Veterinary Interns, Residents Not Getting RichSeptember 17, 2015Veterinarians who pursue post-graduate training aren’t making piles of cash. The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges this month reported that interns employed at U.S. veterinary schools were paid an average of $26,572 during the 2014-15 academic year and the average resident earned $32,707. The pay was far below what newly graduated veterinarians grossed in private practice in 2014: about $67,000 on average. Veterinary careers go off in different directions. “I think that students and new graduates have lots of decisions ahead of them, and naturally income will be an important factor in any employment choices,” said Lisa M. Greenhill, MPA, EdD, the associate executive director for institutional research and diversity at AAVMC. “I would say that all students should research the costs and benefits of seeking additional training as it pertains to salary differentials and personal goals.” AAVMC found 315 interns enrolled in traditionally one-year programs at U.S. veterinary schools in 2014-15. Several hundred other interns were working in private practice, but their salaries were not known. Nearly all veterinary residents were in school-based, multiyear specialty programs. AAVMC counted 978 residents in the 2014-15 academic year, and their reported earnings ranged from a high of $54,774 …
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‘Bleeding’ Study Seeks 100 Performance HorsesSeptember 17, 2015VetStem Biopharma is looking for 100 performance horses with a history of lung bleeding to participate in a study of whether stem cell therapy may be effective in cases of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH). If proven, the treatment could replace the popular but controversial race-day drug Lasix (furosemide). The Poway, Calif., company reported that two patients—a thoroughbred racehorse and a Quarter horse barrel racer—showed no recurrence of EIPH after being treated with adipose-derived SVF and culture-expanded adipose stem cells. The early success led to the launch this week of a clinical research project that requires up to 100 horses, ranging from thoroughbreds and Standardbreds to barrel racers, three-day eventers and steeplechasers. VetStem Biopharma hopes to enroll the horses by year’s end and later submit the research data for publication. A larger study will be undertaken if the results are positive, said Ross Rich, DVM, the company’s director of clinical research. Veterinarians recommending horses for the study need to confirm EIPH through a post-race endoscopic examination or by bronchoalveolar lavage, Dr. Rich said. Lasix is controversial in the United States because of its potential as a performance-enhancing drug and as a masking agent for other drugs. The American Association of …
Virginia Tech Gets OK for Proposed Design of New Dairy, Animal Science FacilitiesSeptember 17, 2015Virginia Tech recently reported that its Board of Visitors has approved the proposed design for the second phase of the new Dairy Science Complex. Phase II builds upon the new state-of-the-art research facilities and provides additional space for research, teaching and Virginia Cooperative Extension initiatives in dairy and animal sciences. Scientists working at the new complex will collaborate with partners in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, the Department of Dairy Science, the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, the Agricultural Technology Program and with colleagues from industry and universities across the United States. The $7.6 million facility will include an applied reproductive physiology facility, an intensive metabolic research facility at the Kentland Farm complex and a bovine extension, teaching and research facility on Plantation Road. Virginia tech The new dairy facilities will be a boon to collaboration and applied research and teaching structures will allow unparalleled experiential learning for students. “The new buildings are an indication of the university’s support of the land-grant mission and will ensure the continued success of our award-winning dairy science program,” said Mike Akers, Ph.D., the department head and …
For UF Vet Students, It’s Off to Work They GoSeptember 16, 2015University of Florida veterinary students eager to gain real-world experience are getting the opportunity through a new course that places them in off-campus hospitals. The College of Veterinary Medicine this semester launched a small animal clerkship involving 17 practices within driving distance of Gainesville, Fla. The two-credit elective exposes third- and fourth-year students to circumstances they may not find during a mandatory rotation in the UF Small Animal Hospital, said program coordinator and clinical assistant professor Wendy Mandese, DVM. “Not everyone has CT or MRI,” Dr. Mandese said. “Many students get into general practice and realize it’s not anything like what’s at the university.” The pace they see in private practice may be slower than in a teaching hospital, and the pet owners they come in contact with may not be as financially receptive to treatment proposals. “If my students come up with a treatment plan for an animal that costs $100, I try to say to them, ‘OK, that is a good plan, but what would you do if the owner says they don’t have that much money?’” Mandese said. “You always need to have a Plan B ready.” The two-week class calls on students to do more …
OSU Opens Gaylord Center for Excellence in Equine HealthSeptember 15, 2015The Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences recently opened the Gaylord Center for Excellence in Equine Health. The center, which will offer horse owners more options, was made possible by a $1 million lead gift from the E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation. “This new facility greatly enhances our ability to provide premier health care for horses of all ages and disciplines,” said Todd Holbrook, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM (large animal), Dipl. ACVSMR), equine section chief. “We are excited to offer these services to horse owners everywhere.” The new space has created an outpatient service area for equine athletes while a separate overhead door entrance allows sport horses to enter the temperature controlled Gaylord Equine Performance Suite directly from the outside rather than going through the hospital’s large animal clinic entrance. In addition, specialty equipment for regenerative medicine is now centrally located adjacent to the exam area. The Gaylord Equine Neonatal Care Wing has three …
