Oregon CVM resumes normal operations after EHV-1 caseDecember 1, 2017Three weeks after diagnosing a horse with a form of equine herpes virus (EHV-1) and suspending all elective surgical and medical services for horses and camelids, the Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine has resumed normal operations. EHV-1 is a naturally occurring virus that can cause serious neurologic illness in horses. "There was no transmission of the virus to other horses within or outside of the hospital, so we are lifting quarantine and returning to normal operations effective immediately," said Erica McKenzie, professor of large animal internal medicine. "The college thanks everyone for their patience and assistance during the quarantine period." EHV-1 can cause abortion in pregnant mares, which should be kept away from horses showing signs of the disease and also kept away from horses that have been in contact with exposed animals. Although a vaccine exists for EHV-1, it does not prevent infection and is not known to prevent clinical signs of neurologic disease related to the neurotropic form. "Horse owners should be aware that although EHV-1 is not transmissible to humans, people can spread the virus on their hands and clothing to horses, alpacas or llamas if they are in contact with an infected horse," McKenzie …
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What to do about growing stress in the veterinary professionNovember 30, 2017 Stress is an all-pervasive phenomenon in modern day societies and various professions, but the veterinary discipline suffers from the negative effects of stress and its sequelae at a troublingly disproportionate rate. A recent report, written by Richard W. Kim and his colleagues at the DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, Center for Animal and Human Health at Lincoln Memorial University, and School of Public Health at Jackson State University, published in the November 2017 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, discusses the issue of negative stress in veterinarians and veterinary students and suggests a novel approach in combating this scourge. Pervasive problem with elusive effective change Negative stress, often called distress, is at the root of many mental health problems and dysfunctional behaviors. Surveys by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other researchers have found that veterinarians suffer two to three times the prevalence of serious mental illness and feelings of despair relative to the general population. According to a 2015 survey published by Nett et al in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, it has been reported that almost a third of veterinarians had experienced depression, with as high as …
Ehave moves to expand health informatics tech into vet medicineNovember 30, 2017Ehave Inc., a healthcare company that delivers digital solutions to the mental health community, will be expanding its business into veterinary medicine. Companion Healthcare Technologies Inc. (CHT) will license Ehave's core health informatics platform for animal health. "The veterinary healthcare market continues to undergo explosive growth marked by a drive for new medicines, diagnostics, and technologies that can elevate the quality and access to care for companion animals," said Prateek Dwivedi, CEO of Ehave. "This expansion into yet another emerging healthcare vertical exemplifies the versatility and utility of our technology and is in line with our efforts to fully leverage the flexibility of our core health informatics platform in areas where there is an opportunity to add immediate value and revenue. As the pace of innovation in animal health continues to accelerate, our platform is ideally designed to support the growth of this exciting industry. Similar to our established applications in mental health and medical cannabis, by licensing our core platform, CHT and its partners in veterinary research and clinical practice will be able to more effectively monitor, utilize, and improve therapeutic outcomes for pets by capturing and analyzing real-time, objective patient data." Under the proposed license agreement, CHT will …
FDA warns of possible bone treat dangersNovember 30, 2017U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a statement that it has received about 68 reports of pet illnesses related to processed and packaged "bone treats." A variety of commercially available bone treats for dogs—including treats described as "Ham Bones," "Pork Femur Bones," "Rib Bones," and "Smokey Knuckle Bones"—were listed in the reports. The products may be dried through a smoking process or by baking, and may contain other ingredients such as preservatives, seasonings, and smoke flavorings. "Giving your dog a bone treat might lead to an unexpected trip to your veterinarian, a possible emergency surgery, or even death for your pet," said Carmela Stamper, DVM, a veterinarian in the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the FDA. Illnesses reported Illnesses reported to FDA by owners and veterinarians in dogs that have eaten bone treats have included: Gastrointestinal obstruction (blockage in the digestive tract) Choking Cuts and wounds in the mouth or on the tonsils Vomiting Diarrhea Bleeding from the rectum Approximately 16 dogs reportedly died after eating a bone treat. The reports, sent in by pet owners and veterinarians, involved about 90 dogs (some reports included more than one dog). In addition, FDA received seven reports of product problems, …
Cornell offers alternative procedure for treating equine atrial fibrillationNovember 28, 2017Cardiologists at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine are touting a new procedure to treat atrial fibrillation (AF): transvenous electrical cardioversion (TVEC). "I'm very excited to be able to offer this procedure," said Bruce Kornreich, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, associate director of the Feline Health Center and staff cardiologist. "AF is a very common condition in horses that we're often asked to diagnose and treat. This is another tool in our toolbox to convert these patients back to a normal heart rhythm." Cornell's Equine Hospital offered TVEC until about five years ago, when the hospital could no longer purchase catheters needed for the procedure, which involves electrodes in the heart to reset its rhythm via an electric shock. Recently, the catheters came back onto the market. At around the same time, Cornell veterinary students examined On-Star, a 19-year-old mare from the Cornell Equine Park teaching herd. "The students picked up the arrhythmia, and we diagnosed it as AF," said Gillian Perkins, DVM, DACVIM, medical director of the Equine/Nemo Farm Animal Hospitals, who coordinated the procedure. For horses that don't respond well to the traditional quinidine treatment or that have had AF for several years, TVEC might be …
2017 They Ate What?! People's Choice winners namedNovember 22, 2017Earlier this year, Veterinary Practice News' panel of distinguished veterinary professionals had their chance to vote on the most odd and incomprehensive items removed from the stomachs of their clients' animal companions in the 2017 They Ate What?! X-ray contest. Now the people have spoken. As part of the annual contest, VPN invites its reader community to vote on what they think is the best rad among the year's submissions. "Turtle vs. Turtle" is the winning radiograph of the 2017 They Ate What?! People's Choice X-ray contest. "Turtle," which was a runner-up in the larger contest, was submitted by Don Harris, DVM, of Avian & Exotic AMC in Miami. Lola, a 7-kilogram tortoise, presented for inappetence and lethargy. Radiographs revealed that she had consumed a 1.5-centimeter turtle pendant of unknown origin. A flap plastronotomy was performed to remove the pendant, and Lola recovered completely. Floyd Rowe, office manager for VCA Pacific Avenue South Animal Hospital in Spanaway, Wash., is the winner of the 2017 People's Choice sweepstakes. Floyd will receive a $500 Visa gift card, courtesy of IDEXX Laboratories Inc.
