KSU veterinary researchers, Anivive license FIP antiviral drugSeptember 20, 2018A collaboration at Kansas State University and Anivive Lifesciences is promoting the commercial development of GC376, an antiviral compound for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), which previously has had no effective treatment or cure. Yunjeong Kim, DVM, PhD, ACVM, and Kyeong-Ok "KC" Chang, DVM, MS, PhD, virologists at KSU's College of Veterinary Medicine, and William Groutas, a medicinal chemist at Wichita State University, have been collaborating since 2006 to develop antiviral drugs for human and animal viruses. The licensing agreement was coordinated by the KSU Institute for Commercialization with Anivive Lifesciences, a California company whose proprietary software accelerates the discovery and development process of new pet medicines. "We have been working on antiviral drugs that inhibit a specific virus protease of some important human and animal viruses, and we were able to make very potent inhibitors of FIP," Dr. Kim said. "Through collaborative work with Niels Pedersen at the University of California, Davis—including a field trial on feline patients—we became increasingly hopeful that antiviral treatment may one day substantially benefit cats with FIP. Licensing our compound to Anivive Lifesciences is a huge step forward in transitioning our research to commercialization to make this treatment available to the …
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Purina Institute seeks to advance nutritional scienceSeptember 20, 2018Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. intends for its newly launched Purina Institute to be "the global voice of Purina's science representing its more than 500 scientists, veterinarians, and pet care experts who are on a mission to advance nutritional science to help pets live longer, healthier lives," said the company in a statement. The institute seeks to elevate the topic of pet nutrition with veterinarians to drive conversations with pet owners about the role of nutrition in overall pet health. Current research shows that 83 percent of pet owners say they completely trust veterinarians to provide helpful information on pet food, but only 22 percent of veterinarians report initiating nutrition conversations with their clients. The Purina Institute will: Share Purina's nutritional discoveries (e.g., brain and digestive health, molecular nutrition), while leveraging expertise from Purina and Nestlé affiliates making discoveries in human nutrition Facilitate knowledge sharing and innovation by showcasing objective, fact-based information sourced from the wider scientific community on current trending topics across pet and human nutrition Collaborate with the global veterinary community and scientific thought leaders by hosting scientific events, roundtables, panel discussions, and webinars at the Institute's Conference and Education Facility in St. Louis Support …
Auburn CVM, fine arts museum enhance student radiology trainingSeptember 19, 2018The Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art have teamed up to teach veterinary students how to sharpen their radiology-reading skills. Students volunteered at the museum, examined works of art on display, and were asked to objectively describe the visual details they saw in each one and use the details to interpret the artwork. They then, along with Rachel Moon, DVM, DACVR, assistant clinical professor of radiology in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine, and Scott Bishop, curator of academic and public programs at the museum, entered the classroom to discuss their findings and interpretations. At the end of the session, students applied their newly developed skill set to examine radiographs and other diagnostic images. "Interpretation is based on our actual experience. There can be a lot of different interpretations based on a central theme," said Dr. Moon. "This is a pilot program for the college, but one that other medical training programs have adopted and one I felt was applicable to the clinical education of our student veterinarians." According to Dr. Moon, radiology is an integrated process between the art and the science of discovery …
Performance Dog recalls all frozen raw pet foodSeptember 19, 2018Bravo Packing Inc. of Carneys Point, N.J., has issued a voluntary recall of all Performance Dog products, a frozen raw pet food, due to potential Salmonella contamination. The company's recall comes after a sample of Performance Dog, collected during an FDA inspection, tested positive for Salmonella. No human or animal illnesses have been reported to date. Performance Dog generally works with the distributor Tefco, located in Brooklyn, which fills orders to brick-and-mortar retail stores or to consumers directly. Performance Dog comes frozen in 2-lb. and 5-lb. plastic sleeves. The recalled product has manufacture date code 071418. The manufacture date codes are printed on the boxes that contain the plastic sleeves, but not on the individual plastic sleeves. Therefore, if the cardboard box has been discarded, there are no unique identification numbers on the individual sleeves that allow customers to determine that they possess the recalled products. If you purchased this product since July 14 and cannot determine whether it is affected by the recall, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that you exercise caution and throw the product away. Consumers with questions should contact Bravo Packing Inc. at 856-299-1044, Monday - Friday 6 a.m. -2 p.m., and Saturday 4 …
Purdue awarded $3M grant to expand DVM diversity, opportunitySeptember 18, 2018Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine has been awarded a $3.18-million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to expand access to the veterinary profession for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds and address the need for more rural/food safety veterinarians. The Vet Up! National Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) Academy for Veterinary Medicine will address the national shortage of veterinarians in public health and rural/food animal practice in the state and beyond, as well as the lack of underrepresented individuals entering the veterinary profession. Vet Up! will leverage the university's history of diversity programming and partnerships with high schools as well as historically black colleges, universities, and state entities to design and deliver curricula that provide otherwise-inaccessible opportunities to students. Purdue's Evaluation and Learning Research Center will assess the impact of the programming on participants and the veterinary profession. The Vet Up! National Academy consists of three areas: Vet Up! Champions is a yearlong program to prepare high school students, working adults, and undergraduate students to attain their next level of education on the path toward a veterinary medical degree Vet Up! College is a summer immersion program to prepare undergraduate students to competitively apply to a …
Bayer, NeuroCycle partner to advance pet allergy treatmentsSeptember 18, 2018Bayer Animal Health and NeuroCycle Therapeutics Inc. have signed a global license agreement to advance allergy treatment options for companion animals. As part of the license agreement, Bayer will develop and commercialize novel compounds based on NeuroCycle's intellectual property. "[This] agreement underlines our strategy to combine the know-how from creative startup companies like NeuroCycle with opportunities derived from Bayer's research," said Douglas Hutchens, DVM, PhD, Bayer Animal Health's head of drug discovery, external innovation and chief veterinary officer. "It is a major milestone on our way to complementing our portfolio with novel treatment options against allergic diseases for the companion animal sector." The companies' goal is to maximize the humanitarian impact of their innovative technologies, according to Jed Hubbs, PhD, MS, CEO of NeuroCycle Therapeutics.