Illinois Alters Protocol After Cow DeathsSeptember 14, 2015The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine has changed procedures after one cow died and four were euthanized in a case the U.S. Department of Agriculture attributed to possible unsanitary conditions and inadequate post-surgical monitoring. The college-owned cows underwent invasive surgery during a student laboratory and later developed post-operative peritonitis, or inflammation or infection of the abdominal lining, USDA stated. A USDA inspector reported that the operations involving six student groups and six cows were conducted in “a prep area” rather than a surgical suite and that the cows were moved days later to the campus farm, where oversight was assigned to two animal caretakers. University administrator Lyndon J. Goodly, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACLAM, described the matter as “extremely important.” “We will address and correct any shortcomings,” Dr. Goodly, the associate vice chancellor for research, wrote in an Aug. 25 response to a USDA regional director. A USDA veterinary medical officer, Susan Kingston, DVM, raised questions about the deaths following her routine inspection. “At some point in a …
New Pro Plan Food Made for Ailing Cats, DogsSeptember 14, 2015Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. has released an energy-dense, high-protein food formulated for sick cats and dogs. The recipe, Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets CN Critical Nutrition Canine and Feline Formula, may be delivered by syringe, feeding tube or, if the animal can eat without assistance, in a bowl. Tube feeding requires the food to be diluted with water, forming a slurry. The new canned food—Purina’s first critical care therapeutic diet—is intended for cats and dogs that are critically ill, recovering from surgery or suffering from a loss of appetite. “Critical care diets are an important tool for every veterinary practice,” said Grace Long, DVM, director of veterinary technical marketing for Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets. “Sick and recovering animals often refuse to eat,” Dr. Long added. “With CN Critical Nutrition, dogs and cats can get the high-quality nutrition they need in a concentrated diet that’s easy to feed.” Fortified with antioxidants, CN Critical Nutrition’s ingredients include meat and poultry byproducts, beef, liver, minerals and vitamins. The recommended daily feeding amount for a hospitalized 10-pound cat is a single 5.5-ounce can. An additional quarter-can should be given for maintenance purposes. A 40-pound dog could get 3 cans a day …
Florida’s Vet Scholarship Program Gains TractionSeptember 11, 2015A University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine scholarship initiative aimed at reversing student debt is making great strides since its launch in January, according to the college’s dean, James W. Lloyd, DVM, Ph.D. The initiative, also called the UF Veterinary Access Scholarship Program, aims to award $5 million in scholarship funds every year for the next 10 years, a goal even Dr. Lloyd admits is ambitious. “I started to think where we were [in scholarship giving] and what a stretch goal would be,” he said. “We need to do something substantial, something that’s going to make a difference.” Lloyd recalled sitting down and asking himself what five times or even 10 times more in scholarship awards would look like. (At the time, the school was awarding roughly $500,000 annually to 448 students.) When he did the math on ten times the school’s then current level of scholarship awards, it equated to about half of in-state tuition for every veterinary medical student. “That’s a benchmark,” he said. “That’s not saying we would only give scholarships to in-state …
MSU Treats Dog Hit by TrainSeptember 9, 2015A collie named Lad is back on his four furry feet after being hit by a train, according to the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Emergency and Referral Clinic, which treated him. “For a dog with such extensive injuries, Lad has really made a remarkable recovery,” said Dena Lodato, DVM. “A large part of that is the work that Mr. Foster and his family and friends did to keep up with his rehab exercises after surgery.” Lad’s owner, Tommy Foster, had been mowing the back lawn one afternoon while the young pup played outside. When Foster finished mowing, he called for Lad and heard a distant whine. Foster and his neighbor set out to find Lad, eventually coming upon the dog on the train track, unable to stand, with cuts on his head. Lad had been hit by a train. Foster first brought Lad to a local clinic where X-rays revealed a dislocated right femur and multiple pelvic fractures. The injuries were so severe that Foster was referred to MSU’s emergency veterinary clinic. Dr. Lodato repaired Lad’s left …
OSU Takes on Beaver Genome ProjectSeptember 8, 2015Researchers at Oregon State University have partnered with the Oregon Zoo in an effort to sequence the genome of the North American beaver. The iconic Northwest rodent not only serves as the state’s animal but also as the university’s mascot. “Beavers are important to the ecology of the region, and understanding their genome is an important part of understanding their behaviors and role in the ecosystem,” said Stephen Ramsey, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical sciences at OSU. “There is a lot of interest in exploring the genetics of wild beaver populations throughout the Northwest, but we lack the reference genome that would really facilitate those kinds of studies.” Filbert, a North American beaver at the Oregon Zoo, is taking center stage with the quest. Since zoo veterinarians were conducting the animal’s routine physical exam and blood-work panel, they offered to set aside a small blood sample for OSU’s genome project, according to the zoo. Dr. Ramsey and other OSU researchers traveled to Portland to collect the sample from the …
