Letters to the Editor: July 2016 IssueJuly 28, 2016Don’t discount what’s learned in practice The JAVMA editor’s one sentence tells you all you need to know about his bias: “As scientists, Brinster et al. surely know that expert opinion is the very lowest tier of the evidence pyramid.” [“JAVMA editor-in-chief responds,” Viewpoint, June 2016] After 42 years of private practice without a single malpractice claim or complaint I can say that I learned far more veterinary medicine from my patients, colleagues and clients than I ever learned in school. Even after 40 years in equine practice I was amazed at what I was continuing to learn from at least one or two new cases almost every week. Veterinarians who spend their lives in academia have a very hard time learning the art of veterinary medicine. Certainly, some expert opinions are more valid than others, but weighing that is where the art of medicine is essential. Most every medical decision I made was based on the evidence in front of my eyes. Rarely did I give much weight to the statistical difference in …
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DVGSF and Blue Buffalo Foundation give $60K in scholarships for RUSVM studentsJuly 28, 2016The DeVry Education Group Scholarship Fund (DVGSF) and the Blue Buffalo Foundation has announced a new scholarship program totaling $60,000 for students at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM). Blue Buffalo selected RUSVM as the first institution to benefit from its new initiative to provide financial support to aspiring veterinarians.
PetCure Oncology plans 30 hospitalsJuly 28, 2016PetCure Oncology, which rolled out stereotactic radiosurgery for cancer-stricken pets just over a year ago, has big expansion plans.
Petco retreats from 'Pet Check' programJuly 28, 2016Might pet owners view groomers as de facto veterinarians? Yes, says the America Veterinary Medical Association, which persuaded Petco to change the retail chain’s “7-point Pet Care Check.” The campaign called on Petco groomers to examine a pet’s eyes, ears, teeth, nose, underside, skin, coat, nails and pads to “make sure nothing looks or feels abnormal.”
Cattle vets to gather in N.C.July 27, 2016Registration has opened for the American Association of Bovine Practitioners’ 49th annual conference, which will be held September 15 to 17 in Charlotte, N.C.
Texas bow-kill case still unresolvedJuly 27, 2016Texas veterinarian Kristen Lindsey, DVM, who is fighting to keep her license after she killed a cat in a widely publicized case, will have to wait if she wants another chance to defend herself.
Texas A&M restoring penguin eyesightJuly 27, 2016Texas A&M University veterinarians are striving to become national experts on penguin cataract surgery. Their potential patients aren’t thousands of miles away in Antarctica but at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas.
Acupuncture group continues push for specialtyJuly 27, 2016The American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture intends to reapply for official recognition after its petition was denied by the American Board of Veterinary Specialties, which found “a lack of scientific basis” for an acupuncture specialty.
Cornell develops cornea model of infectionJuly 27, 2016Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine researchers say they have developed a model system that can be used to test drugs for treating feline herpes virus 1 (FHV-1).
University of Saskatchewan achieves reproductive firsts for wood bisonJuly 27, 2016University of Saskatchewan veterinary researchers say they have achieved reproductive firsts for the wood bison (Bison bison athabascae), a species in which only up to 7,000 remain in the wild.