VCA Animal Hospitals partner with Get Your Pet to support pet adoptionSeptember 18, 2018VCA Animal Hospitals has partnered with pet adoption website getyourpet.com to help those across the U.S. who need to relinquish a pet connect directly with those looking to adopt. Get Your Pet lets guardians post a profile, photos, and a video for their pet on the site for free. Adopters can browse up-to-date pet profiles until they find a pet they want to meet, then safely message with the pet's guardian. If both sides agree, a legal adoption can take place. As part of the adoption process, a Get Your Pet veterinarian will examine the pet at no extra charge. Get Your Pet will save thousands of dogs and cats from entering animal shelters, where they are exposed to stress, illness and the possibility of being euthanized, " said Angela Marcus, Get Your Pet founder and animal welfare advocate. "We are thrilled to work with VCA to ensure each pet adopted through getyourpet.com is offered an immediate introduction to high-quality veterinary care for the life of the pet." VCA is now honoring Get Your Pet's Veterinary Voucher, providing a complimentary first exam for all adopted pets.
AAHA, Petplan launch association pet health insuranceSeptember 18, 2018The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), in partnership with Petplan, has launched the AAHA Pet Health Insurance Program, available to participating AAHA-accredited veterinary practices and their clients in the U.S. and Canada. With this offering, AAHA is "working to mitigate stress in the veterinary hospital by helping pet owners manage the cost of care for their pets, and by helping veterinarians practice their best medicine without budgetary constraints," said the association in a statement. "When it comes to providing the best care for patients, a pet owner's economic limitations can add stress to the equation," said Michael Cavanaugh, DVM, DABVP (Emeritus), AAHA CEO. "Pet health insurance is important because it offers pet owners and practice teams another way to manage the cost of veterinary care and help pets get the care they need. At the end of the day, this helps reduce strain in the veterinary practice while simultaneously increasing pets' access to care." Petplan provides a dedicated information hotline for all AAHA-accredited hospitals and clients so they can reach a Petplan service representative any time, day or night. "In launching this new collaboration, we're giving veterinary hospital teams the tools their clients need to understand the …
Study tackles nonprofit spay-neuter clinic controversySeptember 18, 2018Most pets seen in nonprofit spay-neuter clinics belong to low-income families and do not receive regular veterinary care, according to a study published Sept. 15 in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. In the JAVMA article, "Characteristics of clients and animals served by high-volume, stationary, nonprofit spay-neuter clinics," researchers Sara C. White, DVM, MSc; Julie K. Levy, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, DABVP; and Janet M. Scarlett, DVM, MPH, PhD, revealed the results of a nationwide study designed to determine to what extent low-cost spay-neuter clients are diverting clients from private practice veterinarians. The study, which surveyed 3,768 owners of 2,154 dogs and 1,902 cats admitted to 22 nonprofit spay-neuter clinics across the United States in a nine-month period, showed nonprofit spay-neuter clinics predominantly serve low-income clients, animals lacking regular veterinary care, shelter animals, and community cats. "Nonprofit spay-neuter clinics offer their services to pets who would not be sterilized otherwise," said Dr. White, executive director of Spay ASAP Inc. "Without them, a vital component of reducing pet overpopulation, as well as of public health, would be lost." Income challenges, transportation issues, and no local veterinary services all can delay or prevent spaying and neutering pets, usually is combined with …
Cytopoint now approved to treat canine allergic dermatitisSeptember 17, 2018Zoetis announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted an expanded indication for Cytopoint, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy for the treatment of allergic dermatitis in dogs. Administered every four to eight weeks, one injection of Cytopoint works by targeting and neutralizing interleukin-31 (IL-31), a key protein involved in triggering itch in dogs, offering both convenience and sustained efficacy, according to Zoetis. "This approval gives veterinarians much-needed flexibility for personalized treatment of allergic and atopic dermatitis in dogs with two therapeutic approaches—the injectable Cytopoint and the oral tablet Apoquel," said Thomas P. Lewis II, DVM, DACVD, of Dermatology for Animals in Gilbert, Ariz. "Allergic dogs and their owners have a variety of needs, and these medications from Zoetis can bring fast and long-lasting relief to my canine allergy patients, as well as bring peace of mind to their owners." Apoquel (oclacitinib tablet) is formulated to start relieving itch within four hours and provides veterinarians with the flexibility to start and stop itch control, according to Zoetis. Cytopoint begins to relieve itch within 24 hours and provides sustained itch relief for four to eight weeks, giving the skin time to heal, the company stated. They may …
