Texas Tech CVM secures $69M investment from Amarillo City CouncilMay 9, 2018The Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine (TTUSVM) in Amarillo, Texas, got one step closer to reality yesterday when the Amarillo City Council approved funding up to $69 million to ensure the school's construction. The deal is an amendment to an agreement between the Texas Tech University System and the Amarillo Economic Development Corp. TTUSVM will be the only veterinary school in the country co-located with a pharmacy and medical school on the same campus, expanding opportunities for translational medicine and research. The Texas Tech vet school aims to address the shortage of veterinarians serving rural communities in a cost-effective manner by eliminating the need for a teaching hospital and partnering with local and regional veterinarians, according to a statement. The project is supported by the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, the Texas and Southwest Cattle Raisers Association, and the Texas Farm Bureau, among others. "Throughout the history of the Texas Tech University System, the Amarillo community has helped set the standard for support and cultivation of higher education opportunities," said Robert Duncan, chancellor. "We are grateful for Amarillo's partnership and shared vision for transforming the landscape of veterinary education to ensure the prosperity of our vital agricultural industries. Amarillo's commitment to bring the school of veterinary medicine to …
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Spayathon for Puerto Rico kicks off in JuneMay 9, 2018The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) along with a coalition of 22 organizations from around the world will begin the first round of the Spayathon for Puerto Rico, June 3-9. The initiative, which is offered at no cost to pet owners, aims to spay and neuter at least 20,000 dogs and cats in the territory by May 2019. "This is the first time such a broad collection of national and international groups has come together to intensively reduce the population of animals across an island," said Tara Loller, senior director, strategic campaigns and initiatives, HSUS. "We could not make this historic event happen without the generous participation of each and every coalition member." The initiative will be funded with support from nonprofit organizations, including Maddie's Fund, PetSmart Charities, Petco Foundation, GreaterGood.org, and the 20/22 Act Society. Additional resources will come from groups including Banfield Foundation, Best Friends Animal Society, and Rescue Bank, which will provide supplies, such as vaccines, pet food, and crates. Veterinary teams from Emancipet, ViDAS, Veterinarians for Puerto Rico, Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell University, and Helping Paws Across Borders will provide high-volume spay/neuter services in locations across the island. Ground support will be …
MAF study finds tramadol ineffective against osteoarthritis in dogsMay 9, 2018 A report funded by the Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) out of the University of Georgia has found tramadol to be ineffective in alleviating signs of pain associated with osteoarthritis in dogs. "The data shows conclusively that tramadol is not an effective drug in treating the pain associated with arthritis in the dog, despite its common recommendation," said Steven Budsberg, DVM, BS, MS, DACVS, professor of surgery/director of clinical research at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. "This use of tramadol is a classic example of failing to acknowledge and control for bias when evaluating a potential treatment." The reported data was collected by Dr. Budsberg and his research team via a randomized, blinded, placebo, and positive-controlled crossover study. The group compared tramadol against both placebo and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, with dogs afflicted with osteoarthritis of the elbow or knee assigned to receive each of three treatments in a random order and each treatment arm lasting for 10 days. Improvement was measured using a variety of tests to evaluate the patient's gait and pain. The results showed no improvement when tramadol was administered compared to either baseline or placebo. "This study reinforces the need to carefully and …
Kindred Biosciences' Mirataz commercially available in U.S.May 9, 2018Update: this product is now commercially available in the U.S. Kindred Biosciences Inc. has received approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for Mirataz (mirtazapine transdermal ointment) for the management of weight loss in cats. Mirtazapine, which blocks specific serotonin and histamine receptors that play a role in appetite and nausea, demonstrated a 3.9 percent increase in body weight in cats with unintended weight loss in as little as 14 days, according to San Francisco-based Kindred. To help improve owner and patient compliance, Mirataz will be available in a topical formulation applied to the inner pinna of a cat's ear. Research shows daily topical application for 14 days resulted in measurable plasma concentrations of mirtazapine in cats, the manufacturer stated. Mirataz offers the confidence of a product approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine, convenience of transdermal application, Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) production quality, known stability, manufacturer technical support, and a practical way to manage feline weight loss without administration of oral medication, according to Valentine S. Williams, DVM, DACVS, director of veterinary affairs at Kindred Biosciences.
