Study Aims to Keep Intermingling Dogs HealthyJune 18, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews Dog parks, agility competitions and breed shows are more than just gathering spots for canines. They’re also places where infectious diseases such as kennel cough and distemper can easily spread. A team of veterinary researchers in July will launch a 20-month study with the AKC Canine Health Foundation and the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals in an effort to provide dog owners with practical recommendations for reducing the risk of disease transmission. “Whether participating in various dog sports, attending training classes or simply visiting the local dog park, mitigating the risk of infectious disease transmission should be of concern to all responsible dog owners whose dogs are regularly in contact with other dogs,” said Eddie Dziuk, chief operating officer of the Columbia, Mo.-based Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is taking the lead on the study, which is funded by an $11,942 grant from the Orthopedic Foundation. The principal researcher is Jason Stull, VMD, MPVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVPM, an assistant professor in the department of veterinary preventive medicine. Also involved are disease specialists Armando Hoet, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVPM; …
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Going Green Brings Gold to Oakland Zoo Veterinary HospitalJune 18, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews The Oakland Zoo’s environmentally friendly veterinary hospital has earned the second-highest level of LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The 17,000-square-foot hospital joined the Oregon Zoo Veterinary Medical Center in Portland as the only two West Coast veterinary facilities to hold Gold status ― one step below Platinum. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a program that recognizes the design, construction and operation of “green” buildings. The goal is to reduce the use of energy and water. “Achieving LEED Gold confirms Oakland Zoo’s ongoing environmental leadership and demonstrates our immediate and positive impact on our planet’s resources, said Nik Dehejia,” the zoo’s CFO. “The building of the Veterinary Hospital addresses critical environmental challenges, creates opportunities for ‘green’ jobs, environmental education for thousands of children and families who visit the zoo, and reduces our long-term operating costs.” Noll & Tam Architects Natural light helps reduce energy costs at the Oakland Zoo Veterinary Hospital. Among the environmental highlights of the hospital, which opened in October 2012, are: • Maximum use of natural …
Trupanion Pet Insurance Proposes $75 Million IPOJune 17, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News at @vetpetnews Trupanion, which commands about 10 percent of the U.S. pet health insurance market, is planning a $75 million initial public offering (IPO) to help pay down a mountain of debt. The Seattle company revealed in documents filed Monday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that while annual revenue and the number of insured pets continues to rise, profits have been elusive. Losses the past three years totaled $3.9 million, $6.4 million and $8.2 million. The number of IPO shares and the anticipated price are to be determined. Trupanion reported that some of the proceeds would be used to reduce the company’s $29.9 million debt. The balance sheet includes $12 million outstanding on a loan that carries an 11 percent interest rate. “The principal purposes of this offering are to increase our financial flexibility, create a public market for our stock, obtain additional capital and increase our visibility in the marketplace,” one document explained. The company got its start in Canada in 2000 under founder and CEO Darryl Rawlings. Trupanion enrolled its first U.S. pet in 2008, and today it insures more than 181,000 …
Harrisvaccines’ PEDv Vaccine Wins Conditional LicenseJune 17, 2014A vaccine formulated to fight porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv), which has killed an estimated 7 million piglets across the United States in just over a year, has been awarded a conditional license, manufacturer Harrisvaccines reported today. The vaccine was introduced in August 2013 under the brand name iPED and quickly gained favor among veterinarians and pork producers. The newly licensed vaccine was renamed Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Vaccine, RNA, which reflects its SirraVax RNA Particle Technology. The U.S. Department of Agriculture conditional license — the first granted for a PEDv vaccine — allows Harrisvaccines to sell the vaccine directly to veterinarians and swine producers, the company stated. Conditional licenses are sometimes issued to meet an emergency or unmet need, Harrisvaccines noted. “A conditionally licensed product must show a reasonable expectation of efficacy, and all safety and purity requirements must be met,” the Ames, Iowa, company added. Harrisvaccines moved quickly in 2013 to develop a vaccine for PEDv, which is spread through feces, causes severe diarrhea and vomiting, and kills up to 100 percent of infected young pigs. “The impact of this disease has been devastating,” said Hank Harris, DVM, Ph.D., the founder and CEO of Harrisvaccines. “We recognized the great …
Iowa to Host Beef Cattle Welfare SymposiumJune 16, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News at @vetpetnews Iowa State University will host the 4th International Beef Cattle Welfare Symposium July 16-18. The event is designed for veterinarians, students, animal scientists, beef producers, retailers and government officials. Attendees will be able “to discuss, debate and learn more about the specific welfare issues that are certain to impact and change the beef cattle industry, based on the ever-changing production practices and in response to animal welfare concerns in the livestock and poultry industries.” Such issues will include all angles of the beef supply chain, according the university, including social concerns, production, environment, transportation, processing, marketing, trade regulations and legislation. The first day is designed to provide participants with hands-on experience in diagnosing and treating lameness in beef cattle, practicing the correct technique for on-farm euthanasia and learning a variety of on-farm techniques for minimizing stress during handling and management procedures, including dehorning. The other two days will consist of a scientific program. Sessions will include discussions about current and future beef cattle welfare concerns, low stress cattle handling, beta-agonist use, lameness and pain management. For symposium details and registration info, visit their
