1993;41(9):1640-1643. 8 Innes JF, Fuller CJ, Grover ER, et al. Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel group study of P54FP for the treatment of dogs with osteoarthritis. Veterinary Record. 2003;152:457-460. 9 Rema M and Pradeepa R. Diabetic …
Wisconsin Vet School Adds Director Of Clinical Scientist TrainingApril 17, 2009 Specialists are not returning to academia after completing training but instead are going into private practice.newslineWisconsin Vet School Adds Director of Clinical Scientist TrainingIn a move to recruit veterinary clinical scientists, the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, has appointed Lauren Trepanier, DVM, Ph.D., to the new role of director of clinician scientist training. The school noted that specialists are not returning to academia after completing training but instead are going into private practice, citing salary and the difficulty of committing to additional research training. The average salary for a specialist pursing a doctorate degree is $45,000 to $51,000, whereas the same specialist can make about $90,000 to $200,000 in private specialty practice. “We need to instill a passion for research into our trainees so that money isn’t the only factor in their future career choices,” said Dr. Trepanier, who is a small-animal internal medicine specialist with a second board certification in clinical pharmacology. “Our goal is to mentor residents so they have a better idea of how to approach clinical research and how to get results.” The school is seeking a grant from the National Institutes of Health to host a …
VPI Reveals Costliest ClaimsApril 17, 2009 Intervertebral disc disease in dogs and foreign body ingestion (small intestine) in cats are the most expensive insured conditions commonly seen in each species, according to Veterinary Pet Insurance of Brea, Calif., which insures more than 460,000 pets nationwide. VPI ranked conditions based on the average fees attached to common claims it received in 2007. The most expensive common conditions for dogs and cats with the average claimed fees are: Dogs CONDITION COST Intervertebral Disc Disease $2,844 Lung Cancer $2,032 Gastric Torsion (Bloat) $1,955 Foreign Body Ingestion (Small Intestine) $1,629 Cruciate Rupture $1,517 Foreign Body Ingestion (Stomach) $1,398 Cataract (Senior) $1,244 Bone Cancer $1,059 Pin in Broken Limb $1,000 Brain Cancer $916 Cats CONDITION COST Foreign Body Ingestion (Small Intestine) $1,629 Urinary Tract Reconstruction $1,399 Foreign Body Ingestion (Stomach) $1,391 Rectal Cancer $1,011 Bladder Stones $989 Intestinal Cancer $942 Hyperthyroidism (Radiation) $920 Fibrosarcoma (Skin Cancer) $780 Acute Renal Failure $565 Mast Cell Tumors $497 Treatment costs vary case by case, and financial figures were compiled based on the average cost of initial claims. VPI states that the figures are not intended to suggest typical reimbursements, reflect a national average of veterinary fees or account for …
FDA Won’t Bar Extralabel Use Of CephalosporinApril 17, 2009 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has revoked its order prohibiting the extralabel use of cephalosporin antimicrobial drugs in food-producing animals. The order, originally announced July 3 in the Federal Register, would have gone into effect Nov. 30. The decision was made so the agency can fully consider the remarks submitted during the comment period. As detailed in the July 3 rule, the decision to prohibit extralabel use of cephalosporins in food-producing animals was based on information that such uses likely contribute to the emergence of cephalosporin-resistant zoonotic food-borne pathogens. If, after considering the comments and other information, the FDA wants to issue another ban, it will initiate another public comment period. <HOME>
