Vets Mull Microchip Privacy IssuesApril 17, 2009 Legislative body of veterinarians to consider resolution at national conference.The American Veterinary Medical Association’s House of Delegates, the professional organization’s legislative body, will decide on Saturday whether the group should formally oppose the use of microchip registration databases for marketing purposes while endorsing their use strictly for reuniting animals and their owners. Veterinarians favoring such a statement are concerned that if companies mined the databases for marketing purposes, pet owners would be less likely to register microchips and decrease their effectiveness in reunited pets and their owners. The veterinarians expect registrations would decline even if pet owners were given the opportunity to opt in (or out) of possible marketing efforts. Another concern is that microchip database information could give an unfair advantage to companies with access to those databases. On the other hand, database-based marketing and advertising campaigns could help offset costs of maintaining such databases, potentially reducing fees for pet owners. At issue is not the use of microchips for identification purposes, but strictly the use of databases for other purposes. If adopted, the resolution would be symbolic only. The House of Delegates meets annually in conjunction with the AVMA’s annual convention. …
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Pet Spending Topped $43 Billion In 2008April 17, 2009 Despite the recession and cuts in discretionary spending, the pet industry is robust and resilient, according to the American Pet Products Association. APPA’s latest pet industry spending figures show that total pet spending reached $43.2 billion in 2008, with no declines in any category from 2007. APPA forecasts that it won’t stop there either, estimating that total pet spending for 2009 will reach $45.4 billion. APPA released the data Feb. 13 at Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Fla. Leading the way in the health care-related pet spending categories is veterinary care. Total spending in this segment in 2008 was $11.1 billion. Medical advances have made for a much broader and more elaborate menu of services, such as cat scans, root canals, cancer surgery, antibiotics and grief counseling. This leads to an anticipated 9.9 percent growth in this category to $12.2 billion in 2009. With the added costs of pet health care comes an increase in pet insurance, currently estimated at $271 million and projected to grow to $500 million by 2012. Pet services is the next fastest growing category. This includes grooming, boarding, training and pet …
Virginia Tech Schedules Equine Health Lecture SeriesApril 17, 2009Virginia Tech's Marion DuPont Scott Equine Medical Center will hold its "Tuesday Talks" on Nov. 27, Jan. 15, Feb. 19 and March 11. The lecture series is open to veterinarians, horse owners and other horse professionals. The schedule is as follows: Nov. 27 – "Detecting and Treating Lameness," by Nat White, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, Jean Ellen Shehan professor and director, Marion DuPont Scott Equine Medical Center, Leesburg, Va. Jan. 15 – "Red Eye in the Morning, Horse Owner's Warning: Equine Eye Care," by David Hodgson, BVSc, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, department head Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Va. Feb. 19 – "Stem Cell Therapy for Musculoskeletal Injury," by Jennifer Barrett, DVM, Ph.D., assistant professor of Equine Surgery, Marion DuPont Scott Equine Medical Center, Leesburg, Va. March 11 – "The New Equine Medicine," by Doug Byars, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVECC, Byars Equine Advisory, Georgetown, Ky. The lectures are free and will be held at 7 p.m. in the equine medical center's library. Seating is limited and pre-registration is required. For details, call 703-771-6843 or click here. <HOME>
New Campaign Focuses On Equine Dental HealthApril 17, 2009The American Assn. of Equine Practitioners has launched its "Chew on This" campaign to educate horse owners about the importance of annual dental examinations. To help veterinarians incorporate the campaign in their practice, AAEP has developed several campaign materials, which can be downloaded at www.aaep.org/dentistry_campaign.htm. Materials include a complimentary package of the Bayer client education brochure on dental care and a countertop brochure display for the practice; a client education article—"Learn to Recognize Your Horse's Dental Problems"—for reprint in a newsletter or website; a campaign logo; a campaign advertisement; and a dental care PowerPoint presentation, which provides an overview of the horse's mouth, preventative dental care and how to address dental problems. During April, the AAEP's "Ask the Vet" feature on www.aaep.org will focus on equine dentistry. Lynn Caldwell, DVM, and Elizabeth Schilling, DVM, of the Equine Dentistry Committee will answer questions from horse owners about dental health. The campaign will run through this year. <HOME>
Full Moon May Bring In More ER VisitsApril 17, 2009 There may be a possible link between an increase in emergency room visits for dogs and cats during days when the moon is at or near its fullest, according to researchers at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The data, compiled from 10 years of almost 12,000 case histories of dogs and cats treated at the university’s Veterinary Medical Center, indicates that the risk of emergencies on fuller moon days was 23 percent greater in cats and 28 percent greater in dogs when compared with other days. The types of emergencies ranged from cardiac arrest to epileptic seizures and trauma, and the increase was most pronounced during the moon’s three fullest stages—waxing gibbous, full and waning gibbous. This is the first time the lunar cycle’s relationship to emergency veterinary medicine has been studied, said Raegan Wells, DVM, an emergency and critical care medicine resident in the Department of Clinical Sciences at the university. “While the results of our retrospective study indicate that there is an increased likelihood of emergency room visits on the days surrounding a full moon, it is difficult to interpret the clinical significance of these findings,” Dr. Wells …