Public Voting Opens for Veterinary Hero AwardsJune 16, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News at @vetpetnews A veterinarian and a veterinary technician will be thrust into the national spotlight this fall when the American Humane Association honors heroic dogs and the professionals who look after the medical needs of animals. The public has until July 21 to vote at HeroVetAwards.org for a Hero Vet and a Hero Vet Tech. Hundreds of nominees were pared to five finalists in each category. The two winners will be named Sept. 27 at the Hero Dog Awards, which will be broadcast later on the Hallmark Channel. Dogs and their extraordinary exploits have been recognized since 2011, but this is the first year that veterinary staff will be celebrated. “All 10 finalists do heroic work every day to benefit the welfare and well-being of animals and promote the human-animal bond,” said Robin Ganzert, Ph.D., the American Humane Association’s president and CEO. “To us, all vets and vet techs are heroes, and it will be an honor to share the stage at the Hero Dog Awards with our winning Hero Vet and Hero Vet Tech.” Veterinary drug maker Zoetis Inc. of Florham …
Video: Veterinarian’s Proposal to Decrease LamenessJune 16, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. Daniel Thomson, MS, PhD, DVM, in an effort to decrease lameness in cattle, has come up with a new approach, called the Step-Up Management Program, that starts with education and consistently scoring locomotion. One of the ways of doing that is through communication. "Being able to communicate clearly across segments about the severity of lameness is critical not only to managing lameness, but also to preventing the injuries that cause it," Thomson said, according to Drovers CattleNetwork. "Lameness is prevalent and it does cause losses. It is one of those issues we've seen for years; however, it hasn't received the credit or the blame it deserves for what it really costs us within the industry." The Step-Up Management Program hopes to enlighten those in the industry about lameness through communication. Its other goals include: • Protection of the animal's well-being • Implementation of a scoring system to determine lameness severity • Diagnosis and treatment of lameness …
WSAVA Committee Launches One Health CampaignJune 13, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews Medical professionals and the public will learn more about pets and the key role they play in One Health—the concept that links the health of people, animals and the environment—under a three-year project announced by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association. The organization’s One Health Committee unveiled its second three-year project this week during a two-day meeting at Duke Medical Center in Durham, N.C. “One of three focus areas for the One Health Committee is comparative and translational clinical research,” said committee chairman Michael Day, BVMS, Ph.D., Dipl. ECVP, a professor at the University of Bristol in England. “Holding this meeting at one of the major global human health centers was a major step forward in engaging with the human medical community, which remains one of the greatest One Health challenges. “We need to take every opportunity to promote the benefits to human medicine of investigating shared spontaneously arising diseases in dogs,” he added. The meeting included a lecture by Dr. Day titled “Cats, Dogs and Humans: One Medicine, One Health,” a tour of Duke’s comparative oncology research laboratories, and discussions with representatives …
Veteran Professor Recommended as Michigan State DeanJune 13, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews A longtime Michigan State University professor is expected to be the next dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, replacing Christopher Brown, BVSc, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM. The selection of John Baker, DVM, MS, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, is subject to the approval of the board of trustees, the university announced this week. Dr. Baker has taught in the department of large animal clinical sciences for 30 years and serves as associate director of AgBioResearch, a university-wide program that investigates topics ranging from agricultural production to childhood obesity. “Dr. Baker’s career has provided him with a firsthand appreciation of all the roles of the college: its research, teaching and outreach missions,” university provost June Youatt said. “His broad understanding of the college, its assets and perhaps most significantly, its importance to the university, the science and the practitioner communities, make him ideally suited to this position at this time.” Baker previously served as section head for Food Animal Medicine and Surgery, as associate dean for research and graduate studies, and as director of the University Research Containment Facility. The Ohio State University veterinary graduate …
Western University Hospital to Drop Banfield AffiliationJune 12, 2014The Banfield name is coming off the teaching hospital at Western University of Health Sciences in Ponoma, Calif. A 10-year partnership between the Banfield Pet Hospital chain and Western’s College of Veterinary Medicine is scheduled to end Nov. 30, when the university will assume what it called “full autonomy” over the facility. The hospital name will change from the Banfield Veterinary Clinical Center to the WesternU Pet Wellness Center. “The relationship between WesternU and Banfield has been mutually beneficial, and we want to thank all of those who have supported us over the past 10 years,” said the college’s dean, Philip Nelson, DVM, Ph.D. “We look forward to the exciting opportunities that present themselves in establishing our own practice philosophy, and we will do everything we can to make sure that this transition does not negatively affect customer service or the health of our patients.” Banfield and Western will maintain a relationship, which includes student rotations, said the Portland, Ore., company’s chief medical officer, Jeffrey Klausner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM. “Although there will no longer be a formal agreement in place, Banfield and Western are still committed partners in education,” Dr. Klausner said. “Banfield will continue its support of student …
