Medical Inventor Launches $75 Million Competition To Sterilize PetsApril 17, 2009 In an effort to help control pet overpopulation, medical inventor Dr. Gary Michelson is offering $25 million for the first entity to develop a single dose, non-surgical sterilant for use in cats and dogs, and up to $50 million in grant funding to support research toward that end. Found Animals Foundation, Michelson’s nonprofit organization, made the announcement along with its partner Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs at the SPAY/USA Conference in Chicago on Oct. 16. The goal of the Michelson Prize and Grants in Reproductive Biology is to encourage researchers in the United States and other countries to take on the challenge of non-surgical pet sterilization. The foundation says that although surgical spay/neuter procedures are relatively safe and effective, it is not ideal. “Surgical spay/neuter procedures are just too expensive and inconvenient for many pet owners—we need a better solution,” said Aimee Gilbreath, executive director of Found Animals. The foundation said it would also help make sterilization accessible and affordable worldwide, and aid developing countries where pet overpopulation is even greater. Researchers have been on the verge of discovering pet contraceptives and non-surgical sterilants for …
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Central Jersey Gets 24-Hour Animal Emergency FacilityApril 17, 2009 Central Jersey Gets 24-Hour Animal Emergency FacilityCentral Jersey Gets 24-Hour Animal Emergency Facility Animerge of Raritan, N.J., has completed its $1 million expansion and renovation project, transforming it to a 24-hour animal emergency facility. The animal hospital, which services also include specialty surgery and ophthalmology, increased its size from 2,400 square feet to 5,800 square feet and now includes two operating rooms, six exam rooms and an elevator for the second-floor patient area. Dean Newton, DVM, director of Animerge and one of the practice’s founders, said that he recognized the need for a larger facility but didn’t want to relocate, so the hospital began building up instead of out. The installation of the elevator allows for faster transport of patients to the operating room or special treatment areas than in a traditional one-story facility, he said. Animerge also increased its staff from four veterinarians to 10 veterinarians. There are 35 additional staff, including veterinary technicians, client services and reception staff. “We’re very excited about our new facility and our increased ability to provide emergency care for pets in the area,” Dr. Newton, DVM, said. “There was an urgent need for a medical …
Victoria To Ban Tail DockingApril 17, 2009 It will soon be illegal to dock dogs' tails in Victoria, Australia if new regulations are passed. The regulations were released for public comment in February and have received the support of Agriculture Minister Bob Cameron, state and national animal welfare groups and veterinary association. The only tail docking that would be allowed under the new regulation would be for therapeutic purposes, such as cases in which a tail has been crushed or has cancer. "Tail docking should not be a necessary or mandatory requirement for any breed of dog," Cameron said. "The Australian national Kennel Club has indicated tailed dogs in a traditionally docked breed should not be discriminated against by judges." If the legislation is passed, Victoria will join the growing list of Australian regions, including South Australia and Queensland, that have banned the practice. Tail docking has also been banned in numerous other countries, including Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Cyprus and Finland. Tail docking is becoming an increasingly controversial issue in the United States, as well. Late last year a dog fancier sued the American Kennel Club. His suit, which was dismissed in a 3-2 vote, …
A Round-About Way To Diagnose CancerApril 17, 2009 One of the more confusing times in an oncology examination room is describing what a "round cell tumor" is to a pet owner. The term is broad and describes myriad tumors that appear cytologically or histologically as a monotonous population of undifferentiated cells with high nuclear to cytoplasmic ratios. In dogs, this group includes mesenchymal and epithelial tumors as osteosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, certain melanomas, chondrosarcoma, and basal cell tumors. However, the ultimate origin of most "round cell tumors" belongs to those cells of bone marrow-derived origin such as lymphoma, mast cell tumor, or histiocytic tumors or additionally from transmissible venereal tumors. The clinical presentation of a round cell tumor is variable, making a definitive clinical diagnosis difficult. However, the role of immunocytochemistry and immunohistochemistry continues to emerge as a tremendous aid in obtaining the proper diagnosis so that appropriate treatment plans and prognoses can be presented to the pet owner. The identification of neoplastic disease relies on the microscopic features of the tumor cells and their similarity to normal cellular counterparts. So, in the case of well differentiated tumors, the cellular identity is frequently achieved. However, for the poorly differentiated tumors assigning a cell …
Number Of Displaced Pets Climbs At Midwest Emergency SheltersApril 17, 2009 The number of homeless pets of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, continues to swell as more animals arrive at emergency shelters. The emergency Cedar Rapids animal shelter set up at Kirkwood Community College has taken in 1,000 displaced animals. An estimated 85 percent of the animals have owners, according to Kirkwood Animal Health staff. In addition to the pet dogs and cats, the shelter’s animal tally includes birds, rodents, lizards and ferrets. The Kirkwood rescue effort mobilized after the Cedar Rapids Animal Control headquarters was flooded. Animal rescue organizations have issued emergency relief grants to assist shelters in the Midwest with the pet overflow. In response to the severe flooding, International Fund for Animal Welfare, American Humane Association and Animal Rescue League of Boston teamed up to help local animal control. Staging at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Quincy, Ill., the three groups set up a temporary shelter, which also grows each day. The residents include fawns, horses, chickens, dogs and kittens. As the floodwaters recede, the continued efforts of rescue groups are expected to add to the number of animals that are transported to emergency housing. Shelter volunteers expect more people will start to reclaim …
