California Spay-Neuter Bill Set For HearingApril 17, 2009 California Senate Bill 250, also known as the Pet Responsibility Act, is set for a hearing April 15 in the Senate Local Government Committee. State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, introduced SB250 in February as a step toward reducing pet overpopulation. SB250 follows a similar bill, AB1634, which failed to exit the Senate in August 2008. Specifically, SB250 requires that dogs 6 months or older be spayed or neutered unless the owner obtains an unaltered-dog license or provides a certificate of sterility, and cats 6 months or older be spayed or neutered if the owner allows the animal to roam outdoors. Animals may be exempt if they are likely to suffer harm from the surgery because of age or illness. The bill also states that if a dog or cat is transferred or sold, the license number must be documented for the new owner. An owner could be penalized only if the animal is cited for another reason, such as no current canine rabies vaccination, a leash law violation or a tethering violation. These owners would be required to have the animal spayed or neutered. In addition, the bill states that …
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Merial Makes Milestone Payments For Needle-Free SystemApril 17, 2009 Bioject Medical Technologies reported this morning that it received milestone payments during its fourth quarter from Merial. The payments are part of a collaboration agreement that allows Merial to use a modified version of Bioject’s Vitajet needle-free delivery system for the companion animal market, Bioject reports. One payment was based on regulatory approval of a vaccine developed by Merial and designed to be administered with the needle-free system. Bioject also received a second milestone payment during the quarter following the delivery of 10 prototype devices to Merial. "We are looking forward to the commercial launch of the product for the companion animal market during the first quarter of 2005," said Jim O’Shea, chairman and chief executive officer of Bioject. <HOME>
Virbac, Greer Boost Dermatology Efforts With New PartnershipApril 17, 2009 Virbac Animal Health of Fort Worth, Texas, and Greer Laboratories of Lenoir, N.C., have formed a partnership aimed at providing more veterinarians with a comprehensive combination of dermatology products, services and educational support. Virbac provides dermatology products to relieve the symptoms of allergic dermatitis, infectious dermatitis, keratoseborrheic disorders and otitis externa. Greer is a provider of immunotherapy testing and treatment to veterinary dermatologists and teaching universities. “The joint effort is a great way to bring our different and complementary strengths together to make dermatology casework easier for veterinarians,” said Monique Schwartz, vice president of marketing at Virbac. The primary objectives of the partnership are to provide more dermatology educational resources for general practice veterinarians, raise more awareness of appropriate diagnosing protocols, help general practitioners and pet owners manage allergies earlier and better and offer guidelines on when a referral may be the best option, the companies reported. “The goal of this partnership is to help general practice veterinarians feel more prepared to educate pet owners and to manage allergy cases with more confidence,” said Curtis Andrews, executive vice president of commercial operations at Greer.
NIH Allocates Funding For Cornell’s DNA Research ProgramApril 17, 2009 Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has received a four-year, $900,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to support research within its DNA Bank. The bank, established to better understand the genetic basis for canine diseases, contains almost 3,000 DNA samples collected from pedigreed canines visiting the Cornell University Hospital for Animals. The grant will be used to establish a DNA archive of control and diseased purebred dogs; to genotype diseased and control purebred dogs; and to encourage multi-institutional mapping collaborations and share genotypes with the genetics community. “The secret to the success of an excellent DNA archive is collaboration among a wide group of researchers as well as cooperation among the entire staff, " said said Rory Todhunter, professor of surgery at the college. "[That staff] includes licensed veterinary technicians, interns, resident and faculty who look after the dogs admitted to the Cornell University Hospital for Animals and who ascertain the diseases the dogs carry, and collect the blood samples from which the DNA of each animal is isolated with owner permission and cooperation. “In addition, the dog owners are key to the project’s success, as they must provide AKC numbers and pedigree …
Eklin Acquires UltrasourceApril 17, 2009 Eklin Medical Systems of Santa Clara, Calif., has acquired Ultrasource Inc., the U.S. veterinary distributor for Philips Medical Systems’ ultrasound product line. Ultrasource also offers Sonoscape and SIUI ultrasound systems for small animal, equine, exotic and zoo animals. “As ultrasound imaging has grown in popularity throughout veterinary care, we have experienced increasing demand for an Eklin ultrasound solution,” said Gary Cantu, president and chief executive officer of Eklin. “We wanted an ultrasound partner that shared our open workflow standards philosophy in order to provide our clients with ultrasound solutions that best fit their practice. Ultrasource and the Philips product line both embrace the same open DICOM standard protocols while providing outstanding customer service.” <HOME>
