Besser to Lead WSU Wild Sheep Research EndowmentJanuary 15, 2016Thomas Besser, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVM, a veterinary professor at Washington State University, has been named the Rocky Crate DVM and Wild Sheep Foundation Endowed Chair in Wild Sheep Disease Research. Dr. Besser succeeds Subramaniam Srikumaran, BVSc, Ph.D., who held this position since its beginning in 2004. “I am honored to be appointed to Dr. Crate’s chair,” Besser said. “Pneumonia is a very nasty disease that has severely limited the recovery of bighorn sheep in the western U.S. We’ve learned a lot about the disease in the past few years, and I am looking forward to trying new approaches to preventing the disease in bighorn herds that haven’t yet been affected, and in limiting the damage in herds that have. We are getting ready to start clinical trials that may lead to effective, manageable approaches for all parties, including domestic sheep producers.” Besser’s work on pneumonia in bighorn sheep ranges from basic investigations of the infectious process and immunity, to development of practical approaches to management of both domestic sheep and bighorn sheep to alleviate the disease, according to the university. “For decades, people smarter than I …
SPONSORED CONTENTHelping manage the hidden signs of stressOur therapeutic nutrition targets underlying stress in cats with GI or urinary issues — helping provide relief to pets and their humans. + Learn More
MSU Receives Grant to Support Mobile Veterinary ClinicsJanuary 14, 2016The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine recently received a $20,000 grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to support its mobile veterinary clinics. The grant will help offset some of the expenses incurred as the Mobile Veterinary Clinics travel to 20 north Mississippi animal shelters, where students spay and neuter homeless animals, according to the college. The program is funded solely by grants and donations, the college further noted. “This is such an important program for our students and for our community,” said Jimmy Kight, director of development at the veterinary college. “This generous grant helps cover the many operational expenses it takes to keep the program successful.” Phil Bushby, DVM, retired MSU-CVM Marcia Lane Endowed Chair in Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare, has inspired students to help raise money to keep the program moving forward. “The grant from the ASPCA enables us to provide veterinary students with surgical experience, help get the animals adopted and educate pet owners about the importance of taking those animals to their community veterinarians to ensure good health …
Lysine for FHV? Researchers Say Don’t BotherJanuary 13, 2016Originally published in the January 2016 issue of Veterinary Practice News. Two virologists are urging veterinarians to immediately stop lysine supplementation in cats suffering from feline herpesvirus-1 because they say the therapy is ineffective. Their conclusion, published Nov. 16 in the online journal BMC Veterinary Research, drew a measured response from two experts in the field who said anecdotal reports of successful lysine use leave open the possibility that the therapy does work. Husband-and-wife virologists Sebastiaan Bol, MS, Ph.D., and Evelien M. Bunnik, MS, Ph.D., reached the conclusion after conducting a systematic review—essentially a study of previous lysine studies. Bol, who like his wife is employed at the University of California, Riverside, began the review after their 8-year-old cat, Aguereberry, was diagnosed with FHV-1, a highly contagious infection of the upper respiratory system. Their veterinarian recommended lysine nutritional supplements to treat and manage the disease. “With my background in biology and nutrition, I was very suspicious, and I started clicking—doing some searches online—and I was not very convinced,” Bol said. “So I started looking into more and more of the publications, and it was really shocking to see that there’s absolutely no evidence [that lysine is effective in cats].” Bol …
WSAVA Injects Fresh Wisdom Into Vaccination GuidelinesJanuary 12, 2016The World Small Animal Veterinary Association has updated its vaccination guidelines for the first time in five years using continued emphasis on evidence-based medicine and recognition that a one-size-fits-all approach is impractical. The document, available at http://bit.ly/1Q3lXtg, identifies three core vaccines for dogs (distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus) and three for cats (parvovirus, calicivirus and herpesvirus). However, the organization’s Vaccination Guidelines Group acknowledged that core vaccines may not be administered widely in certain areas of the world, especially if a disease occurs infrequently or if economic and lifestyle factors intervene. “These guidelines are not a mandatory edict but rather should be used by national associations and individual veterinary practices to develop vaccination schedules relevant to the local situation,” the guidelines note. Rabies is one disease that may be worthy of a core vaccine in one region and a noncore, or optional, vaccine someplace else. “In areas of the world where rabies virus infection is endemic, vaccination against this agent should be considered core for both species, even if there is no legal requirement for routine vaccination,” the WSAVA guidelines state. Compared with the 2010 guidelines, the updated document, released Jan. 6, offers: A greater understanding of maternally-derived antibodies …
The Latest from the 2016 NAVC ConferenceJanuary 12, 2016Veterinary Practice News will be reporting daily from the NAVC conference beginning on Sunday, January 17, 2016. To get the latest, sign up for our special edition newsletter, sponsored by Royal Canin. Veterinarians be sure to visit the Royal Canin booth (Gaylord, #1715) for a chance to win a trip to France. The latest from the NAVC Conference 2016: NAVC Consolidating at Convention Center in 2017 First-Time NAVC Exhibitors Looking for Attention Check Out New Veterinary Products Featured at NAVC News and More at NAVC 2016 Many Win-Win Opportunities at NAVC Meet the Man Behind NAVC’s Artwork 5 CE Speakers Who Command Attention NAVC by the Numbers Other NAVC News Need a good way to navigate the North American Veterinary Community 2016 Conference? Download the app! According to the NAVC: "Bring the entire NAVC Conference to your …