Boehringer Ingelheim funds three equine research awardsNovember 22, 2017Boehringer Ingelheim has selected three research proposals to fund as part of its 2017 Advancement in Equine Research Award program. The company has given more than $470,000 to advancing the knowledge of equine infectious disease since 2011. "For the past six years, BI has supported equine research into identifying new disease treatment and prevention methods," said Steve Grubbs, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, equine technical manager at Boehringer Ingelheim. "Through this program we are committed to helping advance the understanding, diagnosis, and prevention of infectious equine diseases." The 2017 Equine Research Award recipients are: Nicola Pusterla, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, and Sharon Spier, DVM, PhD., DACVIM, University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. "Investigation of the role of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and anti-histaminic drugs on the humoral response to a commercial Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis vaccine given to naïve healthy horses." Nicola Pusterla, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. "Investigation of the Florida sublineage clade affiliation of equine influenza virus strains using novel multiplex real-time quantitative PCR in nasal secretions submitted to a diagnostic laboratory (2012-2017)." Rebecca P. Wilkes, DVM, Ph.D., DACVM, University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. "Targeted next-generation sequencing panel for detection of equine pathogens." …
Juniper Systems releases equine ultrasound reproduction solutionNovember 20, 2017Juniper Systems Inc. has announced the release of EmberEquine, a new equine ultrasound reproduction solution developed to optimize workflow. The Mesa 2 Rugged Tablet, running EmberEquine software, pairs with Draminski's 4VetJ Ultrasound to provide practitioners with everything needed to simplify mare exams and recordkeeping, according to the company. The 4VetJ allows veterinarians to record measurements directly on the ultrasound for improved accuracy and efficiency. Measured images are then sent to the Mesa 2 Rugged tablet via Wi-Fi, attached to the mare record form, and safely stored on the Mesa 2 Rugged Tablet and Microsoft Cloud for easy access. The unit offers touchscreen interface, wireless design, and all-day battery life. In addition, the EmberEquine software provides veterinarians with a powerful yet user-friendly interface for quick data entry on the Mesa 2 Rugged Tablet during each reproduction exam, the company states.
Heska introduces new veterinary analyzerNovember 20, 2017Heska Corp., a provider of veterinary diagnostic and specialty products, has announced the release of its new Element COAG Veterinary Analyzer. The compact bench-top analyzer delivers coagulation and blood typing parameters to complement the company's chemistry, hematology, immunodiagnostics blood gas, and electrolyte analyzers. Within minutes and with only 100uL of sample, Element COAG delivers accurate PT/aPTT (coagulation), canine fibrinogen, equine fibrinogen, canine DEA 1.1 blood typing, and feline A/B blood typing. The analyzer is available for purchase or under Heska's six-year Reset program.
Translational research boosted by multidisciplinary study grantsNovember 20, 2017The Clinical and Translational Science Award One Health Alliance (COHA), a national network of veterinary and medical research institutions, will continue its translational research thanks to a series of grants awarded to its member institutions. COHA aims to advance the understanding of such shared diseases as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and obesity by leveraging the expertise of veterinarians, physicians, research scientists, and professionals in related fields. The multidisciplinary approach provides novel information and new strategies to improve the health and well-being of humans, animals, and the environment. COHA institutions are supported by Clinical Translational Science Awards through the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health. The latest COHA funding will advance efforts that include developing a unified veterinary record data management system across member institutions, planning and coordinating One Health events to increase networking and communication across disciplines, expanding opportunities for clinical and translational research training for students, and advancing efforts to enhance veterinary biospecimen use. The full list of funded projects and lead institutions: Translational Research Summit 2.0. Planning and coordination of a symposium on inherited cardiomyopathies across species for human and veterinary medical professionals, as well as other research scientists (University of …