Improve Your PostureApril 17, 2009 Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are just now being considered in veterinary dentistry, general practice and veterinary specialty practices. Even though this review emphasizes WMSDs in veterinary dentistry, it is easily applied to many other daily medical or surgical tasks in veterinary hospitals. If you suffer from neck pain at night, back stiffness in the morning, wrist pain or numbness and tingling in your fingers, you may be a victim of WMSDs. WMSDs have been studied in human medicine and human dentistry for the past 15 years. In a recent survey of human dental hygienists, 79 percent reported having carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). CTS results from compression of the median nerve, which begins in the brachial plexus of the spine where the neck meets the shoulder. It then continues the length of the arm parallel to the brachial artery, through the carpal tunnel of the wrist and into the hand, where it innervates the thumb, index finger, middle finger and ring finger. Melanie Simmer-Beck, R.D.H., M.S., of the Univeristy of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry, says that “CTS hand pain can originate from hand injury [repetitive motion disorders, or RMDs] or from other aspects of poor …
California Assembly Passes Spay, Neuter BillApril 17, 2009 California’s State Assembly narrowly passed the Healthy Pets Act (AB 1634) on Wednesday, which would set statewide spay and neuter laws for cats and dogs over 4 months old. Some exceptions are made for those that request a permit for service and show animals. The 41 to 38 in favor vote means it now goes to the state Senate for consideration. Supporters say the bill will reduce the number of unwanted pets in California, but opponents say the law would be too restrictive. See the full story here: http://www.petproductnews.com/headlines/California-statewide-spay-neuter-law.aspx <HOME>
ACTH Stimulation Testing: A Low-Dose ProtocolApril 17, 2009Based on abstracts presented at the 23rd Annual ACVIM Forum in Baltimore (2005). ACTH stimulation testing is a common procedure in small-animal practice used for diagnosing both hypoadrenocorticism and hyperadrenocorticism. Pituitary versus Adrenal When diagnosing hyperadrenocorticism, the most common screening tests are the ACTH stimulation test and the low-dose dexamethasone suppression test. Each has advantages and disadvantages. It has been shown that the LDDS is more sensitive with fewer false negatives, but less specific with more false positives than the ACTH stimulation test in dogs with significant non-adrenal illness, especially liver disease. The LDDS test has an advantage in that it is possible to differentiate between pituitary and adrenal tumor dependent disease in approximately 30 percent to 50 percent of cases. Test results typical for hyperadrenocorticism would have a cortisol value greater than 1.4 µg/dL at eight hours. It is the four-hour sample that helps to differentiate the cause of hyperadrenocorticism. If the four-hour sample is either below 1.4 µg/dL or 50 percent lower than the baseline or eight-hour value, it is consistent with PDH. Synthetic ACTH ACTH stimulation testing has become significantly more expensive since the cost of synthetic ACTH has increased. An ACTH gel is available, but the …
How To Stay Busy During Your Clinic’s RecessApril 17, 2009Children take recess from school; consumers are taking recess from spending. What will you do during your hospital’s recess? Unlike our children, we do not have the options of jump-rope or kickball; instead, we must focus on hitting home runs with our clients and playing hide-and-seek with missing charges as a few ways to stay busy during our hospitals’ recess. Practitioners, take comfort! Though five recessions have occurred since 1973, spending on veterinary care has remained constant or increased1. Despite these observations, some practitioners have felt the effects of a recession. These veterinarians report that they have noticed a decline in client growth and client purchases within their practice or heard of the same from neighboring practices. Many believe recession effects tend to spread region by region, state by state and town by town. For example, as a result of auto industry cutbacks and auto workers on strike, Michigan veterinarians report a financial decline in their practices, as many of their clients are/were auto industry employed: • For example, Chrysler alone will terminate 8,500 to 10,000 hourly workers within 2007-086. • Early-retirement and buyout packages have achieved 78 percent of that goal this year6. On the other side …
How To Efficiently Biopsy Lumps, BumpsApril 17, 2009 During a routine visit, an owner points out a mass on the medial hock of her 6-year-old boxer. A strange-looking 8–year-old German shepherd has a huge nasal mass. A 10-year-old Labrador has a large, firm mass along the entire caudal thigh. What are your rule-outs? What do you tell your clients? • “Just watch it.” • “Come back for a recheck in six months.” • “Big surgeons make big incisions. Let’s amputate the body part in question.” • “I would recommend further testing.” Obviously, all Veterinary Practice News readers chose the fourth and only reasonable answer. The classic expression “Just watch it” has been dubbed the three deadliest words in veterinary medicine. Yes, “further testing” is in order. Either a fine-needle aspirate (FNA) or a biopsy should be performed. Because they provide information about the architecture, in addition to the cell types, biopsies tend to be more accurate and informative than FNAs. Here are some suggestions for taking biopsies. Core Biopsy For skin and subcutaneous masses, many surgeons favor a spring-loaded Tru-cut biopsy needle. There are a variety of manufacturers, diameters and lengths. What is needed depends on the nature and …
