Veterinarian Wants to Help Cat Who is Allergic to Her TeethMarch 1, 2016Veterinarians understand the importance of dental care for pets, as well as the frustration that sometimes accompanies it — both from a client and doctor point of view — when the client just can’t afford the necessary procedure for their pet. When Amy Laws, DVM, came across Sassy, she was met with that exact frustration. Sassy is a 3-year-old cat with Feline Lymphocytic Plasmacytic Stomatitis, KAIT reports. The chronic allergy to tartar buildup is causing the cat excruciating pain. Dr. Laws, along with other staff at the Harrisburg Veterinary Clinic in Harrisburg, Ark., posted on the clinic’s Facebook page that they “have been doing pain medication, antibiotics and cold laser therapy to help keep the pain at bay, but it is not helping anymore.” “With any little bit of bacteria, her mouth reacts to it and she gets ulcers and then the ulcers get bigger,” Dr. Laws told KAIT. “Every time she closes her mouth she chews on the inside of her cheeks and so they are raw and bleeding.” The Harrisburg Veterinary Clinic Facebook post added that “the insides of her cheeks look like ground …
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Auburn University Welcomes Theriogenology ResidentMarch 1, 2016Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine recently welcomed its second theriogenology resident, Carla Barstow, DVM. Dr. Barstow was named recipient of the American Kennel Club/Theriogenology Foundation Companion Animal Residency in Theriogenology in late February. “We are very excited to not only have this residency position, but also to have Dr. Barstow,” said Robyn Wilborn, DVM, Dipl. ACT, a faculty clinician in the Theriogenology Service, one of several faculty members who will mentor Dr. Barstow while at Auburn. “Dr. Barstow has extensive experience in the dog show arena and has so much to offer our clients.” After receiving her veterinary degree from the University of Minnesota, Barstow entered private practice in Florida. The practice emphasized reproduction, and encouraged Dr. Barstow to expand her theriogenology training, according to Auburn University. This is Auburn’s second resident to be fully funded by the AKC/AKC Canine Health Foundation. “We believe this speaks to the international reputation the college has in the reproduction field as well as our commitment to companion animal theriogenology,” Dr. Wilborn said.
Veterinary Dentist Gives Dog Braces and It's Just Too CuteFebruary 29, 2016“When people hear that Dr. Moore is a ‘doggie dentist,’ they immediately say things like: ‘What? Does he put braces on dogs, too?’” Harborfront Hospital for Animals in Spring Lake, Minn., wrote on its Facebook page. “The answer is yes. Yes, he does.” He also does root canals and oral surgery. James Moore, DVM, recently placed braces on his “grand dog,” Wesley. While braces are often for aesthetic purposes in humans, for dogs they’re because of health issues. Wesley’s adult teeth grew in misaligned, so much so that he couldn’t close his mouth completely, Harborfront Hospital for Animals continued in its Facebook post. Rather than let him continue to have trouble eating, the solution, of course, was simple: braces. Posted by Harborfront Hospital for Animals on Friday, February 26, 2016 Though often uncomfortable for humans, Harborfront Hospital for Animals reported that having braces “doesn’t bother him one little bit… He’s a happy little guy.” Posted by Harborfront Hospital for Animals on Friday, February 26, 2016 Wesley will only have to wear the braces for a few weeks.
Veterinary Assistant Comforts Scared Puppy in the Sweetest Way PossibleFebruary 29, 2016Surgery can be a scary thing. We panic, our bodies shake, we may worry we won’t wake from the anesthesia. But what’s it like for pets? While they don’t know they’re about to have surgery, they do feel the aftereffects of it, including pain or discomfort or the odd feeling of coming off the anesthesia. As veterinary professionals, what do you do in those situations? If you’re Dennis Moses, a surgical assistant at the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), you take the dog in your arms and comfort her. “Baby Meesha was coming off her anesthesia and was a little scared because her body felt so weird,” BARCS posted on Facebook. Moses took Meesha in the hallway, where it was quiet. As the pit bull mix puppy whimpered, Moses rocked her, sang to her and kissed her head. The sweet, touching moment was captured on video by a BARCS volunteer. Watch: Baby Meesha was coming off her anesthesia and was a little scared because her body felt so weird. BARCS Surgical Assistant Dennis Moses took her out into the quiet hallway to comfort her. One of …
Zoetis Readies Simparica for U.S. LaunchFebruary 26, 2016Zoetis Inc.’s new flea and tick fighter, Simparica, has won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for use in dogs at least 6 months old. Simparica (sarolaner) Chewables received European Commission endorsement in November as an approved killer of four common European ticks and two types of fleas. The U.S. formulation is indicated for use against adult fleas, flea infestations and the Lone Star, Gulf Coast, American and brown dog ticks. The preventive’s U.S. release is planned for March, Zoetis announced Thursday. “Simparica is exciting for two reasons: It acts fast to kill fleas and ticks, and it maintains its efficacy all month long,” said Chris Adolph, DVM, Dipl. ACVM, a veterinary specialist with Zoetis. “Simparica kills fleas before they can reproduce and create a home infestation, and it kills ticks fast.” Zoetis, based in Florham Park, N.J., is marketing the monthly preventive as a faster killer of fleas and ticks compared with competitor Merial Ltd.’s NexGard. Zoetis cited a comparative study. While NexGard contains the active ingredient afoxolaner, Simparica uses sarolaner, a new Zoetis-developed ectoparasiticide in the isoxazoline class. Research into Simparica included field safety and efficacy testing involving more than 900 dogs, Zoetis reported. The …
