Tribute To William Waddell, A Story Told Through PhotographsApril 17, 2009 William Waddell, the first black member of the American Veterinary Medical Assn. and one of the last remaining Buffalo Soldiers, died Jan. 30 in Hawaii at the age of 98. Along with the titles of an entrepreneur, leader, researcher, veterinary pioneer, mentor and friend, Waddell was also a writer, composing books such as "Some Bastardly People," "People are the Funniest Animals" and "A Challenge to Christianity." Notorious for his sense of humor and quick wit, Waddell often sent Christmas cards and newsletters to family and friends filled with jokes. "He was a flamboyant individual--and a joker," said Saul Wilson Jr., DVM, a professor of epidemiology at the Tuskegee veterinary school who met Waddell during his enrollment in Tuskegee's second veterinary class. Below is a collection of excerpts from his books and a collection of photographs provided by his daughter, Kathryn Waddell-Takara, PhD.
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Feline Nutrition: In Search Of Top PerformanceApril 17, 2009 Indeed, veterinary concerns related to struvite and calcium oxalate uroliths, and the difficulties in managing each, have been recognized by many veterinary diet manufacturers. Royal Canin Veterinary Diets in St. Charles, Mo., for example, has used the relative supersaturation (RSS) urinalysis technique, adapted from human medicine, as a means of measuring ion saturation in feline urine samples to predict the chance that struvite and calcium oxalate crystals will form. With such data in hand, the company formulates its Urinary S/O diets to promote a urinary environment unfavorable to the development of both types of crystals. “Using RSS is a lot more effective than just looking at pH,” says Brent Mayabb, DVM, technical services manager for Royal Canin. “Veterinarians have had a lot of success managing struvite according to dietary pH, but it isn’t the driving factor with calcium oxalate. So in practice, veterinarians may see cats that constantly go back and forth between stone types. Those cats can be hard to manage medically, especially if the cat is a picky eater.” These are the uroliths retrieved from the bladder of the cat pictured in the radiograph. They were removed non-surgically …
Success In Your Practice Is A Matter Of TimingApril 17, 2009 Let’s say you’re interested in expanding the range of services your practice offers. You enjoy doing dentistry and you know from experience that a lot of your patients, young and old, need better dental care. You also know that dental care is a promising growth area in your practice in an era when clients expect better service for their money. So you have a wonderful idea: You are going to sign up for an extensive course in dentistry and learn the ins and outs of high-quality dental care. You find an appropriate course and take the time to participate in it. You are eager to learn and really get involved with the course material. At the end of the course you invest in more advanced dental equipment and train your staff to use it effectively. You are ready for business. You go to work after the weekend, all excited. This is the day things are going to change in your practice. With great enthusiasm, you offer your clients better dental care for their pets. You recommend having it done today so that your clients can feel the urgency in taking care of their pets’ dental disease. …
Oxyglobin Buys Time While Awaiting BloodApril 17, 2009 Biopure Corp. in Cambridge, Mass., recently reported that it will ramp up its production of Oxyglobin, the only oxygen therapeutic to receive marketing clearance from the U.S. FDA and the European Commission for veterinary use. The product, which is indicated for the treatment of canine anemia, has been severely limited in supply for the past four years. “It’s a product that has been sorely missed,” says Patricia Kaufman, director of Animal Blood Bank Inc. “It takes pressure off veterinarians because a lot of them can’t keep blood on hand. Blood is an expensive product that you can’t afford to just throw out if you don’t use it. Oxyglobin, on the other hand, has a long shelf life, and it fills that 24-hour gap between needing a blood product and being able to get it.” Anne Hale, DVM, owner and director of Midwest Animal Blood Services Inc. in Stockbridge, Mich., says that veterinary blood banks see Oxyglobin as a great opportunity to provide immediate-need oxygen transport to patients. “This product doesn’t preclude the use of blood components prepared at the blood banks but enhances our ability to provide immediate life-saving therapy to our veterinary …
Practice-Management Software UpdateApril 17, 2009 Practice-management software vendors are continually upgrading and refining their systems’ functions and features. Here are some of the latest releases and upgrades. In March, ImproMed Inc. released Infinity v4.3. In addition to other enhanced features and interfaces, the release includes X-Charge integrated credit card processing and VSurv, a Web-based client satisfaction survey service provided by Animal Care Technologies. . In July 2007, Idexx Computer Systems released its latest information management system technology for veterinary practices, Idexx Cornerstone 7.1. Powered by Idexx’s SmartLink technology, Cornerstone 7.1 offers simple and seamless electronic connections with other Idexx products and services. The new version gives practitioners and practice staff an advanced ability to track patient status with a new electronic whiteboard. It also features a new user-friendly interface and advanced bar-coding functionality. . Within the past year, the AVImark practice-management system by McAllister Software Systems has added an electronic whiteboard tool, an electronic dental charting function, pet report card capabilities, integration with in-house lab equipment, enhanced functionality of importing reference lab reports, integrated credit card processing and DICOM imaging capability. . Butler Animal Health Supply will debut new practice-management software packages in July. The …
