4 Vets Accused of Drugging RacehorsesMarch 30, 2015Four equine veterinarians are cooperating with federal prosecutors after the practitioners were charged with illegally administering drugs to thoroughbred racehorses at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Pa. Their cases are part of a continuing investigation that also has ensnared three trainers and even the track’s official clocker. The FBI reported that charges were filed March 26 against veterinarians Kevin Brophy, DVM, the owner of Abba Vet Supply in Wellington, Fla.; Chris Korte, DVM, of Pueblo, Colo.; Fernando Motta, DVM, of Lancaster, Pa.; and Renee Nodine, DVM, of Annville, Pa. All four veterinarians agreed to plead guilty to charges that include administering drugs within 24 hours of races in which the horses were entered. The drugs were not under a valid prescription and were part of a race-rigging conspiracy, prosecutors said. According to the FBI: The veterinarians took drug orders from trainers, administered the medications and backdated billing records to avoid detection. The four defendants submitted false veterinary treatment reports to the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission. The false reports and backdated documents were designed “to further the conspiracy by concealing the illegal activity.” The conspiracy defrauded other horse owners, trainers and race bettors, authorities stated. The alleged lawbreaking …
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Texas Web Vet Loses Court AppealMarch 30, 2015Internet veterinarian Ronald Hines, DVM, Ph.D., isn’t ready to surrender after an appeals court ruled Friday that his constitutional rights were not violated when Texas regulators ordered him to shut down his online practice. The nonprofit law firm Institute for Justice reported today that Dr. Hines intends to take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court and has until late June to file a petition. The case centers on Hines’ now-suspended business of providing email and telephone advice to pet owners without seeing the animal. Laws in Texas, Mississippi and Utah forbid establishing a veterinarian-client-patient relationship through telephone or electronic means. Hines’ website, www.2ndchance.info, no longer promotes veterinary advice for a $58 fee, but for the same price he offers to “explain and walk you through the information and the treatment options I give in my [online] articles, and I can give you emotional support in difficult times and with difficult decisions.” Hines, 71, could not be reached to comment on his legal loss, but his attorney, Jeff Rowes, said the case “stands at the crossroads of Internet freedom, free speech and economic liberty.” “Dr. Hines gives advice for a living, and advice is speech protected …
Water Additive Found to Reduce Dental TartarMarch 30, 2015An independent study of Kane Biotech’s StrixNB documented slower growth of dental calculus in dogs given the water additive. The calculus score in a group of 30 dogs was 25.4 percent lower than in the control group at the end of the study, the Canadian company reported Thursday. “Our oral care water additive significantly reduces calculus with daily use,” said Gord Froehlich, president and CEO of Kane Biotech. “This is especially significant as a water additive is the first step in a good oral care program.” The study has not been submitted for publication but “we are currently exploring opportunities,” business development manager Robert Vinet said. The efficacy study was controlled, randomized and masked, the Winnipeg, Manitoba, company reported. Each group was fed a normal diet and given either tap water or water containing StrixNB at the recommended dosage. Teeth cleanings were done on all the dogs at the start, and dental exams were graded on days 28, 56 and 84 using a modified Warrick-Gorrel method. The calculus scores in the StrixNB group were 14.2, 23.5 and 25.4 percent lower at each stage compared with the control group. A separate safety study found no issues when dogs …
Found Animals Saving Pets Challenge Aims to Reduce EuthanasiaMarch 28, 2015Michelson Found Animals, a nonprofit organization, has announced its second annual fundraising campaign designed to help reduce euthanasia in shelters. Last year, the Saving Pets Challenge raised more than $1 million. That money went toward programs whose goal it is to decrease the number of pets euthanized at shelters. This year, Found Animals is offering more incentives in the hopes that the amount raised this year will be higher. “Due to the overwhelming success of last year’s Michelson Found Animals Saving Pets Challenge, we wanted to bring back the campaign with bigger and better prizes to continue to make strides in reducing the number of pets euthanized each year,” Michelson Found Animals Executive Director Aimee Gilbreath said. “We understand that saving pets takes money, so we’re here to help organizations large and small make an even larger impact in their local communities.” This fundraising campaign offers animal welfare organizations the chance to win weekly prizes worth a total of $25,000. The organization that raises the most money to help at-risk animals will receive a grant of $50,000. The second place organization will receive a $20,000 grant. Third, fourth and fifth place organizations will each get grants of …
UT Helps Get Steer Back on His FeetMarch 27, 2015Dudley’s done all right since a rescue group, a prosthesis manufacturer and University of Tennessee veterinarians teamed up to provide the young steer with a new foot. The 800-pound Hereford was moved from a Nashville, Tenn., farm to the university in Knoxville after losing his left rear hoof in a tangle with baling twine. More of his lower limb was amputated at the UT veterinary hospital, a cast was applied and about a month later, in February, a prosthetic limb was installed. By late March, Dudley was still learning to walk normally again. “We are pleased to announce that Dudley is now safe and recovering,” said David Anderson, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, the university’s director of large animal clinical services, who performed the amputation. “The next stage of recovery is crucial as Dudley adjusts to walking and improves his balance and strengthens his muscles with his prosthetic foot.” Stepping in to rescue Dudley was The Gentle Barn, a nonprofit group based in Santa Clarita, Calif. The organization took possession of Dudley after learning that his owner couldn’t afford his care, and co-founder Ellie Laks arranged for his move to the University of Tennessee. Dudley was an outstanding patient after …
