Charity Veterinarian Named BVA PresidentSeptember 24, 2015A veterinarian working for the charitable organization People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) today was elected president of the British Veterinary Association. Sean Wensley, BVSc, MSc, MRCVS, is the senior veterinary surgeon for communication and education at PDSA Pet Hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The University of Liverpool School of Veterinary Science graduate replaced John Blackwell, BVSc, MRCVS, as president for the 2015-16 term. Dr. Wensley, 35, is an honorary lecturer in animal welfare at the University of Nottingham and serves on the Companion Animal Welfare Council. The election took place at BVA Members’ Day in Edinburgh, Scotland. Named junior vice president was small animal veterinarian Gudrun Ravetz, BVSc, MRCVS. Several veterinarians or students were honored during the BVA meeting, including: Andrew Biggs, BVSc, MRCVS (Dalrymple-Champneys Cup and Medal). Bryony Jones, BVSc, MSc (Trevor Blackburn Award). Julia Boness, MA, Vet MB, MSc, MRCVS, CCRP (John Bleby Cup). Veterinary students Eluned Hyde and Rob Hall (Harry Steele-Bodger Memorial Scholarship).
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Pets Best Reveals Most Frequent Health IssuesSeptember 24, 2015Ten years in, Pets Best Insurance Services knows what troubles cats and dogs most. Feline patients are commonly stricken by kidney and thyroid problems, while canines can’t seem to shake skin and ear issues. The Boise, Idaho, pet health insurer, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month, looked at more than 630,000 claims submitted since 2005. The data from 90,000 pets revealed an abundance of atopy/allergy claims from dog owners and renal failure claims from cat owners. The largest allergy-related payout to a dog owner was $4,936. A single feline kidney case cost the company $5,909. Here are the top 10 most common problems for each species by percentage. DOGS 1. Atopy/allergies 30% 2. Otitis 17% 3. Osteoarthritis 10% 4. Undiagnosed mass 8% 5. Cruciate ligament injury 7% 6. Hypothyroidism 7% 7. Pyoderma 6% 8. Undiagnosed gastrointestinal condition 5% 9. Undiagnosed lameness 5% 10. Urinary tract infection 5% CATS 1. Renal failure 25% 2. Hyperthyroidism 20% 3. Diabetes mellitus 11% 4. Allergies 8% 5. Inflammatory bowel disease 7% 6. Lymphoma 7% 7. Feline lower urinary tract disease 6% 8. Cancer 6% 9. Urinary tract infection 5% 10. Otitis 5%
Auburn University Vet Clinic Expands ServicesSeptember 24, 2015The Auburn University Veterinary Clinic has expanded its service to include avian and exotic animals. Expanding the avian and exotic creates opportunities for veterinary students to receive hands-on experience in exotic and avian animals while providing wellness and advanced veterinary care for these companion animals, according to the university. The service will see all birds, any non-venomous snakes and other exotics, but will not see primates. Exotics include reptiles, turtles, lizards, ferrets, guinea pigs, hedge hogs; birds include pet chickens. Seth Oster, DVM, an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences, oversees the Companion Animal Avian and Exotic Service and is the primary veterinarian for the service. He is also the primary veterinarian for the Southeastern Raptor Center (SRC) and oversees the birds of prey rehabilitation service of the SRC.
AABP Has No Beef With New OrleansSeptember 23, 2015Describing its latest conference as the “strongest in years,” the American Association of Bovine Practitioners drew nearly 1,400 veterinarians and students to New Orleans and awarded nearly a quarter-million dollars in scholarships. The 48th annual convention, held Sept. 17 to 19, also saw Canyon, Texas, veterinarian Steve Lewis, DVM, named Bovine Practitioner of the Year and Fred Gingrich, DVM, of Ashland, Ohio, installed as president. The meeting was heavy on education, with 17 preconference seminars, dozens of classes and a half-day session on bovine respiratory disease. “Our overarching goal for the continuing education content of the program was to focus on the issues that the cattle veterinarian faces on a daily basis,” Dr. Gingrich said. “Animal welfare, bovine respiratory disease, practice management, providing new services to clients and current research topics are all important topics for cattle veterinarians.” The organization’s immediate past president, John Davidson, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, was very pleased with how things went. “This meeting was the strongest in years and a testament to our AABP member veterinarian’s commitment to a life of learning,” he said. Scholarships totaling $239,000 were awarded to veterinary students. The largest—$7,500 Amstutz Scholarships—went to Lisa Dauten of Purdue University, Tyler Grussing and …
ACVIM, ACVS Launch Specialist Finder WebsiteSeptember 23, 2015Collaboration between board-certified internists and surgeons has produced a website that aims to educate pet owners about veterinary specialists and strengthen the relationship with general practitioners. VetSpecialists.com also allows owners of small and large animals to locate a specialist out of a database of more than 4,000 worldwide—from Andrew Abbo, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM of Deerfield, Mass., to Laurie Zacher, DVM, Dipl. ACVS of Austin, Texas. Several dozen articles focus on topics such “What is a Board-Certified Veterinary Neurologist?” to “Congestive Heart Failure in the Dog and Cat.” True stories of pets that survived life-threatening conditions because of the intervention of their primary veterinarian and a specialist are presented in videos. Not overlooked is what the website sponsors—the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American College of Veterinary Surgeons—called the “triad of veterinary care,” or the relationship between the animal owner, primary care veterinarian and specialist. “Every day, across the country, primary care veterinarians work closely with board-certified veterinary specialists to care for large and small animals,” said William D. Tyrrell Jr., DVM, Dipl. ACVIM (Cardiology) of Cardiac Care for Pets in Leesburg, Va. “VetSpecialists.com connects the lines from the animal owner to …