Maryland Publicizes Vet Disciplinary ActionsApril 17, 2009 The Maryland Department of Agriculture’s State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners is making the public aware of the agency’s routine regulatory activities. It recently sent out a media report naming six veterinary practice violations. In one case, the board found that a veterinarian in Montgomery County had violated the Veterinary Practice Act by failing to provide basic care to the pets under his care, providing false information to pet owners and failing to take appropriate and timely steps to return pets despite frequent owner attempts to retrieve their pet. The violator’s license was suspended for six months and he was prohibited indefinitely from boarding and hospitalizing animals and placed on three years of probation. “We want the public to be aware that state agencies want to protect consumers,” said Laura Downes, the board’s executive director. “Some people may feel that veterinarians look after their own, but we want people to know that yes, the board will take action [if a complaint is brought to its attention].” In 2007, the board investigated 77 complaints, filed 20 formal disciplinary actions and issued 26 letters of advice or admonishment. Although the number of complaints are less than the …
Radiosurgical Applications For Oral Surgery And OphthalmologyApril 17, 2009 Tom Tully, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (avian), ECAMS, a professor of zoological medicine at Louisiana State University, says his Ellman Surgitron 4.0 MHz dual-frequency radiosurgery unit is indispensable in his practice of avian and exotics medicine. “I can use the unit throughout a surgery,” he says. “I can make the initial incision using a needle electrode and, while using the same hand piece and pressing a different button, switch from a cutting to one of cut and coagulation. And when you’re working on patients as small as 20 grams, hemostasis is very important. “Depending on the size of the patient, I have different electrodes available,” he adds. “I like to switch out electrode tips to meet specific surgical needs.” One limitation to radiosurgical equipment arises when operating in a fluid environment. “Any time there is a pooling of blood, you will not get the optimum performance from the electrode,” Dr. Tully says. “The blood must be removed, and then the electrode can be applied for hemostasis.” In regard to hemostasis, Tully says that one of the greatest equipment enhancements to the 4.0 MHz radiosurgical unit has been the ability to transition between the hand piece …
Practices Should Honor The Technician-Animal BondApril 17, 2009 Practices Should Honor the Technician-Animal BondPractices Should Honor the Technician-Animal Bond12-29-2008By Katherine Dobbs, RVT, CVPMweb exclusives, practicemgmt A lot is said and written about the human-animal bond these days. Typically the focus is on the ways in which the veterinary staff can and should both support and respect clients’ bonds to their pet. There is no question that this is necessary for the improved compliance of the owner and the overall profitability of the practice; great client service should equal big profits. But what about other the high turnover rate among technicians, the attrition rate of veterinary professionals in general and the pervasive compassion fatigue that is affecting our teams? Can this human-animal bond, or technician-animal bond as it were, provide answers? Typically the people who go into veterinary medicine have a powerfully strong attachment to their own pets, from childhood on up. Their desire to help both their own pets and other animals is so strong they decide to pursue a career helping animals. This is particularly true of technicians, who tend to gravitate toward the nursing care of animals rather than the diagnosing and treatment challenges of veterinary doctors. Then they …
Lesson From The San Diego Firestorm, 2007April 17, 2009Editor's Note: Terry Paik, DVM, reflects on the fall firestorms that devastated much of San Diego County. Dr. Paik is the veterinary disaster response coordinator for the California Veterinary Medical Assn.'s disaster preparedness committee. Once again, San Diego County veterinarians and the veterinary community showed their true color, spirit, generosity and grit in this past firestorm. With howling Santa Ana winds, multiple fires started in the San Diego County on Sunday, Oct. 21. Other fires also burned in counties north of San Diego. By Monday, we were on our way to what would turn out to be the largest and worst firestorm in our state's history, eclipsing even the fires of 2003. By Monday we had at least four major fires in the east, south and north counties, all being driven by 60-plus-mph winds. Unlike 2003, voluntary and mandatory evacuations were massive. The winds and smoke grounded the multiple fire suppression air attack planes and helicopters until Wednesday. By 11:30 a.m. on Monday, the Del Mar Fairgrounds was already full of evacuated horses; there are 1,800 stalls at the fairgrounds and approximately 2,400 horses. There was still some room for people and small animals, but not for …
Footing The BillApril 17, 2009 Earlier this year, the American Animal Hospital Assn. unveiled a position statement addressing pet owners’ financial responsibility to provide health care for their animals. The group is encouraging its members to discuss financial opportunities with their clients to ensure they are able to meet their obligation. This is particularly important as veterinary care is becoming more expensive, with bills of $1,000 or more becoming “common” and $3,500 emerging as the “minimum specialist bill,” said John Albers, DVM, AAHA executive director. He said that CareCredit recently received more than 55 accounts over $10,000, mostly from specialist care, in a single month. The AAHA statement “strongly suggests that all pet owning families assess their financial situation and consider their ability to meet unexpected expenses that may be incurred for veterinary care. For some families, these expenses may be met through existing savings. Others may be able to use credit care reserves or medical payment cards. Some families should consider budgeting for these expenses and still others may want to consider protecting themselves through pet insurance policies.” It further advises pet owners to carefully consider any pet insurance policy, to make sure they understand exactly …
