Stephens Announces Leadership Change At Pets BestAugust 12, 2014 Jack Stephens, DVM, the face of pet health insurance in the U.S., announced today that he is retiring from day-to-day responsibilities as president of Pets Best Insurance Services. Dr. Stephens will remain one of three managers of the business, on its board of directors and a significant shareholder. Going forward, he said, he will be more focused on the company’s strategy. “After 33 years in an all-consuming role of championing pet health insurance, I simply want to have more free time to travel with my wife, Vicki and enjoy life while I still have my health,” Stephens said. “Age does that to you. “I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am right now,” he said Tuesday morning. “I am hiking Mount Kilimanjaro in February, then Vicki is joining me for Serengeti, Zanzibar and Rwanda for gorilla watching.” Stephens will also be promoting his book, “A Different Kind of Veterinarian,” which is available on Amazon. Stephens, 67, pioneered pet health insurance in the U.S., promoting it as a means to end economic euthanasia. He did so after a trip to the grocery store in which he bumped into a client who had …
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Virginia Tech Launches Clinical Trials WebsiteAugust 9, 2014 The Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech has launched a clinical trials website. The website offers a list of clinical research studies in a variety of species, including dogs, cats and horses. The studies seek to find or develop new treatments, therapies and diagnostic tools. New studies are added regularly, according to the college. Among the studies listed: “Accuracy of Non-Invasively Determined Pulmonary Artery Pressure in Dogs with Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease.” Purpose of study: To assess the accuracy of using heart sonograms (echocardiography) to determine blood pressure in the pulmonary vessels in dogs with heart valve disease. “Pilot Study of AuroLase Therapy for the Treatment of Canine and Feline Solid Tumors.” Purpose of study: To determine the safety and efficacy of Aurolase (nanoparticle infusion plus targeted laser treatment) therapy in the treatment of canine and feline cancers. “Comparison of seroprevalence of anti-Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) antibodies in horses with unexplained multiple limb lameness or stiffness and sound horses.” Purpose of study: To determine if a potential relationship exists between Lyme disease infection and multiple limb lameness/stiffness in horses. Referring veterinarians seeking to enroll an animal in a current study are urged …
Alabama, Louisiana Lead Nation in Heartworm DiseaseAugust 8, 2014 Blame the mosquitoes first, but dog owners share responsibility for Alabama having the highest rate of heartworm disease in the nation in 2013, the American Heartworm Society reported Wednesday. Alabama veterinary hospitals and animal shelters each diagnosed an average of 90 heartworm-positive dogs in 2013, compared to 31 per site in 2010. Those gloomy numbers easily topped No. 2 Louisiana’s figure of 81 heartworm-positive dogs per clinic. The good news for Louisiana is that the state was first in heartworm disease three years earlier—the last time the study was conducted—when it had 105 heartworm-positive dogs per clinic. The Wilmington, Del.-based American Heartworm Society stressed that heartworm disease is easily preventable when dogs and cats receive a monthly medication. “We know that far too many pets in Alabama are affected with heartworm disease,” said Chris Rehm, DVM, an American Heartworm Society board member who practices in Mobile, Ala. “However, we also know that veterinarians and pet owners have the power to prevent this deadly disease.” Heartworm disease is spread by mosquitoes and is found in all 50 states, but the threat tends to be worse in warm-weather locations, especially the Southeast. The top …
Pre-Vet Immersion Program Takes Students To South AfricaAugust 8, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. Pennsylvania State University’s Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences department has a new immersion program. Introduced just last year, the program takes veterinary students to South Africa, where they get hands-on experience with exotics. One such student, Morgan Brown, was one of the first to participate. Brown first heard about the program in the Penn State Pre-Vet Club newsletter. Knowing that she would need to have experience working directly with exotic animals, she applied. The result was a fantastic learning experience for the junior veterinary and biomedical sciences major. The program, which lasts two weeks, consists of informative lectures given by zoologists and local veterinarians, as well as hands-on experience at the zoos in South Africa and local villages. Brown also got to assist with capturing game, which involved darting and transporting waterbuck and impala. "I needed to get more experience working with bigger animals and exotic animals, and this program exposed me to many things that I wouldn't have been exposed to had I just worked in the United States," Brown told Penn State News. This experience brought certainty to …
MSU Helps Dog with Wobbler’s SyndromeAugust 8, 2014 A 13-year-old pit bull named Dirty is back on his feet thanks to the veterinary staff at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dirty had been diagnosed with Wobbler’s syndrome, a neurological condition that can lead to unsteady gait, and with progression, can result in not being able to walk, according to Andy Shores, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, head of neurology/neurosurgery at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. A month before arriving at MSU, Dirty had begun walking unsteadily. Soon, he was falling over and unable to stand, according to MSU. His owners, residents of Alexandria, La., took him to their local veterinarian, who then referred them to the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. Since LSU didn’t perform the surgery needed to correct the problem, Dirty’s owners, John and Paula Cormane, were referred to MSU. “Dirty’s condition was pretty severe with chronic changes,” Dr. Shores said. “We took pressure off his spinal cord over the span of three of his cervical vertebrae during the two-and-a-half hour surgery to give him relief.” The surgery was the first step in getting Dirty back on his feet, according to MSU. The next step was a …
