Online Network Aims To Connect Lost Pets With OwnersDecember 5, 2011 Bayer Healthcare LLC launched a virtual community of veterinary clinics, pet owners and animal shelters designed to share information about lost pets to help reunite them with their owners. The “Lost Pet Alert Network” allows pet owners and pet healthcare providers to register free of charge for an interactive online application that enables pet owners to announce to the community that a pet has been lost. Registrants can develop personalized lost pet posters that can be proactively distributed through local shelters and clinics. Registrants can also send alerts via Facebook, Twitter and directly to other pet owners who have opted into the system. Healthcare providers such as clinics and shelters can enroll here, while pet owners can register here. Shawnee, Kan.-based Bayer will work with Adopt-a-Pet.com to proactively spread the word on the “Lost Pet Alert Network” to the more than 10,000 shelters and rescue groups in the Adopt-a-Pet.com network. Bayer has also distributed to participating veterinary clinics a Linked for Life kit, featuring materials that educate and inform pet owners to consider a small and safe implantable microchip, such as Bayer’s resQ. …
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Elanco In-feed BRD Therapy Drug Approved By FDADecember 1, 2011 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Elanco’s new in-feed antimicrobial, Pulmotil (tilmicosin), for treatment of Bovine Respiratory Disease in groups of cattle in the early stages of a BRD outbreak, the company reported today. The FDA approved Pulmotil for the control of BRD associated with Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida and Histophilus somni in groups of beef and non-lactating dairy cattle, where active BRD has been diagnosed in at least 10 percent of the animals in the group. It can be fed to cattle within the first 45 days after arrival. Elanco said the in-feed therapy, which lasts 14 days, reduces stress associated with cattle handling. The FDA requires a veterinarian to issue a Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) for the use of Pulmotil. Elanco said it will help facilitate the VFD process through training and ongoing support. Before making the product widely available, Elanco said it will conduct additional commercial trials and work with veterinarians and their clients to develop protocols that support the VFD process and maximize Pulmotil’s value in a variety of commercial settings. Elanco, based in Greenfield, Ind., is a division of Eli Lilly and Co. <Home>
Cats With Kidney Disease Sought For Clinical TrialsDecember 1, 2011 Colorado State University veterinarians are looking for cats with chronic kidney disease to participate in several clinical trials aimed at finding treatments. The trials are currently underway at the university’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Fort Collins, Colo. Felines with chronic kidney disease may benefit from the studies, and several studies offer financial assistance if extra visits to the hospital are required or if the owner is asked to do extra tasks at home. The trials include: • An appetite stimulant clinical trial for mirtazapine Mirtazapine is a new appetite stimulant with anti-nausea properties that appears to help improve the quality of life of cats with kidney disease. Cats in the study will receive either a dose of mirtazapine or a placebo every other day for three weeks and then cross over to the other group for an additional three weeks. A vet visit is necessary at the beginning, middle and end of the study, and all visits and laboratory work are paid for by the study. It is not necessary to come to Colorado State University for the study, as the subject’s veterinarian will receive a stipend to cover the study costs. The owner will need to …
New Humane Organization Launches With ‘Give Local’ CampaignNovember 30, 2011 A new nonprofit called the Humane Society for Shelter Pets ran a full-page ad in USA Today, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune today urging readers to donate to local animal shelters instead of the Humane Society of the United States. Along with its goal to encourage Americans to donate to local animal shelters, the HSSP also hosts a database of local shelters on its website and plans to create a network of veterinarians and sheltering professionals and provide them with tools to promote the HSSP’s “give local” message to their clients. The organization is funded by individuals, corporations and foundations that are supporters of the pet industry, according to HSSP co-director Jeff Douglas. The advertisement taken out by the HSSP today includes a quote from Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, which says “We never said we funded animal shelters.” The advertisement also says, “Please help shelter pets by donating locally, not to HSUS.” Pacelle wrote a blog post today on the HSUS website deriding the HSSP and claiming the organization is the …
Saving SaraNovember 30, 2011Saving SaraSaving Sara, sea turtle rescue, sea turtle hospitalAt 11p.m. Aug. 3, I was called out on a most unusual emergency call on the island of Big Pine Key in the heart of the Conch Republic.At 11p.m. Aug. 3, I was called out on a most unusual emergency call on the island of Big Pine Key in the heart of the Conch Republic.newsline, avianexoticSaving SaraBy Douglas Mader, DVMFor Veterinary Practice NewsThis sea turtle is lucky to be alive.Posted: Nov. 29, 2011, 6:40 p.m. At 11p.m. Aug. 3, I was called out on a most unusual emergency call on the island of Big Pine Key in the heart of the Conch Republic. I have been the staff veterinarian for the Marathon Sea Turtle Hospital for 17 years. The hospital, a converted strip club, is funded by donations and is dedicated to treating all species of sea turtles. Over 100 sick and injured throwbacks to the dinosaurs come to the facility yearly. In addition, several hundred stranded or wayward turtle hatchlings often pay short visits to the hospital each summer. A brightly painted orange and white turtle ambulance is available 24/7 to respond to any and all sea turtle emergencies …
