American Association of Feline Practitioners releases new anesthesia guidelinesJuly 11, 2018The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) released the first feline-specific anesthesia guidelines to the veterinary community, which are published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. General anesthesia is an essential component of feline practice, without which surgery and certain other treatment modalities and diagnostic procedures would be impossible, the AAFP stated. Due to their unique physiology and small size, cats undergoing anesthesia are at a relatively greater risk of complications and mortality than many other species; empirical evidence shows that cats undergoing anesthesia have a higher mortality rate compared with dogs.1,2 The new guidelines address specific causes of disparities and ways of avoiding perioperative complications associated with monitoring, airway management, fluid therapy, recovery, perianesthetic anxiety and stress, perianesthetic monitoring by physical and electronic means, the role of underlying diseases such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the correct use of anesthesia equipment, and total injectable anesthesia. An associated client brochure provides cat caregivers with digestible information that enables them to understand anesthesia, what to expect, properly prepare their cat for a procedure, and care for them during recovery (catfriendly.com/anesthesia). "By proactively developing an individualized anesthetic plan that considers the uniqueness of each feline patient and recognizing …
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AVMA announces 2018-2019 congressional fellowsJuly 10, 2018The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has selected two veterinarians to serve in the 2018-2019 AVMA Fellowship Program, providing Congress with counsel on important policy issues. Beginning in August, the two selected fellows will serve for one year in Washington, D.C., as full-time staff for a congressional office or congressional committee. During their tenure, the fellows will advise policymakers on a wide range of issues, such as food safety, public health, animal welfare, research, and small business policies. This September, the fellows will interview with congressional offices to receive their year-long placements. Once placed, they will support the activities of that office full-time. The fellows are not AVMA employees or lobbyists. The 2018-2019 fellows are: Meera Chandra, DVM, MPH: Dr. Chandra is a 2018 cum laude graduate of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Public Health & Health Professions. During her time in veterinary school, she gained significant public health and veterinary experience—including positions at the World Organization for Animal Health in Paris, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Health Affairs, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service. She was also president of the University of Florida's Public Health …
UC Davis treats uncommon AVM in German shepherdJuly 10, 2018Crash, a six-year-old male German shepherd, was starting to tire more easily on his walks and seemed zoned out and listless, according to his owners, Sally Fuess and Steve Yant from Boulder Creek, Calif. He also displayed signs of what were perceived as severe headaches. He would "bury" his head and squint his eyes, suggesting that something was bothering him. Those headache signs started occurring more frequently and affected his overall well-being. "It was like watching someone have a massive migraine and be nonfunctioning," said Fuess. "The bigger the headaches, the more disorientated he would become. His hearing would get distorted, his perception … all his senses were affected." Fuess and Yant discussed this with an internal medicine specialist who was already treating Crash for some unrelated gastrointestinal issues. The veterinarian performed an MRI of Crash's head that revealed an intracranial arteriovenous malformation (AVM) located within the brain behind his eyes. A consultation with Bill Culp, VMD, DACVS, at the University of California, Davis veterinary hospital was arranged. Redirecting the blood flow "AVMs, in general, are very uncommon in veterinary patients," said Dr. Culp. "A brain AVM is extremely rare and not a situation that I have encountered before. Because …
Washington State University researchers find critical link for melanomaJuly 10, 2018A critical link in mapping recurrent mutations of melanoma has been discovered by researchers at Washington State University (WSU) School of Molecular Biosciences (SMB), a part of the university's College of Veterinary Medicine. The study, which was conducted in collaboration with researchers at Georgia State University, could lead to a better understanding of which mutations are important for causing skin cancer in humans and potentially identify new drug targets for treatment. In a paper published last week in "Nature Communications," the research team established that DNA binding by a specific set of transcription factors, called ETS, is inherently mutagenic in UV-exposed cells. With new genome mapping technology, these findings provide a crucial understanding of mutations that result at ETS binding sites located in specific genes that are known to be drivers in the onset of melanoma in humans. Using a WSU-established sequencing-based technology that allows the mapping of the locations of UV-induced DNA damage throughout the whole human genome, researchers generated a high-resolution UV damage map in human cells. By correlating the UV damage map with melanoma mutations, they discovered significantly elevated UV damage levels at ETS binding sites, which significantly increased mutation rates at the same sites in …
Bayer, Mitsui Chemicals Agro to develop novel parasiticides for petsJuly 9, 2018Bayer Animal Health GmbH and Mitsui Chemicals Agro Inc. (MCAG) have signed a global license agreement in which Bayer will develop novel companion animal parasiticide compounds based on MCAG's intellectual property. Further terms of the agreement were not disclosed. "At Bayer, we passionately care for the health and well-being of animals," said Dr. Dirk Ehle, head of Bayer Animal Health. "And we have long been committed to help pet owners protect their animals from parasites. Today we have taken an important next step to further deliver on this commitment to our customers." "This license agreement combines the strong science base within Bayer with innovative chemistry from MCAG," said Dr. Sabine Bongaerts, head of Bayer drug discovery. "It will enable us to further expand our strong portfolio of parasiticides in the companion animal sector and deliver new compelling products to our customers." "Under the concept of technology and innovation, MCAG has been providing its innovative products and services to the customers in agrochemicals and environmental health businesses for many years so far," said Satoshi Ozawa, president and CEO of MCAG. "Now, through close and successful collaboration with Bayer in the animal health sector, we …
PetFirst Pet Insurance launches revamped websiteJuly 6, 2018PetFirst Pet Insurance has launched a redesigned website, which the company says offers easier navigation and a more customer-focused interface. "We wanted to focus on the customer and making sure their experience as easy as possible, regardless if it was buying a policy, acting on an existing one, or using our customer service tools," said Katie Blakeley, CEO of PetFirst. The company's updated website includes a new policy quoting tool, as well as detailed customer reviews and links to resources for animal health recommendations, breed guides, and more. Pet insurance is a continuously growing industry. At year-end 2017, nearly 2.07 million pets were insured across North America, representing an increase of 16.8 percent from 2016, reports the North American Pet Insurance Association.
