How WVC is Expanding the BrandJanuary 16, 2015Originally published in the January 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News In a city where gamblers lose more than they win, David Little bets on sure things. The CEO of Western Veterinary Conference is certain that veterinarians and vet techs will continue to flock to Las Vegas from around the world for the organization’s annual convention and the 1,000 hours of continuing education offered over five days in February. He’s also wagering that the lectures and hands-on labs presented year-round at the nearby Oquendo Center are here to stay. But Little knows that Las Vegas isn’t always a convenient meeting spot for busy professionals, and to reach more of them he and the WVC staff have taken continuing education outside Nevada with the new On the Road series. “We realize that the landscape is changing in veterinary CE, so we want to provide different options,” Little said. “We want to take our programs out into the community … and make it easier and more cost-effective for veterinary professionals to interact with WVC.” On the Road kicked off in September in Oklahoma City with a one-day class on small animal dermatology. A month later in Indianapolis, 61 veterinary professionals attended a …
SPONSORED CONTENTThe Reality of Veterinary Surgery ErgonomicsOne of the greatest challenges of Work-Related Musculo-Skeletal Disorders (WRMSD) is that they can come on slowly. They can be easy to ignore initially. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) issued ergonomic guidelines to help veterinarians catch problems early. + Learn More
Aja Takes Over as Banfield Chief Medical OfficerJanuary 15, 2015The new year has delivered a new chief medical officer to the Banfield Pet Hospital chain. The Portland, Ore., company’s 2,900 veterinarians will look to Daniel Aja, DVM, for direction in the quality of medicine practiced at nearly 900 locations. Dr. Aja replaced Jeffrey Klausner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, who retired at the end of 2014. Aja’s appointment was announced in April 2014. The former Hill’s Pet Nutrition executive served as Banfield’s senior vice president of medical operations in the interim. “We are confident he’ll continue Dr. Klausner’s work of instilling our core values, including quality preventive care, across our hospitals and the broader veterinary profession,” said Tony Ueber, president and CEO of Banfield. Aja worked for 21 years as the owner and director of Cherry Bend Animal Hospital in Traverse City, Mich. His career has included service on the American Veterinary Medical Association House of Delegates and on the Michigan Board of Veterinary Medicine. He is a former president of the American Animal Hospital Association. “Banfield has been at the forefront of preventive care within the veterinary profession for the past two decades,” said Aja, a graduate of Michigan State University. “I’m excited to work with and …
Drug Maker Putney Celebrates Regulatory SuccessesJanuary 15, 2015Fresh off government approval of four generic animal drugs, manufacturer Putney Inc. this week reported receiving the go-ahead for a fifth: Enrofloxacin Antibacterial Injectable Solution. The generic version of Bayer Animal Health’s Baytril Antibacterial Injectable Solution is indicated for the treatment of bacterial infections in dogs. The Putney drug won the approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, giving the company its fifth FDA endorsement in five months. Putney President and CEO Jean Hoffman credited the Portland, Maine, company’s research and development team for the recent approvals. “Only six generic pet medicines were approved by the FDA in 2014, and four of them were Putney products,” Hoffman said. The latest achievement made Putney the only manufacturer with an FDA-approved generic of enrofloxacin for pets in both flavored tablet and injectable dosage forms. The company’s Enrofloxacin Flavored Tablets are formulated for dog and cats. A rollout date for Enrofloxacin Injectable Solution was not announced. Three of the four Putney drugs approved in 2014—Dexmedetomidine HCl, Meloxicam Solution for Injection and Carprofen Chewable Tablets—are in veterinary pharmacies. The fourth, Carprofen Sterile Injectable Solution, is expected to be released soon, the company stated. Putney’s last approved drug of 2014, Carprofen Chewable Tablets, …
Colorado’s Research Day to be Held Jan. 31January 15, 2015 (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Post by CSU College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences will host its 16th annual CVMBS Research Day at noon Jan. 31. The event, to be held at the Hilton Fort Collins, is free and open to all members of the CVMBS community. The annual symposium showcases cutting-edge student research and innovative research approaches. It’s an excellent opportunity for local researchers and scientists to connect, enhancing collaboration and communication between basic and clinical researchers, according to the college. The symposium will begin with presentations by Elizabeth Ryan, Ph.D., and Candace Mathiason, Ph.D., CVMBS & Zoetis Early Career Investigator awardees. Following that will be poster and oral presentations in basic and clinical sciences by graduate students, veterinary students, veterinary residents, postdoctoral fellows and interns. Find out more about this event at the CSUVMB website.
