Zoetis' Improvest Put To Test At Indiana Pig FacilityMay 5, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. An Indiana veterinarian has turned over a small portion of his 120-acre corn and soybean farm to Zoetis Inc. for a demonstration of the company's Improvest castration drug. Improvest (gonadotropin releasing factor analog—diphtheria toxoid conjugate) is designed to immunologically castrate pigs, leaving them intact and reducing so-called "boar taint" in cooked pork. Keri Weppler of Zoetis Inc. administers the first dose of Improvest to 10-week-old male piglets at a demonstration farm in Greensburg, Ind. "We've long known about the inherent performance advantages of raising intact males," said farm owner Larry Rueff, DVM, who co-manages Swine Veterinary Services in Greensburg, Ind. "[Immunological castration] technology now allows producers to take advantage of these benefits while still ensuring the same high level of pork quality and great taste consumers have come to expect." An existing livestock barn was opened in April to demonstrate Improvest and pork production. Visitors who tour the 500-head nursery-to-finishing facility can learn about pre-weaning mortality, feed efficiency, split sex feeding, nutritional requirements and the economic benefits of Improvest, Zoetis reported. Improvest is touted for its …
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ACVS Annual Conference Now Called Surgery SummitMay 5, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. The American College of Veterinary Surgeons' annual symposium has a new name for 2014: the ACVS Surgery Summit. The rebranding is designed to reflect what organizers called the meeting's "expanded attendee demographics, invaluable educational and networking opportunities, energized offerings and atmosphere, and alluring destinations." The veterinary surgical conference is scheduled for Oct. 15 to 18 in San Diego. "The name 'ACVS Veterinary Symposium' has not adequately represented the scope, breath and absolute commitment to delivering the highest level of continuing education, said Nathaniel A. White II, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, the organization's director of continuing education. "The ACVS Surgery Summit highlights the focus of the meeting, so veterinarians know it is the premier veterinary surgery meeting, where the best surgical and allied medicine continuing education is presented by world-renowned professionals." The meeting traditionally attracts veterinarians, veterinary technicians, practice staff members and students. Veterinary surgeons from around the world will lead seminars, hands-on laboratories and panel discussions, providing attendees with up to 360 CE hours, according to the Tulsa Okla.-based ACVS. Founded in 1965, ACVS sets standards for veterinary …
Veterinarian Volunteers At IditarodMay 4, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. Being from Alaska is one thing, but traveling with sled dogs1,000 miles through the state's interior is quite another. But veterinarian Paula Gibson did just that — not once, but twice. Photo courtesy Jesika Reimer, News-Press The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race travels between Nome and Anchorage every March to commemorate the importance of sled dogs and the Iditarod Trail in Alaska. The first race took place in 1973 and has grown increasingly popular since then. Winning dog teams and their mushers even reach celebrity status. Gibson has followed the race since childhood, and when she learned she could volunteer as a vet in the event, she applied. Her acceptance led to extensive studying of the conditions and issues sled dogs encounter; however, that did not prepare her for the actual experience. "The first year I went, it was overwhelming. I was baffled by the whole experience," she said, according Missouri's St. Joseph News-Press. As a veterinarian in Missouri and Kansas, Gibson sees mostly sedentary dogs. The Alaskan Huskies that pull the sleds are bred for athleticism and the Alaskan …
Texas Animal Clinic Under InvestigationMay 2, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. The Camp Bowie Animal Clinic in Fort Worth, Texas, is under investigation for animal cruelty and theft. The clinic allegedly informed clients Jamie and Marian Harris that because Sid, their 5-year-old Leonberger, had a degenerative spinal condition, the best option was euthanasia. The Harrises agreed, and state they, along with their son, said goodbye to Sid and consented to burial by the vet, only to receive a phone call six months later that Sid was still alive. Mary Brewer, a veterinarian technician, revealed to the Harrises that Sid had been subjected to blood transfusions and spent the majority of each day caged in his own feces and urine. Despite these conditions, the Harrises were told Sid was healthy enough to walk. "It was like getting punched in the stomach and then some. This has rocked our world," Marian Harris said, according to NBCDFW.com. The Harris family has since rescued Sid …
Texas Veterinarian Arrested In Animal Cruelty InvestigationMay 2, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. A Texas veterinarian charged with animal cruelty admitted that five animals he intended to euthanize instead were kept alive at his clinic, and a veterinary technician reported that at least one of them was used for blood transfusions. The case was thrust into the open Wednesday when an arrest warrant was issued for Millard L. Tierce III, DVM, on a felony charge stemming from the discovery of a crippled border collie at Camp Bowie Animal Clinic in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Tierce, 71, told a police detective that he had not treated the dog, which another veterinary technician said had been there for a year, and that he could not bring himself to euthanize the animal. An inspection of the clinic a day earlier revealed unsanitary conditions. The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners reported that its investigators found animal organs in jars, bugs in exam rooms and "stacks of drugs, trash, laundry, paperwork and other miscellaneous material … strewn about the examination rooms, hallways, stairwells, operating room, laboratories and offices." The board temporarily suspended Tierce's license pending a hearing May 9. …
