Equine Metritis Recurs In U.S.July 29, 2011 Following a positive test of a Maricopa County horse for Taylorella equigenitalis, a comprehensive epidemiological investigation has been initiated by the Arizona Department of Agriculture and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials. Laboratory tests showed the Arizona horse has a subclinical infection of Taylorella equigenitalis, a Gram-negative bacterium of the genus Taylorella, and the causative agent of Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) in horses. There currently is no known relationship between the positive stallion and any horses associated with the previous U.S. cases of CEM. The horse is being quarantine although vaccination in prohibited during an active infection. Treatment of the infected animal will follow protocols in accordance with Federal, International and expert guidance and requirements. Weekly follow-up reports will be issued by Dr. John Clifford, deputy administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. <Home>
SPONSORED CONTENTThe Reality of Veterinary Surgery ErgonomicsOne of the greatest challenges of Work-Related Musculo-Skeletal Disorders (WRMSD) is that they can come on slowly. They can be easy to ignore initially. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) issued ergonomic guidelines to help veterinarians catch problems early. + Learn More
CATalyst: Initiative To Increase Feline Visits To Vets Seeing SuccessJuly 28, 2011 Success is being seen on the tails of the Cat Friendly Practice Makeover initiative, which works with volunteer clinics to increase the number of cat visits by providing education, specialized training and reconfiguration to make the clinic more cat friendly, the CATalyst Council announced. The initiative was announced earlier this year. The CATalyst Council discussed the initiative’s success at the American Veterinary Medical Association conference in St. Louis last week. “We are confident that this pilot will show that there are relatively easy steps that veterinary practices can take to increase the number and frequency of feline visits,” said Jane Brunt, DVM, executive director of the CATalyst Council. “We’re excited about the positive initial results that we’re seeing and exploring opportunities to make a difference in the lives of cats everywhere.” Click here to see a video related to this subject. The initiative received 1,800 pet owner responses via survey to gauge beliefs and attitudes toward veterinary care. Respondents shared their opinions about veterinary care, which were similar to some of the Bayer-Brakke study findings. The results confirmed that cats are not receiving the same level of care as dogs. …
MU Study Poised To Help Veterans And Shelter DogsJuly 28, 2011 The University of Missouri (MU) College of Veterinary Medicine’s Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction (ReCHAI) is conducting a study to help U.S. military veterans handle combat-related issues. In the study, veterans work with a canine training buddy to cope with issues such as substance abuse or post-traumatic stress disorder while helping shelter dogs become more adoptable. “Health professionals are seeing increasing reports of combat-related stress in returning veterans,” said Rebecca Johnson, director of ReCHAI and associate professor for the MU Sinclair School of Nursing and College of Veterinary Medicine. “This study benefits both ends of the leash, because we know that interaction with animals relieves stress and lessens symptoms of depression and anxiety. Not only will veterans help dogs exercise and receive necessary training, but the dogs will potentially provide stress relief for the veterans.” MU’s ReCHAI is supported by grants from Mars Petcare, Waltham, Pedigree Foundation, Banfield Charitable Trust and the MU Research Board, to conduct a study of the benefit of veterans training shelter dogs. The study began in early 2011 and will conclude in 2013. Veterans learn to train dogs, and then they mentor families who adopt shelter dogs. Select …
Study: Veterinary Students Have High Depression RatesJuly 28, 2011 Veterinary students are more likely to struggle with depression than human medicine students, undergraduate students and the general population, according to several recent studies from Kansas State University researchers. Mac Hafen, therapist and clinical instructor in K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine, and researchers from K-State, the University of Nebraska and East Carolina University, examined depression and anxiety among veterinary medical students. “We are hoping to predict what contributes to depression levels so that we can intervene and make things run a little bit more smoothly for students themselves,” Hafen said. Once a semester for the past five years, the researchers surveyed veterinary students in various stages of academic study. The survey helped uncover a rate of depression occurrence and understand how it related to the amount of stress veterinary students experience during their four years of study. During the first year of veterinary school, 32 percent of the veterinary medicine students surveyed showed symptoms of depression compared to 23 percent of human medicine students who showed symptoms above the clinical cutoff, as evidenced by other studies. The researchers discovered that veterinary students experience higher depression rates as early as the first semester of their …
FDA Approves First Drug To Treat Urinary Incontinence In Female DogsJuly 27, 2011 The Food and Drug Administration today announced the approval of Incurin (estriol), the first drug approved for urinary incontinence in dogs. Incurin is indicated for the control of estrogen-responsive urinary incontinence in spayed female dogs. Hormone-based urinary incontinence is a common problem in middle-aged and elderly spayed female dogs. The pet can urinate normally, but leaks urine while resting. Physical examination and blood and urine tests are usually normal in these pets. Hormone-responsive incontinence can occur months to years after a dog is spayed. Incurin is manufactured by Merck Animal Health of Summit, N.J. The product was submitted for approval when Merck was known as Intervet Inc. Incurin is a natural estrogen hormone that increases the resting muscle tone of the urethra. The drug can also be used to treat female dogs with urinary incontinence due to estrogen depletion. In a study of 226 spayed female dogs, a greater percentage of dogs treated with Incurin improved compared to dogs treated with placebo. Incurin was shown to be effective for the control of estrogen-responsive urinary incontinence in spayed female dogs 1 year and older. Loss of appetite, vomiting, excessive water drinking and swollen vulva are some …
