Petrics launches smart pet bed, activity tracker, health and nutrition appJanuary 9, 2018Petrics Inc.'s new smart pet bed, activity tracker, and health and nutrition app tracks a pet's weight, activity levels, and rest periods, and offers climate control to keep pets in optimal comfort and safety within varying climates and seasons. The bed features a built-in scale and thermostatic heating and cooling, allowing the user to automatically or manually adjust the bed to the ideal temperature for each pet based on breed, environment, and geographic location. Manual adjustment can be done through the Petrics health and nutrition app or with commands to popular smart home products. The bed is available in three sizes and features a washable and replaceable cover and durable, comfortable construction. The bed pairs with the activity tracker, which tracks pets' caloric burn rate, rest levels, and other health metrics. The waterproof, wearable tracker syncs with any smartphone and features a four-month battery life. The bed and activity tracker communicate with the app to monitor and track health and nutrition data, get food and diet recommendations, and share findings with other family members, pet sitters, and veterinarians. The app offers reminders like vet appointments, when to administer or reorder pet medications, application dates for flea and tick prevention, and …
SPONSORED CONTENTOne dose protects for 12 months.One ProHeart® 12 (moxidectin) injection puts compliance in your control. + Get started
ASU awarded $6.4M grant to test preventive canine cancer vaccineJanuary 8, 2018Arizona State University (ASU) professor Stephen Albert Johnson, Ph.D., has received a $6.4 million grant from the Open Philanthropy Project to support a clinical trial of a vaccine to prevent canine cancer. The trial will involve approximately 800 middle-aged, healthy pet dogs and will test the effects of a multivalent frameshift peptide (FSP) vaccine developed at ASU that has shown promise in mouse studies. Scientists think the vaccine has potential for human use, too. "Our goal has always been that if this is possible, we should at least try it," said Johnston, director of the Biodesign Center for Innovations in Medicine and CEO of Calviri Inc., a cancer vaccine company. "Open Philanthropy was the only organization that responded to support our high-risk project, the biggest cancer intervention trial in dogs ever." Johnston and his team developed the new FSP vaccine over the past 10 years. The vaccine, already tested for efficacy in mice, is shown to be safe in dogs, according to Johnston's research. Cancer is the leading cause of death in pet dogs and their cancers are very similar to their human counterparts. Some breeds have a very high cancer rate, as much as 40 percent. The canine …
IDEXX offers Catalyst SDMA test to point-of-care customersJanuary 8, 2018IDEXX Laboratories Inc. announced that its Catalyst SDMA test will be commercially available to all North American customers on Jan. 16, enabling IDEXX's point-of-care customers to add SDMA as an essential element of the routine chemistry panel. The Catalyst SDMA test can be added to any chemistry panel on IDEXX's Catalyst One and Catalyst Dx chemistry analyzers as part of the patient sample run, with the full chemistry panel results, including SDMA, available within minutes. The company expects to bring the Catalyst SDMA test to customers beyond the U.S. and Canada over the course of the next several months. Additionally, to further explore SDMA's potential applications to human health, the company has signed a collaboration agreement with Yale University. As part of this partnership, the IDEXX SDMA test was validated for accuracy in measuring SDMA in human blood samples, and the results were presented at the 2017 annual meeting of the American Society of Nephrology last November by Yale and IDEXX researchers. Future research with Yale will focus on the clinical utility of SDMA in human patients using the validated IDEXX SDMA Test. IDEXX first launched the IDEXX SDMA test at its reference laboratories in 2015, and has run …
