New York Weighs New Limits On Pet TradeApril 21, 2014 Legislation winding through the New York City Council would require the sterilization of rabbits and guinea pigs before sale and prohibit the purchase of cats and dogs produced at so-called puppy and kitten mills. The proposed laws, which are scheduled to go before the Committee on Health during a public hearing April 30, would impose unreasonable burdens on pet stores, according to the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council. "At the end of the day, what we're seeing is a very clear program of the testing of legislative efforts that - restrict the sale of animals through pet stores," said Mike Bober, PIJAC's vice president of government affairs. The committee will consider four proposed pet laws April 30: 55: Would prohibit the sale of puppies and kittens obtained from high-volume breeders. 73: Would update the definition of a pet shop. 136: Would require the spaying or neutering of cats, dogs, rabbits and guinea pigs sold at pet shops. 146: Would mandate the implantation of microchips in cats and dogs sold at pet shops. The committee may alter, approve or reject legislation brought before it. The final …
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USDA Requires Monitoring Of Deadly Pig VirusApril 18, 2014 The U.S. Department of Agriculture today enlisted swine veterinarians to further assist in the tracking of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv), which has devastated pig farms in up to 30 states. New USDA guidelines mandate the reporting of PEDv cases and documenting the movement of pigs, vehicles and other equipment that leave farms and other places where the disease has been found. PEDv and the newly identified Swine Delta Coronavirus reportedly have killed at least 4 million swine, mostly piglets, in the United States and Canada since PEDv emerged in May 2013. The diseases pose no threat to people or pork products, authorities stated. "USDA has been working closely with the pork industry and our state and federal partners to solve this problem," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. "Together, we have established testing protocols, sequenced the virus and are investigating how the virus is transmitted. "Today's actions will help identify gaps in biosecurity and help us as we work together to stop the spread of these diseases and the damage caused to producers, industry and, ultimately, consumers," he added. The monitoring and control program is a work in progress. USDA …
Help Wanted: Reality Show VeterinarianApril 18, 2014 Veterinarians with a thirst for excitement, the unknown and no privacy whatsoever may find what they're looking for in a new reality TV show from Fox. "Utopia," which is scheduled to debut in September, will take 15 people of different skill sets, place them in a remote location with few amenities, allow them to create their own civilization, and document how they survive and interact. Producers want a veterinarian to take part because animals likely will be living alongside the humans. Any veterinarian looking to schedule a two-week vacation so she can appear on the show is out of luck. The taping is expected to last one year. Who qualifies? Any U.S. citizen or legal resident at least 21 years old. "We are not necessarily looking for someone who is tall, dark and handsome," said Gretchen Miller, who works for The Conlin Co., a Los Angeles casting agency. "Their passion in what they do is what's important." "Utopia" is based on a popular Dutch show currently in production. …
Veterinarians Rank No. 51 On Job ListApril 18, 2014 Veterinarians know math, and they educate pet owners and clinic staff. But vets aren't mathematicians or tenured university professors - the top two occupations on CareerCast's 2014 Jobs Rated Report. The annual rankings, released Tuesday, placed being a veterinarian at No. 51 out of 200 jobs, just behind a loan officer but ahead of a court reporter. CareerCast, a Carlsbad, Calif., job search portal, weighed a number of factors in the calculations. A job's work environment, including emotional and physical demands, was considered along with income, stress and the future job market. Compared with dentists, who placed 61st, veterinarians enjoy a slightly better work environment and less stress but face a worse hiring outlook and much less pay: a median of $84,460 versus $146,340. Elsewhere in the medical world, optometrists came in at No. 14, orthodontists at No. 48, psychiatrists at No. 49 and general-practice physicians at No. 78. Mathematicians have it good, said Tony Lee, CareerCast's publisher. "In today's data-driven economy, math skills unlock a world of career opportunities," he said. Veterinary technicians …
Nexvet Biopharma Builds Drug-Development FundApril 17, 2014Investors poured $31.5 million into the coffers of veterinary drug developer Nexvet Biopharma, an Australian company that is researching medications that could be used to treat feline and canine pain and canine atopic dermatitis. The closing of the Series B, or second, round of financing was announced Wednesday. The proceeds are intended to assist Nexvet's work on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), or identical copies of antibodies, and expand the company's product line and U.S. operations. In development are drugs code-named NV-01, NV-02 and NV-06/08. They are designed to treat, respectively, canine pain, feline pain and chronic inflammatory diseases in dogs, such as atopic dermatitis. Pivotal trials are scheduled over the next 18 months for all three indications. A placebo-controlled study of a single injection of NV-01 in osteoarthritic dogs demonstrated four weeks of sustained pain relief and no adverse events, the company reported. Addressing shareholders and new investors, Nexvet CEO Mark Heffernan said the funding “serves as a major milestone, allowing us to expand our research and development team and greatly aiding our work to make mAbs available for the global companion animal health market, where there remains a large unmet medical need.” Nexvet’s proprietary PETisation platform technology translates monoclonal antibodies …
