Kern County and Bakersfield On Lookout for VeterinariansApril 4, 2016Kern County in California, and one of its cities, Bakersfield, is on the lookout for veterinarians ... but aren't having much luck filling the positions. According to The Bakersfield Californian, Kern County Animal Services and Bakersfield Animal Care Center are offering veterinarians' salaries that range from $75,000 to $100,000, plus benefits. Despite advertising in several publications, only one application has come in. They have even gotten help from the director of UC Davis's shelter medicine program, Kate Hurley, who posted the position on the university website as well as on her own website. The city and county work with local, private veterinarians for their animal care needs. However, in Bakersfield's case, the city wants someone who can implement new programs, such as spay-and-neuter campaigns. For Kern County, they are looking for someone similar. “I’m looking for someone who is looking to change Kern County, someone who wants to make a difference,” Kern County Animal Services Director Nick Cullen told the The Bakersfield Californian. “It needs to be the right person. I don’t know who that is. But I’ll know it when I see it ... They'll have the ability to set the tone for …
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Colorado's PetCheck Offers Free Wellness Exams to Low Income Pet OwnersApril 4, 2016Live in Colorado and know someone who can't afford veterinary care for their pet? On April 9 and 10, the annual PetCheck in Colorado will provide free wellness exams for dogs and cats across several Colorado cities. This is in thanks to a partnership between 9NEWS, KOAA News 5, the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and more than 60 veterinary clinics. The annual event is 5 years old. According to the CVMA: "Each year, CVMA partners with 9News to bring the 9PetCheck to Colorado. CVMA member veterinarians generously donate their time and open their clinics to provide free wellness exams and rabies vaccinations to pet owners across the state who are facing economic adversity. The event not only helps give back to local communities, it provides an unparalleled opportunity to underscore the importance of preventive pet healthcare as well as the veterinarian’s crucial role in public health protection. The coverage 9News provides – before, during, and after the event – puts veterinarians on the air and in the public spotlight in a way we’ve only been able to dream about! People are asked to call Monday, April 4th between 4 to 8 central time to schedule an appointment. Only owners …
Merck Animal Health, AVMF, Announce Scholarship WinnersApril 4, 2016Merck Animal Health and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) have announced the recipients of the 2016 Merck Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Program. Thirty-four second- and third-year veterinary students from around the world each received a $5,000 scholarship. “As a company rooted in science, we recognize and value the vital role veterinarians play in our world,” said Scott Bormann, vice president of Merck Animal Health, North America. “Veterinary students’ future success is dependent on the educational foundation that we help them build. The support we offer now will not only benefit them, but also the animals and people they will impact during their careers. Merck Animal Health is proud to help support these deserving students in their educational pursuits.” AVMF, the charitable arm of the American Veterinary Medical Association, has a 53-year history of supporting veterinary students to help offset the financial burdens that accompany veterinary medical education. “The AVMF is devoted to ensuring the future of veterinary medicine by identifying and supporting remarkable students,” said Deborah Harp, CFRE, AVMF executive director. “We are honored to partner with Merck Animal Health to support these veterinary students with their education, as …
Vet Assistant Saves Choking German ShepherdApril 1, 2016A veterinary assistant is being called a hero after he saved a choking German shepherd. German Shepherd Nadia was out playing fetch with her owners when she swallowed the ball. When she passed out, her owners rushed her to the Fort Smith Animal Emergency Clinic in Fort Smith, Ark. Veterinary Assistant Justin Rouse, just arriving to start his shift, met them in the parking lot. “I saw some emergency flashers on their SUV and the back hatch was opened up, so I pulled in real quick, and I saw their dog kind of, I could see that it was kind of laying there, you know, it was lifeless,” Rouse told 5News. Rouse realized that the ball was still in the dog's throat. “I could feel the ball, so I pushed behind it and pushed up, and it lodged it out,” he said to 5News. After that, he took Nadia into the clinic for oxygen. When Nadia came to, aside from an irritated throat, she was fine. Nadia's owners were shocked and "mind-blown," according to 5News. Rouse said in his eight years working at the clinic, this was the …
Sea Turtle Undergoes Hyperbaric TherapyApril 1, 2016A sea turtle is claiming the No. 1 spot as the first nonhuman to be treated in the United States in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle. Veterinarians are hoping to compress internal gas bubbles that are keeping the turtle from diving and staying underwater. According to the Seattle Aquarium: “The 70-pound olive ridley sea turtle, named Tucker by aquarium staff who have cared for him since December, is undergoing tests at the Seattle Aquarium this week to determine if ridley sea turtle, named Tucker by aquarium staff who have cared for him since December, is undergoing tests at the Seattle Aquarium this week to determine if hyperbaric therapy—which involved breathing 100 percent oxygen for about 2 ½ hours—corrected his buoyancy problem. The turtle cannot be safely released back into the Pacific Ocean until he is able to dive normally, which is important for him to find food and avoid predators and other threats, such as boats.” Virginia Mason, Seattle Aquarium partner to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy to help rescued sea turtle recover. It is believed to be the …
