AVMA Lobbyists Hard At Work On Pending LegislationAugust 22, 2013 Federal legislation that would strengthen laws against animal fighting and horse soring and allow veterinarians to legally administer controlled drugs while on the road are drawing maximum support from the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Governmental Relations Division. The Washington, D.C., office this month updated its 113th Congress Legislative Agenda, which identifies bills that deserve the greatest focus from lobbyists working on behalf of AVMA and about two dozen pieces of legislation that get less attention. The Governmental Relations Division pushes not only for the passage of selected bills but also the defeat of legislation deemed not in the best interests of veterinary medicine or the public. Two bills vigorously opposed are HR 1150, which would ban the use of antibiotics in food animals for nonmedical reasons, and HR 1094, which would prohibit the sale and transport of horses targeted for slaughter. Individual bills have the best chance of becoming law if they are attached to the massive Farm Bill, which Congress is under pressure to approve by Sept. 30, said Whitney Miller, DVM, MBA, an assistant director in the Governmental Relations Division. Failure to approve the Farm Bill, which Dr. Miller said contains "tons of programs …
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Florida Practitioner Becomes Latest My Vet’s The Best WinnerAugust 22, 2013 Miami veterinarian and animal rescue advocate James Bogdansky, DVM, was named the winner of Pets Best Insurance’s quarterly My Vet’s the Best contest, the company reported Wednesday. Dr. Bogdansky, who practices at Country Club Animal Hospital, received 3,562 online votes through the company's website and Facebook page. He also became eligible for the 2013 grand prize: a trip for two to Western Veterinary Conference. The veterinarian was awarded $1,000, which he will use to start a foundation for underprivileged animals, and the person who nominated him gets $200. "Each quarter, we receive an influx of nominations for veterinarians who routinely go above and beyond to keep pets healthy,” said Jack Stephens, DVM, founder and president of Boise, Idaho-based Pets Best. "Pets Best Insurance takes tremendous pride in recognizing these tireless professionals and supporting the treatment of animals in need. "We encourage pet owners to continue nominating their favorite veterinarians each quarter.” Bogdansky and his family over the past 22 years have rescued and adopted a range of animals, from birds, dogs and cats to ducks, rabbits and snakes. He also works with organizations such as the Cat Network, …
Recent Disasters Underscore Value Of Microchipping PetsAugust 21, 2013Public awareness of the importance of microchipping is on the rise. To underscore the importance of the microchipping procedure, many rescue organizations and veterinary clinics around the country offer free and discounted microchipping services. vet-breaking-newsRecent Disasters Underscore Value of Microchipping Pets By Lori Luechtefeld For Veterinary Practice News In the wake of the Oklahoma City tornadoes in May, the value of pet microchipping was a common theme in news reports regarding lost and reunited pets. As the pet rescue and veterinary communities turned to the plight of affected animals, a centralized website, www.OKCLostPets.com, was set up to help reunite missing pets and owners. In the following weeks, hundreds of successful reunions were reported on the site. Kimberly Weiss, DVM, a veterinarian for the McLean County Animal Response Team, told the New York Daily News that many pets that were microchipped or wearing ID collars were quickly reunited with owners. However, this wasn’t the case for all lost pets on www.OKCLostPets.com. Owners in multiple lost-pet reports regretfully noted that their pets were not microchipped. That said, public awareness of the importance of microchipping is on the rise, …
AVMA May Overhaul How It Does BusinessAugust 21, 2013 The American Veterinary Medical Association, looking to become more transparent and more responsive to the needs of its 84,000 members, may eliminate the House of Delegates and other bodies in favor of a streamlined governance structure. An 11-person task force that studied the subject for more than a year concluded that the current set-up—the House of Delegates, an executive board, councils, committees and task forces—fosters a policymaking process that is "too slow, cumbersome, political and, at times, inefficient.” The task force’s recommendations were to be discussed in July at the AVMA’s annual convention. Another team, comprising AVMA leaders and members, will solicit feedback and submit a final proposal to the executive board. When the executive board, which meets at least six times a year, may approve reorganization is unknown. AVMA has adapted to change over its 150-year history, said the organization’s president, Douglas G. Aspros, DVM. "Now we face another pivotal fork in the road where we must decide whether to embrace a new governance structure, one that can evolve with society and the changing face and needs of our members,” Dr. Aspros …
Urolith Center: 750,000 Stones & CountingAugust 21, 2013 Affected dogs can have one or many bladder stones that can be speck sized or up to four inches in diameter. The Minnesota Urolith Center has amassed the world’s largest database of more than 750,000 veterinary samples of uroliths removed from the urinary tracts of dogs and cats. Urolith Center: 750,000 Stones & Counting By Arden Moore For Veterinary Practice News The Minnesota Urolith Center recently reached a milestone. Since opening in 1981, this center has amassed the world’s largest database of more than 750,000 veterinary samples of uroliths removed from the urinary tracts of dogs and cats. But Director Carl Osborne, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, and Co-Director Jody Lulich, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, did not spend much time celebrating this record-setting total. This dedicated duo has been far too busy researching innovative and cost-saving alternatives to surgical removal of bladder stones, also known as urinary calculi, in canine (and feline) bladders on the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine campus in St. Paul. "We are definitely on a mission," says Dr. Lulich, a professor who is board-certified in internal medicine. "We are constantly looking into minimally invasive ways to diagnose, remove and …