BIVI Teams Up With Vet Tech GroupSeptember 22, 2015Raising awareness about kennel cough is among the goals of a new partnership between drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. (BIVI) and the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. Under the arrangement, announced today, BIVI will provide educational material on a range of topics that veterinary technicians may use in-clinic and access on the NAVTA website, said Leslie Ferguson, RVT, a brand manager with the St. Joseph, Mo., company. “Technicians play a critical role in veterinary medicine and supporting the profession is important to me personally and BIVI as an organization,” Ferguson said. The partnership is being kicked off with an online video contest focused on kennel cough, a highly contagious upper respiratory infection in dogs. The Happy Dog Vaccine contest asks technicians to submit a video of 30 seconds or less showing how BIVI’s Bronchi-Shield Oral vaccine “is making your canine Bordetella vaccine experiences happy.” The grand prize is a $500 gift card. Ten runners-up will receive a 2016 NAFTA membership. Entries are being accepted through Nov. 14. More information is available at http://bit.ly/1L3Z1Jv. Among NAVTA’s other corporate partners are Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Merial Ltd. and Virbac Corp. In other news, BIVI reported …
Industry-Wide Standards Approved for Pet GroomersSeptember 22, 2015Professional groomers and stylists must keep a pet first aid kit nearby and know where to find an emergency veterinarian, according to the industry’s first-ever safety and sanitation guidelines. These and 42 other standards were announced Friday at Groom Expo, an annual pet grooming show in Hershey, Pa. The Professional Pet Groomers and Stylists Alliance developed the protocol after soliciting ideas from group members and veterinarians. “I am proud to say that this document represents the expertise gained from literally hundreds of thousands of hours of hands-on, professional experience,” said alliance spokeswoman Teri DiMarino. The group’s founding members, including the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council and the National Dog Groomers Association of America, unanimously endorsed the guidelines, which are available online at http://bit.ly/1G0FB0v. “All across the country, thousands of pets are entrusted to our care every day,” DiMarino said. “We have a responsibility to pet owners, their pets and our fellow groomers and stylists to provide the highest level of safety and care when grooming a pet. These standards of care reflect that.” The guidelines do not address techniques for grooming or styling an animal. Instead they focus on housing, equipment and safety. Among the standards: …
WSU to Host First Rabies RunSeptember 22, 2015Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine is supporting World Rabies Day with its first “Zombie Run for Life” on Saturday, Oct. 3. All proceeds will go to the college’s Eliminate Rabies Program to provide rabies vaccinations in Africa. Rabies is the deadliest zoonotic disease on the planet, according to the university. Every year more than 59,000 people die from rabies. The Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health at the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine is working to eliminate canine rabies worldwide. The WSU Rabies Vaccination Program team vaccinates about 300 dogs each day in east Africa, the university noted. They visit 180 villages every year in seven districts adjacent to the Serengeti National Park. Because of the program, the vaccination zone — a cordon sanitaire — is rabies free, according to the university. The university’s goal is to use the rabies-free vaccination zone as a model in other parts of Africa and Asia.
Bayer Unveils Claro for Canine Ear InfectionsSeptember 21, 2015Bayer Animal Health is planning the November release of Claro Otic Solution, a single-dose drug indicated for the treatment of canine ear inflammation and infections. Claro (florfenicol, terbinafine, mometasone furoate) is proven effective against susceptible strains of common pathogens found in canine otitis externa, Bayer reported today. The clear liquid contains antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory ingredients. The drug is intended for in-clinic use. “This new, unique treatment eliminates veterinarian uncertainty about pet owner compliance and spares pet owners the frustrations of in-home application and multiple treatment visits,” Bayer stated. Claro works on susceptible strains of yeast (Malassezia pachydermatis) and bacteria (Staphylococcus pseudintermedius), the manufacturer noted. The drug should not be used on dogs hypersensitive to the active ingredients or with perforated tympanic membranes. Otitis externa is the second most common reason dog owners take their pet to a veterinarian, according to Shawnee, Kan.-based Bayer. Claro will compete with another recently released canine ear infection drug. Elanco Animal Health in August launched Osurnia, a two-dose gel containing florfenicol, terbinafine and betamethasone acetate.
USDA Approves Avian Influenza VaccineSeptember 21, 2015Chicken and turkey producers will finally possess a weapon in the fight against the deadly and highly contagious avian flu. Harrisvaccines of Ames, Iowa, reported today that the company received the first conditional license of a vaccine targeting highly pathogenic avian influenza. The virus has killed an estimated 50 million chickens and turkeys in the United States since the initial outbreak was reported this past spring. The drug, Avian Influenza Vaccine, RNA, is not ready for distribution. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which granted the license, wants a stockpile of 500 million doses readied in time for the next outbreak, which could begin as wild birds migrate south for the winter. “Although we cannot sell the vaccine today, we are in a better position to apply this robust and rapidly produced vaccine, if and when the virus re-emerges once again,” said Joel Harris, vice president of Harrisvaccines. Another reason is that some countries are wary of buying the meat of vaccinated poultry. “There’s concern that if we start vaccinating against avian influenza [now] our trading partners will stop importing meat from the U.S.,” Harris said. Avian Influenza Vaccine, RNA is a single-dose injectable formulated for use in day-old chicks and adult hens. …
