Vet School’s 3-D Printer Adds Personal TouchJune 17, 2015What they see is what they get at the Mississippi State University Veterinary Specialty Center, which is using a 3-D printer to construct plastic copies of patients’ damaged spines and skulls. The replicas spit out by the $2,200 LutzBot TAZ 4 3-D printer allow veterinarians and students to examine internal injuries up close and plan corrective measures. “We take CT scans of spinal injuries, convert them into three-dimensional images on a screen and convert those to files that can transmit that information to the printer,” said Andy Shores, DVM, MS, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM. “The result is a plastic model identical to what was on the screen.” The reproductions also assist in the education of Mississippi State veterinary students and neurosurgery residents, said Dr. Shores, chief neurosurgeon in the College of Veterinary Medicine. “The equipment prints out bony structures, so future students can see exactly how a particular injury looks and get a better appreciation for the condition we’re talking about while on rounds,” he said. “If you have a patient with a broken bone or vertebrae, to be able to put that structure in your hand goes a long way toward the students’ understanding what it is and how …
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Apoquel Anti-itch Drug Remains in Short SupplyJune 17, 2015Dog owners and veterinarians wondering when they can obtain the wonder drug Apoquel likely will have to wait awhile longer. Zoetis Inc., which makes the anti-itch medication, has been dealing with enormous demand and undisclosed manufacturing issues since Apoquel (oclacitinib tablet) was launched in early 2014. The Florham Park, N.J., company made good on a pledge to ramp up production by April 2015, but problems on the manufacturing end continue to limit the supply. Zoetis this month reinstituted a ban on new orders from veterinarians, spokeswoman Colleen White said today. “We have communicated to our customers an update to our supply plan, and as part of that we advised that we are temporarily not accepting new orders for Apoquel,” White said. She declined to go into detail about the manufacturing issues and when they may be resolved. “We’re committed to making Apoquel available to more new customers as soon as possible,” she said. “We have experienced some challenges in the supply of Apoquel as we have pursued a rapid and large scale-up of production.” More than 13,000 U.S. veterinarians have access to Apoquel, more than double the number who could offer it to clients and patients in 2014, …
Michigan State Launches Collaboration on International ProgramsJune 16, 2015Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Department of Animal Science (ANS) have partnered in an effort to open up opportunities for students and faculty with international research, teaching and learning objectives. Nanda Joshi, Ph.D., assistant professor in MSU’s Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health, will lead the new collaboration. He will work with ANS and CVM to identify priority areas of international engagement, to cultivate cross department and cross college international opportunities and to develop implementation strategies. “[Dr. Joshi] will provide leadership and clear objectives for the collaborative effort, which will help provide connections and opportunities, along with helping to identify funds in order for interested students and faculty to achieve international research, teaching and learning objectives,” according to the college in its announcement in early June.
Veterinarian Receives Honor For Sponsoring Arson DogJune 16, 2015We’ve all heard of hero dogs — dogs who work as therapy dogs or service dogs and especially dogs who assist police and fire departments in solving crimes. Some of you may have treated these dogs. One such dog, Kai, is an arson dog. Back in 2011 she discovered the fire accelerant that burned down an Alamo Height’s house, a woman, her child and her roommate. Kai has been a successful arson dog for five years. Part of her success is due to the help of her veterinarian, Lewis Radicke, DVM. Dr. Radicke works at the Lincoln Heights Animal Hospital in San Antonio and sponsors Kai’s care, an action he was recently honored for. "The whole staff loves her and they love to see her. And you can see how she reacts," Radicke told KSAT 12. He added that he’s proud every time he learns of a big case she’s working on because his care is partly responsible for how well she performs on the job. "There are a lot of these cases where she's spot-on. I mean, she picks up on it and she knows," he said. Radicke was not the only honoree. The American Humane …
UF PETS Gets Level 3 CertificationJune 13, 2015The University of Florida’s Pet Emergency Treatment Services (PETS) clinic in Ocala has been certified as a Level 3 veterinary emergency and critical care facility by the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society. UF College of Veterinary Medicine made the announcement in early June. “The UF PETS facility in Ocala serves Marion County veterinarians and pet owners in that area by providing the expertise we have available at our main Gainesville facility but on a smaller scale,” said Carsten Bandt, DrMedVet, chief of the hospital’s emergency and critical care service. “We received this certification because of our capabilities and high standards of emergency and critical care.” According to the society’s website, the Level 3 emergency and critical care facility is an acute care facility with the medical staff, personnel and training necessary to provide emergency and critical patient care. Facilities receiving the Level 3 designation are open to receive small animal emergency patients on nights, weekends, and holidays 365 days a year. UF PETS, which opened in July 2012, treated more than 4,200 small animal patients in 2014, according to Dana Zimmel, DVM, associate dean for clinical services at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine.