HABRI Foundation Awards First Research GrantsMay 1, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. Using animals to help autistic children and improving human heart health through dog walking are among the first five research topics being funded by the Human Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI) Foundation. The $250,000 in grant money is designed to study how the human-animal bond benefits people, the Washington, D.C., foundation reported today. "Animal-Assisted Social Skills Training for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders" is one of five approved research projects. "HABRI is making a major investment in new, groundbreaking research that will advance our knowledge of the human-animal bond," executive director Steven Feldman said. "The caliber of each of these research studies is outstanding, and the results will build the body of scientific evidence that demonstrates the benefits of animals to human health." The grant recipients and their planned research projects are: • Erica C. Rogers, Ph.D., of Green Chimneys Children's Services: "Animal-Assisted Social Skills Training for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders." • Kevin Morris, Ph.D., of the American Humane Association: "The Canines and Childhood Cancer Study: Examining Behaviors and Stress in Therapy Dogs." …
CSU's Edward Hoover Joins National Academy Of SciencesMay 1, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. A Colorado State University professor who developed the most widely used vaccine against feline leukemia was among 84 people elected Tuesday to the National Academy of Sciences. Edward A. Hoover, DVM, MS, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVP, became the third faculty member in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences to receive the prestigious honor. The others are his nominating sponsor, Barry Beaty, MS, Ph.D., a professor of microbiology, immunology and pathology, and George Seidel Jr., MS, Ph.D., a professor of biomedical sciences. Dr. Hoover, an eminent faculty member in the department of microbiology, immunology and pathology, developed the FeLV vaccine, which protects cats from leukemia-causing retrovirus, Colorado State reported. In addition to studying disease prevention, he has investigated transmission pathways and ways to identify at-risk cats. Dr. Edward A. Hoover is a diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (anatomic pathology). "It's a true distinction to have a research scientist of Dr. Hoover's caliber on our campus and in our college," said the college's dean, Mark Stetter, DVM, Dipl. ACZM. "His work with the feline …
Winn Feline Foundation Awards $127,411 In GrantsApril 29, 2014 Gina Cioli/I-5 Studio Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. The Winn Feline Foundation awarded $127,411 in grants for projects aimed at improving feline health. Out of the 36 proposals the foundation received for 2009, 12 were selected. One project sets out to determine whether a commercially produced raw food diet and a homemade raw diet is nutritionally adequate for feeding kittens and whether these diets enhance immune function and improve digestibility. The outcomes to be measured include growth rate, feed efficiency, digestibility and various blood and immune status parameters. The long-term goal is to evaluate ways of improving feline immune function through diet, according to University of Tennessee researchers Beth Hamper, DVM; Claudia Kirk, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVN, Dipl. ACVIM; and Joseph Bartges, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVN, Dipl. ACVIM. "Nutritional Adequacy and Performance of Raw Food Diets in Kittens" was awarded $14,878. Another project aims to discover a measurable component of a hyperthyroid cat?s urine that is associated with hidden kidney failure. To do this, Kansas State University researchers will apply mass spectrometry, a technique they say is capable of identifying thousands of urine components. …
Swedish Animal Drug Maker Launches U.S. SubsidiaryApril 23, 2014 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. Premune, a Swedish veterinary drug company, is making a serious push into the U.S. companion animal market by establishing a U.S. subsidiary, Premune Inc., in New York. Viktor Karlsson, CEO and cofounder of Premune AB, called the move "a significant milestone for our company as we continue building our global presence." "Pet-related spending in the U.S. has increased for each of the last 20 years, making it one of the few industries immune to macroeconomic weakness," Karlsson said. Premune develops treatments for allergies, inflammatory bowel disease and other immune disorders. The company's global partnering, licensing and business development efforts will spring from the New York headquarters. Premune's core research and development team will remain in Sweden. Premune Inc. is busy building an initial staff of about 10. A series of announcements is expected in the coming weeks, a spokesman said, as executive positions such as chief marketing officer and chief financial officer are filled. The New York office is expected to open in June. Among the products under development is one code-named PRE01, which, if approved, …
Foundation Working To Bring African Vets Closer TogetherApril 22, 2014The world's second-largest continent is short on veterinary collaboration—a problem the World Small Animal Veterinary Association Foundation wants to fix. The foundation, the global organization's charitable arm, this month launched the African Small Companion Animal Network. The project is designed to unite veterinarians on a professional level and raise the standard of care for animals across Africa. "While small animal veterinarians work hard, their numbers are few [and] they are geographically isolated and often held back by a lack of training and support," said Gabriel Varga, DVM, the foundation's president and director of North European business operations for Zoetis Inc. The African Small Companion Animal Network is backed by a consortium of supporters. The Florham Park, N.J., animal health company is among the effort's sponsors. Others include the association, the World Organization for Animal Health, the North American Veterinary Community, Vetstream, Morris Animal Foundation, Worldwide Veterinary Service, the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Slovakia and the marketing firm Circa Healthcare. The first phase of the project runs through April 2016 and involves: • Funding veterinary projects. • Linking African veterinary researchers with counterparts in the United States and Europe. • …
