Update: Pfizer Discontinues Periodontitis VaccineApril 29, 2011UPDATE: 4/28/11 -- Pfizer Animal Health’s canine Porphyromonas vaccine has been discontinued, effective early April 2011, due to efficacy issues. The product was designed as an aid to preventing periodontitis. The Porphyromonas Denticanis-Gulae-Salivosa Bacterin vaccine was conditionally licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in September 2006. Since then, the Madison, N.J.-based company has conducted a 48-month field efficacy study intended to support the full licensure of this product. Although the study confirmed the vaccine’s safety, it “did not demonstrate a vaccine effect in vaccinates (as compared to controls) for either of the key efficacy variables assessed (attachment loss and gingival bleeding index),” according to a letter sent to veterinarians in early March by Oliver Knesl, BVSc, MRCVS, marketing manager of companion animal biologicals at Pfizer Animal Health. On the basis of these results, Pfizer Animal Health will not pursue renewal of the current conditional license for the vaccine, Sherry Podhayny, VMD, told Veterinary Practice News. Dr. Podhayny is the manager of veterinary operations of companion animal biologicals at Pfizer Animal Health. Any product still …
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It Might Be Time To Adjust Clinic FeesApril 22, 2011Top customer service can make clients feel higher fees are worth it. Veterinarians often wonder how to adjust their fees to compensate for losses attributed to clients’ postponing pets’ annual exams and vaccine updates. Many advisers recommend re-evaluating fees annually and adjusting rates accordingly, but advise against decreasing fees across the board. Packaging services and remaining competitive on shopped-for products and services, such as spays and neuters, veterinarians can help meet their bottom lines, say certified public accountants. The consultants add that maintaining customer service is priority. “We monitored a client’s practice for four months after she decreased her fees on flea and tick products and she didn’t sell more,” says Michael Porrello, a CPA at Lacher McDonald & Co. CPAs in Seminole, Fla. “This is a common outcome when fees are reduced. The clients who would have come to the practice even without the fee reduction are just getting a better deal, while the veterinarian loses revenue. Granted, the fee reduction in this case wasn’t heavily marketed, but marketing is often an area in which practices could use an improvement.” Possible to Lose Money Experts say the economy is just the current reason being …
Assistance Dogs: Special Role Of VetsMarch 23, 2011 With the number of assistance dogs growing exponentially throughout the U.S., veterinarians can expect to see more assistance dogs in their practices. While dogs for the visually impaired predominate, dogs can learn to serve an ever-broadening list of disabilities, from hearing impairment to autism and post-traumatic stress disorder for combat veterans and other trauma victims. Service dogs are also trained to work with people who use wheelchairs, need seizure alert or response, need alerts to other medical issues such as low blood sugar, or have psychiatric disabilities. These amazing dogs can retrieve objects out of reach, pull wheelchairs, open and close doors, turn light switches off and on, bark to indicate that help is needed, find and lead another person to the handler, provide balance and counterbalance for those who need help walking and many other tasks. In short, these animals can enable people to live fuller, more independent lives. And the high personal and economic value placed on these dogs calls for extra attention to their health and well-being. For 25 years I have been on the board of directors of the National Education for Assistance Dog Services (NEADS.org), the oldest hearing-ear dog program …
Nutrigenomics Takes ‘You Are What You Eat’ To New LevelFebruary 14, 2011 Veterinary nutrigenomics combines genetics and nutrition to develop optimal diets for companion animals, a field in which researchers and pet food manufacturers are investing significant amounts of time and money. At the University of Illinois, Kelly S. Swanson, Ph.D., and his team are using DNA-based sequencing techniques to characterize the canine and feline gastrointestinal tracts. They are looking at what happens in tissue when animals are fed one diet versus another. The results may lead to a better understanding of the microbial profile and metabolic pathways of animals with varying dietary regimens and at different stages of health and life. Many questions need to be answered before the ultimate goal can be achieved: creating individual diets that make optimal use of, and even manipulate, gene expression. “The dog and cat genome sequence data is being utilized in research, taking genomic biology to gain a better understanding of dog and cat physiology and how nutrition contributes to health and disease,” says Dr. Swanson, an assistant professor of animal and nutritional sciences in the , department of animal sciences. “Genomics in pets is being used to study microbial populations and gene expression changes in blood and various tissues. …
Best ImmunityFebruary 14, 2011 Vaccines have come a long way since the first one was developed to prevent smallpox in the 1700s. Ongoing research has resulted in continuing advancements for humans and animals alike. Many of the most recent advancements have been in the realm of feline vaccines, enough that the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) plans to appoint a committee to establish its second set of guidelines for vaccinating cats. Elizabeth Colleran, DVM, president of the AAFP and owner of Chico Animal Hospital in Chico, Calif., says her organization last published recommendations for feline vaccines in 2006. “We’re due for an update and a review of all of the protocols that were recommended then,” Dr. Colleran says. “That work hasn’t been done yet.” Establishing best practices is a work in progress even five years later. “Up until then, there weren’t any science-based guidelines,” she says. “We’re still feeling our way.” While many veterinarians rely on the recommendations of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) for canine vaccines, no other major veterinary organization has issued guidelines for cats, Colleran says. She expects AAHA and other organizations to play major roles in the new AAFP guidelines. Colleran …
