Insurance Trade Group Adds Industry Leader VPIApril 18, 2013 Veterinary Pet Insurance, the industry’s largest policy writer, is joining the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) and taking a spot on the trade group’s board of directors. The decision, announced Wednesday, comes six years after NAPHIA was established and more than 30 years after VPI became the first insurer of pet health in North America. "Like NAPHIA, VPI believes in setting high standards for the industry in service, coverage and transparency,” said Scott Liles, president of Brea, Calif.-based VPI. "In order for NAPHIA and the industry to be even more successful, we felt it was time for VPI ... to actively participate in NAPHIA’s vision and endeavors.” Liles will represent VPI on the board of directors. "VPI has led the industry in North America, and our member companies are excited to have them—and Scott—on board,” said Kristen Lynch, NAPHIA’s executive director. "NAPHIA’s membership now represents more than 85 percent of the pet insurance marketplace in North America.” Jack Stephens, DVM, the group’s secretary and the founder and owner of Pets Best Insurance in Boise, Idaho, welcomed VPI. "I always felt they …
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Sterilization Makes Difference In Life Span, Disease Risk Of DogsApril 18, 2013 Sterilized dogs live longer but are more likely to die from cancer, according to University of Georgia researchers. The study, published Wednesday in the online peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, found that intact dogs—those not neutered—lived an average of 7.9 years, compared to 9.4 years for sterilized dogs. The discovery was based on a sample of 40,139 death records contained in the Veterinary Medical Database, a collection generated by North American veterinary medical colleges. "There is a long tradition of research into the cost of reproduction, and what has been shown across species is if you reproduce, you don’t live as long,” said Kate Creevy, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, an assistant professor at Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine. "The question that raises is, why would you die younger if you have offspring?” The researchers learned that neutered dogs were more likely to die from cancer or autoimmune diseases. Intact dogs were more likely to die from infectious disease or trauma. "Intact dogs are still dying from cancer; it is just a more common cause of death for those that are sterilized,” said Jessica Hoffman, a Georgia doctoral candidate who co-authored …
Court Orders FDA To Suspend Approval Of Norbrook’s New Bovine DrugApril 17, 2013 The manufacturer, Norbrook Laboratories of Lenexa, Kan., received FDA approval March 29 of an Abbreviated New Animal Drug Application for Enroflox 100 (enrofloxacin), a generic version of Bayer HealthCare’s Baytril 100. Bayer won a temporary restraining order April 12 that suspended the FDA’s approval of Enroflox and the label. Bayer, based in Shawnee Mission, Kan., contended that labeling the administration of Enroflox as a multiple-dose regimen would be ignored by practicing veterinarians, who instead would deliver a single high dose, harming sales of Baytril 100, which has single-dose approval. Three cattle veterinarians retained by Bayer concluded that the generic drug, labeled for multiday administration, "would be used in a single high dose, notwithstanding the instructions on the label.” "The uncontroverted record evidence is that the generic product is reasonably certain to be used off-label in a single high dose,” Bayer asserted in court documents. The U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., issued the temporary restraining order and scheduled an April 25 hearing on Bayer’s motion for a preliminary injunction. A Norbrook spokeswoman declined to comment. Bayer began marketing Baytril 100, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, …
VHMA’s Emerging Leaders Program To Award 5 ScholarshipsApril 17, 2013The Veterinary Hospital Managers Association is accepting applications until April 30 for the Emerging Leaders Program, which will award $2,500 scholarships to five veterinary management professionals. Each scholarship will be renewed for two additional years, making the total $7,500. The money must be spent on registration and travel costs to attend the VHMA’s annual conference and on the Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) certification process. The program is designed to identify rising stars ages 40 or younger and help them refine their veterinary practice management skills and enhance their professional development. Applicants must be VHMA members, meet the CVPM program qualifications and submit a 750-word management article. The five winners will be expected to give back to VHMA through volunteer activities. More information is available at www.vhma.org. The VHMA's 2013 Annual Meeting and Conference will take place Sept. 26 to 29 in Charlotte, N.C. The international organization is based in Alachua, Fla.
