Equine Piroplasmosis Outbreak Reported In New MexicoJune 21, 2010 The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reported today an outbreak of equine piroplasmosis on a farm in New Mexico. The source of the outbreak was deemed “unknown or inconclusive.” OIE noted that the reason for notification was due to a new strain of a listed disease. The casual agent in this case was Babesia caballi. Equine piroplasmosis is a tick-borne disease that affects horses, donkeys, mules and zebras. The disease, which can also be caused by the parasite Theileria equi, is transmitted via tick bites or through mechanical transmission by improperly disinfected needles or surgical instruments, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which worked with the New Mexico Livestock Board in conducting an epidemiological investigation of this event. The B. caballi positive quarter horse was detected as a result of New Mexico’s equine piroplasmosis race track screening program, according to the OIE report. The National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed the positive result on June 14. The horse has since been euthanized. OIE considers the event resolved and no more reports will be submitted. In related news, the New Mexico Veterinary Diagnostic Services (NM-VDS) was recently approved …
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Natural Balance Recalls Some Dry Dog FoodJune 18, 2010 Natural Balance Pet Foods Inc. of Pacoima, Calif., on June 18 issued a voluntary recall of Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog Food because of the potential risk of Salmonella contamination. The recall involves: 5-POUND BAG Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog Food Bag UPC Code: 7-23633-99000-4 Bale UPC Code: 7-23633-99003-5 Best By Date: June 17, 2011 28-POUND BAG Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog Food Bag UPC Code: 7-23633-99002-8 Best By Date: June 17, 2011 The recalled product was distributed only in pet specialty stores in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. No illnesses have been reported, according to Natural Balance Pet Foods. The recall is a response to a product sample testing positive for Salmonella in a random test conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Joey Herrick, president of Natural Balance Pet Foods, wrote in a letter posted on the company website: “Upon hearing from the FDA, I immediately went to our director of …
Kent Recalls Some Swine FeedJune 18, 2010 Kent Nutrition Group Inc. has recalled some Kent Feeds swine feed products because of insufficient vitamin D levels in a premix it purchased from Tri Ag Supply Inc., according to the Food and Drug Administration. Vitamin D3 deficiency can alter calcium and phosphorus metabolism and affect bone mineralization, the agency said. Signs of the deficiency can take four to six months to appear in pigs, the FDA reported. The signs in mature pigs include poor growth, stiffness, lameness, stiff gait and broken or fractured bones. In young pigs, vitamin D deficiency causes rickets, which is characterized by weak bending bones and rear leg problems and may lead to death, the FDA said. Swine exposed to natural sunlight or vitamin D3 supplements may not be affected, according to the agency. Kent received reports of deaths and rickets in swine that may have consumed Kent Feeds swine products containing the vitamin-deficient ingredients from Tri-Ag, the FDA said. The affected products were sold in 50-pound bags or in bulk, with lot numbers 09335 through 09365 and 10001 through 10158. Lot numbers for bagged products can be found at the sewn end of the bag; for bulk products …
Pet Health Insurance Group Sponsoring 2 ContestsJune 17, 2010 North American Pet Health Insurance Month is fast approaching with September around the corner. To help celebrate, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association is accepting nominations for its Favorite Veterinarian and Favorite Pet Insurance Story contests. The entry deadline for both is Sept. 15. This will be the second year that pet insurance companies in the U.S. and Canada will come together to recognize North American Pet Health Insurance Month. Last year’s contests brought in thousands of entries, the association reported. “We are very gratified that National Pet Health Insurance Month appears to be a positive and valuable effort,” said Loran Hickton, the group's executive director. “It is intended to help all pets and care providers by highlighting great pets and their owners, veterinarians, veterinary hospitals and the support of quality pet health insurance. We look forward to another successful year in 2010.” For the North America’s Favorite Pet Insurance Story contest, pet owners, care providers and others can submit stories of how pet health insurance helped them when a pet needed medical care. The story must discuss pet insurance in action. A digital photo of the pet must be submitted. The winner …
Association For Managers Of Veterinary Practices LaunchesJune 16, 2010 Animal Specialty Center of Yonkers, N.Y., has launched a new professional association called Managers of Veterinary Practices of the Tri-State Area (MVP). The aim of the group is to offer continuing education, networking opportunities and problem-solving support to owners, managers and administrators of veterinary practices across the tri-state region (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut). “Veterinary facility managers are among the most valuable players in our field,” said Bernadette Vinci, the hospital director of Animal Specialty Center, who conceptualized the formation of the group along with Marianne Silva, LVT, VTS (SAIM), hospital specialist. “The tremendous response we received demonstrates the need for MVP and we’re very pleased to be able to address their unique set of challenges and opportunities and help give them the peer support they deserve.” The group’s recent inaugural meeting, held at the Animal Specialty Center, included a lecture sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health covering the tools and resources needed for skill building in employee management. Charlotte Lacroix, DVM, JD, one of the featured guest speakers, addressed the audience on several legal human resources issues. Dr. Lacroix is the chief executive officer of Veterinary Business Advisors Inc., a veterinary management and legal consulting …
