Compounding Concerns For Animals Near And DearApril 17, 2009 Competitive pricing, counterfeit drugs, unreliable sources for drugs and the honesty that our profession must maintain present an everyday dilemma. How can veterinarians avoid being tarnished by scandals of adulterated and contaminated food and drugs and still maintain the public’s trust? Dawn Merton Boothe, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM and ACVCP, director of pharmacology at Auburn University, asked veterinarians to combat the adulteration of products in her letter to the editor in the Dec. 1 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Assn. Compounded drugs are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. When approved drugs are not available or not suitable as packaged by the manufacturer for a doctor’s intended use in a particular patient, compounding of that drug is allowed. The compounding industry is growing fast and is not yet well regulated. Veterinary compounding is regulated by 50 state boards of pharmacy that use vague federal laws that are interpreted inconsistently. Most compounding pharmacies are run by pharmacists of variable expertise who oversee the preparation of the ingredients. Veterinarians must realize that compounded drugs offer no guarantee of potency, stability, bioavailability, safety or efficacy. We have become comfortable using FDA-approved products, with guaranteed analysis, …
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10 Surgical Tips For Cancer SurgeryApril 17, 2009Make sure your technician is free to clip hair widely. . Ensure that the entire shaved area is scrubbed aseptically. . Spend some time planning your excision before draping the patient. . Have a Plan A and a Plan B (at least) to close the surgical site. . Pretend the tumor is grossly infected to remain aware of protecting healthy tissue. . Avoid entering the tumor itself by accident, with instruments or fingers. . Excise the biopsy tract when applicable. . Respect all other rules of surgery: Use aseptic technique, preserve blood supply, minimize dead space and reduce tension during closure. . Change gloves, instruments and drapes before closing the surgical site. . "Cancer should not be peeled out, shelled out, enucleated or curetted if a cure is expected.” This is a quote from Stephen Withrow in his oncology book.
Philanthropist Nancy Smith Answers Community’s Need For Animal RefugeApril 17, 2009 At 6:30 a.m., Nancy Smith wakes up to care for the unusual residents living in the 2-1/2-acre lot behind her Naples, Fla., home, which include 26 wolves and wolf dogs, two coyotes, eight prairie dogs, six sugar gliders, three Florida panthers, a black Asian leopard, a leopard-jaguar cross and four house cats. Although Smith’s backyard is filled with lush greenery, these animals don’t exactly live in the wild. They’re a part of the Shy Wolf Sanctuary, Education and Experience Center, a nonprofit organization Smith founded in 2001 to provide a home for displaced animals. She begins most days by chopping up fresh vegetables and also often prepares chicken and beef meals for the animals. Then, with the help of several volunteers, she makes her rounds to each animal’s unit, feeding them, giving them fresh water and—twice a week—cleaning out their living spaces with biodegradable cleaners. The biggest perk of this routine, she says, is getting to spend time with the animals, brushing them and taking them for walks. “I’ve always liked dealing with any kind of animal,” Smith says. “I’m in awe of them--they’re just so special.” In order to run this organization, she had …
Vets And Engineers Model First Simulated Virtual-Reality DogApril 17, 2009Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences lays claim to the only simulated canine with a virtual reality interface. The simulated canine, dubbed SimPooch, is in its early stages, but its creators say their project will revolutionize teaching in veterinary medicine. Narda Robinson, DO, DVM, MS, director of CSU's Center for Comparative and Integrative Pain Medicine, initiated the SimPooch project in spring 2006, with Regina Schoenfeld-Tacher, Ph.D., coordinator of the college's instructional design. They worked with a group of mechanical engineering students, who then constructed a physical model of a dog's head that reproduced bone, muscle, skin and fat density to provide students real-life physical force feedback. The colleges of veterinary medicine and engineering then worked to create a 3-D dog model and software that will be rigorously tested for its effectiveness in teaching students proper acupuncture techniques. Dr. Robinson says the project was first met with skepticism. Since the concept involved merging two colleges, one of which knew nothing of medicine or acupuncture, success seemed unlikely. But the veil of uncertainty surrounding the project lifted when SimPooch won fourth place in CSU's annual E-Days competition in which more than 100 displays vie for design recognition. "When …
Holistic Approach To VaccinationApril 17, 2009 Christina Chambreau, DVM, a holistic veterinarian with Healthy Animals, Healthy People in Sparks, Md., says responsible pet owners should be given the option of a titer versus vaccinating, or wait longer between vaccines. “If a veterinarian is concerned about being penalized when a vaccine is forgone, they can always have the client sign a document relieving the veterinarian of malice if the animal does (however unlikely) contract the virus,” Dr. Chambreau says. “If you talk to 100 holistic vets, 90 would say vaccines cause problems. I have conducted in-house, long-term tests to determine ailments–to find problems would occur a couple of weeks after being given a vaccine. “The problem is, in the U.S. we want results fast–have the dog vaccinated and check it off the list. But issues don’t always happen in 48 hours and by the time a problem does occur, vaccines aren’t considered as a culprit. If we have a cough, we take cough medicine and expect it to be cured immediately, but things don’t work that way in reality and things don’t always go wrong immediately, either.” Chambreau says 70 percent of the chronic problems she treats are caused by vaccines and …
