Study May Lead to Early Diagnosis of Feline Kidney DiseaseNovember 21, 2014An early-warning test for chronic kidney disease in cats may emerge from the development of a biomarker called SDMA. Oregon State University researchers worked with Idexx Laboratories on SDMA, or symmetric dimethylarginine, which they said can spot chronic kidney disease, a leading cause of death in older cats, much earlier than normal. Up to 35 percent of geriatric cats suffer from the disease, according to The Merck Veterinary Manual. A test based on the biomarker would allow veterinarians to identify the onset of kidney disease and order dietary changes and other therapies, Oregon State reported Thursday. Foods with lower levels of protein and phosphorus and added fish oil, antioxidants, L-carnitine and medium-chain triglycerides are known to help. “Damage from [the disease] is irreversible, but this is an important advance, in that we should be able to identify the problem earlier and use special diets to slow the disease,” said Jean Hall, DVM, MS, Ph.D., a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine. The findings, published in The Veterinary Journal, involved a controlled study of 32 healthy but older cats, the university stated. The biomarker identified the onset of kidney disease an average of 17 months earlier and in …
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Merck Launches Overseas Veterinarian ExchangeNovember 21, 2014Ten veterinarians, starting with Florida’s Link Welborn and the Netherlands’ Roeland Wessels, will travel thousands of miles to participate in the Nobivac Global Vet Exchange Program. The initiative, sponsored by Merck Animal Health’s Nobivac vaccine line, is designed to introduce veterinarians to a different culture, expose them to how veterinary medicine is performed there and share best practices. “[Merck] aims to offer a rewarding learning experience, not only for the veterinarians participating in the exchange, but also for those following through blogs and videos that will be shared online,” company spokeswoman Karin Jager said. Drs. Welborn, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, of Tampa Bay Animal Hospitals, and Wessels, DVM, MS, of St. Anna 404 Animal Clinic in Nijmegen, Netherlands, took one-week trips in November. Welborn shadowed Keiko Uchida, DVM, at Kariya Animal Hospital in Chiba, Japan, while Wessels followed Koichi Fujii, VMD, at Fujii Vet Clinic in Yokohama, Japan. Wessels reflected on his visit in a series of blog posts. One highlighted the differences between Dutch and Japanese veterinary practices: “The size of the dogs. In Japan, mainly toy breeds. The biggest dog I saw was [33 pounds], a goldendoodle. Koichi will be surprised seeing our European giants!” “Japanese vets are …
Petco Buying Drs. Foster and SmithNovember 20, 2014Retail heavyweight Petco will begin selling prescription veterinary drugs over the Internet upon its acquisition of Drs. Foster and Smith, one of the nation’s largest online sellers of pet medications and supplies. The transaction, announced Wednesday, will mark a major milestone—but not the end—for a company that started as a veterinarian-owned mail-order business in 1983 and morphed into a website operation in 1998 and a prescription drug seller in 2003. Co-founders Race Foster, DVM, and Marty Smith, DVM, will still run the company, which employs 500 people at offices, a warehouse and an outlet store in rural Rhinelander, Wis. Dr. Foster, who will hold the title of CEO, said the moment was right for a sale. “We’re been at it 31 years,” he said. “We’re busier than we’ve ever been. I think it was time, as we move into the big leagues, that we partner up with people that have more expertise, and I think the synergies we will gain with Petco will help both of us expand our health and wellness platforms.” The terms of the sale were not announced. Petco did not report any changes, and Foster doesn’t expect a shakeup. “I think the plan will be …
Better Running Robots May Stem from Research on BirdsNovember 20, 2014Running robots of the future may get its leading edge from birds, according to a new study by researchers at Oregon State University and the University of London’s Royal Veterinary College, among other collaborators. The study outlines how running birds have achieved “an impressive ability to run while minimizing energy cost, avoiding falls or injury, and maintaining speed and direction.” Studying these qualities, according to the researchers, could help design better running robots. “Birds appear to be the best bipedal terrestrial runners, with a speed and agility that may trace back 230 million years to their dinosaur ancestors,” said Jonathan Hurst, an associate professor in the OSU College of Engineering. Running birds range in size, from tiny quails to an ostrich that has 500 times as much body mass. Most, but not all, can fly, but spend most of their lives on the ground, and they don’t always look the most graceful when they run, the researchers noted. Still, the birds are able to maximize results, like saving energy and not breaking a leg. “These animals don’t care that they appear a little unstable or have a waver in their gait,” Hurst said. “Their goal is to limit peak forces, …
AVMA Helps Cat Owners With Declaw DecisionNovember 19, 2014A free client handout designed to help practitioners talk to cat owners about declaw surgery is available through the American Veterinary Medical Association. The new document, available at www.avma.org/declaw, acknowledges that declawing cats is controversial and points out that scratching is normal feline behavior and that nail caps, frequent trims and positive reinforcement training are among the alternatives to an onychectomy. The AVMA House of Delegates this past July updated the organization’s policy on the declawing of domestic cats. The policy encourages client education about the surgery and its risks and urges that the owner make the final decision in consultation with a veterinarian. The handout, titled “Declaw …. or Not?” was produced by the AVMA Animal Welfare Committee. “The AVMA hopes to help veterinarians connect with cat owners to make the best decision for their cat and household,” Animal Welfare Division director Gail C. Golab, DVM, Ph.D., wrote on her AVMA@Work blog. The website also features assistant director Cia Johnson, DVM, MS, narrating a five-minute video about declawing.
