Nestlé’s Purina, Jenny Craig Units Launch Joint Weight Loss ProgramJanuary 3, 2012 Nestlé launched a program through its Nestlé Purina and Jenny Craig divisions aimed at helping owners and their pets with their New Year’s weight-loss resolutions in 2012. Through the program, veterinarians can obtain clinic materials on the Nestlé Purina Project: Slim Down website to promote pet weight loss, as well as special offers for owners who want to lose weight along with their pets. Jenny Craig Centres will also promote the Project: Pet Slim Down program and provide special offers for clients with pets. The joint program started Sunday and runs through March 31, 2012. Project: Pet Slim Down is a free program from Purina that teams owners of overweight dogs and cats with veterinary professionals who work with them to create an individualized feeding and exercise program to help pets reach a healthy weight. Elements of the program include: • Feeding software that enables veterinary professionals to calculate feeding recommendations for 1 to 2 percent weekly weight loss; • Client education; • Regular pet weight-ins; • Product coupons to help get patients started; • Rebates to help clients stay compliant. <HOME>
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Charity, Exercise And Grooming Top Pet Owners’ Resolutions, Survey FindsDecember 30, 2011 Nearly 95 percent of pet owners plan to help animals in need in 2012 and nearly 90 percent plan to exercise and groom their pets more in the new year, according to a survey conducted by Tampa, Fla.-based pet food maker Halo, Purely for Pets. The Pets Parents’ New Year’s Resolution Survey polled 1,045 pet owners from Dec. 21 to Dec. 23. Of those pet owners, 94.1 percent reported planning to help pets in need, according to the survey, with 69.8 percent planning to donate to a rescue or a shelter; 65.6 percent planning to continue whatever they already did; 45.5 percent planning to play on Halo-sponsored FreeKibble.com and Freekibblekat.com websites to earn kibble for shelters; 11.5 percent planning to adopt a new pet; and 11.5 percent planning to foster an animal. Nearly 90 percent of pet owners (88.7 percent) reported planning to help their pets get more exercise in the coming year. Of those, 68.3 percent plan to play with their pets more, 62.4 percent plan to walk with their pets more, 30.3 percent plan to find a new game to play and 20.2 percent plan to go to the dog park more often, according to the …
Aflatoxin Leads To Another Dog Food RecallDecember 28, 2011O’Neal’s Feeders Supply Inc. of DeRidder, La., voluntarily recalled some lots of its dry Arrow Brand dog food because it contains corn with higher than acceptable levels of aflatoxin. The affected products were manufactured between Dec. 1, 2010, and Dec. 1, 2011, and include: • Arrow Brand 21 percent Dog Chunks, SKU #807, 40-pound bag. • Arrow Brand Super Proeaux Dog Food, SKU #812, 40-pound bag. • Arrow Brand Professional Formula Dog Food, SKU #814, 50-pound bag. The recall applies only to the products above that show packaging date codes 4K0341 through 4K0365 and 04K1001 through 4K1325. The dry dog foods were distributed in Louisiana and Texas. Retailers were instructed to remove the affected brands and products from store shelves. No illnesses have been reported in association with the recalled products, and the recall was precautionary. The company urged consumers to return the recalled products, whether opened or opened, to the place of purchase for a full refund. Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring mold byproduct. Pets that consumed the recalled product and showed signs of sluggishness or lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat, vomiting, a yellowish tint to the eyes or gums, or diarrhea should be seen …
Abaxis Launches Quantitative Canine Lyme Disease TestDecember 27, 2011Abaxis Inc. added a quantitative antibody test for canine Lyme disease to its line of tests available through the Abaxis Veterinary Reference Laboratories Division in Olathe, Kan., the company reported today. The test measures a combination of antibodies to peptides which mimic certain antigens of the Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete. The antibodies are not found in vaccinated or noninfected patients, allowing for a definitive diagnosis of the disease, according to Kenneth Aron, Ph.D., Abaxis' chief technology officer. The test may be used as a standalone diagnostic test to determine infection status or efficacy during treatment. It also may be used as a quantitative confirmation test for Abaxis’ upcoming VetScan Lyme Rapid Test, which is under development, according to the Union City, Calif.-based company. <HOME>
Belize Wildlife Center Wins $25,000 In Heska ContestDecember 21, 2011 The Belize Wildlife and Referral Center won the $25,000 grand prize in the 2011 Inspiration in Action contest sponsored by Heska Corp. The center is the only wildlife medical facility providing critical cervices to many rare and endangered wildlife species, according to Heska. Center officials will spend the prize money on providing medical services, expanding services in Belize and deploying mobile medical equipment in the field. The Belize Wildlife and Referral Center also plans to teach veterinary professionals about wildlife medicine, wildlife conflict resolution and the importance of wildlife conservation. Locust Trace Veterinary Clinic in Lexington, Ky., won the $5,000 second-place prize. The clinic recently opened a full-service animal hospital on the campus of the Fayette County School’s Locust Trace Agriscience Center. The facility allows high school students to observe and assist veterinarians caring for pets, horses and food animals. Locust Trace hopes the facility will serve as a prototype for other communities. The $5,000 award will be used to provide students with scholarships to pursue careers in veterinary medicine. Heska, based in Loveland, Colo., will honor the winners at a reception Jan. 16, 2012, during the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, …