3 Breed Groups Fund Canine Cancer StudyJanuary 12, 2016Researchers led by University of Minnesota Professor Jaime Modiano are launching a study of hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive cancer in dogs. The disease is prevalent in golden retrievers, Portuguese water dogs and boxers. Three breed groups— the Golden Retriever Foundation, the Portuguese Water Dog Foundation and the American Boxer Charitable Foundation—pledged $432,000 to support the research project. “Hemangiosarcoma is the cause of death for an estimated one out of every five golden retrievers in the United States,” said Dr. Modiano, VMD, Ph.D., of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “Portuguese water dogs and boxers also have an especially high risk for this disease, which is devastating for all dogs.” The research team wants to learn more about hemangiosarcoma and possibly find ways to prevent it. “Hemangiosarcoma is incurable partly because the cancer is detected at a very advanced stage when it is resistant to conventional therapies,” Modiano said. “Thus, an unconventional approach to improve outcomes for hemangiosarcoma patients will involve effective methods for early detection and for disease prevention.” The American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation announced the $432,000 grant Jan. 6 and will oversee the funds and the scientific progress. “The collaboration between these three breed club foundations and …
Cougar Hunter Makes Startling DiscoveryJanuary 12, 2016A mountain lion hunted down in the Idaho wilderness was found to be sprouting teeth from its forehead, a weird find that left wildlife biologists with a couple of theories. The young cougar was legally tracked and killed in late December after it attacked a dog near the southeastern town of Preston, the state Department of Fish and Game reported. The hunter reported his kill, as he was required to do, and a state conservation officer showed up to confirm the hunter’s license and pull a tooth from the animal for age analysis, the department stated. The defect was easy to see. “The mountain lion had an unusual deformity,” the agency noted. “Fully formed teeth and what appears to be small whiskers were growing out of hard fur-covered tissue on the left side of the animal’s forehead.” Wildlife experts had two possible explanations for the abnormality: The teeth may be the remnants of a conjoined twin that died in the womb and was absorbed into the other fetus. The deformity may be a rare teratoma tumor—“tissue from which teeth, hair and even fingers and toes can develop,” Fish …
5 CE Speakers Who Command AttentionJanuary 12, 2016They’re back! NAVC’s 2015 Speakers of the Year, that is. Returning in 2016 are five veterinarian presenters who conference attendees last year voted the best of the best. They will join more than 300 other lecturers who collectively will deliver over 1,200 credit hours of continuing education on topics ranging from surgery, gastroenterology and dentistry to veterinary forensics, practice management and hospital design. The reigning NAVC Speakers of the Year and their 2016 schedules are: Equine Speaker of the Year: Chris Sanchez, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. She has five classes set for Monday, Jan. 18: “Top 10 Equine Medicine Papers of 2015,” “Pain Management in Horses—Anything New?” and three “Equine Pain Management” case studies. Exotics Speaker of the Year: Doug Mader, DVM, MS, Dipl. ABVP, of Marathon Veterinary Hospital in Marathon, Fla. He will present classes on Sunday, Jan. 17 (“Evaluating the Urinary System in Reptiles”) and Wednesday, Jan. 20 (“Reptilian Reproductive Disorders,” “Greatest Hits—Most Memorable Cases Over the Last 30 Years” and “22 Years of Saving the Sea Turtle)”. Food Animal Speaker of the Year: Arlen Wilbers, …
NAVC by the NumbersJanuary 12, 20160: Cost to see comedian Brian Regan on Saturday night, Jan. 16 and singer Sheryl Crow on Monday night, Jan. 18 1: Credit hours earned at a 50-minute continuing education session 2: Exhibition halls (Gaylord Palms Resort and Orlando World Center Marriott Resort) 3: NAVC conference’s Diamond Partners (Elanco Animal Health, Merial Ltd. and Merck Animal Health) 4: Exhibition hall days (Sunday, Jan. 17 to Wednesday, Jan. 20) 5: CE programming days (Saturday, Jan. 16 to Wednesday, Jan. 20) 7: Free shuttle bus routes 10: Restaurants and bars at Gaylord Palms 41.5: Maximum CE credit hours an attendee may receive 50: States represented by veterinary professionals at 2015 NAVC conference 60 to 70: Countries represented each year at NAVC conference 75: Price, in dollars, of a guest badge, which allows access to exhibition halls, evening entertainment and shuttle buses 130: Price, in dollars, of “Just for Kids Conservation Day Camp” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom 200: Price, in dollars, of daylong “Manatee Encounter” excursion to Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park 650: Exhibiting companies 1,200: Minimum CE credit hours offered at 2016 conference 1,581: Veterinary technicians in attendance at 2015 conference 6,447: Veterinarians in attendance at 2015 conference 16,383: Total attendance at …
Bioengineer Joins UGA’s Vet CollegeJanuary 12, 2016Karen J. L. Burg, Ph.D., has joined the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine as its Harbor Lights Chair in Small Animal Studies. Dr. Burg is one of five professors to be hired under UGA President Jere W. Morehead’s Presidential Extraordinary Research Faculty Hiring Initiative, which launched in 2014 to help bring internationally recognized scholars to UGA. “Dr. Burg brings an extraordinary record of accomplishment to the University of Georgia, and she will play a significant role in expanding this institution’s capacity to inquire and innovate to improve human health,” said Pamela Whitten, Ph.D., senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. Burg is a bioengineer whose work focuses on absorbable polymers, biofabrication and tissue engineering. Seven of her inventions have been patented, according to the UGA. “Dr. Burg will collaborate with our faculty working in regenerative medicine who are focused on treating conditions in animals and humans that will benefit from cells and tissues grown in the laboratory,” said Sheila W. Allen, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.