Compounding Pharmacies Play Vital Role In Today’s PracticesAugust 21, 2013 The American Veterinary Medical Association announced in June that it had modified its policies on compounded pharmaceuticals for use in veterinary medicine, partially in response to a recent Senate bill sponsored by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that would impose tighter federal restrictions on compounding pharmacies. "The bill would definitely make it more difficult for pets to receive the medication that their disease requires," said Jennifer Gimon, R.Ph., owner of BCP Veterinary Pharmacy in Houston, Texas. That's not good news for clinicians who believe compounded drugs play a vital role in their patient care. Ben Brown, DVM, owns The Travel Vet mobile veterinary practice in Davis County, Utah. He says that about 5 percent of the prescriptions he writes are for compounded drugs, and he uses a combination of veterinary-specific pharmacies and general pharmacies with veterinary-specific divisions. "Many of our patients are much more amenable to taking a compounded formulation of a medication, especially when a medication course is chronic," Dr. Brown said. "Some of our feline patients would be very difficult to medicate without a specific formulation." Cats are notoriously difficult to orally medicate, but they aren't the only creatures benefiting from …
Dogs Needed For Study Of New Cancer TreatmentAugust 21, 2013 Twenty dogs with high-grade B-cell lymphoma are being sought to participate in a field study of a vaccine-based cancer treatment that reportedly has no side effects. The developer, Morphogenesis Inc. of Tampa, Fla., and veterinarians at Florida-based Southeastern Veterinary Oncology and Medicine (SEVO-Med) are collaborating on the study. The new treatment is designed to defeat 17 types of cancers in dogs, cats and horses, Morphogenesis stated. "We educate the body’s immune system to fight its own tumor cells,” said Pat Lawman, Ph.D., the biotechnology firm's CEO. "Our process helps keep the cancer in check so that it doesn't progress, and we all think that’s a win.” Under the process, a dog’s lymphoma cells undergo a marking process that helps the immune system recognize the cells as foreign and kill them, Lawman said. Veterinarians and pet owners who believe a dog would qualify for the study are asked to call SEVO-Med at 904-278-3870 or 912-355-5791. Dogs enrolled in the study will receive free treatments and tests. "More and more, you are seeing companion animals present with all types of cancers,” …
Proposed Law Would Permit Pets On Amtrak TrainsAugust 20, 2013 Proposed Law Would Permit Pets on Amtrak Trains dog HR 2066 has the support of 18 congressional co-sponsors and the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council. A bill winding its way through Congress would allow Amtrak passengers to bring their caged cat or dog aboard. The legislation has the support of 18 congressional co-sponsors and the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council. "The Pets on Trains Act is a win-win,” said Mike Canning, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C., trade group. "Airlines have been permitting pets on flights for years. Fares for pets vary from airline to airline, as do regulations, but at least air travel has given pet owners an option.” The law would designate a "pet car” on each train and permit a fee to be charged for the service. In addition, all cats or dogs would have to travel in crates and no trip could exceed 750 miles. Amtrak operates more than 300 trains a day, reaching 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian provinces. The railroad …
Veterinarians Working To Control PEDv Outbreak In 17 StatesAugust 20, 2013 Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv), a highly contagious disease that typically kills at least half of all infected piglets, has spread to 17 states and brought together industry and academia in pursuit of a rapid diagnostic test. The National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed the first-ever U.S. case of PEDv in April. The disease has been present in Europe for decades as well as in China, Korea and Japan, the National Pork Board reported. PEDv is transmitted orally to pigs of all ages through feces and contaminated farm equipment and clothing. Acute watery diarrhea is a common sign of the disease, but confirmation requires laboratory testing. Zoetis Inc., an animal health company headquartered in Florham Park, N.J., reported today that it is working with researchers at the University of Minnesota to develop a rapid PEDv diagnostic test. "As a veterinarian, I am committed to finding a solution, including quick-yielding diagnostic tools and efficacious vaccines, that can control this devastating virus,” said Michael Senn, DVM, MS, manager of Pork Technical Services at Zoetis. "We are drawing upon our global research and development resources as well as working with health authorities and veterinary centers of excellence worldwide to …
AVMA Uses Video Game To Reach Next GenerationAugust 19, 2013 Rather than focusing on marauding zombies, the American Veterinary Medical Association is targeting future veterinarians through its brand-new video game, AVMA Animal Hospital. The new game, a combination of "Beat the Clock” and Operation, takes place in a virtual veterinarian clinic. Kids as well as grown-ups can test their veterinary mettle by diagnosing and treating animals, including dogs, cats, birds, turtles and guinea pigs, suffering from a variety of conditions before time elapses. The audience the AVMA had in mind for the game is fourth through eighth graders but anyone who enjoys animals is encouraged to play. "We wanted to make a fun game that players would come back to again and again, but more importantly, we wanted there to be a strong educational component to it as well,” said Ron DeHaven, DVM, CEO of the Schaumburg, Ill.-based AVMA. The game is available free through Apple’s AppStore, Google Play and AVMA. "Games are a great way to learn, and we hope AVMA Animal Hospital helps educate and inspire the next generation of …
