AAVMC updates its Cost Comparison ToolJune 19, 2018The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) has updated and enhanced its Cost Comparison Tool (CCT) for 2018. Introduced in 2016, the CCT web-based tool helps applicants and students more precisely estimate the cost of earning a DVM degree, according to AAVMC. Updates now allow users to research schools and use interactive filters to compare data related to tuition, projected cost-of-living, and the cost of financing one's education. The tool still features information on all 30 U.S. schools, but now includes 13 international members, up from 11. Five-year international programs are designated, and calculations have been adjusted for the differential. The tool demonstrates three levels of cost: tuition, tuition and living expenses, and total cost of attendance (TCA). The TCA includes the previous two categories as well as the cost of loan interest accruals on an assumed fully financed DVM education (the current interest rate for graduate students using the Federal Stafford Loan is 6 percent). The sorting feature has been enhanced so that programs generally are shown from higher costs to lower cost. The map includes resident, nonresident, and international total tuition (adjusted for colleges where residency may be established after the first year) …
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APPA president and CEO Vetere to retireJune 14, 2018Bob Vetere, president and CEO of the American Pet Products Association (APPA) will retire following Global Pet Expo 2019 in March. Steve King, president of the Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA), has been chosen by the APPA board to be Vetere's successor. King will join APPA in January 2019; both will work together to ensure a smooth transition. Vetere has headed APPA since 2002. Under his leadership, APPA's membership has grown from 668 to 1,270 current members, according to the association. He has led several pet industry-wide initiatives and is credited with establishing the Human Animal Bond Research Institute, the Pets Add Life Campaign, and the Pet Leadership Council. He was honored at Global Pet Expo 2016 with the Rolf C. Hagen Hall of Fame Award for his achievements in the pet industry and also received the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council Chairman's Award of Excellence. "On behalf of the board of directors, I want to thank Bob for his dedicated and exceptional leadership of APPA for 16 years," said APPA chairman Kevin Fick. "Bob's passion for this industry …
Cornell vets perform tricky cardiac procedure on shepherd puppyApril 11, 2018Cornell University Hospital for Animals (CUHA) and veterinarians from three countries joined forces to save a young German shepherd's life. At 6 months old, Rex was by far the calmest dog the Silverman family of New York had ever owned. Their other German shepherds all bounced off the walls at that age, so at first they attributed Rex's docile behavior to temperament. Nothing in his regular checkups indicated a problem, but when Rex became violently ill, the Silvermans noticed the dog's heart was racing and knew it was something far more serious. Gretchen Singletary, DVM, DACVIM, a veterinary cardiologist in New York, stabilized him and performed a series of tests, including an electrocardiogram that confirmed the presence of an arrhythmia. The culprit turned out to be a small bundle of muscle running inside the wall of his heart, a defect he was born with and likely caused his low energy. Dr. Singletary told Silverman that Rex was a candidate for radiofrequency catheter ablation, where small areas of the heart muscle are heated through the tip of a catheter to destroy abnormal tissue. It's a complicated, precise procedure, and only two places in the U.S. offer it routinely—a …
WVC event attendee count nears 14,000March 30, 2018This year's Western Veterinary Conference (WVC) in Las Vegas, held March 4 to 8 at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Convention Center, was attended by almost 14,000 veterinary professionals from all 50 states and 27 countries. Visitors sat in on more than 1,000 hours of scientific sessions and perused an exhibit hall featuring almost 520 companies. "WVC hosted veterinary professionals from around the world for an inspirational week of education and networking designed to help them grow their skills and clinical offering," said W. Mark Hilton, DVM, DABVP, president of the WVC board of directors. "This year's event gave us an opportunity to celebrate 90 years of tradition and excellence in education, but also provided a vibrant platform to share experiences with colleagues, discover the latest products and services, and reignite our collective passion for serving the health and welfare of animals." In addition to lectures, hands-on labs, and workshops, attendees were treated to music entertainment by Grammy award winners Jewel and Darius Rucker and Emmy-nominated actor and comedian Kevin Nealon. On the exhibit hall floor, the Learning Lounge hosted 34 CE sessions. The Dr. W. Bruce Wren Food Animal Incentive Award was given to five recent post-graduates and the …
AVMA names Matthew J. Salois as Veterinary Economics Division headMarch 9, 2018Matthew J. Salois, Ph.D., has joined the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to head the association's Veterinary Economics Division. He will replace Michael R. Dicks, Ph.D., who is retiring after serving five years as AVMA's chief economist. Previously, at Elanco Animal Health, Dr. Salois served as director of global scientific affairs and policy since 2016, and as an economic research and policy advisor from 2014 to 2016. Prior to joining Elanco, he worked as the chief economist at the Florida Department of Citrus and as an assistant professor in economics at the University of Reading. "Matt … has the opportunity now to build upon the AVMA Economic Division's solid foundation to ensure that all the incredible data we have is turned into the most effective tools and resources for our members and the profession," said Michael J. Topper, DVM, Ph.D., DACVP, president of the AVMA. Salois said the scope of achievement already accomplished by the AVMA Economics Division has been "breathtaking" and that the economics team currently in place is a testament to AVMA's commitment to the veterinary profession. "I feel very privileged to be joining not only a team that I admire, but also to be a part …