FDA Extends Fee Programs' Comment PeriodDecember 21, 2011 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration extended until Jan. 15, 2013, the comment period for the reauthorization of the Animal Drug User Fee Act and the Animal Generic Drug User Fee Act. The acts give the FDA authority to collect user fees from the animal health industry and use the money to make the drug approval process faster and more predictable. The FDA originally sought comments when it published a notice of public meeting in September. (Read an earlier story here.) The agency reopened the comment period to allow the public and stakeholder groups to provide comments throughout the process of reauthorizing both acts. The agency is interested in responses to two questions and welcomes other input: 1. What is your assessment of the overall performance of the Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA) or Animal Generic Drug User Fee Act (AGDUFA) thus far? 2. What aspects of ADUFA or AGDUFA should be retained, changed or discontinued to further strengthen and improve the program? Background information and a transcript from the November public meeting are available through the FDA website. Comments can be …
Shelters Shuffle Cats, Reduce EuthanasiaDecember 20, 2011Shelters Shuffle Cats, Reduce EuthanasiaShelters Shuffle Cats Reduce Euthanasia, shelter cats, shelter dogs, PetpointThe positive downward trend of feline intakes and euthanasia at animal welfare organizations continued in November, according to the November Petpoint Report.Intakes of cats declined 6 percent and euthanasia of cats decreased 4 percent in November compared to the year-ago period. Owner surrender and stray cat intakes declined year over year by 5 percent and 9 percent, respectively, in November, while adoptions and returns to owners increased by 2 percent and 5 percent.newslineShelters Shuffle Cats, Reduce EuthanasiaPosted: Dec. 20, 2011, 1:15 p.m. EST The positive downward trend of feline intakes and euthanasia at animal welfare organizations continued in November, according to the November Petpoint Report. Intakes of cats declined 6 percent and euthanasia of cats decreased 4 percent in November compared to the year-ago period. Owner surrender and stray cat intakes declined year over year by 5 percent and 9 percent, respectively, in November, while adoptions and returns to owners increased by 2 percent and 5 percent. Most of the changes to the cat populations at shelters in November are consistent with year over year trends over the past six months, according to the report, including a …
CSU To Build $5M Equine Reproduction Lab ReplacementDecember 19, 2011 Colorado State University will begin construction next summer on a $5 million replacement for the school’s Equine Reproduction Laboratory that burned down in July. The 11,000-sq. ft. facility has an expected completion date of early 2013. A portion of the estimated $5 million needed for the facility will be covered by insurance, and CSU has been raising funds to cover the remainder of the costs. Experts from the ERL see mares and stallions from around the world develop technology to preserve their bloodlines. Several techniques used in human and animal reproduction assistance were pioneered at the ERL, including semen freezing and cooling. The 30-year old center was the first to harvest eggs from deceased mares and develop full-term, healthy foals. All client services and research formerly conducted in the destroyed space are continuing uninterrupted in other buildings on the grounds. The new, larger building will include additional space for research and serving clients. The building will also include improved teaching space and offices, along with distinct areas for mare and foal work, assisted reproduction services, and stallion work. Animal movement into and around the building will also be …
Virbac’s Otitis Externa Treatment For Dogs Approved In U.S.December 16, 2011 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Virbac Animal Health Inc.’s Easotic (hydrocortisone aceponate, miconazole nitrate, gentamicin sulfate) Suspension for the treatment of otitis externa in dogs. The FDA approved the drug for the treatment of otitis externa in dogs associated with susceptible strains of yeast (Malassezia pachydermatis) and bacteria (Staphylococcus pseudintermedius). Administration of Easotic includes instilling 1 mL of the drug in the affected ear once daily for five days. Each milliliter contains 1.11 mg of hydrocortisone aceponate, 15.1 mg of miconazole nitrate, and 1,505 micrograms of gentamicin sulfate. Virbac, based in Fort Worth, Texas, launched Easotic in Europe in 2009, where it is sold in an airless pump bottle. <Home>
Catalyst Council Expands Program That Boosted Feline RevenuesDecember 15, 2011 National feline advocacy group the Catalyst Council will expand its Cat Friendly Practice Makeover program and roll out a pilot program to strengthen relationships between animal control agencies next year, the company reported today. The organization’s board also retained two members and elected two members. The council’s board voted at its annual meeting in November to expand the Cat Friendly Practice Makeover program after encouraging results from during its 2011 pilot year. The program, which transfers “ordinary” veterinary practices into “more cat-friendly practices,” helped the “best-performing and most engaged practices” that participated achieve an increase between 14 and 33 percent in feline revenue from May through September of this year compared to the year-ago period. The group, based in Annapolis, Md., plans to release full results from the program in early in 2012. The board also voted to launch a pilot program called “Top to Top,” designed to build coalitions and strengthen relationships between animal care and control agencies and veterinarians in local communities. Finally, the board voted to retain chair Alexis Nahama, vice president of marketing at VCA Antech and treasurer Karen Felsted, DVM, C.P.A., M.S., C.V.P.M., CEO of Felsted Consulting; and elected Bill Lopez, …
