Pet Owners Fail To Recognize Signs Of ObesityApril 14, 2014 Research conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention has found that many pet owners are still oblivious to the fact that their cats and dogs are obese. Out of 1,421 animals put to a veterinary assessment last fall, 57.6 percent of cats and 52.6 percent of dogs were classified as overweight or obese. Owners of the obese pets overwhelmingly considered their cat or dog to be of normal weight. Obesity is avoidable, said Calabash, N.C., veterinarian Ernie Ward, DVM, the founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. "Among all diseases that perplex the veterinary community and plague our population of pets, obesity has the greatest collective negative impact on pet health,? Dr. Ward said. "The pet industry is mighty and well-meaning, but it's time we stop accepting the status quo. We must start working together to fight obesity through knowledge and action." The survey results, released today, showed little change from the previous year. Some 58.3 percent of cats and 52.5 percent of dogs were deemed overweight or obese in the fall of 2012. Why pet owners don't recognize obesity in their …
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Abady Recalls Maintenance & Growth Formula For CatsApril 10, 2014 Robert Abady Dog Food Co. is recalling a small amount of dry cat food because of potential salmonella contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported Tuesday. The recalled Highest Quality Maintenance & Growth Formula for Cats is made with chicken meal and menhaden fish meal. The food was packaged in 2-, 5- and 15-pound corrugated boxes stamped with lot number 14029/21 on the top of the box. Routine testing of one batch revealed the presence of salmonella. No illnesses among cats or pet owners have been traced to the food, the FDA stated. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning in pets include lethargy, diarrhea, fever and vomiting. People who handle contaminated pet products may exhibit similar symptoms. Anyone who bought the recalled food may return it to the store for a refund. The Poughkeepsie, N.Y., company is fielding questions about the recall at 845-473-1900 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday. A positive salmonella test forced Abady to recall two frozen dog foods in June 2013. Recalled were 3-pound …
P&G Selling Iams, Eukanuba, NaturaApril 9, 2014 Iams, Eukanuba and Natura Pet Products will pass from one conglomerate to another in a $2.9 billion transaction that expands Mars Inc.'s pet business and guts Procter & Gamble's. The all-cash deal, announced today, adds mass-market pet food brands Iams and Eukanuba to a Mars collection that includes Royal Canin, Pedigree, Whiskas, Nutro and the Banfield pet hospital chain. The sale is expected to close later this year. "We view the addition of the Iams, Eukanuba and Natura brands as exceptionally strategic," said Todd Lachman, president of Mars Petcare Global in McLean, Va. "The deal reinforces our leadership in pet nutrition and veterinary science, attracts world-class talent and grows our world-leading portfolio." The sale extends only to North America, Latin America and other selected countries. Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Co. confirmed that it is looking to sell its European pet food business separately. The transaction's completion will allow P&G to dedicate resources to and focus on dozens of its leading household brands, such as Tide detergent, Gillette grooming products and Duracell batteries. "Exiting pet care is an important step in …
Banfield Headquarters To Leave Portland In 2015April 3, 2014 Banfield Pet Hospital will move its corporate headquarters across the Columbia River and into Washington state in late 2015. The relocation from Portland, Ore., to Vancouver, Wash., is designed to provide 50 percent more room for 600 employees, the company reported Wednesday. The custom-built campus will rise on 20 acres and consist of 230,000 square feet of office space along Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard. "After an extensive search that included properties on both sides of the river, we found that the Washington location best met our needs for the future," said Tony Ueber, Banfield's president and CEO. "We remain committed to the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area and look forward to serving our community, people and pets from our new headquarters." Banfield, which operates more than 850 hospitals across the United States and Puerto Rico, had its employees in mind when it explored moving no more than 10 miles from the northeast Portland headquarters. "Banfield also considered factors such as length of commute for its associates, future growth needs, proximity to restaurants and entertainment, and the total cost of business," …
Prescott, MedVet Win AAHA Practice Of The Year AwardsApril 2, 2014 A whole lot of whooping erupted in Prescott, Ariz., and Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday when the American Animal Hospital Association announced that Prescott Animal Hospital and MedVet Medical and Cancer Centers had been named Practices of the Year. Prescott won first place among general practices and MedVet took first place in the referral practice category. The fifth annual AAHA-Accredited Practice of the Year awards were given out in Nashville, Tenn., at the Lakewood, Colo., organization's yearly conference. "AAHA believes that the success of a veterinary practice depends on the entire team working together to provide excellent care for pets and their people," said AAHA's CEO, Michael Cavanaugh, DVM, Dipl. ABVP. The team at Prescott Animal Hospital was beside itself upon hearing the news. "The [award] is the pinnacle of everything we have been striving to achieve over the years," said Cameron S. Dow, DVM, a partner and owner of Prescott Animal Hospital. The goal of the AAHA-Accredited Practice of the Year Award is to recognize and celebrate the achievements of accredited practice teams. "All of these accredited practices are staffed …