They Used To Apply What On Wounds?June 16, 2010 Here is a short list of remedies our forefathers have reportedly used on open wounds: Aluminum foil Maggots Beer Myrrh Boiling oil Oil Bread Onion Carrots Pectin paste Chlorophyll Preparation H Cinnamon Rose water Dung Rust Egg white Saliva Frankincense Sesame oil Fresh meat Silicone spray Garlic Soot Gold leaf Sugar Grease Tannic acid Heavy metals Turnips Honey Vinegar Hot iron
What Does It Take To Be A Great Technician?June 16, 2010 What does it take to be a great technician? It’s arguably easy for a vet to know if they do a good job or not. Does the sick cat live or not? Does the paralyzed dog walk or not? Does the broken bone heal or not? But how do technicians know if they do a good job? Any technician questioning his or her abilities may have wondered: “Am I a good technician?” or “What does my doctor think of me?” and beyond, “How do I go from good to great?” Ross Palmer, a board-certified veterinary surgeon at Colorado State University, tried to answer these tough questions in a courageous and interesting study [“Inside the Surgeon’s Mind: What Makes a Great OR Technician?” American College of Veterinary Surgeons 2007 Symposium, Chicago, Ill.]. Dr. Palmer analyzed questionnaires filled in by 10 surgeons, who answered questions such as: Have you ever worked with a surgery nurse who you felt was outstanding or excellent? Average? Below average? What personal qualities, actions, habits, skills/abilities, knowledge, etc., made these persons outstanding? Which attributes lacked in average technicians that prevented them from being outstanding or excellent? These are certainly difficult …
Animal Groups Launch First Criminal Dog Fighting DNA DatabaseJune 15, 2010The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, The Humane Society of Missouri and the Louisiana SPCA reported on June 15, 2010 that they have launched the nation’s first criminal dog fighting DNA database, known as the Canine CODIS (Combined DNA Index System). The database, which will be maintained at the University of California, Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, is designed to help the criminal justice system investigate and prosecute dog fighting cases. Dog fighting is a federal crime, as well as a felony offense in all 50 states. The Canine CODIS contains individual DNA profiles from dogs that have been seized during dog fighting investigations and from unidentified samples collected at suspected dog fighting venues. The ASPCA describes the database as that being similar to the FBI’s human CODIS, a computerized archive that stores DNA profiles from criminal offenders and crime scenes and is used in criminal and missing person investigations. DNA analysis and matching through the database will help law enforcement agencies to identify relationships between dogs, enabling investigators to establish connections between breeders, trainers and dog fighting operators, according to the ASPCA. Blood collected from the dog fighting sites will also be searched against the Canine …
Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium Seeks Participants For New StudyJune 15, 2010 The National Institutes of Health recently awarded a “Grand Opportunities” grant to the Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) of Grand Rapids, Mich. The grant will allow the institute to expand its canine cancer studies, which started with a project partially funded by the Canine Health Foundation focusing on hemangiosarcoma in Clumber Spaniels. As such, VARI, along with the Translational Genomics Research Institute, has launched the Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium (CHCC), an alliance of veterinarians, scientists and physicians that will integrate genomic studies of dogs with phenotypic and pharmacologic tests to predict therapies for human disease. “This strategy leverages the low genetic diversity of purebred dogs coupled with their predisposition for particular cancers to identify the underlying genetic lesions and biochemical pathways that contribute to these diseases, and then translate these discoveries to humans,” according to CHCC. Over the course of the next two years, the CHCC will focus its efforts on investigating the genetic causes of several cancers, including but not limited to, hemangiosarcoma, osteosarcoma, melanoma, malignant histiocytic sarcoma and lymphoma. In order to move forward, the CHCC and the Canine Health Foundation are asking veterinarians and pet owners for their help by submitting tumor …
Foal Birth Marks Cloning AdvancementJune 14, 2010 Mouse, a spindly, dark brown Lippizan colt cloned from a Florida resident’s stallion, was born early May at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. By mid June, Mouse was reportedly a “happy, healthy, bucking foal enjoying the good life at his home in Cocoa, Fla.” The journey began at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences where researchers used oocytes from a live mare to undergo what is called somatic cell nuclear transfer. The successful delivery of Mouse makes this the first clone of a horse using a live mare’s eggs cells, according to Texas A&M. Kit Knotts, Mouse’s owner, had been looking for a horse that had the same qualities as Marc, her 30-year-old Dressage champion, but when nothing turned up, she spoke to equine reproduction specialist Katrin Hinrichs, DVM, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology. Photo courtesy of Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences on behalf of Kit Knotts, owner of Mouse. “We have worked on this clone for about two years,” said Dr. Hinrichs, whose lab is noted for achieving the first cloned foal in North …
