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Summer Holds Special Hazards For PetsJune 27, 2013 Summer Holds Special Hazards for PetsSummer Holds Special Hazards for PetsPets Best, veterinarian, dog, cat, surgery, summer, claim, insurance, reimbursement, petPets Best Insurance processes some bizarre summertime claims on behalf of its four-legged clientele.Pets Best Insurance reveals cautionary tales from its database.newsline, pet-health-newsPosted: June 27, 2013, 3:15 p.m. EDTAgents who field calls for Pets Best Insurance of Boise, Idaho, have heard it all. Since it first began offering pet insurance nationwide in 2005, Pets Best, the only veterinarian-founded pet insurance company in the United States, has processed some bizarre summertime claims on behalf of its four-legged clientele. And if summers past are any indication, the insurer is sure to have a few doozies by the time fall rolls around. Eating golf balls can be painful for dogs and costly to their bill-paying owners. Pets Best revealed these cautionary tales from its database in the hope they won’t be repeated in the summer of 2013: • Tango, a German shorthaired pointer, consumed a beach towel. After the dog regurgitated parts of the towel, the remaining portion had to be surgically removed. …
ACVO Smashes Eye Exam RecordJune 24, 2013 A record 7,700 service and therapy animals had their eyes checked in May during the sixth annual ACVO/Merial National Service Dog Eye Exam Event. The project, sponsored by Merial Ltd. and the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, involved more than 250 board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists who volunteered their time in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Australia, the ACVO reported today. Fifty-two dogs attached to the Transportation Security Administration or Defense Department were examined at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Also receiving eye exams were guide dogs, handicapped assistance dogs, detection dogs, search and rescue dogs, registered therapy animals and service animals such as horses. Their owners were extremely appreciative, said Stacee Daniel, executive director of the Meridian, Idaho-based ACVO. "The letters and Facebook posts that have been sent to us regarding the generosity of our sponsors and ophthalmologists have been heartfelt and amazing,” Daniel said. "Educating people about the importance of animal eye health has never been more rewarding.” Moose, a certified Federal Emergency Management Agency urban search and rescue dog, received …
AVMA Movie Ad Shines Light On ProfessionJune 24, 2013 Moviegoers waiting to watch "World War Z” or "Man of Steel” will see something unexpected on the screen: an advertisement about veterinary medicine. The American Veterinary Medical Association released the ad today in selected cities as part of the organization's 150th anniversary celebration. The commercial will appear through June 27 and should be seen by an estimated 3.2 million people. "The goal of the ad is to promote the veterinary profession to the public and to highlight the many other things that veterinarians do beyond treating pet cats and dogs,” said AVMA president Douglas G. Aspros, DVM. "We hope that this will help boost public awareness of the important role veterinarians fill in our society and across the globe.” The ad will play during pretrailer advertisements in 160 theaters and on 2,760 screens in the Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego and Washington, D.C., markets. It will be shown before movies such as "Monsters University,” "World War Z,” "Man of Steel,” "This is the End” and "Iron Man 3.” The
Ticks On March Across United StatesJune 21, 2013 Ticks, the tiny parasites that bedevil and sicken pets and people alike, are spreading like zombies. Predictions of a busy tick season have come true, specialists and pet owners agree. Predictions of a busy tick season have come true, specialists and pet owners agree. Like the walking dead in the new Brad Pitt movie "World War Z,” ticks are showing up in the unlikeliest of places. One predator is the lone star tick, which Michael Dryden, DVM, Ph.D., reported this week has established viable populations as far north as New York and Ontario, Canada, and as far west as Iowa and Nebraska. The pest is traditionally found in southeastern and south-central states such as Texas, Missouri, Georgia and Florida. "Lone star ticks become more and more widespread every year as they continue to infiltrate states where they have never before been present,” said Dr. Dryden, a distinguished professor of veterinary parasitology at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. The arachnid, known for a white, star-like spot on the female’s back, is an aggressive biter. It …
1,000 Veterinary Clinics Pursue Cat-Friendly StatusJune 19, 2013More than 1,000 veterinary clinics worldwide have earned or are on track to receive the Cat Friendly Practice (CFP) designation awarded by the American Association of Feline Practitioners, the organization reported today. AAFP Cat Friendly Practice program aims to make practices more accommodating to the needs of cats and improve the animals’ treatment, handling and overall health. The initiative, unveiled in February 2012, aims to make practices more accommodating to the needs of cats and improve the animals’ treatment, handling and overall health. Deserving practices receive either Silver Standard or Gold Standard certification. Silver means a practice meets the essential criteria for a Cat Friendly Practice. Gold confirms that a practice incorporates an optimum level of criteria. A certified practice must have at least one veterinarian who is an AAFP member. "We are very proud of each approved veterinary clinic for their dedication to the CFP program in striving for improved excellence in feline care,” said AAFP spokeswoman Elizabeth J. Colleran, DVM, MS. "The feedback has been incredible. ... Veterinarians report very positive results and benefits for cats, clients and also the veterinary team.” The Hillsborough, N.J.-based AAFP launched the program in …
