Hill’s Teams Up With Dog Monitor CompanyJanuary 29, 2016AGL, manufacturer of the new Vetrax wearable monitor, is partnering with food giant Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. in a joint effort to improve canine health and behavior. The collaboration “is expected to provide veterinarians and their clients with a new level of understanding about how therapeutic nutrition can help improve a dog’s health and behavior, specifically scratching and mobility,” the companies announced at the North American Veterinary Community conference in Orlando, Fla. The veterinary-exclusive Vetrax collar device is in the test phase at a select number of animal hospitals and is expected to roll out to practices nationwide later this year. “With Vetrax, veterinarians will now have a window into their patients’ behaviors and be able to monitor the effects of their recommendations in real time,” said Jesper Nordengaard, vice president of global marketing and innovation at Hill’s. Using sensors and algorithms, Vetrax is designed to classify and measure behaviors such as shaking, scratching and drinking. The information is transmitted wirelessly to a Vetrax database, which is programmed to alert the patient’s veterinarian about any unusual behavior or unexpected changes. Vetrax is marketed for use with dogs with dermatological conditions and issues such as arthritis or obesity. AGL, …
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Merial Launches Rabies Information WebsiteJanuary 28, 2016Making sense of state and local rabies laws and spreading the word about rabies cases and vaccinations are at the center of a new website developed by Merial Ltd. The Duluth, Ga., veterinary drug maker partnered on the website with North Carolina State University Professor Emeritus Richard Ford, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM. “The application, interpretation and enforcement of rabies vaccination laws can vary significantly from state to state and even county to county,” Dr. Ford said. “Complex and sometimes conflicting rabies laws can lead to considerable confusion, misinterpretation of state and local statutes, and inappropriate actions on the part of individual practitioners.” The website, www.RabiesAware.org, presents state-specific frequently asked questions, surveillance data, a list of U.S.-approved vaccines and contact information for state public health veterinarians. Information was available for about 20 states as of late January. Merial stated that Web pages for all 50 states and Puerto Rico should be available sometime this year. The North Carolina page showed several hundred confirmed rabies cases, most involving raccoons, in 2012 and 2013. The question section noted that “Dogs, cats and ferrets are required by law to be vaccinated against rabies” and that “Rabies vaccination exemption is not …
Idexx Releases 3-Minute Urinalysis DeviceJanuary 28, 2016Idexx Laboratories Inc. is promoting its new urine sediment analyzer as a timesaver for veterinary staff and as a preventive-care diagnostic tool for feline and canine patients. Unveiled in January at the North American Veterinary Community conference, the SediVue Dx eliminates the need for centrifugation, slide preparation and other steps when performing a urinalysis, the company stated. Instead, four to five drops of urine are dispensed into a slot and about three minutes later high-resolution images are displayed and urine particles are automatically identified, counted and labeled. The tabletop analyzer is designed to reveal blood cells, epithelial cells, bacteria, casts and crystals. The complete analysis may be printed, saved as an electronic record or shared with the cloud-based VetConnect Plus. The Westbrook, Maine, company also used NAVC to showcase: Idexx Neo, a new cloud-based practice information management system. It joins existing PIMS programs Cornerstone and DVMAX. New features with VetConnect Plus, a program that allows veterinarians to compare and cross-reference diagnostics results produced by Idexx’s in-house analyzers and laboratory service. Designed for viewing on a mobile app, the update includes scalable pathology images, digital radiography images, horizontal graphing and complete patient history in a table format, the company …
University of Guelph Researchers Get Funding for Canine Cancer StudyJanuary 28, 2016Researchers at the University of Guelph have received a $100,000 grant from Ontario Centers of Excellence (OCE) to further their work to improve cancer therapy for dogs. Brenda Coomber, BSc, Ph.D., the principal investigator, will work with Rna Diagnostics of Toronto to study dogs with advanced lymphoma. This project builds on her research begun in 2013 with the company. “Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that all dogs with lymphoma get the best treatments we have available,” said Dr. Coomber, a biomedical sciences professor in the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) and co-director of U of G’s Institute for Comparative Cancer Investigation. “Since lymphoma in dogs is very similar to lymphoma in humans, the results of this study may also improve our understanding and treatment of human cancer.” Certain molecules called biomarkers can help predict disease outcome or response to therapy in order to improve treatment. Rna Diagnostics has developed a novel biomarker test called an RNA disruption assay (RDA), intended to pinpoint cancer patients unlikely to respond to chemotherapy, according to the university. Coomber used RDA previously at OVC’s Mona Campbell Center for Animal Cancer to …
Royal Canin Releases Multiple-Condition Pet FoodJanuary 26, 2016Royal Canin this month released a line of dual-purpose pet foods called Multifunction. Made for dogs and cats, the veterinary-exclusive diets are formulated to manage urinary tract disease and obesity, lower urinary tract disease and food sensitivity, or chronic kidney disease and food sensitivity. A fourth recipe, for cats only, targets lower urinary tract disease and anxiety. “Precise nutrition aids in the management of many common conditions,” said Brent Mayabb, the St. Charles, Mo., company’s vice president of corporate affairs. Nearly half of all pets suffer from multiple health conditions, Royal Canin reported. The cat diet is named Urinary + Calm. The others are Urinary + Satiety, Urinary + Hydrolyzed Protein, and Renal Support + Hydrolyzed Protein. More information is available at www.royalcanin.com/multifunction.
