Britain Ponders Language Test for Some Vets, Vet TechsJuly 23, 2015European veterinarians pursuing work in the United Kingdom may have to prove that they can communicate in English, according to a government proposal. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is considering allowing the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to halt the registration of any veterinarian coming from a European Union country if “serious and concrete doubts” are raised about the applicant’s English skills. “It is felt that animals and members of the public may be put at risk if vets are unable to meet a certain standard of proficiency in English,” a Defra document reads in part. “An example of an unwelcome situation would be a veterinary surgeon unable to understand English language drug labeling and thus unable to ensure that the drugs they dispense for treatment are correct. “In addition, a large part of the role of the veterinary surgeon is to communicate clearly and effectively with their clients … discuss potential treatments accurately, and ensure that the client is aware of and can agree [to] the proposed treatment.” The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)—the regulatory body for veterinarians and veterinary technicians in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland—is asking members to comment on …
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Texas A&M Dean Elevated to AAVMC PresidentJuly 23, 2015Texas A&M University’s Eleanor Green is the new president of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, taking over from Trevor Ames, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, the dean of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Green, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ABVP, was installed in Boston during the organization’s annual July meeting. She is the Carl B. King dean of Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “We’re fortunate to have so many talented and dedicated educators working in our member institutions and I look forward to working closely with them as we continue our efforts to create opportunity and progress in veterinary medicine,” she said. The nonprofit AAVMC represents 35 veterinary medical colleges in the United States and Canada, 14 international colleges of veterinary medicine and 23 affiliate members. Succeeding Green in 2016 will be Douglas Freeman, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACT, the dean of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, who was named president-elect. Other newly elected board members for 2015-16 include: At-large director representing Canadian colleges: Alistair Cribb, DVM, Ph.D., dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary. At-large liaison …
‘Doc McStuffins: Pet Vet’ Premieres This August on Disney ChannelJuly 23, 2015If you have children (or nieces, nephews or grandchildren), you may have come across “Doc McStuffins,” a children’s cartoon on Disney Junior that features a 6-year-old girl who acts as veterinarian to her toys and stuffed animals – and treats them in her playhouse clinic. Now Doc McStuffins is moving her practice to her backyard where she’ll continue to treat the toys and stuffed animals child viewers have grown to love. “Doc McStuffins: Pet Vet” is a multi-episode story presented in collaboration with Solid Gold Holistic Pet, Nationwide and the ASPCA, zaptoit.com reports. The show, geared toward kids aged 2 to 7 (though adults – especially those in veterinary medicine – will probably enjoy it too), will begin airing on the Disney Channel and WATCH Disney Junior on Friday, August 14, 2015 at 9 a.m. EST/PST. The Disney Channel, Disney Junior and WATCH Disney Junior will also feature episodes of “Doc McStuffins.” Episodes will include “Fetchin’ Findo/Dragon’s Best Friend,” “Take Your Pet to the Vet,” “Stuffy and Squibbles” and “Three Goats A’ Cuddlin.’” Besides episodes of “Doc McStuffins: Pet Vet,” the programming event will include a music video mash-up of songs from the show …
UC Davis to Host Beef Cattle SymposiumJuly 23, 2015The University of California, Davis will hold the Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle Aug. 17-18. The goal of the symposium is to facilitate improvements in reproductive performance and enhance knowledge and use of technologies to increase profitability and sustainability in the beef industry. The event’s location will combine the strengths and expertise of the U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, U.C. Davis Department of Animal Science and U.C. Cooperative Extension. The program will include six general sessions, covering a variety of topics such as physiology, genetics and management. A sample of confirmed lectures: “Drought: devastating natural event or wake‐up call for better cattle management,” “Veterinary considerations –Male breeding soundness exams and venereal diseases in bulls,” and “Development and testing of vaccine(s) for epizootic bovine abortion (EBA; foothill abortion): current status.” For schedule and registration info, visit here.
Vets Get Extra Time to Weigh in on Bulk Drug ListJuly 22, 2015The deadline to nominate bulk drugs that may be authorized for use in veterinary compounding across the United States has been extended to Nov. 16. Comments on a related matter, the compounding document “Guidance for Industry No. 230,” are still due by Aug. 17. The American Veterinary Medical Association had asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to extend both deadlines. “This [nomination] extension allows us to work with our members to more fully identify the compounds needed for veterinarians’ office stock, which we know is critical for veterinarians’ ability to protect animal health and welfare,” the organization reported Tuesday. AVMA is collecting nominations and relevant scientific literature at regulatorycomments@avma.org. The subject line should read “FDA bulk compounding guidance.” Nominations also may be made through FDA at www.1.usa.gov/1PZBIxn. Released in May, “Guidance for Industry No. 230” acknowledges that the compounding of animal drugs from bulk substances is currently illegal but may be an appropriate treatment option in some cases. Feedback on the draft document may be provided at www.1.usa.gov/1ImZiQq.