Banfield releases Corporate Social Responsibility, Foundation Impact ReportsMarch 9, 2018Banfield Pet Hospital recently released its 2017 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, detailing its support of pets, communities, its associates, and the veterinary profession. The company's charitable arm, the Banfield Foundation, also released its 2017 Banfield Foundation Impact Report, which summarizes how the foundation leveraged the resources entrusted to it by donors and shares stories about the pets, people. and organizations it supported in 2017. The company's 2017 CSR efforts included volunteer programs, championing preventive care, partnerships with animal welfare organizations, environmental stewardship, and investments in its associates, as well as the broader veterinary industry. Continued disaster relief efforts in 2017 from Banfield and the Banfield Foundation helped more than 26,000 pets and their families in the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, demonstrating their commitment to the communities they serve—and in which company associates live and work. "In 2017, Banfield grew as a company and as a corporate citizen," said Brian Garish, president of Banfield. "We provided much-needed veterinary care and supplies, as well as volunteer services, to animal welfare organizations, communities, people and pets in need. We invested in our associates and continued to use our resources, reach, and relationships to strengthen the …
Southern Veterinary Partners network hits animal hospital No. 40February 13, 2018Southern Veterinary Partners (SVP), based in Birmingham, Ala., has acquired its 40th animal hospital with Friendship Veterinary Hospital in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Veterinarian owned and operated SVP regional network of animal hospitals is the largest veterinary management company based in the South. Friendship Veterinary Hospital is an American Animal Hospital Association-accredited hospital that provides care to companion animals and exotic pets. SVP provides centralized support for the animal hospitals in its network, including marketing, HR, finance, inventory, and purchasing management, and enhanced benefits to team members, according to the organization. The hospitals retain their names, culture, and local commitment to their communities as well as veterinarians and staff that provide their clients with high-quality veterinary care. SVP believes that leveraging its infrastructure allows the hospitals in its network to focus on medicine and their patients to facilitate best-in-class veterinary services and exceptional client experiences, the company stated.
Tufts veterinarians treat canine cancer with experimental drugJanuary 18, 2018When Edward Sloan's dog, Dozer, a 7-year-old bull mastiff went blind seemingly overnight, a devastating diagnosis revealed Dozer had cancer. Desperate to save his best friend, Sloan found a clinical trial at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, where Abbey Sadowski, DVM, found that Dozer had "lost a lot of weight [and] had several weeks of history before he even saw us." Dr. Sadowski and Cheryl London, DVM, Ph.D., are testing an experimental drug—called KPT-9274—combined with just one round of chemotherapy to treat lymphoma. "We had this remarkable response … when you combine these two things together you can get a dramatic reduction in disease," Dr. London said. Early results of the small study have been promising, especially for Sloan and Dozer. "A single heroic dose … the next day he was able to see," Sloan said. Dozer is three months in remission, and his medical reversal of fortune could eventually lead to a breakthrough in human medicine. London said the outcome of a canine trial is a valuable piece of the research puzzle. "The benefits to the human side are that you get a drug into humans that's actually much …
Registration open for Veterinary Biologics Training ProgramJanuary 17, 2018The Institute for International Cooperation in Animal Biologics (IICAB) has opened registration for the Veterinary Biologics Training Program, which will be held May 14-18 in Ames, Iowa. The program provides an overview of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's regulatory process for assuring the purity, safety, potency, and efficacy of veterinary biologics (vaccines, bacterins, antisera, diagnostic kits, and other products of biological origin). During the weeklong program, staff from the Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) at the USDA's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service provides information on the requirements and processes for licensing/registration and testing of veterinary biological products. The inspection and compliance process for production, release, and post-marketing surveillance of veterinary biological products is also covered in both lectures and workshops, IICAB said. Professionals working in the veterinary biologic industry, researchers developing biologics, and regulatory personnel are encouraged to attend to learn about current CVB requirements. More than 2,700 individuals have attended the program since it was launched in 1996, including 750 individuals from 90-plus countries. The program is organized by IICAB and is co-sponsored by CVB and the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Individuals interested in an introduction or refresher in the ever-changing field of immunology …
AAHA releases updated canine, feline diabetes management guidelinesJanuary 15, 2018The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) has released its 2018 AAHA Diabetes Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats, which offers updates to the association's 2010 guidelines. New online tools and educational resources for pet owners and veterinary teams include: Quick-reference algorithms on diabetes monitoring, troubleshooting, and hypoglycemia New information on insulin formulations and recommendations for their use Thorough discharge and home monitoring diary templates for dogs and cats How-to videos on insulin administration, capillary blood sampling, and urine glucose testing Client and staff education materials AAHA guidelines review the latest information to help veterinary teams address central issues and perform essential tasks to improve the health of their patients. The newly revised guidelines are supported by an educational grant from Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health and Merck Animal Health.
