Mars Petcare acquires OptiGenApril 12, 2018 Mars Petcare acquired OptiGen LLC, a DNA diagnostics company specializing in canine inherited eye disorders. Included in the acquisition are exclusive licenses to a portfolio of genetic disease tests patented in the U.S., Australia, and many countries in Europe, and an extensive biobank of more than 150,000 samples collected over 20 years representing various canine eye diseases. Moving forward these samples will be used to discover new genetic health markers for dogs. With this acquisition, Wisdom Panel genetic test kits will now be able to detect more than 185 genetic disease mutations that will help breeders select the best breeding matches for genetically healthy offspring. "Through our Wisdom Health business, Mars Petcare is leading the discovery of new genetic markers for pet health," said Leonid Sudakov, president of Connected Solutions, the global ventures, consumer technology, and genetics division of Mars Petcare. "As our scientists seek to improve the understanding of the genetic basis of pet health and disease, this acquisition will contribute to the development of personalized veterinary care. We see our continued efforts to contribute to the ground-breaking companion animal genetics science as a great way to deliver on our purpose: …
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Cornell vets perform tricky cardiac procedure on shepherd puppyApril 11, 2018Cornell University Hospital for Animals (CUHA) and veterinarians from three countries joined forces to save a young German shepherd's life. At 6 months old, Rex was by far the calmest dog the Silverman family of New York had ever owned. Their other German shepherds all bounced off the walls at that age, so at first they attributed Rex's docile behavior to temperament. Nothing in his regular checkups indicated a problem, but when Rex became violently ill, the Silvermans noticed the dog's heart was racing and knew it was something far more serious. Gretchen Singletary, DVM, DACVIM, a veterinary cardiologist in New York, stabilized him and performed a series of tests, including an electrocardiogram that confirmed the presence of an arrhythmia. The culprit turned out to be a small bundle of muscle running inside the wall of his heart, a defect he was born with and likely caused his low energy. Dr. Singletary told Silverman that Rex was a candidate for radiofrequency catheter ablation, where small areas of the heart muscle are heated through the tip of a catheter to destroy abnormal tissue. It's a complicated, precise procedure, and only two places in the U.S. offer it routinely—a …
Canadian Kennel Club announces country's top breedsApril 10, 2018 The Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) released its annual list of the country's most popular dog breeds and, like the American Kennel Club's (AKC) list, Labrador retrievers maintained their position as leader of the pack, having held the honor in Canada since 1995. This year, the CKC welcomed a new breed to the official rankings of the country's best-loved: the Australian shepherd made the list for the first time in more than 25 years, taking the No. 9 position and bumping the Yorkshire terrier out of the top 10. "The Aussie can do it all," said Shawna Wiebe, president of the Canadian National Australian Shepherd Association. "They are a very intelligent, athletic dog in a moderate package. They can move from the herding arena, to the agility ring, to the rally ring, to the Frisbee field, with great ease." Australian shepherds are ideal for active families who are looking for a dog to keep up with them. The breed thrives in a home that is committed to socializing and training them, Wiebe added. German Shepherds, golden retrievers, and poodles remain in the CKC's No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 spots, respectively, while Shetland sheepdogs and …
UF study says hearing loss in stranded animals causes behavior changesApril 10, 2018Several years ago, University of Florida aquatic animal veterinarian Michael Walsh, DVM, a clinical associate professor of aquatic animal health at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine, noticed a concerning pattern of two stranded dolphins after they had been rescued. Both dolphins returned to the beach once they had been released back into the wild. While Dr. Walsh worked to rehabilitate the animals, he noticed they exhibited numerous behavioral problems. A hearing test at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Fla., revealed one of the dolphins was completely deaf (the second dolphin couldn't be tested), which led Walsh to wonder whether the problem of animals adapting to new environments might be hearing related and more common than initially thought. When Megan Strobel, DVM, then a first-year UF veterinary medical student, went to Walsh, her faculty mentor, in 2013 to discuss a possible research project, he suggested that she might compare hearing capacity and behavior changes in wild and facility-housed dolphins. The result of their collaboration, which also involved numerous other individuals and organizations, was a study that appeared in the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine. The study found that stranded animals with hearing deficits showed markedly different behaviors than animals …
Veterinarians not advising clients of proper pet meds disposal, says OSU studyApril 9, 2018Recent research from Oregon State University (OSU) found that more than 60 percent of veterinary professionals do not instruct their clients about proper disposal of medicine used by their companion animals. "People are just starting to understand the impact that discarded pharmaceuticals and personal care products have on the environment," said the study's corresponding author, Jennifer Lam, who worked on the research while a graduate student in marine resource management at Oregon State University. "This study opens the door and shows a communication gap, shows where there's an opportunity to help educate people. There's not much communication going on between veterinary care professionals and their clients on how to dispose of expired pet medicines, meaning there's a lot of potential for those professionals to help their clients learn what to do." Lam and other OSU researchers surveyed 191 pet owners and almost 50 percent placed unused veterinary care products and medicine in the garbage. Researchers surveyed 88 environmental educators and 103 veterinary care professionals. The survey revealed 61 percent of the veterinary professionals did not share information about proper disposal with their clients. The 39 percent who reported sharing that information did so 19 percent of …