Having The Heart For Veterinary CardiologyNovember 30, 2011 Michele—pronounce that Ma-KAY-lee—Borgarelli, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ECVIM (cardiology), has been studying cardiovascular disease in dogs for more than 15 years. Most of his studies and research have been in Italy, his home country, but he now resides in the U.S. and is an associate professor of cardiology at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “People should know that cardiovascular disease in small animals is very common but they are not terminal diseases,” Dr. Borgarelli said. “With the available treatment today we are able to manage patients and we can provide them a good quality of life for a long time.” Borgarelli has a string of research studies under his belt. For instance, during a period of five years, Borgarelli and his research team conducted two population studies involving more than 300 dogs. One, published in 2008, involved dogs that had mitral valve disease at different stages. Another study involved dogs with the mild form of the disease. Borgarelli expects this study to be published shortly. “Dr. Borgarelli has contributed substantially in the field of veterinary cardiology in many ways,” said Jens Haggstrom, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ECVIM (cardiology), professor of internal medicine at the Department of …
Feline Non-Recognition AggressionNovember 30, 2011 One term used to describe and assess feline personality is “equability,” referring to mood stability. Some cats scoring high on this scale are extremely stable and highly unlikely to fly off the handle. Others, at the opposite end of the scale, are mercurial and may become enraged almost literally at the drop of a hat. The latter type of cat is most likely to be the aggressor in what is descriptively termed “non-recognition aggression.” This type of aggression is something that all veterinarians should know about because it usually entails aggression of one cat to another after a visit to a veterinarian’s office. A typical scenario is as follows: Cats A & B, though not necessarily mutually bonded, cohabit peacefully until the fateful day. Cat A is taken to the veterinarian’s office for some procedure, often one entailing the use of heavy sedation or anesthesia. On being brought home and let out of his carrier, Cat A is immediately and savagely attacked by Cat B, almost as if Cat B does not recognize his long-term housemate. The attacks by the resident non-equable cat on the cat returning home from the veterinarian’s office can be quite savage …
Brave New World In Veterinary MedicineNovember 30, 2011 North Carolina State University is the only university in the country to offer autologous bone marrow transplants (BMT) for dogs with lymphoma—one of the most common canine cancers. Steven Suter, VMD, MS, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM (Oncology), an assistant professor of oncology at North Carolina State University, has been performing the transplants since October 2008. He says that a 40-50 percent cure rate is reported in humans with B-cell lymphoma using the same procedure, although the canine data is still tentative. “When do you say a dog is cured?” Dr. Suter asks. “For people it is five years out [after the transplant procedure]. For dogs I estimate we can say two years after treatment is a success. In the first group of 24 dogs with B-cell lymphoma that we treated, eight are long-term survivors.” Suter started providing this service with the hope that the procedure could be perfected and performed in the specialty clinical setting. Since the inception of the project, Suter has continued to modify the protocol. Apply: The rehydrated graft is applied into a surgery site. If a surgery site is not very vascular, pre-mixing with patient blood is advised. “We …
R&D Spending Will Spur Growth In Animal Health Biotech Industry, Report SaysNovember 29, 2011R&D Spending Will Spur Growth in Animal Health Biotech Industry, Report Says R&D Spending Will Spur Growth in Animal Health Biotech Industry, animal biotechnology growthThe animal health biotechnology industry is projected to grow into an $11 billion industry by 2016, according to a new report from market research publisher Ibisworld. The animal health biotechnology industry is projected to grow into an $11 billion industry by 2016, according to a new report from market research publisher Ibisworld. newslineR&D Spending Will Spur Growth in Animal Health Biotech Industry, Report Says Posted: Nov. 29, 2011, 6:20 p.m. EST The animal health biotechnology industry is projected to grow into an $11 billion industry by 2016, according to a new report from market research publisher Ibisworld. Revenue growth in the industry is forecast to rise at an annual rate of 7.9 percent over next five years, including a 9.0 percent increase in 2012. Favorable legislation and improved economic conditions will spur continued research and development activity, benefiting industry operators, according the report. Future development in genetic engineering is also expected to play a larger role in the industry, with developments likely to focus on improving food quality and disease resistance among livestock. Industry growth "will …
Finalists Named In Heska Inspiration In Action ContestNovember 28, 2011 Heska Corp. selected five finalists for its 2011 Inspiration in Action contest, which aims to benefit the veterinary profession, the company reported today. Now it's up to the public to choose the winner. Heska, of Loveland, Colo., will award $25,000 to the grand prize winner and $5,000 to the second place winner. Entrants submitted ideas on how best to spend the prize money to further or support the veterinary profession. Heska CEO and Chairman Robert Grieve said the company promotes the contest as a means to encourage innovation. This year’s finalists include projects submitted by the Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic, Locust Trace Veterinary Clinic, Project V.E.T.S., Project S.T.R.A.Y., and Veterinarians without Borders. The Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic would use the prize money to establish a medical facility in Belize to provide essential, and currently unavailable, services to many of Belize’s veterinarians. The Locust Trace Veterinary Clinic would use the prize money to provide students with scholarships to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. Project V.E.T.S. would use the money to build awareness of its mission and needs for donations and volunteers. Project S.T.R.A.Y. would use the money to assign live-in dogs that need advanced …