American Heartworm Society announces 2018 Heartworm University scheduleJanuary 5, 2018The American Heartworm Society (AHS) is redoubling efforts to bring the latest heartworm information directly to veterinarians and veterinary nurses via scientific symposia and proceedings. Heartworm University—a traveling four- to six-hour symposium taught by AHS faculty—provides practical clinical information in an interactive format that enables presenters to address specific audience concerns and questions. Course content incorporates essential disease pathophysiology, diagnostics, screening and testing, treatment protocols, prevention strategies, and pet owner counseling, while also covering issues such as heartworm incidence trends and resistance. A preliminary schedule for Heartworm University includes the following dates and venues: Tennessee VMA/Music City Conference, Feb. 25. This six-hour session, which will be taught by veterinary cardiologist Dr. Clarke Atkins, will be held in Murfreesboro, Tenn. For more information see http://tvmanet.com/music-city-veterinary-conference/. Louisiana Academy of Veterinary Practice, March 18. This six-hour session, taught by Dr. Atkins, will be held at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge, La. For more information, visit http://www.lsu.edu/vetmed/continuing_education/courses/laavp.php. Emerald Coast Veterinary Conference, June 14. This four-hour session, presented by AHS past president Dr. Stephen Jones, will be held at the Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort in Destin, Fla. For more information see http://emeraldcoastvc.com. …
ACVIM Foundation dissolves, gives funds to MAFJanuary 4, 2018 The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Foundation, as part of its planned dissolution, has selected Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) to receive its remaining funds to invest in animal health research. "We believe that partnering with Morris Animal Foundation is the best way to see execution on the ACVIM Foundation's mission," said Linda Fineman, DVM, DACVIM, president of the ACVIM Foundation. "Through a named fund at Morris Animal Foundation, we will continue to improve the health of animals worldwide." The ACVIM board of regents previously voted to dissolve the ACVIM Foundation on a recommendation from the foundation's board of directors. A transition task force was created to oversee distribution of remaining funds. Morris Animal Foundation has established the ACVIM Fund, while the ACVIM plans to support MAF by sharing MAF research findings with veterinary audiences. "We look forward to working collaboratively with ACVIM to use these funds in a manner that will best advance veterinary medicine and improve animal health and well-being," said John Reddington, DVM, Ph.D., president and CEO of MAF. The ACVIM Foundation has distributed remaining funds totaling nearly $424,000 to MAF. Grants awarded with these funds will recognize …
Henry Schein helps raise $10K for AAEP's 'Collegiate Challenge'January 4, 2018Henry Schein Animal Health, the U.S. animal health business of Henry Schein Inc., recently led a fundraising effort that raised $10,000 for the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation in support of its educational programming for the next generation of equine veterinary professionals. Jeannie Jeffery, national director of equine sales for Henry Schein Animal Health, presented the check to Richard Mitchell, DVM, AAEP Foundation chairman, at the 63nd annual AAEP Convention held in San Antonio. Henry Schein joined supplier partners Zoetis, Neogen, and Rood & Riddle to support the AAEP Foundation's "Collegiate Challenge," an initiative that encouraged convention attendees to make donations that support the following AAEP programs: student chapter activity; courses in dentistry, podiatry, and horses handling; and continuing education programs. Henry Schein and its supplier partners matched convention attendee donations up to a total donation of $10,000. Combined with Henry Schein and its partners' donation, the AAEP Foundation raised more than $24,000 through the "Collegiate Challenge." "We extend a heartfelt thank you to all who donated during the convention to the 'Collegiate Challenge'," Dr. Mitchell said. "The incredible match made by our friends at Henry Schein, Zoetis, Neogen, and Rood & Riddle will allow our foundation to continue …
Hydrocephalic fur seal undergoes brain surgery at TuftsDecember 28, 2017A neurosurgical team at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University has successfully performed a first-of-its-kind brain surgery on a female adult Northern fur seal in an attempt to address her worsening neurologic condition. Ziggy Star is recovering well at her permanent home at Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Conn. Ziggy was first seen at the Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals at Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University in September for a progressive condition that was causing severe neurologic episodes, difficulty moving, reduced training response, and cluster seizures. An MRI revealed an accumulation of cerebral spinal fluid in the brain—hydrocephalus. Mystic Aquarium took in Ziggy approximately four years ago after she was found stranded on the California coast and deemed non-releasable by the federal government. At the time, she had an MRI that showed some neurologic abnormalities. She received treatment, but her symptoms continued to progress at a concerning rate, with the seizures emerging more recently. "The MRI taken recently by our team showed that the brain was disappearing due to the excess fluid, and it was significantly worse than the last study four years ago," said Ane Uriarte, DVM, Diplomate of the European College of …