K-State Veterinary Dean Plans 2015 ExitApril 2, 2014 Kansas State University's longtime veterinary college dean, Ralph C. Richardson, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, will step down and return to teaching, the university announced today. Dr. Richardson, 67, has served as dean since 1998 - a 16-year period during which the College of Veterinary Medicine began enrolling more students, raised tens of millions of dollars in private donations and completed a number of capital projects. A search for Richardson's replacement will be conducted, but details about the task were not immediately known. Richardson expects to leave office by July 15, 2015. "I plan to continue in a faculty role with the college and the university, hoping to use my abilities in program building and my background in comparative medicine to continue strengthening collaborative programs that benefit K-State," Richardson said. "I have a real sense of urgency to see our plans for the future become reality, but I want the college and the university to have plenty of time to conduct an orderly search for my replacement." Richardson, who earned his veterinary degree from Kansas State in 1970, was recruited in 1998 from Purdue University, where he was working …
AAHA Reveals Secrets To Boosting Clinic BusinessApril 2, 2014 Veterinary hospitals that do very well financially share many traits, according to the American Animal Hospital Association's State of the Industry Report. The study, released last week in Nashville, Tenn., during AAHA's annual conference, found that "Consistent Outgrowers," or practices where revenue had grown by more than 10 percent two years in a row, focus on the human-animal bond and cultivate business before, during and after a client visit. "Our data showed that the bond between pets and owners, or what we usually call the human-animal bond, is particularly important for driving success for veterinary practices," said AAHA's CEO, Michael Cavanaugh, DVM, Dipl. ABVP. "This research reveals that we collectively as a profession need to focus on treating the pet owner as a partner, and on engaging them as an integral part of the pet's health care team." The Web-based survey discovered that 27 percent of the practices responding reported a revenue decline from 2012 to 2013. Half of the respondents saw revenue grow by up to 10 percent, and 23 percent experienced growth of more than 10 percent. Of the last group, 44 percent?the Consistent Outgrowers?enjoyed at least two consecutive years of growth …
Banfield Selects Aja As Next Chief Medical OfficerApril 2, 2014 Daniel Aja, DVM, will take over as chief medical officer of Banfield Pet Hospital upon the retirement of Jeffrey Klausner, the nationwide chain reported Thursday. Dr. Klausner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, is set to retire at year's end, clearing the way for Dr. Aja to put his stamp on how Banfield and its more than 2,900 practitioners perform veterinary medicine. Aja, most recently the director of U.S. professional and veterinary affairs at Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc., was named senior vice president of medical operations for Banfield as he awaits his promotion. "Banfield has been the driver of preventive care within the veterinary profession for the past two decades - its leadership in this important area is admirable," Aja said. "Having owned and operated a private practice for more than [21] years, I have experienced firsthand the importance of preventive care when it comes to lengthening the lifespan of companion animals." Before joining Hill's in 2009 as director of professional affairs, Aja owned and operated Cherry Bend Animal Hospital, an American Animal Hospital Association-accredited practice in Traverse City, Mich. He ran the hospital for more than two decades, a …
Dr. Gerhardt G. Schurig, Dean, Virginia-Maryland Regional College Of Veterinary MedicineMarch 19, 2014 Dr. Gehardt G. Shurig has traveled a long and winding road on his path to becoming dean of Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine--from his birth in Santiago, Chile, to a stint as a meat inspector in a slaughterhouse, to academic experience on opposite ends of the continent . It's due to his colorful background, and that long road he traveled, that VeterinaryPracticeNews.com chose to launch our Vet School Dean Q&A series with Schurig. Name: Dr. Gerhardt G. Schurig, Dean, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine Age: 65 Degrees and Schools: 1977 – PhD, Immunology, Cornell University 1974 – MS, Immunology, Cornell University 1970 – DVM, University of Chile 1970 – Licentiate in Animal Husbandry, University of Chile Family: Ginger (wife), Michelle (daughter), Pablo (son) Hometown: Blacksburg, Va., (current); Santiago, Chile (native) 1. Why did you enter veterinary medicine? At the time I joined veterinary medicine, there was much talk about the need to feed the world. I was interested in improving farm animal health and productivity and also had great interest in studying diseases that spread from animals to humans (zoonosis). I wanted to contribute to the discovery of new ways …
UC Davis Veterinarian Wins National Teaching AwardMarch 19, 2014 A UC Davis professor described as having a passion for teaching and a creative approach to instruction will receive the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges’ 2013 Distinguished Teacher Award, the organization reported Wednesday. Matthew Mellema, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVECC, an assistant professor of emergency and critical care at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, will be presented with the award March 14 during the AAVMC’s annual conference in Alexandria, Va. The award, sponsored by drug maker Zoetis Inc., recognizes excellence in professional veterinary medical education. The honor is more than 50 years old. "Dr. Mellema exemplifies the qualities we seek in an honoree,” said AAVMC President Kent Hoblet, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVPM, the dean at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. "Students and colleagues alike applaud his dedication and passion for education. Teaching is his priority, and his emphasis on critical thinking, problem-solving and self-directed learning maximizes students’ chances for lifelong success.” Four of Mellema’s students added their voices to his nomination. "As a mentor, Dr. Mellema has been truly invaluable in shaping the careers of veterinary students,” they wrote. …