CSU Plans $47 Million Equine HospitalJuly 22, 2015The donations keep rolling in at the Colorado State University veterinary school, which announced a $10 million gift Tuesday toward the construction of an equine hospital. University President Tony Frank, DVM, Ph.D., called the contribution from the Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation “a monumental step forward for equine veterinary medicine at Colorado State.” The cash infusion is part of $75.9 million that the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science has raised or received commitments for over the past year. The university reported a record $172 million in fundraising overall. The veterinary school’s portion spiked upon a $42.5 million pledge in December 2014 from philanthropists John and Leslie Malone. The money and matching funds will be used to construct the Institute for Biologic Translational Therapies. The new $10 million gift is seed money for what will become the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Family Equine Hospital. The $47 million hospital, once constructed on the South Medical Campus, will include: A high-resolution computed tomography (CT) scanner “for use in standing patients, without general anesthesia, for accurate and low-stress diagnosis of disease and injury in the head and neck,” according to the university. Access to a 3 Tesla magnetic …
Anesthesia Vet Tech Group Gets MakeoverJuly 22, 2015A 182-member group of veterinary technicians certified in anesthesia has changed its name and updated its logo. The Academy of Veterinary Technician Anesthetists is now the Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Anesthesia and Analgesia (AVTAA). The change, announced Monday, follows a similar move by the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (ACVAA), with which AVTAA works closely. ACVAA until 2014 was known as the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists. “While our name has changed, our mission has not,” the technician organization stated. “We continue to be dedicated to promoting patient safety, consumer protection, professionalism and excellence in the provision of anesthesia and analgesia to veterinary patients.” AVTAA advised its certified veterinary technician specialists to use the credentials VTS (anesthesia and analgesia) or VTS (anes/analgesia). AVTAA, which started in the early 1990s as the Veterinary Technician Anesthetist Society, hosts certification tests once a year at the International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Symposium. The 2015 conference will be held Sept. 18 to 22 in Washington, D.C. A majority of the 182 members work in the United States. The others are based in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The organization’s president is Kristen Cooley, CVT, …
Is Your Bookshelf Bare? Enter for a Chance to Win 1 of 3 Books!July 21, 2015Enter our "A Veterinary Book for Every Clinic Sweepstakes" (AVBEC) sweepstakes! Fill out the form below for the chance to win a copy of “Essentials of Tortoise Medicine and Surgery” courtesy of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association and WILEY or "Notes on Feline Internal Medicine" courtesy of the WILEY-Blackwell or "All Creatures Great and Small and Essentials" courtesy of Macmillan Publishers. According to the publisher, “Essentials of Tortoise Medicine and Surgery is designed as a concise and practical quick reference for the busy practitioner seeing chelonians as part of their caseload. Covering everything from species identification to common basic surgery for tortoises and freshwater turtles, the emphasis is on the more common and likely diagnoses.” According to the publisher, "Notes on Feline Internal Medicine 2nd edition is part of a popular series specifically designed, through an accessible note-based style, to ensure veterinarians and students have quick and easy access to comprehensive and practical clinical and diagnostic information." For All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot, the publisher says, "Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients." One entry per household. Entries close at 11:59 …
Vet Techs Flock to WVC SymposiumJuly 21, 2015WVC has already scheduled its second Veterinary Technician Symposium after luring 120 vet techs to Las Vegas for three days of continuing education. The inaugural symposium, held June 29 to July 1 at the Oquendo Center, was a sellout—and proof that demand exists for such an event, WVC officials said. The second symposium is set for June 27 to 29, 2016. “WVC could not be more pleased with the success,” CEO David Little said. “We … will continue to provide these cutting-edge and never-before-offered educational experiences, which blow the lid off of current educational practices, to all veterinary professionals.” Veterinary technicians from across the United States and Canada showed up in Las Vegas to earn up to 25 CE hours in four subjects: anesthesia, dentistry, emergency and critical care, and practice management. “[They] are able to take the skills they learned here and teach others in their practice, which strengthens the practice as a whole,” said E. David Stearns, RVT, WVC’s veterinary technician director. The symposium included a session called “Career Building 101,” featuring Kara Burns, MS, LVT, VTS. Julie Legred, CVT, executive director of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America, also addressed the group. WVC …
Idexx Launches 10-Minute Test for LeptoJuly 21, 2015Idexx Laboratories Inc. today introduced an in-clinic test that can diagnose canine leptospirosis, a potentially fatal bacterial infection, within 10 minutes. The rapid diagnosis is a big improvement over the most common testing method, Idexx reported. The microscopic agglutination test (MAT) is performed at university and commercial laboratories and may take up to a week to deliver results. “The SNAP Lepto Test represents an important step forward in helping veterinarians quickly and affordably detect antibodies to dangerous Leptospira infections in dogs,” said Jonathan W. Ayers, president and CEO of the Westbrook, Maine, company. Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that usually strikes dogs, cattle, horses, pigs and wildlife. The disease is frequently spread through contact with infected urine. “It most commonly affects young adult large-breed dogs that swim and run alongside wildlife hosts,” Idexx noted. “Over the past 10 years, the disease has also been found in small dogs living in urban environments, likely due to encounters with rodents and wildlife hosts who have wandered into the city.” Richard Goldstein, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, the chief medical officer at Animal Medical Center in New York City, called the new test “a key to both determining the true prevalence of leptospirosis …
