Physical Rehab, Integrative Medicine As Growth OpportunitiesJuly 18, 2011 These are difficult times for many small businesses, and veterinary practices are no exception. Prior to the recession, industry reports indicated a declining trend in several metrics, including patient visits, transactions and new clients. Confirmation of this decline came earlier this year with the release of the Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study. This study compiled industry data, extensively surveyed pet owners and presented it in a format that left little room for interpretation. The study also confirmed that declining veterinary metrics are not a result of a shrinking potential market base. From 1996-2006 the number of pets owned in the U.S. grew at a steady rate of approximately 10 million per year, but the number of veterinary visits, which had matched or exceeded this rate of growth until 2001, fell flat and began a slow decline. To reverse this trend, our profession needs to evaluate our ability to convert pet owners into active, educated clients. If there is a bright side, it is that the average per-transaction dollar amount has continued to grow, in most cases as a result of incremental fee increases. Yet even these increases have been unable to make up for the declining …
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Partnership For Preventive Pet Healthcare EstablishedJuly 18, 2011 A new Partnership for Preventive Pet Healthcare was announced today at the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Convention in St. Louis. The partnership was created to address an increase in the prevalence of preventable pet health conditions. The stated goal of the partnership is to provide guidance and ensure that veterinary visits lead to early detection and prevention to extend pets’ quality of life. Despite a growing pet population, fewer pets are seen for routine veterinary exams, according to the AVMA. Experts agree that the exam decrease is linked to an increase in preventable and treatable illnesses in pets and say veterinarians could do more to communicate benefits of preventive healthcare. "It is important that we recognize that, as a profession, we have to be better at educating pet owners regarding the importance of preventive care and of the unique role that veterinarians play in enhancing the relationship between pet owners and their best friends," said Michael Moyer, VMD, president of AAHA. Initial plans of the partnership include creating tools for veterinarians to communicate the value of preventive care to pet owners. Educational and awareness initiatives directed toward pet owners are also planned with launch …
FDA To Evaluate Salmonella RiskJuly 18, 2011 The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is looking for participants in a cooperative agreement to enhance the center’s ability to evaluate Salmonella-contaminated feed risk on human and animal health. CVM is seeking applications that will provide information on the prevalence of Salmonella in fecal samples from symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs and cats brought to veterinary clinics to gain further insight into the frequency of Salmonella infected animals following feed contamination. The cooperative agreements will be with CVM’s Veterinary Laboratory Response Network (Vet-LRN), a program that coordinates facilities, equipment and professional expertise of U.S. and Canadian government and veterinary diagnostic laboratories. Eligibility requirements to apply for a Vet-LRN agreement are demonstrating an adequate veterinary case load at the institution, technical expertise and ability to conduct the appropriate volume of cultures. Applicants will be evaluated as to their accreditation status and geographical location to provide program balance and a diverse patient population. The deadline for submission of applications is Aug. 15. Cooperative agreements will be available for up to $60,000 in total costs for a year, with the possibility of a second year of funding. <Home>
Doctors And Veterinarians Warn About Dangers Of LeishmaniasisJuly 15, 2011 About 300 veterinarians from around the globe met in June at the International Symposium of experts on Human and Canine Leishmaniasis in Madrid. Veterinarians discussed keys to eradicating Leishmaniasis and how the disease affects the population in Spain and in other countries. Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease spread by the bite of the sandfly. Cutaneous leishmaniasis affects the skin and sometimes the mucus membranes. Symptoms include skin sores, which may become a skin ulcer that heals slowly, ulcers and wearing away in the mouth, tongue, gums, lips and inner nose, stuffy nose, runny nose and nosebleeds and difficulty breathing and swallowing. A systemic visceral infection can cause abdominal discomfort, cough, vomiting and diarrhea in children, a fever that lasts for weeks and may come and go in cycles, night sweats, scaly, gray, dark, ashen skin, thinning hair and weight loss. Dr. Guadalupe Miró, professor at the department of parasitology and parasitic diseases at the Complutense University in Madrid, and Dr. Rogelio López-Vélez, head of the Tropical Medicine Unit of the Infectious Diseases Service at the Ramón and Cajal Hospital in Madrid, took part in the symposium and explained the keys to the clinical treatment of the …
AVMA Releases Video On DeclawingJuly 15, 2011The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) released an educational video for cat owners on declawing and its alternatives. The video offers guidance for pet owners considering declawing their cats. “Scratching is a normal cat behavior used to mark territory, condition claws and stretch,” said Bruce Nixon, DVM, incoming chair of the AVMA Animal Welfare Committee. “Unwanted clawing can be reduced by providing cats with suitable scratching surfaces, regularly trimming their nails and using synthetic nail caps. While our priority is to avoid declawing through the use of these alternatives, there are situations in which declawing may be necessary. If that's the case, aggressive pain management is absolutely necessary.” AVMA policy says veterinarians must educate cat owners regarding the decision to declaw their cat. The AVMA recommends that declawing be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from destructive clawing or when clawing presents the risk of an injury or disease. The video can be downloaded here. The video demonstrates a laser declaw procedure and provides owners with information about cats’ normal scratching behaviors, other types of declaw procedures and the importance of pain management. <Home>
