Exclusive: A Q&A with Internet Heartthrob, Dr. Evan AntinApril 7, 2016When Evan Antin, DVM, graduated from Colorado State University’s College Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in 2013, he probably never expected to become famous for his good looks. It all started in late 2014 when People magazine named him “Sexiest Beast Charmer” in its annual “Sexiest Man Alive” issue. However, that press and the fame that followed were nothing compared to what happened this past January, when the website Bored Panda published an article titled “The Hottest Animal Doctor Ever That’ll Make You Want To Get Your Pet Checked.” The article featured photos of Dr. Antin from his Instagram page, and it quickly went viral. Soon, BuzzFeed, US Weekly, ABC and media outlets around the world were labeling him the Internet’s sexiest veterinarian. His social media fans grew to more than 266,000 Instagram followers and nearly 145,000 Facebook followers. Antin has taken the fame—and colleagues’ teasing—in stride. While he has his own YouTube channel—“Evan Antin Wild Vet”—he stays focused on veterinary medicine. He practices at Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital in Thousand …
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Kindred Hopeful of Potential for Equine, Feline DrugsMarch 31, 2016Kindred Biosciences Inc. is pushing to bring two new drugs to market: Zimeta (dipyrone injection), for treating fever in horses, and KIND-010, for weight management in cats. The Burlingame, Calif., company announced the filing of the effectiveness section as part of Zimeta’s New Animal Drug Application (NADA). All remaining technical sections were expected to be submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by the end of March. It’s potentially good news for equine practitioners. “Dipyrone will be very familiar to seasoned veterinarians,” said Peter Morresey, BVSc, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACT, a veterinarian with Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky. “While never approved in the United States, dipyrone enjoyed widespread usage for control of fever and pain before withdrawal from the market in 1995. “If approved, it will be available again in the United States in an FDA-approved formulation,” Dr. Morresey added. In other news, a field test using 32 cats showed the effectiveness and safety of KIND-010 for the stimulation of weight gain in cats under clinical conditions. At the second week of the field study, the mean weight of …
Veterinarian Performs Emergency Surgery After Dog Swallows Coat HangerFebruary 23, 2016You’ve probably seen your fair share of dogs that have swallowed foreign objects. Some are common, some are strange and some are featured in our annual "They Ate What?!" X-ray contest. Then there are the dogs that swallow objects and end up needing emergency surgery. For Indy, an emaciated dog who swallowed an 8-inch portion of a plastic coat hanger, that is exactly what happened. Indy arrived at the Michigan Humane Society (MHS) weighing only 11 pounds. Her bones were visible and, according to MHS, “you could see an obvious hard object sticking out from her stomach.” Michigan Humane Society veterinarian Amy Koppenhoefer, DVM, examined Indy, only to find that the coat hanger the young dog had swallowed was embedded in her stomach. A portion of the dog’s stomach also had to be removed. Though the surgery was difficult, it was successful and Indy recovered at a foster home. She is now available for adoption. Do you have a similar story to share? Tell us about it in the comments.
Petplan Looking for Best in Veterinary FieldMay 14, 2015Petplan is paying for the names of some very good men, women and veterinary hospitals. The Philadelphia pet health insurance company is collecting nominees for the 2016 Veterinary Awards, which will be handed out in January during the North American Veterinary Community conference in Orlando, Fla. For each nomination—up to 10,000—Petplan will donate $1 to one of three charities: Adopt-a-Pet.com, GreaterGood.org or Morris Animal Foundation. Nominations in the fifth annual contest are being taken at www.gopetplan.com/vet-awards. The deadline is Sept. 27. The candidates will be cut to six semifinalists in five categories: Practice of the Year, Veterinarian of the Year, Veterinary Technician of the Year, Practice Manager of the Year and Receptionist of the Year. Three semifinalists will be chosen for Pet Parent of the Year. Public online voting will take place from Sept. 29 to Oct. 12. The results will be combined with the decisions of judging panels to identify the finalists, one of whom will be honored in each category in Orlando.
Help select Hero vet, vet techMay 13, 2015Vote once, vote twice, vote 15 times. The American Humane Association is asking for the public’s help in choosing a Hero Veterinarian and a Hero Veterinary Technician.