Study: Cancer Patients Benefit From Therapy DogsJanuary 14, 2015Therapy dogs lifted the spirits of adult cancer patients by improving their emotional well-being and quality of life, according to research co-sponsored by veterinary drug manufacturer Zoetis Inc. The clinical study, published this week in the Journal of Community and Supportive Oncology, involved patients receiving combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy for gastrointestinal, head or neck cancers. A questionnaire called the FACT-G (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—General) found that the patients’ emotional well-being jumped over the course of animal-assisted visits even as they underwent “marked and significant declines in both physical and functional well-being,” according to the researchers. Principal investigator Stewart B. Fleishman, M.D., of New York’s Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital called the work “the first such definitive study in cancer.” “Having an animal-assisted visit significantly improved [the patients’] quality of life and humanized a high-tech treatment,” Fleishman said. “Patients said they would have stopped their treatments before completion except for the presence of the certified Good Dog Foundation therapy dog and volunteer handler.” Besides Zoetis, the New York-based Good Dog Foundation and the Pfizer Foundation contributed to the research. “There is mounting evidence in human and veterinary medicine that the emotional bond between people and companion animals can …
College Vet Bess Pierce Receives Bustad AwardJanuary 14, 2015A Virginia-Maryland veterinary professor who directs the college’s Center for Animal-Human Relationships was named the 2015 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year. The honor was presented Jan. 9 to Bess Pierce, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVSMR, during the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Veterinary Leadership Conference in Chicago. The award is named after revered human-animal bond researcher Leo K. Bustad, DVM, Ph.D., who died in 1998. Dr. Pierce paid tribute to Dr. Bustad, calling him “a visionary” and “an extraordinary man who left an even more extraordinary legacy.” The Center for Animal-Human Relationships at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine hosts research into the human-animal bond and examines how both groups benefit. “We tend to look at the human-animal bond through the lens of our relationships with our pets, but it is so much more than that,” Pierce said. “This intricate connection between animals and people is the very foundation of veterinary medicine; we have the gift of not only helping animals but of also serving people through animals.” Pierce, an associate professor and Auburn University graduate, served on active duty in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps for 15 years. Now a colonel in the …
It’s Back to Work for AVMA LobbyistsJanuary 13, 2015If the American Veterinary Medical Association had its way, the soring of walking horses would be illegal, all Internet purchases of pet products would be taxed and veterinarians working in underserved areas would get a better break on their student loans. But given that Congress, not AVMA, passes the nation’s laws, all that the organization’s leaders and Governmental Relations Division can do is lobby representatives and senators on behalf of the veterinary industry. By the time the 113th Congress’ two-year term expired Jan. 3, AVMA had tried, but failed, to push through three major bills: the Prevent All Soring Tactics Act, the Marketplace Fairness Act and the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act. While AVMA employees are again knocking on congressional doors, sending emails and placing phone calls, the Governmental Relations Division’s director, Mark T. Lutschaunig, VMD, MBA, points to legislative successes. In a document prepared for AVMA members, Dr. Lutschaunig wrote that the veterinary community had reasons to be pleased by news out of Washington, D.C., over the past two years. Acting on congressionally approved legislation, President Obama signed: The Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act, which formally legalizes the drug-dispensing actions of many mobile and rural veterinarians. The Farm …
Dogs Can’t Hide Feelings From ScientistsJanuary 13, 2015Research conducted by Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. has confirmed that dogs, like people, become flush with happiness and excitement. The findings, according to Purina behavior scientist Ragen T.S. McGowan, Ph.D., illustrate how the human-animal bond works both ways, lighting up the lives of both people and pets. “Scientists have known for years how to evaluate negative states such as stress and anxiety in animals,” McGowan said. “Less is known about how to measure positive states such as happiness or excitement.” McGowan and her team used thermal, or infrared, cameras to examine how external stimuli can generate joyful emotions in dogs, the company reported today. The cameras measured temperature fluctuations in dogs’ eyes, ears and paw pads as blood flowed to those areas. “Thermal imaging has been widely used in animal welfare studies to assess inflammation in racehorses, for example, or to see how certain conditions affect livestock’s stress levels,” McGowan said. “This is one of the first times it is being used to measure positive responses in pets.” Part of the study involved having people with no connection to a group of shelter dogs sit with and pet them for 15 minutes, the company stated. The dogs …
Pet Pledge Day Raises Funds for Animal-Assisted TherapyJanuary 13, 2015Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee (HABIT), an outreach program at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, recently received $1,000 from a community partnership between WUOT Public Radio and Dream Katcher Lodge in Farragut, Tenn. As a way to promote HABIT, the radio station and lodge decided to hold a Community Partnership Day. If WUOT received 350 pledges by phone, online or in person on the station’s Pet Pledge Day during its fall 2014 fund drive, Dream Katcher Lodge would donate $1,000 to HABIT. The station surpassed its goal, receiving more than 475 pledges from listeners in support of the partnership. Mili Bass, DVM, owner of Dream Katcher Lodge, is an alumna of the UT college of Veterinary Medicine. She has supported HABIT since it began in 1986. “Besides HABIT, WUOT is my other passion,” Dr. Bass said. “These are two organizations I feel strongly about that need community support.” The fund drive’s Community Partnership Day on Pet Pledge Day was opportunity for listeners to make it a HABIT to donate to WUOT and help support another worthy nonprofit at the same time, according to Cindy Hassil, WUOT corporate and community relations director. “We want to give back to the …
MSU’s Patterson Captures National Teaching AwardJanuary 12, 2015A Michigan State University professor described as having a passion for teaching and whose methods are shared with other educators has won the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges’ 2014 Distinguished Teacher Award. Jon Patterson, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVP, will officially receive what AAVMC calls the most prestigious national teaching award in veterinary medicine during the organization’s annual conference March 14 in Washington, D.C. Dr. Patterson, a professor in MSU’s department of pathobiology and diagnostic investigation, was a clear-cut winner, said AAVMC President Trevor Ames, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, the dean of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. “His attention to teaching, devotion to the development of a high-quality curriculum, and ability to share his enthusiasm for research and mentor students are all qualities that we look for in an honoree,” Dr. Ames said. Patterson teaches general pathology, neuropathology and diagnostic pathology to veterinary students and trains residents in veterinary anatomic pathology, AAVMC reported. His nominator was department chairwoman L.J. McCutcheon, who said Patterson “brings [pathology] to life for students.” His students echoed McCutcheon, stating in their nomination submission: “Dr. Patterson’s teaching methods are unanimously loved by all of his students; so much so that his …