Zoetis Takes Action Amid Takeover ThreatNovember 19, 2014Facing a possible hostile takeover, veterinary drug maker Zoetis Inc. has authorized a $500 million stock buyback program and the sale of preferred shares to stockholders at a discount. Neither action is guaranteed to happen. The first is at the discretion of the Zoetis board of directors, and the second—a so-called “poison pill”—would kick in if an investor acquires a 15 percent stake in the company. Pershing Square Capital Management and its hedge fund manager, William Ackman, reported acquiring an 8.5 percent interest in Zoetis, the world’s largest animal health company. The investment was valued at $1.5 billion at the time of the Nov. 12 announcement. The right to issue preferred stock is structured to protect shareholders and the company should the board of directors oppose a takeover offer, Zoetis reported Nov. 14. The option expires Nov. 16, 2015. Chief Financial Officer Paul Herendeen called the stock repurchase program “an important tool for managing our allocation of capital, and it gives us additional flexibility to return capital to shareholders when it is not needed in the business.” The financial news company Bloomberg reported that Ackman sees an opportunity to cut costs at Zoetis and improve shareholder dividends, perhaps …
Bright Future Forecast for Veterinary ServicesNovember 19, 2014Originally published in the November 2014 issue of Veterinary Practice News Who says the veterinary business is stagnant? Not IBISWorld, an international industry research firm whose new report on U.S. veterinary services projects average revenue growth of 4.5 percent a year through 2019, more than double the expected rate of inflation. A growing U.S. pet population, heightened interest in pet health insurance and client willingness to pay for specialized treatments are chief reasons for optimism despite a slump in how often individual animals show up at veterinary clinics. Profits, as a share of revenue, won’t rise much above 12 percent in the veterinary services sector, IBISWorld reported, as consumers tighten their embrace of online and brick-and-mortar stores for ancillary products such as pet food and supplies. On the inside, veterinary professionals can expect continued consolidation as corporate and private owners of multiple practices gobble up independent clinics and cut redundant administrative and marketing costs. All in all, IBISWorld stated in its September report, the profession is, and will stay, healthy. “The veterinary services industry remained resilient over the past five years largely due to many pet owners regarding their pet expenditures as vital, thereby boosting revenue,” the analysts noted. Veterinary …
University of Surrey to Build a Model of the Horse’s HindgutNovember 19, 2014Researchers at the University of Surrey’s School of Veterinary Medicine, in collaboration with colleagues from Reading and Liverpool universities, have been awarded about $157,000 in funding to create a laboratory model of the horse’s hindgut. The funding was presented by Petplan Charitable Trust, one of United Kingdom’s largest animal welfare charities. In spite of their huge importance to health and performance, very little is known about the horse’s gut bacteria and how this vital microbial community varies in health and disease, according to the university. Disturbances in gut bacterial populations are known to affect not just digestion but immunity, risk of cancer, bodyweight and even behavior, the university further noted. The model sets out to discover new ways of preventing disease and maintaining health through dietary intervention. The research team will employ nuclear magnetic resonance technology at the University of Reading to evaluate changes in the bacterial metabolites, and next-generation gene sequencing at the University of Liverpool to characterize bacterial populations. The project is expected to take two years “Bringing the horse’s gut into the laboratory will allow us to characterize gut bacterial populations and to measure how these change in response to changes in diet and to medication such …
N.J. Hospital Provides Free Care to Military K9sNovember 18, 2014Four-legged military veterans are eligible for free specialty veterinary care under a partnership established between a New Jersey hospital chain, the American Humane Association and the United States War Dogs Association. The arrangement, announced Nov. 11 in honor of Veterans Day, recognizes the dogs’ months or years of service overseas on behalf of the U.S. military. Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, which has five New Jersey locations, will provide free specialty care to retired military working dogs and contract working dogs. The latter group is made up of canines supplied to the military by contractors. “For more than 25 years, Red Bank Veterinary Hospital has been a leader in providing veterinary care to the animals of New Jersey, but we now want to be known as the leader in veterinary care for our veteran dogs,” said hospital co-founder Anthony DeCarlo, VMD. The sponsors estimated that each dog saved the lives of up to 200 soldiers by uncovering bombs and weapons caches while working in war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan. “Dogs are as essential to the military as humans, but unlike humans, these dogs are not guaranteed medical care following their retirement,” said Ron Aiello, president of the War …
Abbott, Merck, Purina Team Up on Diabetes CampaignNovember 18, 2014Cats and dogs diagnosed with diabetes during a visit to a participating veterinary clinic in March 2015 will receive a gift bag designed to help their owners manage the disease. The giveaway is part of the new Diabetes Pet Care Alliance, a campaign created by Abbott Animal Health, Merck Animal Health and Nestlé Purina PetCare to raise awareness about diabetes in pets and encourage more screenings. The sponsors say the incidence of diabetes—1 in 250 cats and 1 in 500 dogs—is rising and that pets are underdiagnosed. Veterinary hospitals that enroll in the program at www.usa.petdiabetesmonth.com will receive materials designed to educate clients and local pet owners about the clinical signs of diabetes. The hospitals—up to 1,000 can participate—are encouraged to dedicate time to diabetes screenings in March. Pets newly diagnosed with the disease will go home with a free diabetes management kit containing: An AlphaTrak blood glucose monitoring system from Abbott Animal Health. A 10 mL vial of Vetsulin (porcine insulin zinc suspension) from Merck Animal Health. A bag of Purina Veterinary Diets food—either DM Dietetic Management Feline Formula or DCO Dual Fiber Control Canine Formula. November is National Diabetes Month.