Hendra Virus Found In Australian DogJuly 27, 2011 The Australian Animal Health Laboratory reported the first positive test in a dog for Hendra virus from natural exposure. The dog had no reported illness but likely contracted the infection from one of three horses on the same property that died from Hendra between June and July. Several Queensland and New South Wales properties are under quarantine due to the equine Hendra virus infection. Hendra is in the Paramyxoviridae family, which was first isolated in 1994 during an outbreak of respiratory and neurologic disease in horses and humans in Hendra, Australia. Human and equine infections are spillover events from the natural hosts for the virus, flying foxes. All dogs are tested when exposure to infected horses is suspected. National policy is that Hendra-infected domestic animals are euthanized because of public health risk. The route of infection between bats and horses is believed to be via bat bodily fluids, including saliva, urine and birthing fluids contaminating horse feed or water. The virus rarely spreads between horses. There is no evidence of the virus being transmitted directly from flying foxes, also known as fruit bats, to humans. Quarantine and disinfection is the only preventive measures, as no …
U.C. Davis’ Stephen Barthold Receives AAVMC Excellence In Research AwardJuly 26, 2011 Stephen W. Barthold, DVM, Ph.D., of the University of California Davis school of veterinary medicine will receive the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges’ (AAVMC) 2011 Merial-AAVMC Excellence in Research Award, it was recently announced. Dr. Barthold will receive the award on Aug. 6 at the Merial-NIH National Veterinary Scholars Symposium in Florida. The AAVMC board of directors established the award in 2010 to recognize outstanding research and scholarly achievements in the field of veterinary medicine. It recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence in original research, leadership in the scientific community and mentoring of trainees and colleagues in any discipline of veterinary medicine. “It's very fitting that Dr. Barthold has been selected to receive this inaugural Merial-AAVMC Excellence in Research Award,” said Dr. Marguerite Pappaioanou, the AAVMC's executive director. “His scholarly achievements in veterinary and comparative medicine are extraordinary and he is highly respected as a visionary leader, inspiring mentor, and role model whose work has done much to advance biomedical research and demonstrate the important contributions veterinarian scientists make to advancing human and animal health.” Dr. Barthold researches the interaction between infectious disease agents and their hosts. While on the faculty of Yale …
Fitzpatrick Launched Learning Platform For Veterinary ProfessionalsJuly 26, 2011 The Fitzpatrick Learning Academy, an online learning facility, has created new learning, training and continued professional development (CPD) opportunities for veterinarians and staff. During the British Veterinary Nursing Association’s (BVNA) National Veterinary Nursing week, the academy announced CPD options that help nurses develop social networks and aquire skills to deliver superior patient care. “We know that within the veterinary nursing profession one of the issues is that nurses feel they don’t get the credit they deserve.” Fitzpatrick said. “We wanted to help change that and to empower veterinary nurses by creating a dedicated worldwide veterinary nursing community where nurses can come together, share in the pursuit of knowledge, support each other through the development of social networks and access the most innovative and exciting CPD available.” The program is built around a series of eLearning modules, which qualifies students for three hours of CPD. Topics for the first year in include anaesthetic emergencies, radiography, wound management, physiotherapy, nosicomial infections and pain management. Each module is followed by a Vetinar, a one-hour webinar that consolidates learning outcomes and provides learners with the opportunity to interact. Nurses can share knowledge and experiences, post and answer questions and …
Abaxis Animal Health Names New Clinical Services ManagerJuly 25, 2011Abaxis Inc. Animal Health has named Keith DeJong, DVM, Dipl. ACVP as manager of clinical services. Dr. DeJong joined Abaxis in September of 2009 as a professional services representative after completing his residency in clinical pathology at the University of California – Davis school of veterinary medicine. He then became a diplomat in the college of veterinary pathology in December of 2010. Prior to his residency DeJong worked in a private practice in the New York City area. DeJong will be a resource for customers needing assistance with patient results and interpretation, while managignthe Abaxis consulting group of specialists for Abaxis Veterinary Reference Laboratories, as well as developing continuing educational materials for customers, Abaxis states. <Home>
Schurig Assumes AAVMC PresidencyJuly 25, 2011 Gerhardt Schurig, DVM, MS, PhD, dean of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM ), took his position as the new president of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges’ (AAVMC) at the 2011 AAVMC summer meeting. Dr. Schurig is a professor and veterinary immunologist in VMRCVM’s department of biomedical sciences and pathobiology. He spent two years working in the department of veterinary science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison then joined the faculty of Virginia Tech. Schurig previously served as chair of the department of veterinary biosciences, associate dean for research and graduate studies, director of Virginia Tech’s Institute for Biomedical and Public Health Sciences and as a senior researcher and former director of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Diseases. Read a Q&A with Dr. Schurig in VeterinaryPracticeNews.com. “Society holds practitioners of veterinary medicine in high esteem and those of us in academic veterinary medicine face the challenge of balancing the need for efficient and forward looking change with the need to maintain the best practices that make it such a great profession,” Schurig said. “Veterinary medical education instills a uniquely valuable, comparative approach to medicine and we need to …
