NYC Animal Medical Center leads global feline cardiovascular risk studyMay 21, 2018NYC's Animal Medical Center (AMC) announced the publication of a research study that identifies how hypertrophic cardiomyopathy—a form of heart disease that can cause sudden death and heart failure in people—is also present in cats and linked to serious health problems in these pets. Termed "The Reveal Study," the collaborative, international, 10-year investigation involved 50 veterinary centers in 21 countries in an effort to learn how this disease impacts the health of cats over more than a decade.1 Published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, lead author, Philip Fox, DVM, MS, DACVIM/ECVIM (Cardiology), DACVECC, is head of cardiology at the Animal Medical Center and director of its Caspary Research Institute. The study reports that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a global feline health problem and estimates that it might affect millions of pet cats. Although the disease has been known by veterinarians for nearly 50 years, almost nothing was known about its epidemiology until now. "The Reveal Study documented that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy puts cats at considerable risk to develop congestive heart failure, arterial blood clots, and cardiac death," said Dr. Fox. "Heart failure or blood clots occur in nearly one-third of affected cats, and overall, one in every three or …
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Vetstream, MicroLearn offer expanded veterinary professional elearningMay 21, 2018Veterinary digital content company Vetstream, creator of Vetacademy elearning platform, has partnered with elearning specialist MicroLearn. Vetacademy provides veterinary professionals with more than 300 clinical courses from various training and continuing professional development providers. The MicroLearn partnership adds to that menu more than 120 business training modules on topics including customer service, management and leadership, and workplace well-being. In each module, learners watch a short video before participating in interactive content to support learning. They are also given tasks or questions to complete to trigger activities or to help them to practice new skills and learn from experience or reflection. "In today's highly competitive market, running a successful practice requires more than excellent clinical skills," said Sharon Tongue, Vetstream's business development manager. "It also requires a high level of business acumen and experience—yet this is an area is not a major focus during undergraduate training for vets and vet nurses because the curriculum is so full." In addition to Vetacademy, Vetstream also offers Vetlexicon, an online peer-reviewed veterinary reference tool, as well as Webpartner, which offers a suite of website design, online content, and digital marketing services to the veterinary sector. "The MicroLearn …
Southern Veterinary Partners acquires hospital No. 50May 18, 2018Southern Veterinary Partners (SVP) has hit hospitals 49 and 50 with its acquisitions of Tender Paws Animal Hospital in Conroe, Texas, and Crossroads Animal Hospital in Newnan, Ga. Birmingham, Ala.-based SVP is veterinarian owned and operated and is the largest veterinary management company in the South, operating in 10 states. Tender Paws Animal Hospital is SVP's fifth location in Texas; Crossroads Animal Hospital is its sixth location in Georgia. "It seems fitting to welcome Crossroads Animal Hospital as the 50th member of the SVP family," said Jay Price, DVM, CEO of SVP. "On our journey so far, we have come across many crossroads, choosing direction, as we have grown SVP into what it is today and laying groundwork for the future. I am honored to lead this team and am proud of this milestone we have achieved as a result of hard work and collaboration. We look forward toward the next 50." The company also was recently named a Top Tiger from Auburn University, recognizing the fastest growing companies by Auburn graduates, and to the Fast Track 30 by the Birmingham Business Journal, listing the 30 fastest-growing companies in Birmingham. SVP provides centralized support including marketing; human resources; finance, inventory, …
AVMA seeks member opinion on license portability, student debt, globalizationMay 18, 2018The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is seeking member input regarding license portability, student debt, and globalization. Should veterinarians be allowed greater licensure portability to provide our critical services? What can the association do to address veterinary student debt? What role should the the association play internationally? The AVMA House of Delegates (HOD) is preparing to debate these topics at the upcoming Veterinary Information Forum (VIF) in Denver on July 12. Members should have recently received an email from their delegate asking for commentary on three topics: License portability: What is the need and what are the possible avenues for veterinarians to move across jurisdictions for temporary relief and disaster response? Student debt: Think outside the box. What hasn't been tried? Globalization: What role should the organization play internationally in our global society. The complete list of VIF topics, as well as resolutions and bylaws amendments that will be considered by the HOD, are available on the AVMA website. The association encourages all members to contact their delegate prior to the July meeting. Find delegates here, or respond to the email solicitation sent by your delegate.
VIP Petcare expands veterinary clinics in 4 statesMay 18, 2018VIP Petcare, based in Windsor, Calif., has expanded the reach of its preventive veterinary clinics throughout Washington, Maine, Kansas, and Louisiana. New clinics are at local pet retail stores, feed stores, and other retail locations in communities throughout the regions, including Tractor Supply, Pet Suppies, and Petsense. The VIP Petcare clinics at Tractor Supply operate as PetVet Community Clinics. With the opening of these new locations, VIP Petcare has now increased its national clinic footprint to include 38 states. Clinics will be conducted inside of the host locations, and will include a variety of services such as vaccinations, diagnostic testing, microchipping with a free nationwide registration, and prescription parasite prevention medications. The clinics are scheduled for specific times at retail locations on both weekends and weeknights, and do not require appointments. Visit vippetcare.com for more information.