Four steps to improved veterinary client complianceJuly 6, 2018Approaching veterinary client compliance is a multipronged process that includes determining who your client is, assessing your team, assessing the practice, and more. As a veterinary practice management consultant, I regularly meet veterinary professionals who struggle with client compliance. Why won't they accept our recommendations? Why don't they get it? How can I make them understand? They just don't want to pay. These are all common problems I am asked to help solve. Determine who your client is Before you attempt to increase client compliance, you have to figure out who your clients are. What does your target audience look like? What demographic are you serving? How does that compare to the mission and goal of the practice? If there is a disconnect between the type of pet owner coming in to your practice and what your practice is trying to deliver, success is going to be harder to achieve. Assess your team The second part of increasing client compliance is having a team that is well trained in interpersonal skills, communication styles, and fostering relationships with clients, pets, and each other. Creating a supportive culture and fostering comradery are the first two steps to having team members who …
Supreme Court ruling gives veterinarians victory over online retailersJuly 3, 2018The U.S. Supreme Court made a major ruling in favor of veterinarians and other brick-and-mortar businesses last month, allowing states to require online retailers to collect sales tax. A 1992 Supreme Court ruling does not require online retailers to collect sales tax unless they have a physical presence in-state, giving them an unintended tax loophole and providing an unfair tax advantage of up to 10 percent over brick-and-mortar operations. Many veterinary practices offer a range of products to clients; however, veterinarians, like other small, local business owners, must collect sales tax on those products. Last month's ruling, issued in the case of South Dakota v. Wayfair, is a first step in ending that disadvantage. The ruling allows—but does not require—states to begin having online retailers collect and remit sales tax in the same way that brick-and-mortar businesses already do. The AVMA asked the court to take this position in legal briefs filed twice in the past year. Laws will still vary by state, and Congressional action is likely needed to set a tax collection framework.
Million Cat Challenge receives $2.5M grant from Maddie's FundJuly 3, 2018Maddie's Fund, a national nonprofit that supports the status and well-being of companion animals, is granting more than $2.5 million to support the Million Cat Challenge as it expands to into its next phase of animal lifesaving in shelters across North America. The challenge, a campaign to save the lives of one million shelter cats, met its goal one year early, thanks to the grant. The next stages of the challenge will focus on communities where cats are still at risk and helping to make lifesaving the norm across shelters through its five key initiatives: alternatives to intake, removing barriers to adoption, managed admission, return to field, and capacity for care. "The challenge has revolutionized animal sheltering for cats," said Mary Ippoliti-Smith, Maddie's Fund executive leadership team. "Moving forward, initiatives such as making adoptions easier and managing the admission of cats to match the shelter's ability to assure humane care will become everyday practices for all animals in shelters." "One of the great benefits of the Million Cat Challenge was that it taught us how much progress was truly possible," said Challenge co-founder Kate Hurley, DVM, of the University of California, Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program. …
Henry Schein launches new AVImark, ImproMed PMS versionsJuly 3, 2018Henry Schein Veterinary Solutions, a provider of practice management software programs, has launched new versions of its AVImark and ImproMed platforms. Based on feedback from veterinary professionals, the new versions "enhance the visibility of patient diagnostic information and improve the user experience and platform functionality," said the company in a statement. Among the new features is AXIS-Q LENS, a cloud-based open system that gathers trended diagnostics results from multiple point-of-care instruments or reference laboratories connected through Henry Schein's practice management software systems. This open architecture allows practices to use preferred diagnostic instruments and reference laboratories, as well as change equipment without losing patients' diagnostic histories. "The new AXIS-Q LENS is an excellent tool to help doctors see trending test results for patients," said Roger Riel, practice manager of Companion Pet Clinic in Klamath Falls, Oregon. "It gives you quick results and allows you to compare previous test values with current ones, even when the test results were imported from an outside lab. You are even able to filter the results down to just the abnormal values or pick and choose the tests you want to compare, making it easy to see only those specific values you …
