Auburn University’s Raptor Center Holds Public Bird ReleaseOctober 23, 2014The Southeastern Raptor Center at Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine held a public release of three rehabilitated birds on Oct. 11. The birds—two Red-tailed hawks and a Barred owl—were set free at the Opelika Wood Duck Heritage Preserve and Siddique Nature Park. The 73-acre wetland is home to a large population of birds, including hawks, warblers, owls, songbirds and ducks. This is the first time that the Southeastern Raptor Center has released birds in the preserve and nature park. The hawks and owl were chosen for release after they passed several flight evaluations, according to Elizabeth Crandall, assistant director of the Southeastern Raptor Center. “We put a lot of time and other resources into rehabilitating close to 400 birds a year,” she said. “Unfortunately, we are not able to rehabilitate much less release the majority of these. So when we do have a success story, it is always rewarding to return these wild birds back to their natural habitat.” Birds that are unable to return to the wild remain at the center and are used to educate students and the general public about raptors, or transferred to another educational facility.
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Texas Suspends Vet’s License for 5 YearsOctober 22, 2014Texas veterinarian Millard L. Tierce III, DVM, has lost his license for five years over allegations that included failing to euthanize four patients as promised and keeping a dog alive for use as a blood donor. The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners approved a settlement with Dr. Tierce during a meeting Tuesday in Austin. Tierce, who attended the meeting but did not testify, agreed to the license suspension Oct. 1 and waived a formal disciplinary hearing. The board found that Tierce violated seven state rules covering everything from standards of care and clinic sanitation to patient recordkeeping and the security of controlled substances. Tierce, 71, will be allowed to continue owning and managing his hospital, Camp Bowie Animal Clinic in Fort Worth, while other practitioners tend to patients. Marian Harris, who erroneously thought her dog Sid had been euthanized at Camp Bowie, pleaded with the board to revoke Tierce’s license rather than suspend it. “What is going to be the deterrent to prevent future atrocities like the ones to which he has already confessed to from happening in the future?” she asked. “A suspension still allows Dr. Tierce to daily visit his clinic under the guise of administrative duties.” …
Henry Schein Adds Abaxis Veterinary LineOctober 21, 2014Henry Schein Animal Health has joined Patterson Veterinary Supply as the newest U.S. distributors of Abaxis Inc. veterinary products. The growth in the Abaxis network came two months after competitor Idexx Laboratories Inc. announced that it would bring all domestic sales in-house as of Jan. 1, 2015, taking business from Henry Schein, Patterson and other distributors. The addition of Henry Schein Animal Health, announced today, takes effect immediately. The Dublin, Ohio, division of Henry Schein Inc. will sell the full line of Abaxis veterinary products, including portable blood analysis systems, rapid tests and other diagnostic equipment. “Our customers consistently rely on us for a comprehensive line of products and services, including a full range of veterinary diagnostics products such as instruments, consumables and rapid assays,” said Lonnie Shoff, the CEO of Henry Schein’s Global Animal Health and Strategic Partnership Group. Adding Henry Schein to a distributor roster that includes suppliers such as Patterson, Animal Health International and MWI Veterinary Supply “makes solid, strategic sense for both companies,” Abaxis CEO and President Clint Severson said. Abaxis, based in Union City, Calif., announced the Patterson deal Oct. 1. “We are confident that this agreement will further the goals of both …
Study: Mountain Lions in Southern California Lack Genetic DiversityOctober 21, 2014Mountain lions in Southern California are facing a severe loss of genetic diversity, according to a new study by the University of California, Davis, and The Nature Conservancy. Research points to human development and freeways as the culprit. The study was published Oct. 8 in the journal PLOS ONE. Scientists collected and analyzed DNA samples from 354 mountain lions statewide, including 97 from Southern California. Mountain lions in the Santa Ana Mountains displayed lower genetic diversity than those from nearly every other region in the state. The Santa Ana Mountain range, located south of Los Angeles and north of San Diego, is surrounded by urbanization and a growing population of about 20 million people, according to U.C. Davis. A small habitat linkage to the southeast connects the mountain lions to the Peninsular Range, but it is bisected by Interstate 15—a busy 10-lane highway—and associated human development, the school noted. The study highlights the urgency to maintain and enhance the little connectivity remaining for coastal mountain lions, especially across I-15. The mountain lions have also recently gone through a “population bottleneck,” according to the study. This means that the mountain lion population size has decreased sharply to a fraction of its …
Texas Now Free of VS, But Colorado Isn’tOctober 20, 2014An outbreak of vesicular stomatitis appears to have run its course in Texas, but dozens of locations in Colorado remain under quarantine. The Texas Animal Health Commission last week reported no active cases of vesicular stomatitis (VS), a viral disease that forms blisters on the mouth, tongue, muzzle, teats or hooves of horses and cattle, making eating and drinking painful or difficult. Pigs, sheep, goats and llamas may be stricken as well. The first Texas case of the year was identified in late May in Kinney County. In the end, 62 premises in 13 counties were quarantined, bringing restrictions on the movement of infected or exposed animals. The release of the last two quarantined premises—in Bastrop and Travis counties—marked what Texas authorities hope is the end of VS. Until May, the state had gone five years without a confirmed VS case. “I would like to thank all cattle and equine owners and Texas veterinarians for the constant support and generous help with harnessing the spread of VS,” said Dee Ellis, DVM, the state veterinarian and executive director of the Texas Animal Health Commission. “All livestock that were tested positive for VS this year have been released because of …
