Bridge Club names Industry ICONMay 30, 2019The Bridge Club has announced the president and chief executive officer of Compassion-First Pet Hospitals as its Industry ICON honoree. John Payne, who also serves as the chair of Compassion-First and of American Humane, will receive a lifetime membership, as well as guest-host the ICON series live event in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 5. This series allows Bridge Club members and veterinary professionals to meet and learn from experts in the field who have had a positive impact on the veterinary industry. Payne's talk will reflect on his personal and professional leadership, and his commitment to connecting, engaging, learning, and growing. "Payne has contributed so much to this profession, starting from his early days as a sales representative to his days leading Banfield to where he stands today, a leader and entrepreneur fighting to elevate pet care and the profession as a whole," says Bridge Club cofounder, Catherine Haskins. "It is rare to have John tell his story and we are excited to offer a front row seat for this fireside chat." The Bridge Club's ICON series is sponsored by American Humane and the Animal Policy Group. The event takes place during American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA's) annual conference on …
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Ohio State opens expanded veterinary oncology suiteMay 29, 2019Ohio State University's Veterinary Medical Center has opened the Blue Buffalo Foundation Integrated Oncology Suite, allowing practitioners to comprehensively and holistically treat pets with cancer. Blue Buffalo granted the school $650,000 to renovate the suite. "Blue Buffalo was founded on a mission to help cure a disease causing 50 percent of health-related pet deaths," says the company's vice president, David Petrie. "In supporting the renovation of the integrated oncology space, we are able to support veterinary medicine so dogs and cats facing cancer can receive a cohesive team approach, resulting in better health outcomes." The suite's team comprises veterinarians with specialties in medical, surgical, and radiation oncology. Clinical trials also are a big part of the integrated oncology service and are managed by the Blue Buffalo Veterinary Clinical Trials Office. The company's funding will help support animals enrolled in a study. "Our partnership with Blue Buffalo has made it possible to provide studies that test new diagnostics and treatments across a wide spectrum of pet health, including cancer, renal failure, heart disease, and arthritis," says Cheryl London, DVM, PhD, clinical trials office director and professor of veterinary biosciences. "Clinical trials in veterinary medicine are critical for identifying new approaches to …
Owning a dog may be in your genesMay 29, 2019If you consider yourself a dog person, turns out this particular preference may come down to your DNA. A study on the heritability of dog ownership has found a person's genetic makeup strongly impacts whether they choose to get a dog. This is according to a team of Swedish and British scientists who used information from 35,035 twin pairs from the Swedish Twin Registry as the basis of their study. Researchers compared the genetic makeup of twins with dog ownership. "We were surprised to see a person's genetic makeup appears to be a significant influence in whether they own a dog," says the study's lead author, Tove Fall, professor in molecular epidemiology at the department of medical sciences and the science for life laboratory, Uppsala University. "As such, these findings have major implications in several different fields related to understanding dog-human interaction throughout history and in modern times. Although dogs and other pets are common household members across the globe, little is known how they impact our daily life and health. Perhaps some people have a higher innate propensity to care for a pet than others." Using twins is a known method to separate the influences of environment and …
Penn Vet to study hemp-based canine supplementMay 28, 2019A trial at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) will be looking at the effectiveness of a hemp-based supplement to relieve symptoms of canine joint immobility. Approximately 60 dogs who are suffering from inflammation secondary to osteoarthritis will be split into three groups. One group will receive Mobility, which was developed by Dixie Brands' subsidiary Therabis. The second group will receive CBD, and the last group will receive a placebo. The dogs will then be studied to see which group achieves a better outcome. "We are honored to have a Therabis product selected by the world-renowned experts at Penn Vet for their first major study of the effects of natural hemp oil to reduce joint pain in dogs," says Therabis cofounder, Stephen M. Katz, DVM. "Our experience in my clinic has shown cannabidiol (CBD) is an effective treatment in reducing inflammatory response. We have a passion for improving dogs' quality of life, and we look forward to learning all we can about therapeutic methods to achieve this." Physical tests will be used to measure the effectiveness of the products, mostly focusing on the front leg joints. Results are expected in approximately 12 months.
Arbutus Medical now taking applications for free orthopedic toolkitsMay 28, 2019Arbutus Medical will be awarding two charitable organizations free orthopedic power tool systems through its Vets for Safe Surgery charitable partner program. The company says it is donating surgical toolkits valued at $1,500 each to organizations dedicated to treating animals. "Last year through our Vets for Safe Surgery partner program, we supported the Gorilla Doctors, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo," says Michael Cancilla, Arbutus Medical director of engineering and partnerships. "While the Gorilla Doctors have overcome many of the challenges of their work—such as performing surgery on a wild gorilla, intervening in the wild and outside of an operating room or medical clinic—access to the necessary surgical equipment still poses a barrier in their ability to treat the gorillas. Our donation of orthopedic power tools helped them preserve this endangered species." Arbutus Medical is now accepting applications until June 30. Both local and international applicants are invited to apply. Winners will be announced July 15 on its Facebook page. To apply, click here.
