RCVS Moves to Clarify Veterinarian-Client RelationshipJune 6, 2014 British veterinarians could elect not to treat a pet away from their hospital, even if an owner insists on a visit, under revised guidelines being considered by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. The updated guidelines would encourage in-clinic visits, clarify when a veterinarian may want to travel to a sick or injured animal, and ensure that clients are better informed about after-hours emergency care and costs. Responsibility for a pet’s welfare ultimately rests with the owner, the organization’s 42-member council decided. The council endorsed the updates Thursday after a three-day hearing and following surveys of veterinarians and animal owners. The draft changes to the Code of Professional Conduct were forwarded to the Standards Committee for refinement and final approval. The current code advises veterinarians to consider all requests for at-home visits and states that practitioners are “not expected to risk life or limb.” The revised language would empower veterinarians to decline a travel request when they deem an out-of-office visit unnecessary or unsafe. The British Veterinary Association contributed to the debate and supports the changes. “The willingness of veterinary surgeons to provide 24/7 emergency care is one of the main reasons that the …
SPONSORED CONTENTVector-Borne Disease Pathogens, Climate Change, and One HealthTo help veterinary professionals better understand the relationship between climate change, VBD pathogen proliferation, and the diagnostic solutions available for detection, Drs. Michelle and Graham answer your pressing clinical questions. +
AVMA Forms Committee to Look at Compounded DrugsJune 5, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News at @vetpetnews Animal drug compounding has drawn renewed attention from federal officials and now from the American Veterinary Medical Association, which this week announced the formation of a task force made up of eight veterinarians. The group, formally called the Task Force on Veterinary Compounding Legislation, is experienced in compounding policies and regulations and understands the need for compounded veterinary drugs, AVMA reported Wednesday. The eight veterinarians, AVMA stated, “will lead a national dialogue among veterinarians, pharmacists, drug manufacturers and the Food and Drug Administration to determine how they can work together to ensure veterinary compounding is done safely and effectively.” “Discussions will include clarification of the need for legal compounding from bulk substances, anticipatory compounding, and administering and dispensing compounds maintained in the office,” the Schaumburg, Ill.-based AVMA added. Veterinary compounding has drawn infrequent but unflattering headlines in recent years. An overdose of sodium selenite, prepared by Franck’s Compounding Pharmacy of Ocala, Fla., killed 21 polo ponies in 2009. Just last month, Wickliffe Veterinary Pharmacy of Lexington, Ky., acknowledged that it had produced a compounded drug that contained excessive levels of pyrimethamine. Four horses died. …
Australian Drug Maker Jurox to Open U.S. OfficeJune 5, 2014 Jurox, an Australian company that makes drugs and other products formulated for cats, dogs, sheep, horses and cattle, will expand to the United States with the opening of a headquarters in Kansas City, Mo. The expansion into the nation’s Animal Health Corridor, an area focused on animal-related research and manufacturing, was an easy decision, said John O’Brien, managing director for Jurox. "Kansas City is the obvious best location to launch Jurox’s U.S. operations,” O’Brien said. “The region offers a broad portfolio of animal health companies, a first-rate talent pool, and a superior transportation network that connects us to clientele around the country and globe. Kansas City’s reputation and resources in animal sciences provides advantages you can’t find elsewhere.” Jurox, a family-owned company based in Rutherford, New South Wales, Australia, produces more than 120 animal health products. They range from Popantel deworming tablets for cats or dogs to Dermaclens Cream for treating wounds in cattle, horses, dogs and cats. The move is expected to create 44 jobs–13 in Kansas City and 31 throughout the United States. A date for the opening of the Kansas City office was not announced. The decision was good news …
Hill's Recalls 62 Bags Of Small & Toy Breed Dog FoodJune 5, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews Several dozen bags of Science Diet Adult Small & Toy Breed dry dog food distributed through a handful of veterinary clinics and pet stores have been recalled because of potential salmonella contamination. The voluntary recall involves 62 bags and 17 locations in California, Hawaii and Nevada, according to the manufacturer, Hill?s Pet Nutrition Inc. of Topeka, Kan. The 15.5-pound bags show the SKU number 9097 on the bottom, side panels and back side. The recalled bags also bear the "Best Before" date and production code 08 2015 M094 at the top of the bag. No dogs were reported sickened by the food, Hill's reported. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning in pets include lethargy, diarrhea, fever and vomiting. People who handle contaminated pet products may exhibit similar symptoms. The food was made during a single production run and was not intended for distribution, Hill?s stated. The bags were discovered missing during "routine inventory reconciliation,? the company added. The company is fielding questions about the recall at 800-445-5777 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time Monday through Friday. Want more news? Check out …
Penn Vet Wins AAVMC Communications AwardJune 4, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews Successfully spreading the word about the goings-on at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine paid off with an increase in hospital visits and donations. The national and international exposure also brought recognition from the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, which today honored Penn Vet with the organization's first Communications Excellence Award. A team of judges that included communication professionals selected Penn Vet's communication program for its work in advancing academic veterinary medicine and the profession, inspiring a higher level of performance, fostering collaboration among member institutions, and sharing content with AAVMC. Leading the effort was Penn Vet?s director of communications, Ashley Berke. She and her team got Penn Vet into thousands of media stories in 2013 through outlets such as ABC, NPR, Fox, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. They developed a regular CNN feature on the impact of animal health on human health. Their redesign of the school website increased visitor retention by 13 percent and new visits by 12 percent. On the social media front, Penn Vet's Facebook …