Children Get Firsthand Veterinary ExperienceAugust 7, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. Children are often asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Their responses vary from teacher and doctor to dancer and baseball player and everything in between. For a group of young teenagers who responded “Veterinarian,” their dream comes true a little early. At least in part. The Broome County Cornell Cooperative Extension, or CCE, in Binghamton, New York, offers a week-long Vet Science Camp to children with veterinary aspirations. For $150, including expenses, participants ages 10 to 13 delve into various aspects of veterinary practice, including learning the differences between a cow’s stomach and a sheep’s stomach, checking for tapeworms using slides of blood and droppings under a microscope and taking the vital signs of goats. While not always glamorous, organizers of the camp believe that the hands-on experience participants receive will make a great impression on them as they pursue a veterinary career. During the first four days of the camp, a licensed veterinary technician helps participants explore numerous veterinary medicine topics. This material stresses how important it is to be able to recognize the function, appearance and structure …
Texas Honors ‘Superheroes of the CVM’ at Awards CeremonyAugust 7, 2014 The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) recently honored 11 dedicated staff members at its annual Staff Awards Ceremony. The event recognizes staff members for their excellence, naming them “Superheroes of the CVM.” The 2014 Staff Awards recipients are: • Mary Sanders, veterinary technician in Small Animal Medicine & Surgery • Amy Savarino, pharmacist at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital • Kay Duncan, medical technologist in Clinical Microbiology • Kit Darling, veterinary medical teaching hospital infection control coordinator • Lora Gonzales, business associate in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences • Sheila Carter, veterinary medical teaching hospital compliance coordinator • Elizabeth Scanlin, veterinary technician in Neurology • Katrina Lacaze, veterinary technician in Equine Theriogenology • Samantha Watson, veterinary technician in Small Animal Oncology • Tina Lilly, veterinary technician in the Intensive Care Unit Cindy Voelker, business administrator in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, received the 2014 Pearl Enfield Staff Leadership Award. Voelker was not able to be at the awards ceremony, so her granddaughter accepted the award on her behalf. Pearl Enfield was “a highly professional and committed mainstay” of the …
Veterinarian Saves Kitten’s LifeAugust 6, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. CIOLI/I5 STUDIO A black kitten clung to life after being abused by its owner. Found with a rope tied around its neck, presumably dragged by a car or thrown to the ground, the small creature was lifeless. Several of its teeth were knocked out and its face was bleeding. Authorities rushed the helpless animal to HOPE Veterinary Clinic in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Jennifer Magilton, VMD, was on hand to care for the kitten. Upon examining the feline, Dr. Magilton concluded it was suffering from trauma to the head and was unresponsive and lethargic. The first conclusion was euthanasia. Further examination revealed the kitten had ingested heroin. Magilton quickly gave the kitten Narcan, a drug for reviving humans having a drug overdose. The kitten’s condition improved immediately. Had heroin not been in the kitten’s system, Narcan, also known as naloxene, would have had no effect. James Myers, the kitten’s owner, is being charged with drug possession and animal cruelty. He is currently being held at Chester County Prison. The kitten is still recovering at HOPE Veterinary Clinic. Once fully recovered, it will …
Idexx Moving to Direct Sales Across U.S.August 6, 2014 Idexx Laboratories Inc., a manufacturer of diagnostic and information technology-based products and services, will drop its U.S. distributor partners and sell directly to all customers beginning Jan. 1, 2015. The change will affect companies such as MWI Veterinary Supply Inc. The Boise, Idaho, distributor disclosed July 31 in its third-quarter financial report that the Idexx account is responsible for about 3.4 percent of MWI’s multibillion-dollar annual revenue. MWI President and CEO Jim Cleary tried to allay any fears, saying the company is “strategically well-positioned with competitive diagnostic products, which we have marketed and sold since January 2013.” MWI previously announced the layoff of 5 percent of its U.S. workforce and the shuttering of warehouses in Mauston, Wis., and Phoenix. Jonathan Ayers, Idexx’s chairman and CEO, called the direct sales of U.S. Companion Animal Group diagnostics “a natural evolution of our business model.” “Under this approach, we intend to take orders, ship product, invoice and receive payment, and recognize revenue for all rapid assay test kits and instrument consumables in the U.S., aligning with our direct model for instruments, reference lab services and other [Companion Animal Group] products and services,” Ayers said. Idexx …
Virginia Tech Presents Annual Teaching Hospital AwardsAugust 6, 2014 The Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech recognized the accomplishments of its Veterinary Teaching Hospital faculty and staff during an awards ceremony in late June. Among the winners: Dr. Hollie Schramm, clinical assistant professor of production management medicine in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, and Dr. Tom Cecere, assistant professor of anatomic pathology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, received the 2014 Director’s Faculty Service Award. Dr. Sarah Holland, production management medicine resident, and Dr. Julia Coutin, surgery resident in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, received the 2014 Director’s House Officer Service Award. Samantha Suroski, hospital admissions supervisor, and Sharon Dunn, office services specialist, received the 2014 Director’s Staff Service Award. The hospital’s oncology service received the 2014 Director’s Award for Exemplary Service as a Unit. Award winners include Dr. Shawna Klahn, assistant professor of oncology; Dr. Nick Dervisis, assistant professor of oncology; Dr. Paulo Vilar Saavedra, oncology resident; Dr. Erin Fagan, oncology resident; Stefanie Olsen, licensed veterinary technician; and Lauren Scaletta, licensed veterinary technician. Several faculty and staff members also earned Lifetime Service Awards for their long-term service to the teaching hospital. These included Dr. Phil Sponenberg, professor …
