Avian Veterinarian Nominated for Local TV Station's "Pay it Forward" AwardOctober 6, 2015 Julie Burge, DVM, recently received a $300 cash prize after a local pet owner nominated her for Kansas City's FOX 4's "Pay It Forward" award. Carl Bryant, the pet owner who nominated her, did so because of Burge's dedication to birds. "She goes out in situations and bird mills, just like puppy mills, she's called in to go in and basically rescue birds," Bryant told Fox 4. Fox 4 asks its readers to nominate people for their "Pay It Forward" award. The purpose of the award is to "show us what happens when someone you don’t expect steps up at just the right time to make someone else’s life a little easier." The chosen nominee gets $300. Burge is an avian veterinarian, and runs Burge Bird Rescue, along with the Burge Bird Services veterinary hospital. The avian-only veterinary practice was open in 1990, and offers a number of services, including grooming to complex medical and surgical case management. Why did Burge start rescuing birds on top of treating them? In a BirdChannel article titled "
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MSU to Host Small Ruminant Health Symposium Oct. 10October 6, 2015The Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine will host its Small Ruminant Health Symposium on Oct. 10. The symposium is open to veterinarians, animal health professionals and small ruminant owners and producers. Symposium topics include: Zoonotic diseases Sheep scrapieobstetrics Neonatal care Male breeding soundness exams Necropsy Fecal egg counting A panel discussion will conclude the sessions in the afternoon. Registration for the event closes October 9 at noon. For details, visit the website here.
Texas Board Accuses Kristen Lindsey of Animal CrueltyOctober 3, 2015Texas veterinarian Kristen Lindsey, DVM, committed animal cruelty and acted unprofessionally when she killed a cat with a bow and arrow while off duty, state regulators stated Friday in a document calling for revocation of her license. The document filed with the State Office of Administrative Hearings revealed other details of a case that has swamped the regulatory board with more than 700 formal complaints against Dr. Lindsey, written comments from people in 77 countries and more than 27,000 emails. According to the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners: Lindsey’s mother apparently took the infamous photograph showing the dead cat hanging from an arrow held aloft by Lindsey. News reports and social media websites have identified the cat as Tiger, a neighbor’s orange tabby. The board did not conclusively identify the dead cat as Tiger, stating only that his owners and a pet sitter believed it was him based on distinctive markings they saw in the photo posted on Lindsey’s Facebook page. Tiger has been missing since the April 15 killing, the board noted. Tiger was a patient at Washington Animal Clinic in Brenham, …
Texas Wants to Revoke ‘Bow Kill’ Vet’s LicenseOctober 1, 2015The Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners is trying to revoke the license of a veterinarian who incurred the wrath of animal lovers worldwide when she killed a cat with a bow and arrow and boasted about it on Facebook. The board submitted the case Wednesday to the State Office of Administrative Hearings after Kristen Lindsey, DVM, did not respond to a revocation recommendation sent to her attorney, board spokeswoman Loris Jones said. Under state law, the lack of a response means the case will go to an administrative law judge for further action. The license revocation was decided during a closed board meeting in August, but the next step may not take place until 2016 at the State Office of Administrative Hearings, Jones said. “We’re kind of at their mercy as far as scheduling goes,” Jones said. “Since we’re not the only state agency that they have to help out, between their busy caseload and the holidays coming up we do not foresee anything being set until early February.” The Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners has not revealed which codes or rules Dr. Lindsey was found to have …
A Vet School Freshman at 57October 1, 2015In 1958, when Craig Mullenax was born, the United States and the Soviet Union conducted a flurry of nuclear weapons tests, Tim Tam won the Kentucky Derby, and Colorado A&M had just been renamed Colorado State University. Fast forward 57 years and Mullenax is settling in as the oldest veterinary student in Colorado State history. Alongside 147 other freshmen, he’s immersed in learning the basics of veterinary medicine so that when he turns 61 he can embark on his fourth career. Why now? “There are huge needs in the world, and we need to work to address them,” Mullenax said. “That’s the most important goal.” The son of veterinarians, Mullenax was born in Denver and grew up in Colombia and Ecuador. His world travels, specifically during volunteer work in India, taught him about serving people and animals. He also bought in to Mahatma Gandhi’s inspirational quote “Learn as if you were to live forever.” Colorado State reported that Mullenax’s experience with subsistence farmers in India included artificially inseminating, vaccinating and deworming goats and water buffalo. He even got the chance to splint the legs of a bull severely injured in a vehicle collision. He also witnessed the custom …
