Penn Vet Researchers Advance One Health Concepts in EducationMarch 15, 2016Stephen Cole, VMD, and Shelley Rankin, BSc, Ph.D., two researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet), are advancing the One Health concepts by developing two case studies for use in health education. One Health is the idea that the health and wellbeing of humans, animals and the environment are interconnected. “In the veterinary field we talk about One Health almost every single day, but there are few people in the medical profession who actually understand what that means,” said Dr. Rankin, an associate professor of microbiology. “With these case studies, we can really demonstrate why One Health is a meaningful concept for clinicians across fields.” In medical training, a case study approach to learning asks students to imagine that they are already practicing professionals and walk through how they would handle a challenging scenario, Penn Vet noted. Dr. Cole, a postdoctoral fellow, felt that students could benefit from more exposure to case studies in their education as a chance to truly engage with the material they learn in lectures. “I wanted to put together case studies …
SPONSORED CONTENTDon't just protect. Triple protect.Replace two products with one convenient monthly chew. + See the difference
Expert: Introduce Vectra 3D to Heartworm FightMarch 14, 2016Ceva Animal Health is urging veterinarians and dog owners to add the topical parasiticide Vectra 3D to heartworm drug regimens as an additional layer of protection. The Double Defense campaign, unveiled last week at the WVC conference in Las Vegas, reminds practitioners and clients that heartworm preventives are extremely effective—perhaps 99.99 percent—but that mosquitoes, when given enough chances, can capitalize on slim opportunities and infect a dog. “After fighting heartworm the same way for decades, it’s time for a new approach,” said John McCall, professor emeritus of infectious diseases at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. A study conducted by McCall, MS, Ph.D., found that Vectra 3D (dinotefuran/pyriproxyfen/permethrin) was at least 95 percent effective in repelling and killing mosquitoes for 28 days. The monthly spot-on is labeled for use on dogs to fight fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. C. Thomas Nelson, DVM, who co-authored the American Heartworm Society’s heartworm guidelines, noted that macrocyclic lactones used to prevent heartworms in dogs are virtually 100 percent effective. “Virtually … doesn’t mean completely,” Dr. Nelson said. “You can’t stop it all,” he added. “Something is going to get through.” The efficacy of heartworm preventives also is threatened by resistance issues. In …
Vet Tech CE Day Proves Extremely PopularMarch 14, 2016What if you scheduled a conference for 50 veterinary technicians and then 250 accepted the invitation? You would find a larger meeting place. That’s what Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center (VSEC) did after receiving overwhelming demand for the 2016 Greater Philadelphia Area Veterinary Technician Conference. The free, daylong educational event will take place Saturday at The Brookside Manor in the suburban community of Feasterville-Trevose, 20 miles from VSEC’s Philadelphia hospital. “We’ve just been completely overwhelmed by the demand,” said Scott Franco, the conference organizer and VSEC’s marketing manager. Even with seats reserved for 250 vet techs, more than a dozen other veterinary professionals were placed on a waiting list. “There are a lot of veterinary conferences with a veterinary technician’s track, but a free event like this is pretty rare,” said hospital co-owner Laura W. Tseng, DVM, Dipl. ACVECC. Five continuing-education credits will be awarded to veterinary technicians attending lectures on anesthesia, nutrition, triage, oncology and grief management. A lunchtime roundtable discussion will feature three veterinary technician specialists. The event drew support from the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association, which will staff a booth, and from corporate sponsors Antech Diagnostics, Brief Media, Elanco Animal Health, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Stokes …
$20 Million Gift Brings CSU Closer to Research InstituteMarch 11, 2016Colorado State University recently reported that an anonymous racehorse breeder has donated $20 million to build a regenerative medicine research facility. This fulfills a $65 million matching challenge from lead donors John and Leslie Malone, according to the university. The Malones, who raise dressage horses and Thoroughbred racehorses, pledged $42.5 million for the planned facility in late 2014. They challenged CSU to raise $32.5 million to match the equivalent amount that they directed to building the facility. The Malones’ additional $10 million is slated for institute operations over the first five years. Groundbreaking of the CSU Institute for Biologic Translational Therapies, which will feature laboratories, specialized surgical suites and conference space for veterinarians and physicians, is expected to take place later this year. “We are deeply grateful for another tremendous gift to help establish the Institute for Biologic Translational Therapies,” said CSU President Tony Frank. “This support, combined with the transformational gift from John and Leslie Malone, will advance Colorado State’s work in a new era of veterinary and translational medicine.” The Institute for Biologic Translational Therapies will develop next-generation remedies based on living cells and their products. These include patient-derived stem cells to …
Fred Gingrich, DVM, Named Ohio Veterinarian of the YearMarch 10, 2016The Ohio Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) has named American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) President Fred Gingrich, DVM, the 2015 Veterinarian of the Year. Outgoing OVMA President Dr. Brad Garrison presented the award, largely considered the Association’s highest honor, during a special award ceremony at the annual Midwest Veterinary Conference. A 1995 graduate of the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Gingrich is the owner of Country Roads Veterinary Services and Ashland Veterinary Clinic in Ashland, Ohio, where he practices dairy and small animal medicine. Dr. Gingrich is a champion for the Ohio Dairy Veterinarians Association and has worked to educate veterinarians and dairy producers across the state on responsible drug use. On a national level, his involvement in organized veterinary medicine includes serving on the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Task Force on Veterinary Compounding Legislation, the Clinical Practitioners Advisory Committee and the Council on Biologic and Therapeutic Agents. A long-time member of the AABP, Dr. Gingrich is also a past winner of the organization’s Preventative Medicine Dairy Award and recently assumed the role of president. “To rise to such national prominence obviously speaks well of his talents and standing with his veterinary …
