Some Dogswell, Catswell Treats Pulled From MarketJuly 29, 2013 Dogswell and Catswell jerky treats made with chicken or duck and bearing a "Best Before” date of Jan. 28, 2015, or earlier are being withdrawn because they may contain trace amounts of an antibiotic residue not approved for use in the United States.Withdrawn products include Chicken Breast and Duck Breast jerky under the Dogswell and Catswell jerky treats made with chicken or duck and bearing a "Best Before” date of Jan. 28, 2015, or earlier are being withdrawn because they may contain trace amounts of an antibiotic residue not approved for use in the United States. The treats should not pose a health risk to pets or people, according to the manufacturer, Los Angeles-based Arthur Dogswell LLC. The company reported Friday that the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets discovered the antibiotic during routine product sampling. The antibiotic is accepted for use in poultry in other parts of the world, the company added. The withdrawn products include Chicken Breast and Duck Breast jerky under the Breathies, Happy Heart, Happy Hips, Mellow Mut, Shape Up, Veggie Life, Vitality and
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Half Of American Cats Don’t Get Regular Veterinary CareJuly 29, 2013 More than half of U.S. cats have not seen a veterinarian within the past year for needed checkups, according to a study conducted by Bayer HealthCare and the American Association of Feline Practitioners. Reasons for the lack of feline veterinary care range from how cats are acquired to people’s perceptions of the health care they need. The study’s findings, released at the American Veterinary Medical Association convention in Chicago, uncovered several reasons for the lack of veterinary care. They ranged from how cats are acquired and people’s relationships with them to feline personalities and people’s perceptions of the health care they need. The third phase of the "Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study” was based on an online survey of 1,938 cat owners and several focus groups. Sixty percent of survey respondents were from cat-only households, while 40 percent had both cats and dogs. The study "confirms that we treat cats differently than dogs when it comes to caring for their health, in part because cats are so effective at masking signs of illness and injury,” said Ian Spinks, president and general manager of Bayer HealthCare’s North American …
Blood Analyzers: How Old Is Too Old?July 26, 2013 In-house veterinary blood analyzer technology has come a long way in the past two decades, and with the rise of large multi-specialty practices and emergency clinics the use of in-house laboratory testing has also greatly increased. Everything from simple CBC and biochemistry analyzers to instruments that measure serum electrolytes, blood gases, hormone levels and pancreatic malfunction are on the market. And while some estimate that a large percentage of veterinary hospitals have one or more in-house lab machines, at least half of those machines in use are thought to be antiquated. "There is a wide range of age in in-house analyzers in the field today,” said Michael Solomon, director of business development for Abaxis North America Animal Health headquartered in Union City, Calif. "I estimate that greater than 90 percent of clinics have at least some type of in-house analyzer that they may use in various situations. Of these, at least 50 percent are older analyzers that may lack some of the features and benefits of the newer generation of in-house equipment.” Deciding whether an in-house lab system is outdated depends on a number of factors. "The definition of ‘antiquated’ could simply be …
Benjamin L. Hart, DVM, Ph.D., Named AVMA Companion Animal Veterinarian For 2013July 24, 2013 On the eve its annual convention, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) named Benjamin L. Hart, DVM, Ph.D., the Bustard Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year. The award is named for the late Leo K. Bustad, DVM, Ph.D., a former dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University and past president of Pet Partners, a therapy animal training group based in Bellevue, Wash. Dr. Hart received the award, in part, for his recently published study, the first to look at single breeds—golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers—and the effects of early neutering on the rates of cancer diagnosis and joint disorders by gender. The study was funded by the American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation (CHF), based in Raleigh, N.C., with a grant for $12,960. Hart reviewed the medical records of 789 golden retrievers going back 15 years and more than 2,000 records for Labrador retrievers and focused on comparing the effects of neutering on increases or decreases in the risks of various diseases. The dogs in Hart’s study were neutered …
Coming Soon: Veterinary Schools In Arizona, TennesseeJuly 17, 2013 The endorsements signify that the universities and their colleges of veterinary medicine are well-prepared to meet 11 AVMA accreditation standards. Both Midwestern and Lincoln Memorial are moving rapidly to launch their veterinary programs and recruit students. Midwestern broke ground this year in Glendale, Ariz., on a $100 million project that includes construction of an academic building, a large animal teaching facility and a small animal clinic. The college will be the first in Arizona to offer a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. The program should be eligible for provisional accreditation in 2014 and full accreditation in 2018, Midwestern reported. "The entire team ... has done an excellent job in developing the plans for this new college,” said Kathleen H. Goeppinger, Ph.D., Midwestern’s president and CEO. "The AVMA has extremely high standards as an accrediting group and we are pleased that our plan has met their requirements.” Midwestern announced plans for the college in March 2012. The Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education last fall issued a certificate of authority for Midwestern …
