APOP Survey Reveals 55 Percent Of Cats, Dogs Are ObeseMarch 13, 2013 As Americans stretch the limits of their collective elastic waistbands, their pets aren't far behind, according to findings from the sixth annual National Pet Obesity Awareness Day Survey, released today by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP). The survey was conducted in October and December of last year. The data from 121 veterinary clinics in 36 states covering 1,485 dogs and 450 cats, combined with 2012 American Veterinary Medical Association data revealed: 80 million U.S. dogs and cats are overweight or obese; 58.3 percent of cats are overweight or obese; and 52.5 percent of dogs are overweight or obese. Furthermore, certain dog breeds pack on the pounds more than others, according to the veterinarians who contributed to the survey. Specifically: 58.9 of Labrador retrievers were considered overweight or obese; and 62.7 of golden retrievers were considered overweight or obese. Extra kibble, treats and more sedentary ways has lead to more serious health concerns than sporting a few extra pounds, said veterinarians familiar with the issue. “Pet obesity remains the leading health threat to our nation's pets,” said Dr. Ernie Ward, DVM, founder of Calabash, N.C.-based Association for Pet Obesity Prevention and lead veterinarian in …
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Diggin' Your Dog Recalls Some Strippin' Chicks Jerky TreatsMarch 12, 2013 Diggin' Your Dog LLC of Reno, Nev., voluntarily recalled one lot of Strippin' Chicks treats that was distributed in Colorado and may be contaminated with salmonella. The chicken jerky strips come in a 5-ounce bag that bears the lot code 250322 and a best-by date of 2-23-14, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported Monday. Customers who bought the treats are urged to stop feeding the product to their pet, remove the lot code from the packaging and discard the contents. A full refund and $1 to cover postage are available by mailing the UPC and lot code to Diggin' Your Dog, P.O. Box 17306, Reno, NV 89511. More information is available by calling 775-742-7295 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific time on weekdays. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning in pets include lethargy, diarrhea, fever and vomiting. People who handle contaminated pet products may exhibit similar symptoms. <HOME>
122-Foot Screen To Show Live Surgeries During AAHA ConferenceMarch 12, 2013 The Live Surgery Suite sessions are to be performed remotely at Mississippi State University and at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego. Attendees will be able to watch a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy, a pediatric spay and neuter, a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, a joint tap, a chest tube placement, a jugular catheter placement, an esophagostomy tube placement and an endotracheal wash. A panel of experts onstage will walk the audience through what is being shown, display the equipment used and answer questions, said John Fritschler, AAHA's director of education. The viewing is to be done on a 122-foot-wide by 22-foot-tall high-definition screen. “No other conference has anything like this available,” Fritschler added. The videos will be added to AAHA's online Learning Library at www.aahaeducation.org and may be accessed for free or for a fee, depending on the viewer. “Our new learning environment allows us to promote adult learning with in-depth, interactive presentations on relevant and practical topics,” said Michael Cavanaugh, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, executive director and CEO of the Lakewood, Colo., association. The Live Surgery Suite is …
Low Levels Of Thiamine Lead To Cat Food RecallMarch 12, 2013o complaints were received regarding the thiamine levels or any other health issues related to the foods, which were distributed in 25 states, Diamond reported. “We have a process where we continuously test our products, and this process allowed us to find the undesired levels of thiamine in some of our cat formulas,” said Michele Evans, Ph.D., Diamond's executive director of food safety and quality assurance. “In the event an error occurs, we have the data to quickly alert pet owners, giving them the confidence they demand of a pet food manufacturer.” The company found no issues when testing all other Diamond brands for thiamine deficiency. Only products with certain best-by dates and production codes were recalled. They include: Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat Formula, 18-pound bag, code NGF0703, best by 10-Jul-2013, sold in Massachusetts. Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat Formula, 6-pound bag, code NGF0802, best by 15-Aug-2013 or 16-Aug-2013, sold in Florida, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. Premium Edge Senior Cat Hairball Management Formula, 6- and 18-pound bags, code NGS0101, best by 03-Jan-2014 or 04-Jan-2014, sold in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Oklahoma. Premium Edge Senior Cat Hairball Management Formula, 6- and 18-pound …
Steve's Real Food Recalls Turducken Diet For DogsMarch 8, 2013 Due to possible salmonella contamination, Steve's Real Food issued a recall on March 7, 2013, of 5-pound bags of its Turducken Canine Diet (8-ounce patties) distributed from Oct. 2012 to Jan. 2013. The issue came to light when Minnesota Department of Agriculture personnel, after a routine sampling, determined one 5-pound bag had the “potential for contamination.” Gary Bursell, CEO of the Murray, Utah-based pet food manufacturer, said he thinks that the alert might have stemmed from finding an open bag. “We use a biodegradable film on the bags, and we've had problems sealing the patty bags, not the nuggets,” Bursell said. Consequently, Steve's Real Food made the decision to recall the July 27, 2012, production run of 5-pound bags of Turducken Canine Diet Patties, which the suspect bag was part of, and preempt any action by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Bursell explained. The entire amount of product recalled is 40 cases, consisting of 240 bags or 1,200 pounds of patties. Bags of the recalled product have lot number B-209-10-27-13 and a best-before date of Oct. 27, 2013. The product was distributed by Holistic Pet Source in Nashville, Tenn.; PFX Pet Supply …
