Cellular MetabolismNovember 18, 2009 The study of veterinary nutrition has traditionally concentrated on macro-nutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals) and the determination of the minimum requirements of these individual nutrients to prevent overt disease. New areas of study looking at the broad-reaching effects of foods, such as nutrigenomics, metabolomics, nutrigenetics, etc., have shown that overall health can be positively influenced by “optimizing nutrient levels to the life stage, lifestyle and breed of the individual animal.”1 A wide range of food-based nutritional supplements has appeared in the veterinary market in response to this trend. Every cell in the body performs one or more functions. Some cells secrete hormones, some clear antigens from the circulation and others produce enzymes for use in metabolic reactions. These cellular activities are for the most part continuous, taking place around the clock, and vary in response to the body’s metabolic needs. Each function a cell performs involves a number of steps. These can include: • Taking in nutrients through the cell membrane. • Transporting these nutrients to different sites within the cell. • Using nutrients to produce a product (hormone, enzyme, protein, etc.). • Delivering products to sites within or outside of the cell.
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Practitioners Who Use Therapeutic Lasers Discover That Versatility Seals The DealNovember 18, 2009As Steven Gloates, DVM, searched for a tool to relieve his patients’ chronic pain, he worried he might outstrip his own comfort level. After all, it had been just five months since he bought his small-animal practice. Was this really a good time to invest in a Class IV laser? CS Wound - Before CS Wound - After Now, six months later, he wonders what all the trepidation was about. “It’s a technology that comes with a lot of skepticism,” says Dr. Gloates, owner and operator of Vetcetera Pet Healthcare Centre in Schuylkill Haven, Pa. “But once you get your hands on it and see how it works and what it can do, that skepticism gets erased.” Every month, it seems, he dials up a new use for his LiteCure Companion Therapy Laser. “It’s not exactly discovering, because the uses are well documented,” says Gloates, who makes presentations for LiteCure. “It’s more a case of making sure not to miss the opportunities to use the laser.” From burns to hot spots, lesions to lick granulomas, clinical uses are many for therapeutic laser technology, practi- tioners say. Often, veterinarians seek out the laser to ease the …
Pet Insurance Is Manageable ChoiceAugust 31, 2009 For U.S. health-care professionals, few terms are more encumbered than “managed care.” Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, deals with the negative connotations every day, and she doesn’t even work on the human side of the care equation. “Probably the No. 1 concern I hear from veterinarians is that if pet insurance evolves as it has on the human side, insurers will start telling them what they can and can’t do,” says Dr. McConnell, chief veterinary medical officer for Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. of Brea, Calif. “That’s the whole world of managed care.” The reality of pet health insurance is actually a world apart, says McConnell, who is joined by others in the industry, including clinicians, seeking to educate veterinarians about the benefits of building an insured clientele. Unlike human health insurance, a pet health policy provides fee-for-service indemnity coverage, similar to a car, boat or homeowner policy. In fact, when insurers apply for a license with state departments of insurance, they sometimes get lumped in with marine policies “because they don’t know what else to do with us,” McConnell says. “We’re up there with the motor boats.” The upshot is that insured clients pay …
Spreading The WarmthAugust 31, 2009 Like most veterinary technicians, Brad Schaefer tackles a daily to-do list that’s long and varied. Still, there’s no hesitation when he’s asked to name his least-favorite duty. “I’m not a fan of euthanasia cases,” says Schaefer, head veterinary technician at River Road Animal Hospital in Southport, N.C. Luckily, he notes, there’s a task at the other end of the care spectrum. With lightning speed, Class IV laser therapy swings the balance of his day back into positive territory. “It’s definitely great to know there’s something I can do to help a patient—and client—feel better,” Schaefer says. As the use of laser therapy expands, it’s often veterinary technicians who wield the wand of relief. Not only does assigning this task free up veterinarians, thus strengthening a clinic’s return on investment, but it also enriches the techs’ professional lives, practitioners say. The overall workday becomes more enjoyable, those involved note, and the technicians become more committed advocates for veterinary medicine in general and for their home clinic in particular. All Schaefer knows is that when he turns on his clinic’s LiteCure Companion Therapy Laser, more than the patient feels the warmth. “The laser puts …
In-House Lab Equipment Passes TestAugust 31, 2009 What could be more important than making your clients’ clinic experience as convenient as possible? How about better protecting the health of their pets by adding capabilities to your practice? Of course, nothing says you can’t do both, notes Gary D. Norsworthy, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (feline practice). Convenience and cutting-edge care are at the heart of his clinic’s shift to in-house lab analysis. Dr. Norsworthy’s hospital, Alamo Feline Health Center in San Antonio, sees cases of hyperthyroidism and kidney disease every day. That’s a key reason he and his colleagues added an in-house blood analysis system six or seven years ago, he says. The clinic still uses a commercial lab for some of its more comprehensive profiles, but it now does the bulk of its lab work in-house, “And the biggest advantage of our equipment is I can get answers from tests in less than 15 minutes,” Norsworthy adds. That means clients get the convenience of swift test results and a diagnosis without having to make a follow-up trip to the veterinary office. With three doctors and six exam rooms, Alamo Feline Health Center prides itself on its efficiency as well as its …