Should televeterinary medical practitioners be globally certified?May 8, 2018At the second annual Veterinary Innovation Summit (VIS), which concluded recently on the campus of Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (TAMUCVM), several of the veterinary startup exhibitors included a televeterinary component in their offerings, and it also was a common lecture and breakout topic. Currently, most state practice acts require a hands-on physical exam to create a veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR) before a veterinarian can provide any service that might involve animal diagnosis, prognosis or prescription. One of the breakout sessions featured Rolan Tripp, DVM, who spoke on the subject, "Should telemedicine practitioners be globally certified?" Following is an interview with Dr. Tripp about his presentation. How long have you been interested in telemedicine? I published my first futurist article in 1984, "Veterinary Telecommunications," and incorporated a business of the same name in 1986, so I have been interested in this field for quite some time. In that first article I predicted that high-speed broadband internet would be ubiquitous and global televeterinary medicine would be common by the year 2000. Why suggest a global standard now? Control at the state level made sense when every animal patient lived within a reasonable …
AVMA announces recipients of three major awardsMay 8, 2018The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and Merck Animal Health announced the winners of the AVMA Humane Award, the AVMA Animal Welfare Award, and the Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award, which will be presented at the 2018 AVMA Convention in Denver. AVMA Humane Award The AVMA Humane Award is presented to a nonveterinarian who has helped advance the welfare of animals through leadership, public service, education, research/product development, and advocacy. Amanda Arrington, director and founder of the Pets for Life program at the Humane Society of the United States, has received the 2018 AVMA Humane Award. Pets for Life has assisted 130,000 pets to date, raising awareness about the needs of pets in poverty and helping pet owners keep the pets they love in safe, forever homes. AVMA Animal Welfare Award The AVMA Animal Welfare Award is presented to an AVMA member veterinarian in recognition of his or her achievement in advancing the welfare of animals via leadership, public service, education, research/product development, and advocacy. T. Robert Bashara, DVM, founder of Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals in and around Omaha, Neb., has received the 2018 AVMA Animal Welfare Award. A …
KSU veterinarian, interns help bald eagle soar after lead poisoningMay 8, 2018Thanks to action by staff of the Milford Nature Center and veterinary intervention at Kansas State University (KSU), a bald eagle suffering from lead contamination is flying once again. The eagle, brought to the Veterinary Health Center at KSU, was depressed, emaciated, not eating, and unable to fly, leaving it with a poor prognosis for regaining its health, according to James Carpenter, DVM, DACZM, professor of wildlife and zoological medicine. After the bird was admitted to the Veterinary Health Center, a physical examination and testing found it was suffering from lead poisoning. It was also determined that the eagle was a male around 4.5 years old. Birds acquire lead poisoning most commonly by consuming dead animals that were shot by lead bullets or from other sources of lead contamination, said Dr. Carpenter, adding that lead toxicity is a common ailment in eagles. Before joining KSU in 1989, Carpenter headed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Endangered Species Propagation Program at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland for 15 years. During this time, this program reintroduced 83 captive-produced eagles into the wild in 13 states. "While I was at Patuxent, a severely debilitated eagle was brought to us and we …
Petland retail franchise hires consulting veterinarianMay 8, 2018Petland, which offers retail pet franchises across the U.S., Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa, Brazil, and El Salvador, has hired Thomas Edling, DVM, MSpVM, MPH, as the Chillicothe, Ohio-based company's consulting veterinarian. "Petland cares about the health of our pets before they arrive at our stores, while they are in our care and after they go home," said Joe Watson, Petland pesident and CEO. "We are excited to have the leadership of Dr. Edling in assisting Petland to exceed the needs of our pets and our customers." Edling, who received his degree in veterinary medicine from Colorado State University, previously served as vice president of veterinary medicine for Petco and was on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. In addition, he completed the American Board of Veterinary Practitioner's residency program for companion and wild avian medicine and surgery at North Carolina State University, where he also received his master's degree in specialized veterinary medicine in 2001. In 2011, he completed the master of public health program at Johns Hopkins University. Edling will work closely with the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, the Centers for Disease …
Amazon enters the pet food arena with dry kibbleMay 7, 2018Everyone wants a bite of the pet food market, including Amazon, which just this week launched its own brand of dog food, Wag. According to the American Pet Products Association, Americans spent $32 billion on pet food in 2017, and competition among online and brick-and-mortar retailers isn't slowing any time soon. Wag, available to Amazon Prime customers, comes in chicken, beef and lentil, and salmon varieties, and contains no added grains, according to the online retailer. The dry kibble comes in 5-pound bags for $12.99 and 30-pound bags for $44.99, and a 15-pound bag for puppies for $26.99. Amazon's guarantee of quality statement claims that all its pet food is manufactured in the U.S., with U.S. and imported ingredients (but doesn't specify countries of origin), and each serving is comprised of 35 percent protein. The company plans to offer additional products at a later date, said spokesperson Nell Rona.
MedVet Chicago becomes eighth Level I Veterinary Trauma CenterMay 7, 2018MedVet Chicago joins an elite group as the eighth hospital internationally to be certified by the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC) Board of Regents and Veterinary Committee on Trauma (VetCOT) as an official Level I Veterinary Trauma Center (VTC) and the only Level 1 VTC in Chicago. Hospitals receiving this distinction undergo an intensive application and verification process that requires the availability of board-certified specialists for consultation seven days per week in the fields of emergency and critical care and trauma-related specialties, a team-based approach to trauma care, and a demonstrated commitment to continual process improvement, education enhancement, and internal (between specialty groups) and external (between trauma centers) collaborations. MedVet Chicago is certified by the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS) as a Level 1 Emergency Facility. "We are honored to be recognized for our commitment to delivering exceptional service and care to our patients, clients, and referral partners," said Michael Podell, senior medical officer, MedVet, a veterinary-led and employee-owned growing network of emergency and specialty animal hospitals. "Our team of well-qualified, experienced, and compassionate critical care and emergency medicine doctors, board-certified specialists, and expertly trained technicians and …