Veterinarian Deidra Blackmon Dies In Texas ShootingMarch 7, 2013 Texas veterinarian Deidra Blackmon, DVM, was shot to death March 3 after a man apparently became angered when one of her friends vomited near his car, police reported.Dr. Blackmon, 33, was an associate veterinarian at Animal Emergency Hospital of North Texas Dr. Blackmon, 33, was a 2010 graduate of Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and an associate veterinarian at Animal Emergency Hospital of North Texas. “Like Deidra, we are all healers but are struggling how to heal each other,” chief of staff J. Bruce Nixon, DVM, stated on the hospital's Facebook page. “We will carry Deidra in our broken hearts and remember that we have been graced by her presence and friendship.” Jeffery Hansana, 24, who was arrested on a murder charge, encountered Blackmon and her friends when both groups were parked at a convenience store in Saginaw, Texas, police said. Blackson and two female friends had stopped after celebrating an upcoming wedding with a visit to the Fort Worth Stockyards entertainment district. The women drove away after one of Blackmon's friends got sick but …
Profit Jumps 47% At Pethealth As 2012 Revenue Sets RecordMarch 7, 2013 Business Booming at Pethealth Pethealth, insurance, microchip, business, profit, revenue, PetPoint, petGrowth in its pet insurance and microchip identification businesses helped Pethealth Inc. achieve record revenue in 2012 and a 47 percent jump in profit. Pethealth is North America's second largest provider of medical insurance for dogs and cats. newsline Profit Jumps 47% at Pethealth as 2012 Revenue Sets Record Posted: March 7, 2013, 6:05 p.m. EST Growth in its pet insurance and microchip identification businesses helped Pethealth Inc. achieve record revenue in 2012 and a 47 percent jump in profit, the Canadian company reported Wednesday. Pethealth, North America's second largest provider of medical insurance for dogs and cats, sells policies in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. The Oakville, Ontario-based company also licenses its cloud-based PetPoint animal management software system and sells RFID microchips and pet recovery services. "Our noninsurance business continues to grow, and this growth looks set to continue," said president and CEO Mark Warren. For the year, Pethealth reported record revenue of $37.4 million, a gain of 13 percent over 2011 numbers. Its profit rose …
Researchers Report Higher Rates Of 5 Diseases Linked To NeuterMarch 5, 2013 Sterilization Can Put Golden Retrievers at Risk, Study Finds Davis, golden retriever, health, study, hip dysplasia, disease, spay, neuter Hip dysplasia occurred twice as often in male golden retrievers neutered before age 1, UC Davis researchers reported Wednesday in a study that also revealed an increased likelihood of other diseases linked to the spaying and neutering of the breed. A study looked at the rates of hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tears, lymphosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma and mast cell tumors in 759 golden retrievers.newsline Researchers Report Higher Rates of 5 Diseases Linked to Neuter Posted: Feb. 14, 2013, 4:20 p.m. EST Hip dysplasia occurred twice as often in male golden retrievers neutered before age 1, University of California, Davis, researchers reported Wednesday in a study that also revealed an increased likelihood of other diseases linked to the spaying and neutering of the breed. The study, published in the online peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, looked at the rates of hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tears, lymphosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma and mast cell tumors in 759 golden retrievers examined during the past decade at UC Davis’ William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. For all five diseases …
New AVMA Euthanasia Guidelines Expand Advice On Preferred MethodsMarch 1, 2013 The guidelines, available online on the organization’s AVMA Policies page, were prepared over three years by a 13-member Panel on Euthanasia. The committee was led by chairman Steven Leary, DVM, Dipl. ACLAM, of Washington University in St. Louis, and vice chairwoman Wendy Underwood, DVM, of Eli Lilly and Co. in Indianapolis. “The latest update of our euthanasia guidelines offers much more depth and breadth of expertise in the affected species and the environments in which euthanasia is performed,” Dr. Leary said. “The guidelines are used by everyone from veterinarians in private practice, to caretakers on farms and researchers in biomedical facilities, to law enforcement, to governmental regulators.” The new guidelines acknowledge euthanasia as a process that involves more than just what happens to an animal at the time of its death, the AVMA reported. In addition to providing more information about techniques used for euthanasia across a broader range of species, the edition offers detailed information about animals’ physiologic and behavioral responses to euthanasia and addresses euthanasia’s effects on those performing and observing it. “As we learn more about …
Retro Flea RepellentsFebruary 28, 2013 Flea control remains a contentious subject in the companion animal health industry. Each company has its own take on the best way to prevent flea infestations. With at least anecdotal reports of fleas gaining resistance to fipronil, most companies agree that an integrated approach is necessary. Where the companies diverge is on how to administer that approach. From adding new molecules and delivery systems to environmental controls to simply increasing client compliance, many methods are available to approach flea control. Collaring the Flea Problem Bayer HealthCare’s Shawnee, Kan.-based Animal Health division introduced the Seresto flea collar at the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Fla., in January. The product is available for both cats and dogs and promises to repel ticks for eight months. Bayer developed the collar using a polymer developed by its parent company’s MaterialScience Division. The Seresto collar incorporates imidacloprid, the same chemical found in Bayer’s Advantage topical flea control products, and flumethrin, a pyrethroid acaracide.Flea collars have been around for decades, but Bayer says its version of the old neck halo is unlike anything on the market. The chemicals in the collar work synergistically …