Vet Set Go, Royal Canin ready to send aspiring veterinarians to campApril 9, 2018Royal Canin and Vet Set Go, the first and only community dedicated to aspiring teen and tween veterinarians, have announced the launch of the 2018 Become A Veterinarian Camp Contest. The contest offers students entering sixth through eighth grade the chance to win a spot at Auburn University's Junior Vet Camp from July 15-20. The prize package includes free tuition, meals, and housing. "The love of animals is often where the early passion is ignited for veterinarians," said Chris Carpenter, DVM, MBA, founder and president of Vet Set Go. "Our field is expected to grow in the coming years, and this time in adolescents' lives is critical to nurture and support these dreams and give a glimpse of what the future can hold. We couldn't do this without the support of Royal Canin and are grateful for the partnership." Three grand-prize winners will be chosen to attend the camp to learn about veterinary medicine first-hand in classrooms, laboratories, and outdoor facilities. Students will learn about public health, food, animals, wildlife, anatomy, X-rays, and first aid, as well as gain valuable mentoring about veterinary science careers while on the campus in Auburn, Ala. "Royal Canin believes veterinarians are at the …
MAF Unite to Fight Animal Cancer campaign kicks off fifth yearApril 9, 2018Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) has launched its fifth annual Unite to Fight Animal Cancer campaign, which raises funds for research that will lead to new information about how to prevent, diagnose earlier, and treat animal cancers. In dogs and cats, cancer accounts for nearly half of all disease-related deaths each year, with approximately 11 million new diagnoses made annually. Since 1948, MAF has funded more than 300 cancer studies—investing nearly $40 million. "Imagine a world where all cancers are treatable and more cures possible," said Tiffany Grunert, acting president/CEO of MAF. "This is a vicious disease that is seen in the pets we love and the wild animals we admire, and with the help of our supporters we can change that." MAF funding has led to numerous breakthroughs and advancements in cancer care, including: Improved cancer surgery imaging for complete surgical removal of tumors in cats and dogs, improving both treatment decisions and decreasing incidence of tumor recurrence Testing of a canine melanoma vaccine, now confirmed safe and effective in horses with melanoma, providing an effective treatment for a devastating cancer in horses Clinical trials for promising treatments for osteosarcoma, a devastating cancer in dogs, that give …
LexaGene, Ethos Veterinary Health partner for pathogen detection testingApril 6, 2018LexaGene has partnered with Ethos Veterinary Health, which has hospitals across the U.S., to test canine urine samples on LexaGene's prototype LX6 diagnostic tool for more effective, rapid and on-site pathogen detection. The samples have been previously characterized using conventional technologies such as MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry at LexaGene's reference laboratory, the company said. The organization is currently developing the LX6 tool as an open access, fully automated platform that allows end users to load real-time PCR assays. It will process six samples at a time and return results in around an hour, according to the company. "Veterinarians at Ethos will send LexaGene clinical annotated samples for processing, which will allow our team to continue to fine-tune and perfect our pathogen detection prototype's testing capabilities," said Jack Regan, Ph.D., LexaGene CEO. "This process is vital as we improve sensitivity to different isolates. We expect this to be a long-lasting collaboration as we work together to bring the best product possible to the veterinary market." "We've recently performed a market assessment for LexaGene's technology by interviewing many emergency and critical care veterinarians, and—coupled with an internal financial assessment of the cost of conventional testing versus …
J.M. Smucker to purchase Rachael Ray's Nutrish dog food brandApril 6, 2018J.M. Smucker Co., owner of Kibbles 'n Bits, Meow Mix, and other pet brands, announced that it will buy the maker of Rachael Ray-branded dog food, Nutrish. Orrville, Ohio-based Smucker said it will pay about $1.9 billion for Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, Nutrish's parent company. The company's other pet-food brands include Better Than! and Dad's. Ray has a licensing agreement with Ainsworth, which will continue with Smucker after the deal is completed, which is expected to happen in the coming months. Nutrish promotes itself as using high-quality ingredients to satisfy a growing number of pet owners seeking greater nutrition for their companions.
Ceva, Fear Free offer veterinary practice certificationApril 6, 2018Ceva Animal Health and Fear Free have partnered to offer practice certification to qualifying veterinary hospitals. Since the Fear Free training and certification program launched in 2016, more than 20,000 professionals have enrolled. "Fear Free is excited to leverage Ceva's existing talent of highly-qualified, educated, and passionate veterinarians for practice certification," said Marty Becker, DVM, founder and CEO of Fear Free. "This collaboration will allow us to offer a larger number of certification visits, with a highly trained team, at affordable rates to hospitals." "Ceva is proud to be an inaugural sponsor of Fear Free and believes strongly in the program and its mission," said Craig Wallace, CEO and NAPAC Zone Director at Ceva. "Our veterinary services team and territory managers know firsthand how adoption of these protocols improves the experience of the pet, the pet owner, and even hospital staff leading to more frequent and more in-depth appointments. We look forward to helping veterinary hospitals become certified by embracing the Fear Free approach, which benefits all involved." The Fear Free way The certification program was based on the input of its 160-member advisory panel, comprised of board-certified veterinary behaviorists, veterinary practice management experts, and …