Webinar on Animal Health Sector Set for July 7June 12, 2015How has the U.S. animal health industry fared and where is it headed? Brakke Consulting, a Dallas company that serves the animal health, veterinary and pet industries, will provide the answers during a two-hour webinar scheduled for Tuesday, July 7 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Central time. The session, presented by senior consultants John Volk and David Goodnight, DVM, MBA, will look at issues facing the U.S. veterinary and animal health industries, the size of the animal health market, the leading companies and the future. Volk and Dr. Goodnight also will reveal the results of a study of pet owner spending on animal health products. “Our annual overview of the animal health industry has become an important don’t-miss event for many executives,” said Ronald Brakke, president of Brakke Consulting. “They view our insights and industry knowledge as an important resource in their annual planning process.” Registration costs $385 and is available at http://bit.ly/1JKLhle. The deadline is July 1.
Ontario Veterinary College Hires Wichtel as DeanJune 12, 2015An Atlantic Veterinary College administrator and professor will move 850 miles west to take over as dean of Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph in Canada. Jeff Wichtel, BVSc, Ph.D., Dipl. ACT, was announced today as the new dean of what the education firm Quacquarelli Symonds recently ranked as the world’s fourth-best veterinary school. Dr. Wichtel will leave the University of Prince Edward Island, where he has served as a faculty member in the veterinary college’s department of health management and as associate dean of graduate studies and research. His five-year term is effective Oct. 1. “Jeff has years of experience as an administrator, researcher and clinician, and understands the complexities of a veterinary college,” said search committee chairman Serge Desmarais, Ph.D. “He is passionate about veterinary medicine and has a vision for building on OVC’s reputation for excellence to help improve lives and health.” Wichtel will replace Elizabeth Stone, DVM, MS, MPP, who became the college’s 10th dean in 2005. “I am excited and humbled to be given this opportunity,” Wichtel said. “Teaching, research and service at OVC are truly world class. … A new dean could not ask for a better base on which …
Blood Storage Study Offers Hope for Sick BirdsJune 11, 2015For birds in need of a lifesaving blood transfusion, the secret may be dimethyl sulfoxide. A Tufts University research team is reporting in the June issue of the American Journal of Veterinary Research that freezing avian blood using the liquid compound dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) could lead to larger supplies for use in emergencies. One problem with avian blood is that it doesn’t store as well as human and canine blood because of the red blood cells’ short life span and high metabolic rate, said co-author Jennifer E. Graham, DVM. Unless a fresh supply or donor is nearby, avian patients may not survive. “This research is important because without a way to preserve blood, it is difficult to treat pet and wild birds with life-threatening anemia or blood loss,” said Dr. Graham, an assistant professor in the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. “If blood banks are not available for particular species, alternative methods of blood storage including cryopreservation could provide a solution.” Graham, two co-workers and a University of Massachusetts biostatistician were determined to learn whether DMSO would work as a cryopreservant for avian blood. They also investigated hydroxyethyl starch (HES), which performs well in the storage of human …
LafeberVet Schedules Webinar on Feather Destructive BehaviorJune 11, 2015Feather destructive behavior can be one of the most common and frustrating behavioral problems seen in captive psittacine birds. To learn more about this, attend LafeberVet's free, interactive, RACE-approved webinar “Feather Destructive Behavior in Psittacine Birds” on Sept. 20 at 4 p.m. ET. The presentation is worth 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that accept American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) RACE approval. Lynne Seibert, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist, will review feather picking, feather chewing and self-inflicted trauma to soft tissue in parrots and their case management. Registration opens in early September. For more information, go to LafeberVet.com.
MSU Names Director of Animal, Public Health CenterJune 11, 2015Michigan State University has named Rachel Reams, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVP, as director of its Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health (DCPAH). She will assume the role on Aug. 1. Dr. Reams currently is director of translational biomarker solutions at Covance Laboratories. Prior to that, she was the director of discovery pathology and imaging at the laboratory. Her background includes being head of pathology at Lilly Research Laboratories, as well as being the director of the Puerto Rico Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. She also led the Large Animal Pathology and Toxicology laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. Reams’ key focus at DCPAH, according to the university, will be strengthening leadership in its business, academic and government roles. “DCPAH is unique in its complex mission and its interconnected relationships with industry, academia and the government,” Reams said. “I am looking forward to building on the excellent service we provide to veterinary practitioners and the animals they serve, and to advancing our educational and research missions. The pathological services and the academic work strengthen each other, and then you bring them together with our mission to safeguard animal and human health by closely collaborating with state and national agencies—the …