Kansas State Boldly Goes in New DirectionOctober 20, 2014Imagine a single test that checks for 8,000 different microbes. It’s not a far-fetched idea. The test is being used at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, where Professor Raymond Rowland, MS, Ph.D., is experimenting with what he calls “Star Trek technology.” The Microbial Detection Array, an invention of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., is designed to check samples of blood, dirt, tissue, and nasal or saliva swabs for viruses, bacteria and fungi. The test could be used in animal health, public health, vaccine safety, food safety and biodefense. Rowland, a researcher of porcine diseases, is teaming up with veterinary students to improve the test and other infectious disease diagnostic tools. “The idea is to take some of this Star Trek technology and bring it to diagnostic laboratories and the clinical practice level,” said Rowland, a professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology. “We want to figure out how to apply this test and make it useful for the veterinarian, the livestock producer or the clinician.” Assisting Rowland are second-year veterinary students Rebecca Ober and Jamie Thompson, who also are studying for a Ph.D. in biomedical science. Ober and Thompson spent the summer at Lawrence Livermore to improve …
Grants Given to Fight Canine Epilepsy, HypothyroidismOctober 20, 2014University researchers in the United States, Australia and the Netherlands have been awarded nearly $269,000 to study epilepsy and hypothyroidism in dogs. Two of the grant winners—Ned Patterson, DVM, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota and Sam Long, MVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ECVN, of the University of Melbourne—will work to understand the underlying mechanisms that predispose dogs to epilepsy and search for new drugs. Drs. Patterson and Long received $104,781 and $116,000, respectively. The money was awarded by the AKC Canine Health Foundation, a Raleigh, N.C., organization that manages research donations from individuals, dog clubs, foundations and corporations. The other grant, valued at $48,195, went to Jan A. Mol, Ph.D., of the University of Utrecht. Mol will investigate three methods that may provide a more accurate diagnosis for hypothyroidism, the foundation reported. The research findings could assist both dogs and people. About 7 in every 1,000 Americans have epilepsy and about 4.6 percent of Americans have hypothyroidism. “By helping our dogs, we potentially unlock better treatments for ourselves as well,” said the foundation’s chief scientific officer, Shila Nordone, MS, Ph.D. The two diseases are among the Canine Health Foundation’s research priorities. Current drug therapies are of little use to about …
Accreditation Panel Says Oregon Zoo UnderstaffedOctober 17, 2014The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is urging the Oregon Zoo to beef up its veterinary staffing to better serve the park’s 2,000 animals. An AZA team surveyed the Portland, Ore., zoo in July in advance of an accreditation inspection scheduled for the summer of 2015. Besides looking at the zoo’s veterinary operations, AZA examined the park’s emergency response protocols, organizational structure and relationship with Metro Regional Government, the owner and operator. The Oregon Zoo employs two veterinarians, two veterinary technicians and a part-time hospital keeper—numbers that AZA called too low. “Four days per week there is only one veterinarian and one veterinary technician onsite,” AZA noted. “Vet techs also serve as part-time keepers for hospitalized animals after the animal keeper leaves for the day.” Another issue, AZA reported, is that “people are ‘stretched thin,’ which can lead to reactive versus proactive responses to procedures, preventative health and communications.” The 64-acre zoo opened a new hospital, the Veterinary Medical Center, in early 2012 and is building or planning the construction of elephant, polar bear and primate exhibits and an African savanna. The zoo is close to hiring a hospital administrator, spokesman Hova Najarian said. AZA stated that …
For Kangaroo Health, WesternU Springs Into ActionOctober 17, 2014It’s not every day that a kangaroo shows up at a Southern California veterinary clinic. Western University of Health Sciences admitted two marsupials Oct. 8 upon the request of alumnus Brad Ahrens, DVM, who works part time for an animal talent agency. The two red kangaroos, named Lenny and Captain, required neuter surgery for safety reasons. Male red kangaroos can reach 200 pounds in the wild. “You need to neuter them while they’re still young,” Dr. Ahrens said. “Otherwise they grow up to be really big and can become aggressive.” Lenny and Captain, ages 2 and 3, came from Birds & Animals Unlimited, an Acton, Calif., company that supplies animals for film and television work and for shows at Universal Studios Hollywood. The company lacks a surgery suite, so Ahrens used his connections to get Lenny and Captain into the WesternU Pet Wellness Center in Pomona. The surgeries were conducted by Professor Maria Fahie, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, with help from Ahrens and associate professor David Clark, DVM. Veterinary students used to handling dogs and cats were introduced to a totally different animal. “Getting faculty and students engaged in learning on species they wouldn’t normally see while providing …
Antibiotic Use in Animals on Decline in EuropeOctober 16, 2014An international push to reduce antibiotic resistance in people by limiting the use of antimicrobials in animals is showing promise. The European Medicines Agency reported Wednesday that animal antibiotic sales across Europe declined by 15 percent from 2010 to 2012. The drop-off in 18 nations ranged from 0.4 to 49 percent. “These latest figures, which suggest a positive trend in terms of the responsible use of antibiotics in animals in Europe, are highly welcome,” said David Mackay, BVetMed, Ph.D., MRCVS, who directs the agency’s Division on Veterinary Medicines. “However, the report also shows that there is scope for further decrease.” Antibiotic resistance is potentially life threatening in people. In the United States, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology issued a report in September recommending the improved surveillance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the smarter use of existing antibiotics and the development of new drugs. “The evolution of antibiotic resistance is now occurring at an alarming rate and is outpacing the development of new countermeasures capable of thwarting infections in humans,” the task force stated. “This situation threatens patient care, economic growth, public health, agriculture, economic security and national security.” The American Veterinary Medical Association has taken action …