Proposed Changes To Controlled Substances Act Would Benefit VetsApril 16, 2013 Veterinarians could legally transport and dispense controlled substances away from their clinics under a bill introduced April 12 by two veterinarians, U.S. Reps. Kurt Schrader and Ted Yoho. The Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act of 2013 (HR 1528) would be of particular assistance to mobile and ambulatory practitioners, the American Veterinary Medical Association reported today. "As Congressmen Schrader and Yoho can attest, being a veterinarian does not start and stop within the walls of the veterinary clinic,” said Mark Lutschaunig, DVM, director of AVMA’s Governmental Relations Division. "To provide complete care for their animal patients, veterinarians must have the ability to transport the medications they need beyond their brick-and-mortar clinics.” Bureaucratic red tape hinders veterinarians’ ability to properly care for their patients, said Schrader, D-Ore. "As my fellow veterinarians know all too well, in the practice of veterinary medicine we are often required to provide mobile or ambulatory services in the field to treat our animal patients in a wide variety of settings,” Schrader said. "The Drug Enforcement Administration’s confusing interpretation of existing law makes little sense [and] is completely unreasonable. "We’re moving forward with …
Improved Heartworm Test From Zoetis Available Starting TodayApril 15, 2013 The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved an enhanced Witness HW heartworm antigen test kit designed for dogs and cats, the manufacturer, Zoetis, reported today. Enhancements involving test antibodies, the buffer and sample pad, and the signal strength at the control line are designed to generate better confidence in the results, the Madison, N.J. company added. "The enhanced version...provides veterinarians with accurate, easy-to-interpret results in approximately 10 minutes so they can begin heartworm preventative treatment for their patients right away,” said J. Michael McFarland, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, the group director of Companion Animal Veterinary Operations for Zoetis. The new test is available to veterinarians nationwide starting today. Witness HW, introduced in 1997, is designed to detect adult Dirofilaria immitis antigens in dog or cat blood. One drop of anticoagulated whole blood, serum or plasma is needed for testing. Cats testing negative for heartworm antigen may benefit from other diagnostic tests, including heartworm antibody assays, Zoetis noted. Zoetis is the former animal health business of Pfizer Inc. …
Virbac Conducts Limited Recall Of Iverhart Plus Heartworm DrugApril 12, 2013 Six lots of Iverhart Plus Flavored Chewables, a heartworm preventive, have been recalled because of a stability issue involving the medication's active ingredient ivermectin, the American Veterinary Medical Association reported this week. The manufacturer, Virbac Animal Health of Fort Worth, Texas, did not issue a public recall notice. A spokesperson could not be reached to comment. A selected amount of Iverhart was recalled: Large dogs (51 to 100 pounds): lots 120076, 120086 and 120856. Medium dogs (26 to 50 pounds): lot 120202. Small dogs (up to 25 pounds): lots 120196 and 120844. Iverhart Plus, a generic equivalent to Merial Ltd.’s Heartgard Plus, is formulated for the prevention of heartworm disease and for the treatment and control of roundworms and hookworms. Stability concerns led Virbac to recall a single lot of Iverhart Max Chewable Tablets in April 2012. A lack of stability can reduce a medication’s efficacy. Veterinarians or pet owners who have questions may contact Virbac Technical Services at 800-338-3659, ext. 3052. <HOME>
Soring Opponents Get Another Chance To Enact Nationwide BanApril 12, 2013 The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Equine Practitioners today renewed their call for an end to soring, the intentional infliction of pain in Tennessee Walking Horses, spotted saddle horses and racking horses to produce a high-stepping, unnatural gait. The earlier bill, HR 6388, was introduced in September but died in committee. The latest effort, HR 1518, or the Prevent All Soring Tactics Act, was introduced Thursday as an amendment to the Horse Protection Act. HR 1518, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., would: • Make illegal the act of soring or directing another person to cause a horse to become sore. The Horse Protection Act merely bans showing, transporting or auctioning a horse that is sore, not the actual practice. • Prohibit the use of action devices such as boots, collars, chains and rollers that encircle or are placed upon a horse's leg. Protective and therapeutic devices would be permitted. • Increase the civil and criminal penalties for violations. • Give the U.S. Department of Agriculture more control over the licensing, training and assigning of …
Alabama Accepts AAHA Accreditation in Lieu of State InspectionApril 11, 2013Alabama veterinary clinics that pass an American Animal Hospital Association inspection will be exempt from redundant state inspections, official said. The new policy makes Alabama the first in the nation to accept AAHA accreditation in place of a state inspection, saving time and money, said Robert E. Pitman, DVM, president of the Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. “It can be considered a member benefit of AAHA and encourage other hospitals that may be considering AAHA membership to take the big step,” Dr. Pitman said. “Also, it allows for more efficient use of our evaluators' time by not having to inspect member hospitals that exceed state standards.” AAHA, based in Lakewood, Colo., has more than 900 standards for how animal hospitals should be run. “I am so pleased that Alabama recognizes the rigorous nature and the standard of medical excellence required to meet the AAHA accreditation standards,” said Kate Knutson, DVM, the organization's president. “We applaud Alabama and would encourage any other states to follow their lead.” A state surveyor will still visit every three years, but clinics that passed an AAHA evaluation will be exempt from a formal inspection. …
Free Eye Exams To Be Offered To Service Animals In MayApril 9, 2013 Board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico are preparing to provide free eye exams in May to thousands of service animals. Advance registration is available through April 30 at www.ACVOeyeexam.org. Owners will receive a registration number that may be used when scheduling an appointment with a participating ophthalmologist. To qualify, patients must be working service animals certified by or enrolled in a formal training program. The sixth annual National Service Dog Eye Exam event is sponsored by the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) and the animal health company Merial Ltd. of Duluth, Ga. “Our hope is that by checking their vision early and often, we will be able to help a large number of service animals better assist their human friends,” says Stacee Daniel, executive director of the ACVO. Among the groups supporting the effort are the American Society of Veterinary Medical Association Executives and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). “Service animals are one of the best examples of the benefits that the human-animal bond brings to people, and they need excellent vision to …