Foods Can Play Role In Allergy CareAugust 5, 2009 From elimination diets to hydrolyzed foods, novel proteins to Chinese therapy, many tools serve the quest to identify and treat food allergies in pets. But in the end, doesn’t solving the riddle of a pet’s allergic reactions really come down to the uncertainties of trial and error? Hana, a 7-year-old female Leonberger, was presented to Dr. Signe Beebe in March. Hana was covered with bald patches and sores caused by constant scratching. Beebe treated her using food therapy, Chinese herbs and acupuncture. “I prefer the term ‘therapeutic trial,’ ” says Paul Bloom, DVM, Dipl. ACVD, ABVP (canine and feline specialties). “With such trials in human medicine, aren’t you guessing?” Whatever the terminology, practitioners and pet owners alike agree that the road to a food allergy solution can be twisty and trying. The end place is often a special diet designed to curb the inflammation, itching, biting and scratching that are the telltale signs of allergic reaction. Finding the most effective diet can take more diligence and detective work. “What’s so difficult is that people, including veterinarians, want answers right now,” says Dr. Bloom, owner of the Allergy, Skin and Ear Clinic …
Uses Of Therapeutic Laser ExpandApril 17, 2009Uses of Therapeutic Laser ExpandUses of Therapeutic Laser ExpandBy Dennis Arp03-10-2009education-series Eye protection must be worn when administering treatment. Here, an aide keeps a patient from looking at the laser. Because her therapeutic laser operates outside the visible light spectrum, Robin Downing, DVM, has to trust what her eyes can't see. Luckily for her and for the patients in her pain-management referral practice, the consistently positive reactions are as clear as day. "We see results we have not been able to achieve any other way," says Downing, Dipl. American Academy of Pain Management, CVA, CCRP. "The time for broad application of this healing technology is here." Dr. Downing, owner and hospital director of The Downing Center for Animal Pain Management LLC in Windsor, Colo., isn't alone in her embrace of laser therapy. For a growing number of veterinary practitioners, the technology is no longer just the wavelength of the future. It's a here-and-now tool for managing chronic and acute pain. For Downing, the appeal of the therapeutic laser became clear during her canine rehabilitation training at the University of Tennessee in 2005. She studied the science behind laser therapy–how it helps increase endorphin release while decreasing inflammation and "normalizing" …
Small Animals Benefit On Whole Foods DietApril 17, 2009 1. Liu H.R., "Health benefits of fruit and vegetables are from additive and synergistic combinations of phytochemicals.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2003; Vol. 78, No. 3, 517S-520S 2. Raghavan M., et al, “Evaluation of the effect of dietary vegetable consumption on reducing risk of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder in Scottish Terriers.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2005; Vol. 227, 94-100 3. Remillard R.L., Paragon B.M., Crane S.W., et al: “Making pet foods at home,” in Hand MS, Thatcher CD, Remillard RL, Roudebush P (eds): Small Animal Clinical Nutrition, ed 4. Topeka, KS, Mark Morris Institute, Walsworth Publishing Company, 2000; 163–182. 4. Angelino PD et al, “Residual alkaline phosphatase activity in pasteurized milk heated at various temperatures-measurement with the fluorophos and Scharer rapid phosphatase tests.” Journal of Food Protection, 1999; 62(1):81-85 5. Severi S., et al, “Effects of home-based food preparation practices on micronutrient content of foods.” European Journal of Cancer Prevention, 1998; 7(4): 331-335 6. Yadav SK and Sehgal S, “Effect of home processing on ascorbic acid and beta-carotine content of spinach (Spinacia oleracia) and amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor) leaves.” Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 1995; 47(2): 125-131 …
What’s Your Diagnosis?April 17, 2009 Signalment: Adult domestic shorthair; 1.5 years old History: Vomiting for two days. Anorexia for two days. Painful on palpation of the abdomen. Upper GI study was performed. Two representative images after administration of contrast are presented. Questions to answer: What are the primary findings? What do you think is the primary reason for the clinical signs? Radiographic Findings: There is contrast noted within the stomach and extending in the small intestines. Several loops of small intestine are moderately dilated and there is plication of many of these loops of small intestine. The detail in the abdomen is normal but there also appears to be clumping of these abnormal loops of intestine in the ventral abdomen. Radiographic Interpretation: Dilated, plicated small intestine consistent with mechanical ileus from a linear foreign body obstruction. This is the cause of the clinical signs. Discussion: The most common problem related to the GI tract detected on survey radiography is ileus. By definition, ileus strictly means failure of passage of the intestinal contents. There are two …
Finding Marketing Gold In On-site Blood AnalysisApril 17, 2009 When Kent Adams, DVM, talks about his in-house services, the “house” tends to be miles from his veterinary office. His exam room is often a stall in a client’s barn, and he’s comfortable doing lab analysis off the back of a pickup truck. Such is the life of a large-animal veterinarian providing ambulatory service in the New River Valley of Virginia. Dr. Adams’ extended-cab 4-by-4 is where leading-edge medicine intersects with rural outreach. “There are times when I’ll be standing in a barn at 10 o’clock at night, looking at a horse with a snotty nose, and the client will prompt me, ‘Do you think we need blood work?’” says Adams, one of five doctors at Appalachian Veterinary Services. “That’s when I learn about the rewards of marketing.” Like more than a few of his companion-animal colleagues, Adams finds that a pitch for his on-site and in-the-field laboratory services strikes a chord with potential clients. That’s why he mentions the lab in just about all of his marketing materials. Such services send the message that a practice bases diagnoses on the timeliest information, practitioners say. Especially in highly competitive markets, that can be a …