KC Corridor Seeks Award, Investment NomineesJanuary 26, 2016The Kansas City Animal Health Corridor is looking for the next Magnomics and Ralph C. Richardson. The organization, which works to raise awareness of and stimulate the region’s animal health industry, issued calls for companies desiring a spot in the annual Investment Forum and for individuals worthy of the Iron Paw Award. The Portuguese company Magnomics was among 17 young businesses that went onstage last summer in Kansas City, Mo., to present their products or ideas to an audience of potential investors. Magnomics took home the Innovation Award in recognition of the company’s sales pitch. At the Homecoming Dinner the day before, Dr. Richardson, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, was honored with the Iron Paw Award for his contributions to the animal health industry. He is the former dean of the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. The 2016 dinner will take place Aug. 29. The Investment Forum is set for Aug. 30. A committee will select the presenters in the eighth annual Investment Forum. Besides Magnomics, chosen companies have included FitBark Inc., Jaguar Animal Health and Nexvet Biopharma. Applicants must require from $500,000 to $20 million in funding and have revenue projections of at least $20 million within five to …
Bobcat Being Treated at University of Illinois Gets OK to Go HomeJanuary 26, 2016The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine has given the OK for a young bobcat to return to its home state of Indiana for pre-release physical therapy. The bobcat suffered a fractured pelvis in late November after being hit by a car when crossing a road with her mother and sibling. (Both the other animals escaped injury.) The injured bobcat was transferred to Illinois from WildCare Inc., a Bloomington, Ind., wildlife rehabilitation center, which was unable to cover the cost of the orthopedic surgery. Orthopedic surgeons at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital agreed to perform the procedure at a discounted price. Treatment has included a four-hour surgery at the university’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital and six weeks of postoperative care by the volunteers in the Wildlife Medical Clinic. “Rarely do members of the Wildlife Medical Clinic have the chance to impact an ecosystem in such a significant way with one animal,” Nicki Rosenhagen, DVM, said at the time the bobcat was admitted. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE These X-rays …
Sexiest Veterinarian Still Pretty Damn SexyJanuary 26, 2016Meet Evan Antin, DVM. Yep. This actually happened. Northern breeds def make some of the most ridiculously cute puppies EVER! Right!? #pelfiewednesday #pelfie #puppyvet #puppy #malamute #malamutepuppy #sillfloofbundle #puppybelly A photo posted by Evan Antin ???????????????????????????????????????????? (@dr.evanantin) on Jan 20, 2016 at 12:57pm PST He's a DVM at Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Sometimes a hug is necessary....i just love awkward cats ???? Who else is a cat person? #CatLover #Veterinary #Medicine #ILoveMyJob A photo posted by Evan Antin ???????????????????????????????????????????? (@dr.evanantin) on Dec 10, 2015 at 10:12am PST Back in late 2014, he was named "Sexiest Beast Charmer” in the annual People's magazine “Sexiest Man Alive” issue.
More Apoquel on Way for Dogs, Zoetis SaysJanuary 25, 2016The popular anti-itch drug Apoquel, which remains in short supply two years after its release, should be freely available in the months ahead as Zoetis Inc. continues to increase production, according to company officials. “Hopefully by this time next year we won’t be having conversations [like this],” said J. Michael McFarland, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, the company’s group director of companion animal marketing. Dr. McFarland addressed several subjects during a media briefing this month at the North American Veterinary Community conference in Orlando, Fla. He was joined by Shelley Stanford, DVM, MS, MBA, the group director of companion animal veterinary professional services, as they outlined the Apoquel distribution strategy and how the drug compares with Zoetis’ newer Canine Atopic Dermatitis Immunotherapeutic. Zoetis will gradually lift Apoquel purchase restrictions, McFarland said. “We’re understandably concerned at this point in time that if we just open up the dike and let product flow that there could be some product hoarding,” he said. “It may be awhile before we know what the real, true pent-up demand for the product is, so we want to release the product in a more slow and steady manner.” Why Zoetis has had trouble mass-producing Apoquel has not been …
Penn Vet Professor to Receive Louis Braille Award for Blindness ResearchJanuary 25, 2016Gustavo D. Aguirre, VMD, Ph.D., a professor of medical genetics and ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet), has been selected to receive the 2016 Louis Braille Award for innovative research and treatment of inherited blinding diseases. The award will be presented January 29 at the 56th Annual Louis Braille Awards Ceremony in Philadelphia by the Associated Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired. “The goal of my work is to treat and hopefully cure blindness through gene therapies and other strategies,” Dr. Aguirre said. “I am truly honored by this recognition from an organization that shares my commitment to improving the lives of people with vision disorders.” Aguirre has investigated the genetic basis of a variety of inherited vision disorders, including Leber’s congenital amaurosis, Best disease, achromatopsia and retinitis pigmentosa. His work on novel gene therapy approaches to treatment, which deliver to the eye a functional copy of a gene that is otherwise lacking, has restored vision in animal models of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa and Leber’s congential amaurosis, according to Penn Vet. The Leber congenital amaurosis therapy is now in human clinical trials.
