3-Strain Avian Flu Vaccine on HorizonMarch 3, 2016Kansas State University researchers have produced an avian influenza vaccine they think could be administered in water, eliminating the need to immunize poultry one at a time by hand. The vaccine, called NDV-H5Nx, also might be used on eggs to inoculate chicks before they hatch. The discovery has the potential to save poultry producers billions of dollars in both time and inventory. An estimated 50 million U.S. chickens and turkeys died or were destroyed in 2015 during an outbreak of the H3N2 influenza strain. The KSU vaccine, developed with the assistance of microbiologist Adolfo García-Sastre, Ph.D., of New York’s Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, was found to protect against the H5N1, H5N2 and H5N8 strains. “The vaccine we produced is a live vaccine, which means it replicates in birds,” said Jürgen Richt, DVM, Ph.D., a Regents distinguished professor in KSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “Because it’s live,” Dr. Richt said, “we believe that the vaccine could be sprayed into the air or put in the water supply so that when the chickens need a drink, they could be vaccinated. A poultry farm could vaccinate all of its birds in a single …
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Meet the VPN Team at WVC!March 3, 2016Are you going to the Western Veterinary Conference starting March 6? Come check out the Veterinary Practice News booth, #2236. The Veterinary Practice News team will be in attendance, so say hi if you see us at the booth or on the floor! So who are we? Veterinary practice news From left to right: Ken Niedziela, Jessica Pineda, Susan Roark, Bill Rauch and Peter Badeau. News Editor: Ken Niedziela Managing Web Editor: Jessica Pineda Chief Sales Officer: Susan Roark Account Executive: Bill Rauch Advertising Direct: Peter Badeau Feel free to tweet us at @VPNwebed (Jessica) and @VetPetNews (Ken). You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Hope to see you there! WVC The Veterinary Practice News booth is #2236.
Veterinarian Proves It: Cats See Better in the DarkMarch 3, 2016No surprises here: Cats see way better in the dark. But Liz Bonnin, host of the BBC show “Cats v Dogs: Which is Best?” wanted to find out how much better they could see, and put together a test with the help of a local veterinary college. Bonnin went to the Royal Veterinary College in the United Kingdom to talk to Rich F. Sanchez, DVM, CertVOphthal, DipECVO, FHEA, MRCVS. Dr. Sanchez is a senior ophthalmologist and a Lecturer of the Ophthalmology Service at the college. He created a maze for his test subjects — a dog named Fen and a cat named Oedipus — that they would have to navigate in complete darkness. Once they reach the end, they get a food reward. It ends up taking Fen 43 seconds to get through the maze, being guided by the voice of his owners. Oediupus, however, takes 5 seconds. Watch it here: You may know why cats see so well in the dark, but do your clients? Give them this fun tidbit from the Catster.com article, “Four Cool Facts About Your Cat’s Eyes:” Our feline friends can see well …
UW-Madison Wins Statewide Healthcare CompetitionMarch 3, 2016Second-year veterinary student Frances Goglio at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was part of a team that recently won first place in the 2016 Interprofessional Healthcare Case Competition. The annual event, hosted by the Wisconsin Area Health Education Centers, invites students from any Wisconsin college/university to compete in a case competition, which is designed to demonstrate the complexity of the healthcare delivery system and the value of collaboration between healthcare professionals. Teams need to comprise of four to five students from any health professions degree or discipline and include at least three different degrees/professions represented in each team. Goglio’s team included Paria Sanaty Sadeh (pharmacy), Hillary Kirking (nursing), Torie Grover (pharmacy) and Justin Meyers (medicine). They won $3,000 for taking first place. First-year veterinary student Laurel Myers was part of a second-place UW-Madison team that received $2,000. Her team included Amber Facktor (nursing), Allison Tutkowski (nursing), Kate Berlin (pharmacy), Marnie Janson (pharmacy) and Pamela McGranahan (team advisor).