Cancer-fighting Virtual Pet Walk Set For June 22April 17, 2014 Pet owners are being encouraged to step outside and go for a walk June 22. Money collected from the Unite to Fight Virtual Pet Walk will help fund cancer research projects selected by Morris Animal Foundation. The Denver nonprofit organization since 1950 has supported more than 2,000 studies of health issues involving animals. The Pet Walk is a personal undertaking, meaning individuals or groups may walk anytime June 22, pledge money and ask friends and family members to contribute to the cause. Participants may register at unitetofight.morrisanimalfoundation.org. The website keeps a running tally of the money raised, and a map shows where walks are planned. The event is part of Morris Unite to Fight Pet Cancer Campaign, which was launched today and aims to raise $250,000 within six months. The organizers set a $100,000 goal for the walk alone. The campaign has a celebrity endorser: Dos Equis beer spokesman Jonathan Goldsmith, whom commercials deem "the most interesting man in the world." "Too many families, mine included, have lived through the heartbreak of …
New BRD Vaccine Fights Viruses, BacteriaApril 15, 2014 A two-part vaccine designed to defeat bovine respiratory disease, a deadly condition that costs U.S. cattle producers up to $900 million a year, has received U.S. Department of Agriculture approval. A Veterinary Biologics License was issued for Titanium 5 + PH-M, which is manufactured by Diamond Animal Health of Des Moines, Iowa, and marketed and sold by Elanco Animal Health. The new vaccine protects cattle against five viruses and two bacteria most associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD), Elanco reported Monday. Titanium 5 + PH-M provides modified-live virus protection against bovine viral diarrhea types 1 and 2, bovine respiratory syncytial virus, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and parainfluenza3. The vaccine also protects against Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida bacteria. "This means veterinarians and producers can protect cattle against the important BRD-causing viruses and bacteria with just one vaccine," said Brett Terhaar, DVM, a beef technical services veterinarian with Greenfield, Ind.-based Elanco. "Producers should partner with their veterinarians to determine the best way to incorporate this new vaccine into herd-health protocols designed to fight B RD," …
PIJAC Replaces President With Board ChairmanApril 14, 2014The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council has quietly replaced its president and CEO, Mike Canning, who was let go after less than four years in the organization’s top administrative post. Ken Oh, general manager of the Pet Care Division at W.F. Young Inc., assumed Canning’s job titles and continues to serve as chairman of the PIJAC board of directors. PIJAC, which focuses on legislative issues, animal care guidelines and pet ownership, did not publicly announce the leadership change, which took place in mid-January. Canning said his firing wasn’t totally unexpected. “There had been some talk about moves and changes at PIJAC over the [previous] six months,” he said. “The board decided that they wanted to go in a different direction. All I know is my services were no longer needed.” Oh confirmed Canning’s departure. “I assumed the role of president when Mike left,” Oh said. “Traditionally the PIJAC board chairman has served in the president role as well, so this is not as big a change as it seems.” While Canning’s full-time job was at PIJAC, Oh works at W.F. Young. The East Longmeadow, Mass., company makes Absorbine grooming and health care products for horses and dogs. PIJAC’s executive vice …
Veterinary Corps Dispatched To Deadly LandslideApril 14, 2014 A landslide that killed at least 36 people March 22, leading Gov. Jay Inslee to call the disaster "a historic slide, the largest in state history," made more history when the Washington State Department of Agriculture deployed its Reserve Veterinary Corps. The call-up of two veterinarians and two veterinary technicians was the first in state history. The unprecedented action followed about 30 requests for veterinary care involving rescue dogs that have combed the 1-square-mile debris field since the landslide erased the small town of Oso, Wash. The dogs are treated for cuts, dehydration, hypothermia and damaged pads. They also are decontaminated after exposure to hazardous materials, officials said. Reserve Veterinary Corps members began arriving April 5 and were expected to work rotating shifts for up to 14 days. The Department of Agriculture also contracted with Seattle Veterinary Services and Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital in Snohomish, Wash., for additional personnel, equipment and supplies. The Reserve Veterinary Corps consists of 135 volunteer veterinarians, veterinary technicians and other professionals trained to assist with livestock and other animals after a disease outbreak or natural disaster. The state provided a trailer designed for the team's use and a …
Pet Owners Fail To Recognize Signs Of ObesityApril 14, 2014 Research conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention has found that many pet owners are still oblivious to the fact that their cats and dogs are obese. Out of 1,421 animals put to a veterinary assessment last fall, 57.6 percent of cats and 52.6 percent of dogs were classified as overweight or obese. Owners of the obese pets overwhelmingly considered their cat or dog to be of normal weight. Obesity is avoidable, said Calabash, N.C., veterinarian Ernie Ward, DVM, the founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. "Among all diseases that perplex the veterinary community and plague our population of pets, obesity has the greatest collective negative impact on pet health,? Dr. Ward said. "The pet industry is mighty and well-meaning, but it's time we stop accepting the status quo. We must start working together to fight obesity through knowledge and action." The survey results, released today, showed little change from the previous year. Some 58.3 percent of cats and 52.5 percent of dogs were deemed overweight or obese in the fall of 2012. Why pet owners don't recognize obesity in their …