Elvinger to Head Cornell’s Animal Health Diagnostic CenterOctober 1, 2015Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine recently reported that François Elvinger, Dr.med.vet., Ph.D., Dipl. ACVPM, Dipl. ECVPH, has been named executive director of the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC). He will also serve as assistant dean for diagnostic operations. His appointment will begin October 1. “I look forward to working with all diagnosticians, staff and faculty of the AHDC and the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell to expand the lab’s formidable reputation for excellent service and discovery for the benefit of all stakeholders in the Empire State and beyond,” Dr. Elvinger said. The diagnostic center receives requests for testing from more than 5,000 registered veterinary practices and organizations, from all 50 of the United States and several foreign countries, according to Cornell University. With a staff of more than 200 professionals, AHDC performs more than 1 million individual tests per year, on samples from domestic and wild animals, and tests for a wide range of diseases affecting animals and humans, the university further …
Veterinarian Dies in Bangladesh AttackSeptember 29, 2015An Italian veterinarian working for the international development agency ICCO Cooperation was shot to death Monday in Bangladesh, possibly by members of the jihadist group Islamic State. Cesare Tavella, 51, was jogging in the capital, Dhaka, when three men drove up on a motorcycle and one shot him three times in what a police official called a “preplanned murder.” The men then escaped on the motorcycle. Islamic State’s involvement was not confirmed, but news reports indicated that the group claimed responsibility, calling Dr. Tavella a “crusader.” Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim country that has had few problems with militant groups. ICCO Cooperation, a Dutch-based church cooperative, said Tavella was the program manager for a “large-scaled project focusing on food security and economic development for people living in rural areas in Bangladesh.” The organization stated that it was “deeply saddened by the shocking news of the death of our dear colleague Cesare Tavella.” “Cesare was a hard-working professional, committed to help the people of Bangladesh,” the group added. “He was respected and loved by all his team members in the country office and field offices around the …
UA Chooses Oro Valley for Vet SchoolSeptember 29, 2015The University of Arizona plans to spend $8 million to convert a 33,000-square-foot building in suburban Tucson into the primary home of the new Veterinary Medical and Surgical Program. Veterinary students would spend their first year on the Tucson campus and in later years travel 13 miles north to Oro Valley for classes and clinical training. Arizona hopes to open the nation’s 31st veterinary school in August 2016 but is awaiting a site visit in January from the accreditation-awarding Council on Education. Renovation of the Oro Valley building, scheduled to open in 2017, is on hold until the state approves the funds, program spokeswomen Bethany Rutledge said. The university-owned location is close to Innovation Park, the home to bioscience companies such as Sanofi and Ventana Medical Systems. The choice was important, administrators said during an announcement Monday, because the veterinary school intends to emphasize One Health, a concept tying together animal and human health. “The University of Arizona Oro Valley campus will serve to integrate programs related to veterinary and human medicine, public health, social sciences, ecological and environmental sciences, all focused on addressing today’s complex health challenges,” said …
Arizona Vet School Installs Haptic Cow, HorseSeptember 29, 2015Veterinary students at Midwestern University in Arizona now have virtual technology at their fingertips with the Haptic Cow and Horse. Both training systems employ haptics, or force feedback, to simulate an animal’s internal organs. The Haptic Cow and Horse are said to make touching and palpating virtual objects highly realistic. In addition, because the animal’s organs are visible on the computer monitor, the instructor can see exactly what the student is doing and direct their movements, something that isn’t possible with a real animal. “Our faculty members have diverse experiences, so we were consulted on what resources are needed to deploy the best teaching techniques in order to secure better outcomes,” said Clemence Chako, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, assistant professor of Food Animal Medicine and Surgery within the College of Veterinary Medicine at Midwestern University. “In large animal practice, there are fewer mentoring opportunities, so it is really important that students are so well trained and confident that they are what we call: ‘Day One Ready.’ The Haptic Cow …
6-Year-Old Aspiring Veterinarian Raises Money To Help Disabled KittenSeptember 28, 2015Do you remember when you first realized you wanted to become a veterinarian? For 6-year-old Kaitlin Miyashiro of Hawaii, the calling came when she was just 4. At the time a puppy she bought died three days later – they hadn’t realized the dog had come from a puppy mill, Hawaii News Now reports. The incident inspired her to help animals in need. Right now she’s raising money to help one such animal, a stray kitten with a spine deformity. The condition has left the feline – named Hope – unable to use a litter box or hind legs. To help Hope, Kaitlin sold 160 bags of snacks to offices, bowling alleys and door to door. In three weeks’ time she raised $800. Her goal is $1,000. She’s working with 808 Animal Rescue to raise the money and the two of them have a crowdfunding page for that purpose. For updates, visit the 808 Animal Rescue Instagram page. Kaitlin wants to be a veterinarian and own an animal shelter when she’s an adult. If she stays on this path, …