Mediation Next for Vet Who Bragged of Killing CatMarch 2, 2016The disciplinary case against Texas veterinarian Kristen Lindsey, DVM, who admitted using a bow and arrow to kill an outdoor cat, is headed to mediation. Catherine Egan, the administrative law judge who was scheduled to hold a hearing March 8 on the state’s attempt to revoke Dr. Lindsey’s veterinary license, referred the case to fellow judge Howard Seitzman, who will preside over a mediation period potentially lasting until April 20. Egan’s order was co-signed by another administrative law judge after a prehearing conference Tuesday. The hearing was postponed indefinitely pending the mediation. Lindsey’s lawyer, Brian Bishop, commented briefly on the change of direction. “Dr. Lindsey and I look forward to mediation and we are hopeful that we can resolve everything, and everybody move forward,” Bishop said. A spokeswoman for the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners stated only: “The matter is headed to mediation, and at this time we do not have any comment.” The case exploded in April 2015 after Lindsey posted news of the killing on her Facebook page. An accompanying photo showed Lindsey holding an arrow aloft, the cat impaled between the eyes. One of her comments was: “My first bow kill … lol. The only …
Check Out This Red Panda’s Visit to the VeterinarianMarch 2, 2016When you’re a red panda living at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo in Canada, you have to get a veterinary checkup. Staff from the zoo took the male red panda, named Phoenix, to Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada for his exam. His eyes were checked, as were his teeth (there was a small fracture) and bones. X-rays, ultrasounds and blood tests were conducted, as well as a small art project of sorts at the end (Phoenix’s paws were painted and placed on canvas for study and fundraising purposes). Phoenix was not awake during the visit to reduce the risk to the veterinarians conducting the exam. Luckily, Phoenix’s trip to the vet was filmed: </center> According to the YouTube description, the exam was filmed for educational purposes and provides benefits “from teaching skills to veterinary students for their future careers to showing school students how in-depth an annual physical examination for a wild animal is.” As Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo manager John Moran says in the video, the visit was also a learning experience for the veterinarians. “It contributes …
Veterinarian Wants to Help Cat Who is Allergic to Her TeethMarch 1, 2016Veterinarians understand the importance of dental care for pets, as well as the frustration that sometimes accompanies it — both from a client and doctor point of view — when the client just can’t afford the necessary procedure for their pet. When Amy Laws, DVM, came across Sassy, she was met with that exact frustration. Sassy is a 3-year-old cat with Feline Lymphocytic Plasmacytic Stomatitis, KAIT reports. The chronic allergy to tartar buildup is causing the cat excruciating pain. Dr. Laws, along with other staff at the Harrisburg Veterinary Clinic in Harrisburg, Ark., posted on the clinic’s Facebook page that they “have been doing pain medication, antibiotics and cold laser therapy to help keep the pain at bay, but it is not helping anymore.” “With any little bit of bacteria, her mouth reacts to it and she gets ulcers and then the ulcers get bigger,” Dr. Laws told KAIT. “Every time she closes her mouth she chews on the inside of her cheeks and so they are raw and bleeding.” The Harrisburg Veterinary Clinic Facebook post added that “the insides of her cheeks look like ground …
Auburn University Welcomes Theriogenology ResidentMarch 1, 2016Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine recently welcomed its second theriogenology resident, Carla Barstow, DVM. Dr. Barstow was named recipient of the American Kennel Club/Theriogenology Foundation Companion Animal Residency in Theriogenology in late February. “We are very excited to not only have this residency position, but also to have Dr. Barstow,” said Robyn Wilborn, DVM, Dipl. ACT, a faculty clinician in the Theriogenology Service, one of several faculty members who will mentor Dr. Barstow while at Auburn. “Dr. Barstow has extensive experience in the dog show arena and has so much to offer our clients.” After receiving her veterinary degree from the University of Minnesota, Barstow entered private practice in Florida. The practice emphasized reproduction, and encouraged Dr. Barstow to expand her theriogenology training, according to Auburn University. This is Auburn’s second resident to be fully funded by the AKC/AKC Canine Health Foundation. “We believe this speaks to the international reputation the college has in the reproduction field as well as our commitment to companion animal theriogenology,” Dr. Wilborn said.
Veterinary Dentist Gives Dog Braces and It's Just Too CuteFebruary 29, 2016“When people hear that Dr. Moore is a ‘doggie dentist,’ they immediately say things like: ‘What? Does he put braces on dogs, too?’” Harborfront Hospital for Animals in Spring Lake, Minn., wrote on its Facebook page. “The answer is yes. Yes, he does.” He also does root canals and oral surgery. James Moore, DVM, recently placed braces on his “grand dog,” Wesley. While braces are often for aesthetic purposes in humans, for dogs they’re because of health issues. Wesley’s adult teeth grew in misaligned, so much so that he couldn’t close his mouth completely, Harborfront Hospital for Animals continued in its Facebook post. Rather than let him continue to have trouble eating, the solution, of course, was simple: braces. Posted by Harborfront Hospital for Animals on Friday, February 26, 2016 Though often uncomfortable for humans, Harborfront Hospital for Animals reported that having braces “doesn’t bother him one little bit… He’s a happy little guy.” Posted by Harborfront Hospital for Animals on Friday, February 26, 2016 Wesley will only have to wear the braces for a few weeks.
Veterinary Assistant Comforts Scared Puppy in the Sweetest Way PossibleFebruary 29, 2016Surgery can be a scary thing. We panic, our bodies shake, we may worry we won’t wake from the anesthesia. But what’s it like for pets? While they don’t know they’re about to have surgery, they do feel the aftereffects of it, including pain or discomfort or the odd feeling of coming off the anesthesia. As veterinary professionals, what do you do in those situations? If you’re Dennis Moses, a surgical assistant at the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), you take the dog in your arms and comfort her. “Baby Meesha was coming off her anesthesia and was a little scared because her body felt so weird,” BARCS posted on Facebook. Moses took Meesha in the hallway, where it was quiet. As the pit bull mix puppy whimpered, Moses rocked her, sang to her and kissed her head. The sweet, touching moment was captured on video by a BARCS volunteer. Watch: Baby Meesha was coming off her anesthesia and was a little scared because her body felt so weird. BARCS Surgical Assistant Dennis Moses took her out into the quiet hallway to comfort her. One of …