Cornell Veterinary Biobank receives international accreditationMay 27, 2019Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine's Veterinary Biobank is the first biobank in the world to achieve the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation's (A2LA's) international certification. A2LA is an international accreditation body that assesses a range of laboratory types using standards developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Cornell's biobank received accreditation against ISO 20387, which requires facilities demonstrate the competence of their biobank's operation and ability to provide biological material and associated data for research and development. "Quality accreditation increases the confidence in our operation. It shows we are transparent about our processes, open to critique, and are doing high-quality work under a rigorous standard," says Marta Castelhano, DVM, MVSc, director of the Cornell Veterinary Biobank. To receive accreditation, each step in the process requires close inspection from A2LA. As a result, Dr. Castelhano, along with the rest of her team, developed, tested, and implemented almost 80 new standard operating procedures for the biobank in the last year. "The achievement of earning A2LA's first accreditation to the new ISO 20387 standard ensures Cornell's operations will function with the highest level of quality," says A2LA's general manager, Adam Gouker. "We're proud to be a part of this historic …
Dogs can alert human risk to Lyme diseaseMay 27, 2019Health-care providers can now use dogs as a way to measure human risk for Lyme disease, according to a study by Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC). "This research shows how man's best friend continues to safeguard humans as a sentinel to alert humans where they are at greatest risk for Lyme disease," says CAPC executive director, Christopher Carpenter, DVM. "The model established in this research breaks new ground to give residents, travelers, and health-care providers a county-level map to help them identify areas of risk across the country." Through the study, researchers quantified the relationship between canine seroprevalence for the disease-causing bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Lyme disease in humans. Seroprevalence is used to calculate the number of dogs testing positive among all tested dogs within a county. The study showed a correlation between human incidence and dog seroprevalence. According to researchers, they were able to study more than seven years of nationwide canine diagnostic data as a result of dogs being tested annually for exposure to Borrelia burgdorferi. The collected data represented more than 400 million data points, which is usually difficult to obtain when looking directly at ticks and the environment. "By combining sophisticated statistical modeling with this …
TGen, Ethos develop diagnosis test for canine lymphomaMay 24, 2019A new test may assist veterinarians in more accurately diagnosing canine lymphoma. Developed by Ethos Veterinary Health, Ethos Discovery, and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), the test is based on the results of a study that analyzed 180 dogs with cancer. The teams used their test, ePARR, to confirm first whether the dogs in the study had lymphoma and then determined what type they had. Results indicate the test was more than 90 percent accurate among a range of lymphoma sample types. "An ongoing need exists for robust validation of molecular diagnostics in veterinary medicine. This study is an example of exhaustive validation of one such molecular test," says Will Hendricks, PhD, assistant professor in TGen's Integrated Cancer Genomics Division and one of the study's senior coauthors. "Overall, ePARR is more than 90 percent accurate across sample types and diagnostic settings." The researchers say not only could molecular-level investigations into dog DNA improve the health of dogs with cancer, but it could help understand cancer in humans, too.
Purina offers supplements for dogs experiencing anxious behaviorsMay 24, 2019Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Supplements has introduced a new management option for canines that experience anxious behaviors. Calming Care is a probiotic supplement that helps dogs cope with external stressors like separation, unfamiliar visitors or sounds, and changes in routine and location. The supplement also aids in maintaining positive cardiac activity during stressful events, promoting a positive emotional state. According to Jason Gagné, DVM, DACVN, director of veterinary technical communication for Pro Plan Veterinary Diets, a veterinarian should be sought out if a dog is displaying undesirable behaviors. "What might be perceived as just a characteristic of a particular breed or part of a dog's personality could really be an anxious behavior that needs attention." Pro Plan Veterinary Supplements surveyed 826 owners about anxious behaviors in dogs and found: • 62 percent have witnessed excessive barking, compulsive jumping and shaking, or trembling. • 35 percent believe their dog's personality is among the primary causes of one or more of its concerning behaviors. • 25 percent said these behaviors have impacted their lifestyle or caused a change in their routine. Further, with summer fast approaching, Purina notes that canine anxiety often intensifies during this period. "The summer …
Pet King Brands introduces authorized seller programMay 23, 2019Pet King Brands has implemented an authorized seller (brand partner) program to protect its distribution channels. The pet health product company says it is taking this step to protect its ZYMOX dermatology and Oratene brushless oral care enzymatic product lines from being sold by unauthorized distributors. "At Pet King Brands, we are committed to providing the best experience for both our customers and consumers of our products," says the company's founder and president, Pamela K. Bosco. "However, due to unauthorized sellers and the potential for counterfeit products on the marketplace, we have implemented our Authorized Seller/Brand Partner program to ensure the highest-quality customer experience going forward." Pet King Brands is also revising its minimum advertising price (MAP) policy to include more violation affects and subsequent enforcement actions. It is using a MAP monitoring and unauthorized seller enforcement software tool to further its investment in regulating all channels to authorized resellers. "We understand the impact an unregulated MAP environment creates for every good standing reseller," Bosco says. "This is why we are committed to taking swift action against MAP violators and cleaning up the unauthorized sale of goods online."