AVMA Convention Starts Friday In ChicagoJuly 16, 2013 The convention, which runs through July 23 at McCormick Place in Chicago, coincides with the AVMA’s 150th anniversary. Part of the anniversary celebration includes the traveling display "Animal Connections: Our Journey Together,” an interactive, truck-based exhibit designed to teach young people about science, animals, veterinary medicine and the human-animal bond. The exhibit will be open to conventioneers starting Saturday at the back of the Exhibit Hall before it moves July 23 to the nearby Museum Campus for three days of public viewing. The display later will travel to six Chicago parks before visiting New York City on Aug. 9. The trade show portion of the convention lasts three days, with nearly 300 exhibitors displaying their products and services in the Exhibit Hall. The hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday. Education is the overriding priority of the convention, and each hour of programming is worth one hour of CE credit for license renewal purposes. Two hours of CE credit is available for participating in the Exhibit Hall,
Colorado State Veterinary Icon James Voss Dies At 79July 15, 2013James L. Voss, MS, DVM, a former Colorado State University administrator and for whom CSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital is named, died Friday at age 79 in Fort Collins, Colo., after a long illness.Dr. James Voss, who died July 12, 2013, served as dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences from 1986 until his retirement in 2001. Dr. Voss served as dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences from 1986 until his retirement in 2001. "CSU’s world is a little dimmer today for the passing of Dr. Jim Voss,” said university president Tony Frank, whom Voss hired as an assistant professor, department chair and associate dean. "It is no exaggeration to state that CSU’s veterinary medical program is a world leader in no small part because of Jim Voss. CSU lost a great leader and a great alum, and I lost a great friend.” Born in 1934 on a farm in Grand Junction, Colo., Voss earned his master’s and doctorate degrees from Colorado State. He went to work at CSU in 1958, first as an equine ambulatory clinician and later as an equine reproduction specialist and university administrator. …
Dogs, Owners Encouraged To Drop Pounds TogetherJuly 12, 2013 Dogs will shed more than hair in a new weight-loss program designed for both the animals and their owners.Banfield Pet Hospital is teaming with celebrity trainer Dolvett Quince of NBC-TV’s "The Biggest Loser” on a campaign that goes beyond walking and running. The Banfield Pet Hospital chain is teaming with celebrity trainer Dolvett Quince of NBC-TV’s "The Biggest Loser” on a campaign that goes beyond walking and running. The workout plan includes the Burpee, shuttle runs and the Plank Fetch, in which pet owners resting their forearms on the ground play fetch with their dog. Other activities are outlined at Banfield.com/fitness. "Overweight and obesity is weighing heavily on the minds of Americans and is impacting families across the country, including our four-legged friends,” Quince said. "Leading a healthy lifestyle is just as important for our pets as it is for humans.” Portland, Ore.-based Banfield’s latest State of Pet Health Report found that weight issues have increased by 37 percent in dogs and 90 percent in cats since 2007. "Just like with humans, restricting a pet’s caloric intake and increasing exercise are the keys …
Market For Veterinary Care Remains BrightJuly 12, 2013Spending on veterinary services is forecast to rise by 4.5 percent this year and 5 percent in 2014 in another sign of a rebounding U.S. economy, the market research firm Packaged Facts reported. Veterinary services made up 35 percent of pet industry sales in 2012, the largest piece of an estimated $59.1 billion pie. Overall, spending in the U.S. pet industry is expected to jump to $61.9 billion in 2013 and $64.9 billion in 2014, the Rockville, Md., research firm projected. Each segment of the pet industry is projected to grow at rates exceeding inflation, which the federal government estimates at about 2 percent annually. The spending increase is primarily the result of higher prices, not a significantly larger pet population, the report’s author, David Lummis, noted. Pets were in about 56 percent of U.S. households in 2011, according to separate studies prepared by the American Veterinary Medical Association and Simmons Market Research Bureau. While veterinary spending has rebounded over the past five years, to $20.9 billion in 2012, "that increase masks the fact that a slightly smaller percentage of pet …
San Diego Approves Store Pet Sale BanJuly 11, 2013 San Diego became the latest municipality to ban the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores when the City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Tuesday. The Southern California city is the 32nd U.S. city to enact such a ban, joining Los Angeles, which approved a similar measure. Starting Aug. 9, dogs, cats and rabbits sold in San Diego pet stores must come from one of the city’s municipal animal shelters, humane societies or rescue organizations. Violators could be fined up to $1,000. The effect will be limited because only two stores—Pet Market and San Diego Puppy—sell the banned animals, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The Washington, D.C.-based Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council opposed the legislation and "offered to work with the council to help raise the bar to ensure that only good breeders would supply pets,” said Charlie Sewell, PIJAC’s executive vice president of external affairs. "The council showed no interest in helping weed out substandard breeders,” Sewell said. When the law goes into effect, pet …