Reminder: Keep Chocolate Away From DogsMarch 27, 2015The British Veterinary Association today warned about chocolate poisoning in pets, noting that 54 percent of U.K. veterinarians treated such cases over the Easter holiday last year. Chocolate consumption is more likely in dogs because of their tendency to eat just about anything. Chocolate contains theobromine, a chemical found in cocoa beans that dogs and other animals have a difficult time excreting, BVA stated. Just one ounce of milk chocolate per pound of body weight is enough to kill a dog, according to The Merck Veterinary Manual. Dark chocolate and cocoa powder are even most toxic, BVA stated. “It’s worth remembering that dogs in particular have a keen sense of smell and will easily win at any Easter egg hunt,” said BVA President John Blackwell, BVSc, MRCVS. “So wherever chocolate is being stored over Easter—inside or outside—make sure it is pet proof and stored out of reach of inquisitive and determined noses and paws to avoid an emergency trip to the vet at Easter.” The survey of 1,208 veterinarians discovered that 46 percent had no chocolate-related cases last Easter but that 18 percent had one patient, 26 percent had two or three, and 10 percent had at least four. …
Canine Cancer Lab TVAX Gets $2 MillionMarch 26, 2015Investors have put a lot of faith and money in TVAX Animal Health, a year-old company that is working on a T-cell-based cancer treatment for dogs. The Lenexa, Kan., subsidiary of TVAX Biomedical Inc. announced today that it closed on an additional $2 million in funding, adding to a stockpile that last summer totaled $12 million. “There are more than 3 million dogs treated for cancer each year, yet the available treatment options are limited,” CEO Tammie Wahaus said. “TVAX Animal Health strives to bring effective cancer treatment options to the U.S. veterinary market, and this round of financing will help us achieve this.” The cash infusion will fund a clinical trial of TVAX’s proprietary immunotherapy, which is designed to use a patient’s immune system to generate cancer-killing T-cells. The developer is focused on canine cancer but sees a potential market for the technology with cats and horses. The immunotherapy has the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s authorization. Among TVAX’s early investors were the Mid-America Angels network and the Kansas Biosciences Authority, both of which contributed to the new round of funding along with other parties. “We look forward to working with the TVAX management team to assist in …
The 2015 "They Ate What?!" Radiograph Contest Now Accepting Entries!March 26, 2015Entries are being accepted for Veterinary Practice News' 10th annual radiograph contest, "They Ate WHAT?" Pet health insurer Trupanion of Seattle is sponsoring the contest. The top three winners will be awarded cash prizes. First prize is $1,500; second prize, $1,000; third prize, $500. Shawn Messonnier, DVM, Paws & Claws Animal Hospital, Plano, Texas Kermit the frog was the 2014 "They Ate What?!" Radiograph Contest winner. More than 30 small ornamental rocks were found inside Kermit, but were removed without complications. Entries must be submitted electronically by June 30. Clinics that don't have digital radiography may submit digital photos of their qualifying films. Email radiographs to VPNeditor@luminamedia.com or use our online submission form. The submission must include the submitter's name, clinic address, a telephone number and a short explanation of the case, including outcome. Photographs of the pet and removed items may also be sent, as in the case of last year's third-place winner, the dog that ate 43 ½ socks. The photo of the socks paired nicely with the X-ray. Entries become the property of Lumina Media, the parent company of Veterinary Practice News, which reserves the right to use …
VPI Price Study Contradicts U.S. NumbersMarch 26, 2015Is the cost of veterinary care rising or falling? It depends. The U.S. government’s Consumer Price Index for the years 2009 to 2013 revealed veterinary inflation of 15 percent. Veterinary Pet Insurance of Brea, Calif., provided Purdue University economists with millions of customer insurance claims and learned that prices actually declined by 1 percent over the same period. Why the discrepancy? The answer is a mystery, but VPI executives have some theories. “The difference … is that our singular focus was to analyze veterinary pricing trends based on more than 5.3 million actual medical claims rather than a few hundred phone surveys, providing us a much clearer look at these trends,” President Scott Liles said. VPI’s chief veterinary officer, Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, suggested that some veterinarians may have chosen to give clients a break. “It could be the associate vet saying, ‘I feel so bad for Mrs. Johnson, I’m not going to charge her the list price. I’m going to look for something a little less expensive on the price sheet,’” Dr. McConnell said. She also gave the example of a canine ear infection—a frequent problem—and how a veterinarian may rely on experience to omit a diagnostic step …
Kansas State Researchers Develop Mastitis TestMarch 26, 2015Researchers from Kansas State University say they have developed a test that can detect the early stages of mastitis in dairy cows. The test, according to the researchers, identifies the disease earlier and costs less than current technologies on the market. “The classical mastitis tests estimate the numbers, not the activity, of neutrophil cells, which are the dominant cells that travel to the inflamed udder during mastitis,” said Deryl Troyer, DVM, Ph.D., professor of anatomy and physiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Many times early and emerging cases of mastitis are not caught by the tests because they count the numbers rather than the activity. These are often the most important cases to catch.” Dr. Troyer is leading the project with Stefan Bossmann, Ph.D., professor of chemistry in the College of Arts & Sciences. Early detection will help dairy producers better treat cows with emerging cases of mastitis as well as reduce transmission to other cows in the dairy operation, according to the university. The project uses the duo’s nanoplatform technology that can quickly detect cancer cells and tumors before physical symptoms ever appear. The researchers said that the test easily translated to mastitis detection because several of …