Vet Ophthalmologists To Examine Service Dogs For FreeApril 17, 2009More than 150 board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists are scheduled to provide free eye exams to service dogs as part of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists' Second National Service Dog Exam Day, which runs May 3-9. The goal is to preserve the sight and health of working dogs, including guide dogs, handicapped assistance dogs, detection dogs and search and rescue dogs. "Many of ACVO's ophthalmologists generously provide similar services to their service dog clients throughout the year," said Stacee Daniel, executive director of the organization. "Our hope is that by checking these animals' vision on the national day of service, we will be able to help a large number of dogs better assist their human friends." To qualify, dogs must be active working dogs certified by a formal training program or organization or enrolled in a formal training program. Veterinarians interested in participating can register here. Owners or agents for the dogs can register the animal beginning April 1 here. Once registered, the owner or agent can locate a participating ophthalmologist to schedule an appointment. More than 180 ACVO diplomates volunteered last year by screening the ocular health of about 1,500 service dogs. The …
Veterinarians Inducted Into Morris Honor RollApril 17, 2009 May 17th, 2004 Morris Animal Foundation inducted 16 new veterinarians into it Veterinary Honor Roll. More than 180 veterinary professionals are included on the honor roll. Honorees are nominated by donors who contribute $500 or more to the foundation on behalf of the honor recipient. The new inductees are: * Lisa Teixeira, DVM, of Pembroke Animal Hospital in Pembroke, Mass. * Jerry Perry, DVM, of VCA South Shore Animal Hospital in South Weymouth, Mass. * Donald McCoy, DVM, and staff at North Portland Veterinary Hospital in Portland, Ore. * Eric Keiser, DVM, and staff at Crater Animal Clinic in Central Point, Ore. * William Bridges, DVM, of Crater Animal Clinic in Central Point, Ore. * Robert Addington, DVM, of Crater Animal Clinic in Central Point, Ore. * Matthew Lawrence, DVM, of Crater Animal Clinic in Central Point, Ore. * Howard Brooks-Korn, DVM, of Capuchino Veterinary Clinic in Millbrae, Calif. * Valerie Campbell, DVM, of Blue Ridge Veterinary Associates in Purcellville, Va. * Gary Mendelsohn, DVM, of Center for Veterinary Care in Scarsdale, N.Y. * Keith Schonewill, DVM, of Christensen Pet Clinic in Sioux Falls, S.D. …
Mýa To Headline Tour For Life Animal Adoption CampaignApril 17, 2009 R&B singer, dancer and Broadway actress Mýa will serve as national spokeswoman for the North Shore Animal League America’s Tour For Life campaign. Organized by the Fort Washington, N.Y.-based no-kill shelter and sponsored by Nestle Purina PetCare Co., Bayer Animal Health and Fort Dodge Animal Health, the tour will visit 20 cities during April to promote the adoption of shelter animals. “This lifesaving tour is truly close to my heart, as both a pet owner and an animal lover,” said Mýa, who will host the tour’s grand finale event at famed toy store FAO Schwarz in New York City. During that event, celebrities will pose with puppies in the store’s windows. In May, Mýa joins the Broadway cast of the musical “Chicago.” As part of the tour, two of North Shore’s mobile adoption units will travel on separate routes through the country, helping more than 100 shelters and rescue groups adopt out animals. Nestle Purina, which has sponsored the tour since its inception in 2001, will provide a free gift with every adopted pet. Since its inception, the tour has helped place thousands of animals into new homes, according to North Shore. For …
Not-So-Golden Age Of The Internet VetApril 17, 2009 Most veterinarians view the Web as an amazing tool. We Google away with impunity, intent on superior accessibility to subjects that span the spectrum of our interests and coddle our curiosity. We’d be loath to leave the Internet behind. Yet when it comes to our clients we’d rather they did without the Internet. Who needs the reams of printouts on the dubious benefits conferred by mega-dosed vitamins, snake oil preparations and juiced-fruit cancer cures? Indeed, the plethora of wasted paper drives me crazy, too. But so, too, does the common veterinary assumption that all Web-based research is to be discarded out of hand, deemed incomplete or downright unconstructive just because our clients did the work. After all, if you’re like me, you spend hours a week on the Veterinary Information Network, surf the Web for your veterinary news or drug data, and consider the Internet the single most useful tool for meeting your professional needs when it comes to jockeying for position in advance of the curve. It’s nonetheless true that, as a profession, we like to disparage the Internet’s impact on our working lives and we recoil in horror when our clients bring forth …
Laser Disc Surgery Shows Long-Term Success RateApril 17, 2009 Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences has been using percutaneous laser disc ablation surgery, an interventional radiologic procedure, on canine patients for almost 15 years with proven success, according to Robert Bahr, DVM, Dipl. ACVR, associate professor of radiology. The procedure is designed to prevent the recurrence of disc herniation with subsequent spinal cord damage. The procedure was first investigated by Oklahoma State’s George Henry, DVM, and Kenneth Bartels, DVM. Initial studies focused on the effects of laser treatment on tissues similar to the intervertebral disc material. The scope of the research was to discover the effects of laser energy on intervertebral disc material and how denatured disc might be kept from extruding or herniating in the future, causing spinal cord injury. Since 1993, when the procedure was first used on clinically affected dogs, Oklahoma’s teaching hospital has treated more than 300 cases. The success rate, which is based on the rate of recurrence in the treated dogs, has been good. “Our success rate is 96.6 percent,” Dr. Bahr said. “That means that out of all the dogs treated since the project began in 1993 (some 325 dogs total), only nine dogs …