Bayer Animal Health Marks 50 Years In ShawneeJune 18, 2013 Bayer HealthCare LLC today celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Animal Health Division’s presence in Shawnee, Kan., and its parent company’s 150th anniversary. More than 450 employees, community and political leaders and industry partners gathered in Shawnee for a luncheon featuring speakers and an international menu. "I could think of no better way to mark Bayer’s 150th anniversary, and our own 50 years of animal health history, than by sharing a globally inspired meal with my colleagues,” said Ian Spinks, president and general manager of Bayer HealthCare’s North American Animal Health Division. "It reminds us that we are not only part of something very special here in Shawnee, but also part of a global company dedicated to science for a better life.” Bayer Animal Health makes about 100 products for companion and farm animals, ranging from Baytril anti-infectives for cats and dogs to Sebacil, which is indicated for the control of mange mites and lice in pigs. As part of Bayer Corp.’s worldwide celebration, the Bayer Cares Foundation donated nearly $785,000 to 150 …
Second Wildfire In A Year Sends Colorado Animal Rescuers ScramblingJune 18, 2013 Norris Penrose Event Center, which hosts the annual Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo, is one of many facilities temporarily housing horses and other animals displaced by this week’s massive Black Forest Fire in Colorado. In a bit of déjà vu, the staff of the Colorado Springs-based equestrian center is once again looking after horses as it did in 2012 when the Waldo Canyon conflagration raged not far from where the current fire is burning. "We still have a large supply of tools, like wheelbarrows, from last year, which we just kept here under lock and key for a situation like this,” said Johnny Walker, general manager for the Norris Penrose Event Center. Even though Walker has taken in 140 horses this year as opposed to 350 last year, the Center is already at capacity. There already were 200 horses on site for a horse show and the Center’s boarding facility had another 68 horses at the time the fire broke out. History Repeats Last year, on June 26, the Waldo Canyon Fire burned through a Colorado Springs neighborhood and destroyed 346 homes and displaced people and their pets on its way to …
Arizona’s First Veterinary College On Track To Open In 2014June 18, 2013 When it opens for business next year in Glendale, the Midwestern University’s College of Veterinary Medicine will be the first and only school in Arizona to offer a DVM degree. Now, Arizonans interested in becoming full-fledged veterinarians must look outside the state. That’s because Arizona is one of 24 states without an accredited veterinary college. Pre-veterinary students can enroll in undergraduate programs at the University of Arizona or at Arizona State University but that’s about as far as it goes. But that will all change August 2014 when the Midwestern University’s College of Veterinary Science admits its first class of 100. The new veterinary college received a "letter of reasonable assurance” on May 31 from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education, the Schaumburg, Ill.-based accreditation body for U.S. and international veterinary schools and programs recognized in the U.S. The thumbs up means that the college’s plans meet with AVMA approval and recruitment of veterinary students for the inaugural 2014 class can commence. The letter of confidence is an indication that the College of Veterinary Medicine is on its way to meeting the 11 standards required by the AVMA to …
Natura Issues Wider Product RecallJune 18, 2013 The ongoing threat of salmonella contamination moved Natura Pet Products today to voluntarily recall all Innova, California Natural, Evo, Healthwise, Mother Nature and Karma dry pet food and treats bearing expiration dates prior to June 10, 2014. Natural's recalls of food made for dogs, cats and ferrets are the first in the company’s 21-year history. The action followed similar recalls issued in March and April for Natura products with earlier expiration dates. The newest recall added the Mother Nature line of biscuits. The recalls, the first in the company’s 21-year history, involve food made for dogs, cats and ferrets. Canned food is not affected. The recalled products are sold through pet stores and veterinary clinics in the United States and Canada as well as online. The Fremont, Neb., company, a division of Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble, reported the latest news in a statement posted on its website. An advisory also was issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Natura’s statement noted that the company was "truly sorry” and "disappointed.” "We made this decision in part due to a single positive salmonella test …