HoofSearch offers vets, farriers latest hoof science literature, researchDecember 22, 2017HoofSearch, a new project from Hoofcare Publishing, in Gloucester, Mass., is a monthly guide document indexing new peer-reviewed research, academic papers, conference proceedings, and patents covering hoof science, equine lameness, biomechanics, imaging, and related topics like equine metabolic syndrome, footing studies, and racing, breed, and sport-specific lameness research all in one interactive document, available 24/7 across all of a subscriber's web-connected devices. Approximately 100 linked listings from 20 or more countries each month connect registered users to all points of the equine veterinary medicine/science publishing compass. Subscribers can browse the list passively for general awareness or actively click through to journal pages for more options. The index contains peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceeding abstracts, master's and doctorate theses, and international patent announcements. Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital's Podiatry Clinic in Lexington, Ky., was an early adopter. "We all have HoofSearch available on our phones and laptops, said Scott Morrison, DVM, at Rood and Riddle. "We use it to keep up to date on all the developments in our field; it really is a great resource for all of us." Massachusetts publisher Fran Jurga developed HoofSearch after listening to veterinarians' frustrations with online search systems and farriers' complaints about not …
AAVMC announces 2018 award honoreesDecember 22, 2017The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) has announced the recipients of four awards that recognize professional excellence, achievement, and service in academic veterinary medicine. The awards will be officially presented during the AAVMC's 2018 Annual Conference and Assembly, which will be held March 2-4, 2018 at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C. Jennifer Hodgson, BVSc, Ph.D., MRCVS, DACVM, from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine received the 2017 AAVMC Distinguished Teacher Award. The award recognizes excellence in professional veterinary medical education and is presented to an educator whose sustained record of teaching excellence and ability, dedication, character, and leadership has contributed significantly to the advancement of the profession. In her role as associate dean for professional programs, Dr. Hodgson is responsible for all academic and student affairs relating to Virginia-Maryland's Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program, and teaches bacteriology and mycology in the DVM curriculum. Colin Parrish, Ph.D., the John M. Olin Professor of Virology at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, received the 2018 AAVMC Excellence in Research Award. The honor designates Dr. Parrish as the outstanding veterinary medical researcher of the year and recognizes his demonstrated excellence in original research, leadership in …
Zomedica, Celsee Inc. partner to deliver cancer liquid biopsy platformDecember 21, 2017Zomedica Pharmaceuticals Corp. has entered into a license and supply agreement with Celsee Inc., an innovator of progressive rare cell capture, characterization, and retrieval products in the emerging field of liquid biopsy. Under the terms of the agreement, Zomedica will have animal health exclusive global rights to develop and market Celsee's liquid biopsy platform for use by veterinarians as a cancer diagnostic. A liquid biopsy is a blood test with the potential to detect the presence of circulating tumor cells in the blood. Circulating tumor cells (CTC) are shed from a primary tumor into neighboring blood vessels and are transported throughout the body's circulatory system. The detection of CTCs in the blood could indicate a cancer diagnosis without the need for an invasive tissue biopsy, according to Zomedica. "Liquid biopsy is cutting-edge technology in human medicine right now and we're excited about the opportunity to develop and market this platform for use in veterinary medicine," stated Gerald Solensky, Jr., CEO at Zomedica. "We selected the Celsee platform because of the ease of use, workflow simplicity, and flexibility to use our novel canine biomarkers. If we successfully develop Celsee's technology, we believe we will be able to …