OSU college of veterinary medicine awarded for HEEDMay 17, 2018The College of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University (OSU) recently earned national recognition for the quality and effectiveness of its inclusion initiatives, receiving a Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from the magazine INSIGHT Into Diversity. The university's Colleges of Medicine and Nursing also received HEED Awards in the health professions, along with 21 additional schools across North America. Holly Mendelson, the magazine's co-publisher, visited OSU to present the awards and cited the university's genuine commitment to inclusion and diversity practices through programming beyond mere "lip service." "We really wanted to be able to shine the light on the people doing that work, and show how you're shaping the future of this country," she said of the awards program. Mendelson commended OSU's College of Veterinary Medicine for a variety of programs designed to support diverse students and professionals, including the summer residential Buckeye Vet Prep Academy, a Buckeye Vet for a Day program for high school students, and the Buckeye Pre-Vet Exploration program for college undergraduates. Additionally, to further develop inclusive values among the community at large, the college diversity committee partnered with the Office of Student Life's Multicultural Center …
Companion Animal Health offers live-stream OA management courseMay 17, 2018Companion Animal Health has introduced a live-stream option for the company's Management of Geriatric Pets with Mobility Issues for the General Practitioner course. The course is designed to give general veterinary practices access to the tools required to meet the need for expanded osteoarthritis treatment options in companion animals, according to Newark, Del.-based Companion Animal Health. Attendees will earn 11 continuing education credits while learning multimodal approaches for successfully managing the geriatric, arthritic, and obese dog/cat. Course topics include: Photobiomodulation (laser therapy) for osteoarthritis Nutraceutical use for the geriatric, arthritic pet Pharmacologic management of osteoarthritis Business and marketing strategies Enrollment is now open. Veterinary professionals interested in attending this course can get more information on dates and pricing here.
Merck updates Prestige equine influenza vaccine lineMay 17, 2018Merck Animal Health announced it has added new influenza-containing vaccines for horses to its Prestige line of vaccines. "For the past 10 years, we've been monitoring influenza, along with other common infectious upper respiratory diseases, through the Merck Animal Health Biosurveillance Program—a partnership with the University of California, Davis," said D. Craig Barnett, DVM, director of equine veterinary professional services for Merck. "It was through this program that we identified and isolated a new highly infectious and relevant equine influenza strain from the 2013 Ocala, Fla., influenza outbreak that impacted a large number of horses from all over the world. This strain is now part of our updated line of influenza-containing killed virus vaccines and represents a current, clinically significant strain responsible for a large influenza outbreak in well-vaccinated horses." The vaccines include Florida '13 of the clade 1 family and Richmond '07 of the clade 2 family, meeting current World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) guidelines for clade 1 and clade 2 strains. The clade 1 family of equine influenza primarily circulates in the U.S., while clade 2 predominantly circulates in Europe. "While we have not had any …
Zoetis to buy Abaxis for $1.9 billionMay 16, 2018In an effort to gain a greater foothold in the veterinary diagnostics category, Zoetis veterinary drug corporation will acquire Abaxis diagnostic equipment manufacturer in a $1.9 billion deal, which was announced Wednesday. The acquisition is expected to close before the end of the year. According to MarketsandMarkets research firm, the worldwide veterinary diagnostics market is expected grow from $2.3 billion in 2017 to $3.6 billion in 2022. Zoetis, whose diagnostics business accounts for less than 1 percent of its overall annual revenue of $5.3 billion for 2017, seeks to leverage that expanding category. In a statement, the company reported it expects the sector to "continue to grow faster than the animal health industry, with growth in the mid to high single digits, driven by international adoption of point-of-care diagnostic instruments due to rising medicalization rates, increasing standard of veterinary care, and the convenience of in-clinic testing." Abaxis, headquartered in Union City, Calif., reported revenue of $227 million in 2017. The company manufactures chemistry and hematology diagnostic instruments and consumable discs, kits, and cartridges for the animal health industry. It recently launched its VetScan FLEX4 Rapid Test to detect heartworm, Lyme, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma …
UF credentialed program hones veterinary students' business acumenMay 16, 2018The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine is offering a program designed to help its students develop business-related skills from contract negotiations to debt management as practice owners. "Ours is the only college of veterinary medicine in the country that offers an academically credentialed business management certificate program," said Martha Mallicote, DVM, the program's director and a clinical assistant professor at the college. The UF Veterinary Business Management Certificate program, which began in 2013, is an offshoot of a business management course begun by Dana Zimmel, DVM, associate dean for clinical services and chief medical officer for the UF Veterinary Hospitals. The program features 10 hours of elective coursework, or six courses, including a clerkship, in which students provide the owner with a financial, fee, and compliance analysis, along with feedback on inventory management and a strategic marketing assessment. Students must complete a report summarizing their findings and suggest improvements. As of 2018, 109 students had earned a certificate and 38 veterinary practices had been evaluated through the program's practice management clerkship. "Student evaluations are very positive," Dr. Mallicote said. "We also get good feedback about them finding employment, as well as …