Best ProtectionFebruary 14, 2011 There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to canine vaccinations, but the American Animal Hospital Association is about to update what one professional calls “some very good science-based recommendations.” A special AAHA council expects to release vaccine recommendations this month that will replace a set issued in 2006. AAHA President Gregg Takashima, DVM, says that despite all the changes in this area of veterinary practice over the past 10 years, much of the decision-making about what is appropriate for patients occurs just as it always has: on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the dog’s lifestyle and the region in which the veterinarian is practicing. Michael San Filippo, media relations assistant at the American Veterinary Medical Association, says current research is too inconclusive to make sweeping recommendations that will work for every dog. “Veterinarians have traditionally vaccinated annually; however, they are now learning that some vaccines induce immunity that lasts less than one year, whereas others may induce immunity that lasts well beyond one year,” he says. “The AVMA recommends that veterinarians customize vaccination programs to the needs of their patients. More than one vaccination program may be effective.” Chris Pappas, DVM, director …
Fluid Therapy Can Be Lifesaver If Done RightJanuary 17, 2011 Incorrectly determining that a patient is dehydrated when it is hypovolemic can cost the animal its life. This leads some professionals to stress the need for caution when prescribing fluids to small animals and for a possible review of a veterinarian’s fluid therapy protocol. “My primary concerns with the way fluids are administered to patients include incorrect volumes being given and improper selection of fluid type,” says Wayne E. Wingfield, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, Dipl. ACVECC, a professor emeritus of emergency and critical care medicine at Colorado State University. “Secondly, too much emphasis on use of subcutaneous fluids is given. Failure to properly assess electrolytes and lack of understanding of acid base in relation to electrolytes and fluid needs is also a problem,” says Dr. Wingfield, also a consultant for Abbott Animal Health. The lack of a step-by-step protocol for administering fluids is one reason missteps occur, says Elisa Mazzaferro, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVECC, of Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital in Wheat Ridge, Colo. “I see a lot of animals in need of fluid therapy, often referred to me by other practices,” Dr. Mazzaferro says. “Sometimes practices stabilize the animal before transferring it, other times they immediately …
Dispelling Myths About CaOx UrolithsNovember 29, 2010 Therapeutic diets for dogs with urinary disease have simplified its management. Fearing that something “nonprescription” will upset the delicate balance between urinary solutes and their saturation, veterinarians may find themselves administering stern precautions to clients against feeding any “real” or human food, including fruits and vegetables. Certainly, preventing recurrence of calcium oxalate (CaOx) urolithiasis in stone-prone dogs can prove difficult, and some caregivers welcome the simplicity of feeding one food to their dog every day for life. They have no urge to dabble in homeopathics, experiment with herbs or turn to culinary solutions through homemade diets or plant-based embellishments. Others, however, search high and low for natural remedies and may seek help elsewhere if their veterinarian insists on commercial diets, given consumers’ persistent mistrust of the pet food industry since the Chinese melamine disaster.1 In the absence of a clinically proven medication or foolproof commercial diet, the drive for plant- or food-based options for CaOx stone prevention remains strong.2-3 As medical professionals know well, a one-size-fits-all approach to urolithiasis prevention rarely holds water. Metabolic abnormalities, foods and urinary tract health all influence lithogenesis, but stone type determines the specific treatment and prevention …
Diabetes Emergency Preparedness As Important As InsulinOctober 18, 2010 Owners often are shell-shocked when they hear their pet has diabetes. But a veterinarian’s optimistic attitude can help a client successfully manage the disease. “It’s usually a traumatic piece of information for an owner when a veterinarian tells them their pet has diabetes,” says Randy Lynn, DVM, a technical service veterinarian with Intervet Schering-Plough Animal Health of Summit, N.J. “If the owner is handling the news well, you can discuss the emergency situations that may occur in a diabetic animal. If you’re speaking to them and their eyes gloss over, you might want to send them home with written information, and then have the owner return in a day or two once they’ve processed everything. “It’s a delicate balance that the veterinarian has to weigh. If you tell them too much on day one, you could tip them over the edge.” Dr. Lynn says a diabetes diagnosis gives veterinarians a “chance to shine,” noting that owners will rely heavily on them for information on choosing insulin, injecting insulin and monitoring the animal. Besides hearing the diabetes news, distressed clients also have to be warned about hypoglycemia, the No. 1 emergency concern of veterinarians who …
Size Doesn’t MatterOctober 18, 2010 Trader, a 7-year-old male golden retriever, kept losing weight despite a normal appetite. Long story short: Abdominal palpation, radiographs and ultrasound suggested a very large abdominal mass, presumed to be splenic in origin. Trader is a golden, after all. Since thoracic radiographs were normal, Trader’s owners elected surgery. We removed a 14-pound multilobulated ugly-looking mass. It had numerous adhesions to the pancreas, the duodenum, the jejunum and the omentum. A few days after Trader went home, histopathology revealed a leiomyoma, a perfectly benign tumor of the smooth muscle. Collin, a 12-year-old male intact German shepherd, had a large ugly-looking paraprostatic mass. It was as large as his head! Its inner wall was lined with cartilage. It was partially resected, omentalized and biopsied. Histopathology revealed dystrophic ossification of a perfectly benign periprostatic cyst. Lady, a 9-year-old Labrador retriever, appeared lethargic and weak. She was diagnosed with hypoglycemia. What is your differential diagnosis? (See “Differential Diagnosis of Hypoglycemia” at VeterinaryPracticeNews.com/DDHypo.) Palpation and X-rays revealed a large mass in the cranial abdomen. Exploratory confirmed a soft-ball sized mass attached to the pylorus. The mass was excised, and histopathology revealed a leiomyoma. Lady made a full recovery, and is …