Tammy Beckham Hired as K-State Veterinary DeanApril 22, 2015The director of a national research institute was named dean of the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine on Tuesday, replacing longtime administrator Ralph C. Richardson. Tammy Beckham, DVM, Ph.D., will move to Manhattan, Kan., from Texas A&M University, where she leads the Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases and the Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. Her new $295,000-a-year job is effective Aug. 2. Dr. Beckham becomes the 12th dean in the college’s 110-year history. “She is recognized as an international expert in the diagnosis of foreign animal diseases and will be a tremendous leader to help guide us toward our goal of becoming a Top 50 public research university by 2025,” said provost and senior vice president April Mason, MS, Ph.D. Beckham also was made a tenured professor in the department of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, an appointment she can maintain when she leaves the dean’s office. Her predecessor, Dr. Richardson, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, will return to teaching as a veterinary college faculty member after serving as dean since 1998. The Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence. Beckham has overseen the institute since 2010 in its efforts to conduct …
Do You Know a Hero Vet or Vet Tech?January 29, 2015The American Humane Association is looking for the next Eva DeCozio and Signe Corbin. The Washington, D.C., animal welfare organization is accepting nominations for the second annual Hero Veterinarian and Hero Veterinary Technician Awards, which will be presented in September as part of the nationally broadcast Hero Dog Awards. Dr. DeCozio, DVM, of VCA Apache Junction in Higley, Ariz., and Corbin, of Westlake Animal Hospital in Austin, Texas, last year were the inaugural winners of the veterinarian and veterinary technician awards. Nominations are being taken through March 13 at www.herovetawards.org. Finalists selected by a panel of judges will be entered in a public vote that runs from April 29 to July 13. Sponsoring the contest for the second time is veterinary drug maker Zoetis Inc. of Florham Park, N.J. “This year’s winners will be greatly deserving of all the accolades they receive, and we cannot wait to meet them in Los Angeles later this year,” said J. Michael McFarland, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, Zoetis’ group director of Companion Animal Veterinary Operations. The Hero awards “shine a bright spotlight on the best of the best,” said the American Humane Association’s president and CEO, Robin Ganzert, Ph.D. “Whether it’s …
Aja Takes Over as Banfield Chief Medical OfficerJanuary 15, 2015The new year has delivered a new chief medical officer to the Banfield Pet Hospital chain. The Portland, Ore., company’s 2,900 veterinarians will look to Daniel Aja, DVM, for direction in the quality of medicine practiced at nearly 900 locations. Dr. Aja replaced Jeffrey Klausner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, who retired at the end of 2014. Aja’s appointment was announced in April 2014. The former Hill’s Pet Nutrition executive served as Banfield’s senior vice president of medical operations in the interim. “We are confident he’ll continue Dr. Klausner’s work of instilling our core values, including quality preventive care, across our hospitals and the broader veterinary profession,” said Tony Ueber, president and CEO of Banfield. Aja worked for 21 years as the owner and director of Cherry Bend Animal Hospital in Traverse City, Mich. His career has included service on the American Veterinary Medical Association House of Delegates and on the Michigan Board of Veterinary Medicine. He is a former president of the American Animal Hospital Association. “Banfield has been at the forefront of preventive care within the veterinary profession for the past two decades,” said Aja, a graduate of Michigan State University. “I’m excited to work with and …
Former Louisiana Vet Elected to CongressDecember 12, 2014The veterinary duo now serving in Congress will become a trio in January when Louisiana Republican Ralph Abraham, DVM, is sworn in. The 1980 graduate of the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine won the runoff election for the state’s 5th District on Dec. 6. Dr. Abraham’s career as a practitioner lasted 10 years, until 1990, when he entered the LSU School of Medicine and later earned a human medicine degree and re-entered the work force as a general family practitioner. “We are thrilled to see another elected official with a DVM on his resume serving in the next Congress,” the American Veterinary Medical Association reported. Abraham won election over Democrat Jamie Mayo by collecting 64 percent of the vote. “Grateful for this win!” he told supporters in a post on his campaign Facebook page Dec. 7. “My family and I will be at church in the morning, but we will begin aggressively going to work for the voters of [District 5] bright & early on Monday.” Abraham is a self-described conservative, opposing abortion, gun control, new taxes and career politicians, according to his campaign website. He wants to fix the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, explaining that …
Charleston Veterinary Referral Center Set To Open In MarchNovember 30, 2010 Charleston Veterinary Referral Center of Charleston, S.C., is set to open in March. The 16,000-square-foot facility will include an intensive-care unit with 24/7 emergency and critical care; a referral service, with specialties in surgery, internal medicine, neurology, cardiology, critical care, as well as interventional radiologic and cardiac procedures; and an imaging center that will include MRI, CT scan, ultrasound and color flow Doppler, digital radiology and fluoroscopy.