Man Brings Bleeding Seagull into Veterinary Office, Breaks Door on His Way OutFebruary 26, 2016Wild animals aren’t typically the patients veterinarians treat and it’s likely very rare that one is brought in. But that doesn’t mean it never happens. Last June, 47-year-old Colin Lowes brought an injured and bleeding seagull into a veterinary office in Ireland. BBC reports that Lowes had found the bird and thought the decent thing to do was to bring it to the veterinarian; he also came into the office shirtless, having apparently wrapped the seagull in it. When staff told him they could not treat the bird because it was a wild animal, and to take it to the Ulster Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA) in Belfast, Lowes left with the seagull, damaging the veterinary office door on his way out. The unnamed clinic filed a criminal damage report, after which police went to Lowes’ home and found him sitting with the bird, BBC reports. Through his lawyer, Lowes reportedly said that “the door was accidentally cracked.” The Ballymena Magistrates Court judge told Lowes that it was believed he was “acting in the best interests of this creature,” but that he should …
Veterinarians Perform Tooth Extraction on 408-Pound LionFebruary 25, 2016During a veterinary exam at Perth Zoo in Australia, 13-year-old Mandela, a 408-pound lion, was found to have a dental infection and a couple of cracked teeth, UPI reports. Veterinary specialists were called in for the extraction. Simone Vitali BSc, BVMS, PhD, MACVS (Zoo Animal Medicine) and Senior Veterinarian at Perth Zoo told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, “Often predators in captivity give you very little in the way of clinical signs, so we didn't even know that Mandela had a dental infection until we anaesthetized him and had a look. It's quite amazing the sort of things they will tolerate. A tooth infection for us would lay us out for days but with them they just keep trucking on. So it's important for us as custodians to do what we can to make them comfortable, even if they're not giving us an indication that they're not comfortable.” Mandela remained sedated for two hours while the extraction was performed. “They're big teeth and they take a lot of work to get out so for today we've just removed the one that was infected,” Dr. Vitali told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. While Mandela …
Veterinary Dentist Starts ‘Tooth Fairy Fund’ for Pets Needing Dental WorkFebruary 25, 2016February is National Pet Dental Health Month. It’s the perfect time to inform clients of the importance of keeping their pets’ teeth healthy. You may have come across a client or two (or perhaps dozens) who say they can’t afford the dental care their pets need. Enter Brook Niemiec, DVM, DAVDC. Dr. Niemiec, who owns Southern California Veterinary Dental Specialties and Oral Surgery in San Diego, Calif., understands the disconnect between dental care for pets and shelter animals and the money to pay for it. To combat that disconnect, Niemiec set up the Tooth Fairy Fund. It was designed to help those who cannot afford dental care for their pets. Fox 5 San Diego reports that last December the Tooth Fairy Fund helped pay for the dental care of several shelter animals that had serious dental issues. The program is designed so that veterinarians nationwide can implement it in their practices. Niemiec told Fox 5 San Diego that $1 for every tooth extracted in any of the practices participating in the Tooth Fairy Fund is donated to the program. The money raised for Tooth Fairy Fund covers dental surgery and anesthesia.
University of Wisconsin Gains New Professorship in Companion Animal HealthFebruary 24, 2016The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine recently reported that Peter Muir, BVSc, Ph.D., professor of orthopaedic surgery and co-director of the Comparative Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, is the first to be named the Melita Grunow Family Professor in Companion Animal Health. The endowed professorship was made possible by a $500,000 gift from animal lover Melita Grunow and a match from UW-Madison alumni John and Tashia Morgridge (Grunow’s brother-in-law and sister). The professorship will be bestowed upon a different SVM faculty member every five years and will provide $45,000 annually to support research that benefits companion animals. Dr. Muir plans to advance several research projects in the coming years with the help of the new funding, according to the university. This includes discoveries related to the genetic components of canine cruciate rupture, acquired laryngeal paralysis, and equine degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis; the treatment of osteoarthritis in dogs; and the management of condylar stress fracture in Thoroughbred racehorses. “This professorship will definitely support some innovative discovery research,” Muir said. “I’m also excited about the possibilities it will create for the education of veterinary medical students and the career development of veterinary clinician-scientists.” …
Veterinary Hospital Cares for Three Sea TurtlesFebruary 24, 2016In January, 2,000 sea turtles that had washed up on the shores of North Carolina. They were feeding when the temperatures dropped and they were unable to get back to warmer water quick enough. While some have been released back into the water, others are still in rehab and three had to make a trip to the Triangle Veterinary Referral Hospital in Durham, N.C., for treatment. One turtle arrived with a hole in its shell, which a CAT scan revealed had nearly missed the spinal cord, according to The News & Observer. The turtle is expected to recover over the next few weeks. Another turtle arrived with paralyzed flippers. NC Aquariums’ Emily Christiansen, DVM, is considering an acupuncture treatment. The third sea turtle arrived at the veterinary hospital with a lacerated flipper. Mike Grafinger, DVM DACVS-SA Dipl. ACVS and co-owner of Triangle Veterinary Referral Hospital, performed the surgical repair. Dr. Grafinger pioneered sea turtle flipper repair while he was a resident, The News & Observer reports. As seen in the video above, Grafinger stitched the flipper using a metal wire, then used red tubing as a splint. When the sea turtle …