Breadfarm Inc. Recalls Peanut Butter Dog TreatsApril 17, 2009The possibility of health risks has prompted another dog treat recall, this time by Breadfarm Inc., of Bow, Wash. The company is recalling Valencia Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sirius Dog Treats and Wonder Bars purchased between January 2007 and October of 2008. These treats have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, the company said in a statement released early this week. The products were made using peanuts recalled by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), the company linked to a nationwide recall of more than 2,000 peanut butter products because of Salmonella contamination. Salmonella bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in pets, children, frail or elderly people, as well as others with weak immune systems. A healthy person infected with Salmonella often experiences fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare cases, infection can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and causing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections and arthritis. The Valencia Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sirius Dog Treats and Wonder Bars were sold in Washington State at the Bellingham, Mount Vernon, and Everett farmers markets and at the …
California Won't Tax Vet ServicesApril 17, 2009The California Legislature passed a 17-month budget on Feb. 19 that does not include a sales tax on veterinary services. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had proposed taxing veterinary services as well as auto, appliance and furniture repairs, golf fees and amusement parks as one way to help fix the state's $11.2 billion budget shortfall. The budget plan passed on Feb. 19 still requires the governor's signature. The California Veterinary Medical Assn. launched a statewide campaign in November and asked its more than 6,000 member veterinarians to write to the governor to explain the hardships the tax could impose on pet owners and crowded pet shelters. William Grant II, DVM, president of the CVMA, called the tax discriminatory because it singled out only one healing arts profession. On Feb. 19, the CVMA issued a joint press release with The Humane Society of the United States thanking the governor for responding to the public's opposition to the veterinary tax. "Requiring pet owners to pay a tax to care for their animals is bad public policy," Dr. Grant said. "We are pleased members of the 'Big Five,' including the governor, recognized that and the proposed tax was removed from the final budget …
EU Issues Rabies Alert Of "Unprecedented Seriousness"April 17, 2009 The European Commission issued a European Union-wide rabies alert regarding a case of the disease found in a dog in southwest France. The commission reports that the dog, allegedly imported illegally into the country, had numerous contacts with people during the month of August in areas that commonly attract many foreign tourists. Officials urge anyone who might have been in contact with the animal to consult their physician immediately for appropriate treatment. The dog is described as a four-month-old puppy with medium-length brown/apricot hair, a black muzzle, a long tail and floppy ears. The French national health agency has identified the period Aug. 2-21 as the time during which the dog was infectious. Authorities report the animal is known to have come in contact with and possibly bitten several people and other dogs. The agency is currently searching for several specific people, including a jogger who was known to have been bitten on either Aug. 18 or 19. One official was quoted at a press conference calling the alert one of "unprecedented seriousness." <HOME>
New Business Sends Vet Techs To Homes For Follow-Up CareApril 17, 2009 Charlene Overcash, a registered nurse who spent about eight years in the human home health industry, has started Pet Home Health Agency LLC in New York. Similar to a visiting nurse service, the agency employs three veterinary technicians. Among its services are postoperative care, diet control, blood glucose monitoring, insulin injections, medicine management and subcutaneous infusions and dressing changes. Overcash, a self-described animal lover, said she applied her business management skills as a home nurse to the new business. For pet health guidance, she consulted the Animal Medical Center of New York and NYC Veterinary Specialists. “I found there is a huge gap from what pet owners are taught to do at discharge, such as after a surgery, to what is being done at home until the following checkup,” she said. Client referrals are made by veterinarians in New York City and parts of New Jersey. The veterinary technician visits a home, provides the services and faxes to the veterinarian a form detailing the work and client education. Overcash said pet owners, especially the elderly, welcome the in-home visits. <HOME>
CVMA Launches Campaign Against Proposed Tax On Vet ServicesApril 17, 2009 The California Veterinary Medical Assn. launched a statewide campaign on 11/14/08 opposing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed tax on veterinary services, among other services, to help fix the state’s $11.2 billion budget shortfall. “Subjecting complicated veterinary medical procedures and treatments to taxation would be the same as taxing health care for children in California,” said William Grant, II, DVM, president of the CVMA. “What will happen to the sick or injured pets or people already struggling with potential home foreclosures and job losses? How much more heartbreak is it fair to ask of our fellow citizens?” The CVMA is asking its membership of more than 6,000 veterinarians to write letters to the governor about the hardship this proposed sales tax would have on consumers, the potential adverse impact on overcrowded pet shelters and the unintended consequence of increases in food prices at the supermarket due to taxes on care for food production animals. Dr. Grant added that the tax would be discriminatory because it singles out only one healing arts profession. However, H.D. Palmer, deputy director for External Affairs at the California Department of Finance, points out that the broadening sales …