Tackling Equine FluApril 17, 2009Influenza is not seasonal in horses in the same way winter seems to be "flu season" for humans. But there are similarities and differences in the human and equine flu viruses: Both are highly contagious. Clinical signs are similar: coughing, nasal shedding, fever, lethargy and loss of appetite. The risk increases with exposure to other animals or people. Vaccinations for horses as well as humans are an important part of preventing disease. Rest is an important component of recovery for both species. "The incidence of horses being affected varies from year to year," says D. Craig Barnett, DVM, senior equine technical services specialist for Intervet Inc/Schering-Plough Animal Health of Paola, Kan. "Suffice it to say that equine influenza is the leading cause of infectious upper respiratory disease in the horse. "Like in humans, the potential for exposure, or risk, to our horses increases as the horse population grows," he says. Also increasing exposure: more frequent and extensive traveling in today's equine world. If a horse's immunity is built up, he will usually get over the flu quicker, says Robert Holland, DVM, senior technical services veterinarian for Pfizer Health's equine business unit. "Every day a horse has a fever will take …
Complications? What Complications?April 17, 2009 Complications after a spay are more common than one might think. Slatter’s Textbook of Small Animal Surgery reports the following complication rates in the “Ovary and Uterus” chapter: • 18 percent overall complications in one study. • 33 percent suture reactions in another one. Some complications include: • Hemorrhage (the most common cause of death). • Ovarian remnant syndrome. • Uterine stump pyometra, inflammation and granuloma. • Fistulous tracts, typically due to braided, non-absorbable suture material used as ligatures. • Ligation of a ureter. • Urinary incontinence in 11 percent to 20 percent of cases. • Weight gain of 26 percent to 38 percent. Additionally, problems related to any abdominal surgery include anesthesia complications, delayed wound healing or dehiscence, incisional infection, self-trauma to the incision and retained gauze square. Related Article: Should You OE or Should You OHE? <HOME>
Blood Typing And Cross-matchingApril 17, 2009 Successful transfusion medicine in the veterinary industry relies heavily on blood typing and crossmatching—and recognizing the difference between the two. Blood typing focuses on the antigens on the surface of the red cell. Crossmatching focuses on antibodies in the plasma. In a crossmatch, donor red cells are mixed with the plasma of the recipient. If antibodies exist in the recipient plasma to antigens on the red cells of the donor, transfusion reactions can occur. Ann Schneider, DVM, director of Eastern Veterinary Blood Bank in Severna Park, Md., says that veterinarians today are more willing to blood-type and crossmatch their patients than they have been in the past. “This is a great benefit to the patients, the veterinarians and the blood banks, as it not only reduces the possibility of a transfusion reaction, but it also helps us allocate limited resources to benefit the largest number of patients.” Anne Hale, DVM, owner and director of Midwest Animal Blood Services Inc. in Stockbridge, Mich., says that improvements in point-of-care blood typing technologies continue to enhance veterinary practitioners’ ability to blood-type recipients and provide type-matched transfusions for their patients. “Crossmatching test kits are available to allow point-of-care …
Organized Options For Relief ServicesApril 17, 2009 Why Relief Vets Are Needed Monica Hughes, director of operations for Relief Services for Veterinary Practitioners, offers these common reasons veterinary clinics seek relief services: To supplement existing staff during peak seasons or busy days To give a sole-proprietor veterinarian a weekday off To cover for a vacation To cover for a medical leave or illness To cover a maternity leave To bridge the gap until a new associate is hired To cover a clinic after a death For example, Relief Services for Veterinary Practitioners promotes itself as the largest veterinary staffing agency in the nation. Founded in 1992 by David Grant, DVM, in Denton, Texas, RSVP began servicing the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex with relief veterinarians and has expanded to cover the entire state and surrounding regions. Dr. Grant says that in its 16 years of operation, RSVP has filled more than 65,000 relief shifts. The company regularly places more than 50 veterinarians and a dozen technicians in more than 500 hospitals across Texas. VetSolutions LLC, serving Los Angeles and eastern Tennessee, operates under a similar business model. Operations manager Ryan Jurgensmeyer, LVT, says several organizations …
It’s A War Of Will And Cash As New Therapies Go To MarketApril 17, 2009 Someday soon, Craig Woods hopes to measure the success of his fledgling venture against the ultimate corporate benchmark: profitability. But for now, a more modest goal drives him. “I’d like to be able to pay my employees,” says Woods, DVM, MS, MBA, chief executive officer of Imulan BioTherapeutics of Prescott, Ariz., a company seeking to develop immunotherapies for veterinary medicine. Welcome to the crucible that is today’s veterinary pharmaceutical and bioscience proving ground. The hurdles are many as potential breakthroughs progress from concept to product, enduring multiple phases of testing and myriad strains on resources. The promised land is marketability and the prospect of healthy and sustainable returns on investment. But getting there means clearing the ultimate barrier–regulatory approval. And that can be the most taxing test of all. Until that goal is reached, a small privately held company like Imulan exists largely on a diet of sweat equity and faith. “We started 4-1/2 years ago on a wing and a prayer,” Dr. Woods says. “My whole team has worked without compensation, giving up evenings and weekends to advance veterinary medicine. “It’s not just altruistic–our goal is to be profitable. But (going …