ConsumerAffairs, VETgirl's Justine Lee Partner Up to Create Dog Dangerous Foods ToolApril 1, 2016ConsumerAffairs.com has released an interactive tool for pet owners, which shows what happens in a dog’s body when it consumes 10 of the most dangerous (or thought to be dangerous) foods. It also covers when pet owners shouldn’t be concerned, and when they should call the veterinarian. The free tool was built by ConsumerAffairs research team with the help from VETgirl founder and CEO, Dr. Justine Lee. Lee is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care and a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology. The foods covered include some of the following: Chocolate Chewing gum Grapes Moldy food Bread dough Macadamia nuts Coffee beans The tool was created using guidelines from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Dr. Lee worked closely with the ASPCA, and was able to get great information from them. “The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is the oldest and most well-respected animal poison control centers in the world,” Dr. Lee said. “It was founded back in 1978 and is the only non-profit animal poison control center in North America. It is …
Virginia-Maryland Steps in to Fund Lifesaving SurgeryApril 1, 2016Mary Lou would have been euthanized had it not been for the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, which not only accepted the 8-week-old mixed-breed puppy as a patient but underwrote the full cost of her surgery and care through the Compassionate Care Fund. The situation was bleak when Mary Lou was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Blacksburg, Va. Her jaw had been fractured on one side and pulverized on the other when a cow stepped on her. Mary Lou was referred by a humane society in Summers County, W.Va., which likely would have had to euthanize her had Virginia-Maryland not intervened, said volunteer Beth Vuolo. Mary Lou made it through surgery and was adopted after she recuperated. The Compassionate Care Fund is used hundreds of times a year to help injured animals like Mary Lou. Donations help pay for surgery and other expensive treatments for animals whose owners are unknown or unable to pay. The Veterinary Teaching Hospital provides $70,000 to $80,000 in aid every year. Animal lover Garnett Smith is one of the fund’s biggest donors. “I just wanted to make sure if someone had love …
Texas Vet College to Offer Voyce Pro Wellness Monitoring ProgramApril 1, 2016Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences will begin offering the Voyce Pro Wellness Monitoring Program to all patients beginning in April. This will be the first veterinary college and teaching hospital to offer the technology, created by i4C Innovations Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Intersections Inc. Voyce Pro enables remote observation of canine patients’ biometric data, including resting heart and respiratory rates, intensity of activity, quality of rest and calories burned. The data will be used to drive better patient health and practice outcomes, according to the company and college. “As an organization, we strive to shape tomorrow’s veterinarians while providing our clients an unmatched patient experience, and integrating the latest advancements in veterinary medicine and technology is essential to our success,” said Eleanor M. Green, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ABVP, the Carl B. King dean for veterinary medicine at the college. “We look forward to incorporating Voyce Pro into our hospital and benefitting from the remote monitoring and objective data provided by this exciting new program.” The partnership between Voyce and the college developed as a result of the …
Merck Unveils Diabetes AppMarch 31, 2016Merck Animal Health is throwing a bone to U.S. pet owners and the hundreds of thousands of diabetic dogs and cats by offering the free Pet Diabetes Tracker app. “To help ensure the longterm health and well-being of a pet, successfully managing the various facets of the disease and treatments is critical,” said Madeleine Stahl, DVM, associate director of scientific marketing affairs at the Madison, N.J., veterinary drug maker. The Pet Diabetes Tracker enables owners to use a smartphone or tablet computer to input daily information, such as blood glucose levels, food and water intake, body condition and weight—all factors in keeping a pet’s diabetes in check. The app also allows the pet owner to track insulin dosages, set reminders for when to re-administer doses or reorder insulin, and send status reports directly to the veterinarian. Merck Animal Health. Screenshot of app. “I think pet owners, especially those with a newly diagnosed pet, will find this app an incredibly useful tool because it puts all the pertinent diabetic health information at their fingertips,” Dr. Stahl said. The app may be downloaded from
Kindred Hopeful of Potential for Equine, Feline DrugsMarch 31, 2016Kindred Biosciences Inc. is pushing to bring two new drugs to market: Zimeta (dipyrone injection), for treating fever in horses, and KIND-010, for weight management in cats. The Burlingame, Calif., company announced the filing of the effectiveness section as part of Zimeta’s New Animal Drug Application (NADA). All remaining technical sections were expected to be submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by the end of March. It’s potentially good news for equine practitioners. “Dipyrone will be very familiar to seasoned veterinarians,” said Peter Morresey, BVSc, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACT, a veterinarian with Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky. “While never approved in the United States, dipyrone enjoyed widespread usage for control of fever and pain before withdrawal from the market in 1995. “If approved, it will be available again in the United States in an FDA-approved formulation,” Dr. Morresey added. In other news, a field test using 32 cats showed the effectiveness and safety of KIND-010 for the stimulation of weight gain in cats under clinical conditions. At the second week of the field study, the mean weight of …