Co-inventor Of Flair Equine Strip Has Nose For BusinessJune 4, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews There?s no question who Ed Blach, DVM, MS, MBA, will be rooting for Saturday when 11 contenders burst from the starting gates at the Belmont Stakes. Dr. Blach's eyes will be on California Chrome, who will be chasing horse racing's Triple Crown while wearing the equine veterinarian's invention: a Flair nasal strip. The idea behind the adhesive device, similar to the Breathe Right nasal strip for people, is to hold open a horse's airway, reducing exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. The Breathe Right strip was already on the market when Blach was lying back one night in 1997. "I sat up in bed at 3 in the morning, and I had this idea," he said. "Why hasn't anyone developed a nasal strip for horses?" Colorado State University Eli sports a Flair nasal strip, the same kind California Chrome will wear at the Belmont Stakes. The 1984 Colorado State University alumnus teamed up with Jim Chiapetta, DVM, JD, then a patent attorney after working with Blach in the mid-1980s at Littleton Equine Medical Center in …
Dogs Sprout New Jaw Thanks To UC Davis ResearchJune 3, 2014Dogs missing part of their jaw because of an injury or disease someday may grow a new one through procedures being perfected at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. Two veterinary oral surgeons — Frank Verstraete and Boaz Arzi — have successfully reconstructed most of the lower jawbone in three dogs over the past year using refined techniques, the university reported. Among the beneficiaries was Hoshi, a 10-year-old female collie who went to a Montana veterinarian last summer because of swelling in her mouth and extremely bad breath. The veterinarian diagnosed a type of cancer called squamous cell carcinoma and removed diseased bone and tissue from the front of Hoshi's mouth. UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine A CT image of Hoshi’s skull shows the titanium plate used to form her new jawbone, along with the new bone growth behind the plate. Wanting to do more for Hoshi, owner Katy Harjes took her to UC Davis, where she was examined by Drs. Verstraete and Arzi. The veterinarians had already begun working with UC Davis biomedical engineers to regrow segments of canine jawbone lost to injury or tumors such as squamous …
WVC Names Top CE Speakers From 2014 ConferenceJune 3, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews Western Veterinary Conference attendees who sat through more than 1,000 hours of educational programming in February got their chance to speak this week with the announcement of their choices of the 2014 Continuing Educators of the Year. On the list was Karyn Gavzer, MBA, CVPM, who was honored for the second consecutive year for her performance on practice management topics. Gavzer, a consultant who owns K&G Marketing & Training Inc. in Springboro, Ohio, is the former director of marketing for the American Veterinary Medical Association and is among fewer than 150 Certified Veterinary Hospital Managers (CVPM) in North America. The other honorees were: Avian and Exotics: Tammy Miller Michau, DVM, MS, MSpVM, Dipl. ACVO. She practices at BluePearl Veterinary Partners in Florida and is a former assistant professor of ophthalmology at North Carolina State University. Equine: David G. Pugh, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACT, Dipl. ACVN. An Alabama-based consultant, speaker and author, he formerly taught at the University of Georgia and at Auburn University. Food Animal: Dan Posey, DVM, Dipl. ABVP. He is a …
Nestle Purina, Pet Owners Settle Dog Treat LawsuitJune 3, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. Nestle Purina PetCare Co. has reached a proposed $6.5 million settlement with dog owners who claimed that the manufacturer's Waggin' Train and Canyon Creek Ranch treats sickened or killed their pets. The class-action settlement, which awaits a federal judge's approval, would allow any U.S. pet owner who believes the company's Chinese-made products harmed their dog to be reimbursed not only for the treats they purchased but for any veterinary and post-death expenses incurred. The amount available to pet owners would be significantly less than $6.5 million once attorney fees, administrative expenses and other costs are deducted. The law firms representing the class plaintiffs will ask the judge to approve up to $2.15 million in legal fees. The settlement would become the latest chapter in a seven-year-old saga over potentially tainted pet treats. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported in mid-May that 5,600 dogs, 24 cats and three people had became ill after eating pet jerky treats, many of them made in China. More than 1,000 dogs died. Whether Chinese-made treats …
Treating Wildlife In The Concrete JungleJune 2, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews Massachusetts, a state roughly the size of 5 million acres, is home to six million people and a rising number of wildlife, including reptiles, mammals, amphibians, fish and birds. As people begin to take over the areas that were previously only home to the wildlife, the creatures begin to enter the people-populated areas. When that happens, the results can be harmful to the animals. One such animal, a snowy owl, competed with a jet's downdraft at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts and lost. Luckily, he was not entirely defeated. A Massachusetts Audubon Society rescuer brought the owl to the Tufts Wildlife Clinic in North Grafton. As is often the case with the animals they treat, the Tufts veterinarians had a decision to make: either fix the owl's broken wing or euthanize the creature. This time, the decision was easy. Euthanasia was not an option. They were determined to save the snowy owl. Veterinarians