Gavel Passed on to New OVMA President at Annual ConventionMarch 10, 2016Scott Pendleton, DVM, of Cadiz, Ohio, has assumed the role of President of the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA). At the organization’s annual Midwest Veterinary Conference (MVC), outgoing President Dr. Brad Garrison passed the gavel on to his successor. “I value the work of organized veterinary medicine and the real changes it can make for the practicing veterinarian,” Dr. Pendleton said, remarking that his main goal for his presidency will be to increase support for the OVMA’s Veterinary Political Action Committee (VPAC). Dr. Pendleton’s one-year term as president officially began March 1. He will lead the OVMA’s 20-member Board of Directors, which guides the association’s policies, resources and strategies. In the past, he has served the Board as vice president, secretary and district representative. Type image credit here Dr. Pendleton’s primary goal for his year as president is to increase support for OVMA’s Veterinary Political Action Committee. A 1989 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Pendleton is owner of Cadiz Animal Clinic, where he practices solo mixed-animal veterinary medicine. Dr. Pendleton is also president of the Harrison County Historical Society and is a birdwatcher. He …
Auburn Vet Students Begin PreceptorshipsMarch 10, 2016Senior class students from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine have begun their eight-week preceptorships. Preceptorships give students an opportunity to apply what they have learned in classrooms, laboratories and clinical rotations in a real-world setting under the supervision of veterinarians around the world, according to the college which made the announcement in early March. Students are required to choose a hosting practice that is at least 30 miles away from the college. Practices undergo a “rigorous evaluation process” before they can host students, the college noted. (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Rob Schnurr, far right, is in Hannover University College of Veterinary Medicine in Hannover, Germany. Posted by Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 The class of 2016 is comprised of 116 students. While many will be staying close to home (27 students will remain in Alabama and 24 will go to Kentucky), others will be completing their preceptorships in locations such as California, Montana …
Veterinary Student Rides Bike Across U.K. for CharityMarch 9, 2016Twenty-year-old Francesca Cutts is a 3rd-year veterinary student at the Royal Veterinary College in London. As if the demands of veterinary school were not enough, Cutts is embarking on another grueling task: Riding a bicycle across the United Kingdom. Cutts, who works at Greendale Veterinary Diagnostics in Woking, began the 250,000-mile journey on Feb. 27 in John O’Groats. The goal is to raise $355,255 (£250,000) for Sport Relief, a nonprofit that “focuses amongst other things on supporting vulnerable people with mental health problems,” Cutts told Get Surrey. The cause, she says, is close to her heart. “My personal target is to raise £1,052 ($1,494.91), which is a pound for every mile,” she added. “This is a huge total for me, and with the public’s help, I hope to beat it.” Of the challenge, Cutts told Get Surrey was that, “The first few days we were lucky with the weather so we could enjoy the beautiful scenery but the biggest difficulties have been the wind. It’s very frustrating to be hit and pushed back at all sides to feel like you’re not making any progress. But we all stuck together as a team and battled it …
British Study Reveals 1.4 Million Pet Owners Give Their Pets Human Meds to Avoid Veterinary ExpensesMarch 9, 2016One of the biggest complaints veterinarians hear is that the cost of veterinary care is too expensive. While some pet owners get pet insurance, make payments or find some other means of paying for it, one-third of the 1,000 pet owners surveyed in a recent British study have taken matters into their own hands by giving their pets human medications rather than paying veterinary fees. The study, conducted by pet insurance company MORE TH>N, revealed that one in 11 pet owners have given their pets over-the-counter medication, including anti-histamines, paracetamol, antiseptic creams, ibuprofen and aspirin. According to the study, pet owners gave these medications to their cats and dogs for issues such as “injured paws to cuts to insect and nettle stings.” The pet owners also admitted giving their pets these medications an average of seven times over the last year. When asked why they gave human medication to their dogs and cats, 35 percent of the surveyed pet owners “claimed they were trying to avoid incurring vet costs, 21 percent didn’t feel the …
Veterinarians Use 3D Printing to Help Three-Legged Dog Walk Without WheelsMarch 9, 2016Ziggy is a Border Collie who was found in 2014 with a broken leg. Because it had healed incorrectly, his front right leg had to be amputated. He was adopted from the Wacol RSPCA by University of Queensland PhD students Glenn Althor and Rebecca Colvin when he was three months old. The now 2-year-old dog was getting around on his remaining three legs; however, he has since been diagnosed with an angular limb deformity. Veterinarians say it is likely because the extra weight his front left leg is now bearing. Jayne McGhie, BVSc and senior lecturer at University of Queensland School of Veterinary Science, told Althor and Colvin that Ziggy would not be able to use his leg without experiencing pain, but that it was necessary to save it, ABC reports. After hearing the news, Althor and Colvin ordered a wheelchair for Ziggy and trained him how to use it — a temporary solution to help keep weight off his bad leg. In December, Dr. McGhie and Lance Wilson, BVSc(hons) MANZCVSc, performed surgery on Ziggy’s remaining front leg. McGhie told ABC that given Ziggy only had the one front leg, “I didn’t believe there was room …