UC Davis Veterinarians ID A Protein That Helps Treat Lymphoma In DogsJuly 15, 2011 A team of veterinary and human medical researchers at the University of California, Davis identified a protein that appears to play a key role in the formation of lymphoma and other tumors by inhibiting a tumor-suppressing gene. In a study funded in part by the National Institutes for Health, researchers found the protein may be a potential target for diagnosing and treating lymphoma in animals and humans. “Results from this study suggest that a gene known as RNPC1 may play a key role in the development of lymphoma,” said Xinbin Chen, a veterinary oncologist and lead researcher in the study with appointments in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and the UC Davis School of Medicine. Lymphoma occurs spontaneously in dogs, representing 6 percent of all canine cancers. In their study, UC Davis researchers examined several types of human cancer cells as well as cells isolated from a mouse embryo, known as embryonic mouse fibroblasts. The team showed that the RNPC1 gene inhibited the activity of the p53 gene and reduced levels of the p53 protein in these cells. Conversely, p53 protein levels increased when RNPC1 was out of the picture. The researchers …
Merial Introduces Treatment For Respiratory Disease In CattleJuly 14, 2011 Merial today announced the U.S. launch of Zactran, an antimicrobial used to treat bovine respiratory (BRD) disease. Zactran is available by prescription only and was specifically developed to treat BRD associated with Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida and Histophilus somni in beef and non-lactating dairy cattle, as well as to control respiratory disease in beef and non-lactating dairy cattle at high risk of developing BRD associated with M.haemolytica and P. multocida. Two key features of the product, officials said, are its response time and duration of efficacy. Zactran provides response in 24 hours and has a 10-day duration of efficacy in a single dose, according to Merial. “BRD causes between $800 to $900 million annually in economic losses from death, reduced feed efficiency and treatment costs,” said Bruce Nosky, DVM, manager of Merial’s Large Animal Veterinary Services. “Given the significant impact of BRD, veterinarians need cattle to respond quickly to treatment.” Company officials said it began shipping the product, which comes in 100mL, 250mL and 500mL bottle sizes, to veterinarian distributors this week. They will announce specific pricing to veterinarians, who will price it accordingly to their clients. The price will be competitive with other BRD …
U.K. Keeps Pre-Travel Deworming RequirementJuly 14, 2011 The European Commission agreed with the U.K. veterinary authorities to maintain controls against the tapeworm echinococcus multilocularis (EM). The commission adopted a regulation that requires pre-movement treatment for dogs travelling to the U.K., Ireland, Finland and Malta. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced in June that the U.K.’s deviation from European pet travel rules, which allows additional protection for the U.K. against rabies, ticks and tapeworms, would end Dec. 31. The movement rules on rabies and ticks will now be parallel with the rest of Europe. “This has been a long process but the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) put forward the strong scientific case for the U.K. to maintain tapeworm controls and we are delighted that the European Commission has adopted this resolution,” said Harvey Locke, president of the BVA. “In our role as guardians of public health vets were deeply concerned that the removal of tapeworm controls would see the introduction of EM to the U.K. and Ireland." The BVA and BSAVA worked with DEFRA, the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe and colleagues in Ireland to lobby the European Commission for controls on tapeworms …
U.K. Vet Study To Detail Common Disease Conditions, Evidence-Based MedicineJuly 14, 2011 Veterinarians with the Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine and the University of Nottingham in Loughborough, U.K. are conducting a study to identify common disease conditions or clinical signs seen by veterinarians. The study will also explore awareness of evidence-based medicine within the veterinary profession. Dr. Marnie Brennan, deputy director of the Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine and lecturer in epidemiology at the school of veterinary medicine and science at the University of Nottingham, and Dr. Rachel Dean, associate professor in feline medicine at the University of Nottingham in the medicine and health sciences are organizing the study. “We are interested in collecting responses from vets doing any kind of work - clinical, government, or advisory,” Dr. Brennan said. “In addition, we would like to identify which resources veterinarians use to obtain information relating to veterinary issues. We feel this survey is quite fitting considering 2011 is World Veterinary Year.” Information is being gathered via Web survey. “This research has received ethical approval from the school of veterinary medicine and science ethics committee at the University of Nottingham, U.K.,” Brennan said. “All responses will be anonymous. The findings from this research will be published in peer …
AVMA Policy Update On Online Sales TaxJuly 14, 2011 The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) adopted a policy at the association’s June executive board meeting that supports states collecting sales tax on online purchases by out-of-state customers. The AVMA State Advocacy Committee proposed the association's new policy stating that current federal law puts brick and mortar merchants at a disadvantage compared with online retailers who can charge less for the same products. “It's about leveling the playing field,” said Dr. Sullivan, owner of a five-doctor small animal practice in Torrance, Calif. and member of the state advocacy committee. “I have no problems competing with any other form of veterinary medicine as long as we're on the same playing field.” Congress has prohibited state and local governments from levying sales taxes on Internet access since the 1990s. Lawmakers extended the law three times, most recently with the Internet Tax Freedom Act Amendments Act of 2007, which continued the sales tax moratorium through Nov. 1, 2014. The AVMA committee explained in its recommendation to the executive board that veterinary clinics in states selling drugs on-site must charge sales tax, while Internet pharmacies can sell the same drugs across state lines at a cheaper price because they …
