U.S. Reps. Schrader, Yoho Establish Veterinary Medicine CaucusMarch 22, 2013Fellow veterinarians and congressmen Kurt Schrader, DVM, and Ted Yoho, DVM, have formed the Veterinary Medicine Caucus, the first such group in the 224-year history of the U.S. House of Representatives. Reps. Schrader and Yoho invited the other 433 House members to join the caucus, saying the bipartisan aim is to “increase awareness of the importance of veterinary medicine on research, public health, animal health and welfare, food safety and our overall economy.” The caucus also will draft legislation and conduct briefings and hearings. On the heels of the March 6 announcement, Schrader, D-Ore., introduced HR1125, the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act. The legislation, if approved, would provide a federal income tax exemption for financial awards granted under the program. Eligible veterinarians receive up to $25,000 a year toward qualified educational loans if they agree to serve three years in a designated veterinarian-shortage area. Schrader, serving his third term in Congress, praised Yoho, calling him someone “who understands and shares the priorities of the veterinary community.” “Together, I hope we can use our unique experience and perspective in the field of veterinary medicine to educate and engage our fellow members of …
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Some California Natural, Evo, Innova, HealthWise Pet Foods RecalledMarch 19, 2013 The recall was the first in the company's 21-year history, Natura reported. The affected products are sold in bags through veterinary clinics, pet specialty retailers and online in the United States, Canada, Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong and Costa Rica. One Evo ferret food was recalled. The other identified foods were dog and cat formulas. No salmonella-related illnesses were reported, noted Fremont, Neb.-based Natura, a division of Procter & Gamble. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning in pets include lethargy, diarrhea, fever and vomiting. People who handle contaminated pet products may exhibit similar symptoms. The recalled foods, which bear specific UPC and lot codes, were produced in a single plant over two weeks in December. Routine testing by the Michigan Department of Agriculture showed the presence of salmonella in food collected from one store. Pet owners are advised to discard the recalled food. Information about replacement food or a refund is available by calling 800-224-6123 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CDT Monday through Friday. A complete list of the recalled foods is available at www.naturapet.com/recall. …
Butler Schein Animal Health Becomes Henry Schein Animal HealthMarch 19, 2013 Veterinary products distributor Butler Schein Animal Health will be rebranded as Henry Schein Animal Health in a process that will take place throughout 2013. The move is intended to align the unit with parent company Henry Schein Inc.'s animal health businesses in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, said Stanley M. Bergman, chairman and CEO of Henry Schein. The rebranding was announced today at the Butler Schein Animal Health national sales meeting in Orlando, Fla. “This transition … underscores our increasing strength in the global animal health market and our commitment to be a valuable resource to our customers and supplier partners around the world,” Bergman said. “We now serve 68,000 veterinary customers across 14 countries, delivering tailored solutions that combine our global resources with local market knowledge.” Henry Schein, based in Melville, N.Y., is the world's largest provider of health care products and services to office-based veterinary, dental and human medicine practitioners. Butler Schein Animal Health was created in 2010 through the merger of Henry Schein Animal Health and Butler Animal Health Supply of Dublin, Ohio. “As Henry Schein continues to grow our leadership in …
Wellness Follow-ups Could Add $350M To Veterinary Coffers, AAHA ReportsMarch 14, 2013 The average U.S. veterinary hospital is leaving $40,000 annually on the table in preventative care revenue by simply not booking follow-up visits when owners and their pets initially come in, the American Animal Hospital Association reported today in Phoenix. The State of the Industry report is given annually at the AAHA Annual Conference and is based on data from earlier surveys and interviews conducted by the Lakewood, Colo.-based association and Westbrook, Maine-based Idexx Laboratories Inc., a purveyor of diagnostic technology and service. The joint study looked at veterinary hospitals that demonstrated year-over-year revenue growth for 2011-2012 of more than 10 percent, termed “Growers,” and those that showed declining revenue, called “Decliners,” to identify the key reasons for their reversals of fortune. One of the key growth factors for veterinary hospitals, as identified by AAHA and Idexx analysts, is how well they drive regular preventative care visits, called “forward booking,” which simply means being proactive and scheduling a pet's next wellness check prior to checkout. AAHA used the human dental industry, which has a forward-booking rate of 80 percent, as the gold standard. By comparison, preventative care visits being forward …
APOP Survey Reveals 55 Percent Of Cats, Dogs Are ObeseMarch 13, 2013 As Americans stretch the limits of their collective elastic waistbands, their pets aren't far behind, according to findings from the sixth annual National Pet Obesity Awareness Day Survey, released today by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP). The survey was conducted in October and December of last year. The data from 121 veterinary clinics in 36 states covering 1,485 dogs and 450 cats, combined with 2012 American Veterinary Medical Association data revealed: 80 million U.S. dogs and cats are overweight or obese; 58.3 percent of cats are overweight or obese; and 52.5 percent of dogs are overweight or obese. Furthermore, certain dog breeds pack on the pounds more than others, according to the veterinarians who contributed to the survey. Specifically: 58.9 of Labrador retrievers were considered overweight or obese; and 62.7 of golden retrievers were considered overweight or obese. Extra kibble, treats and more sedentary ways has lead to more serious health concerns than sporting a few extra pounds, said veterinarians familiar with the issue. “Pet obesity remains the leading health threat to our nation's pets,” said Dr. Ernie Ward, DVM, founder of Calabash, N.C.-based Association for Pet Obesity Prevention and lead veterinarian in …
Diggin' Your Dog Recalls Some Strippin' Chicks Jerky TreatsMarch 12, 2013 Diggin' Your Dog LLC of Reno, Nev., voluntarily recalled one lot of Strippin' Chicks treats that was distributed in Colorado and may be contaminated with salmonella. The chicken jerky strips come in a 5-ounce bag that bears the lot code 250322 and a best-by date of 2-23-14, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported Monday. Customers who bought the treats are urged to stop feeding the product to their pet, remove the lot code from the packaging and discard the contents. A full refund and $1 to cover postage are available by mailing the UPC and lot code to Diggin' Your Dog, P.O. Box 17306, Reno, NV 89511. More information is available by calling 775-742-7295 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific time on weekdays. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning in pets include lethargy, diarrhea, fever and vomiting. People who handle contaminated pet products may exhibit similar symptoms. <HOME>
122-Foot Screen To Show Live Surgeries During AAHA ConferenceMarch 12, 2013 The Live Surgery Suite sessions are to be performed remotely at Mississippi State University and at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego. Attendees will be able to watch a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy, a pediatric spay and neuter, a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, a joint tap, a chest tube placement, a jugular catheter placement, an esophagostomy tube placement and an endotracheal wash. A panel of experts onstage will walk the audience through what is being shown, display the equipment used and answer questions, said John Fritschler, AAHA's director of education. The viewing is to be done on a 122-foot-wide by 22-foot-tall high-definition screen. “No other conference has anything like this available,” Fritschler added. The videos will be added to AAHA's online Learning Library at www.aahaeducation.org and may be accessed for free or for a fee, depending on the viewer. “Our new learning environment allows us to promote adult learning with in-depth, interactive presentations on relevant and practical topics,” said Michael Cavanaugh, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, executive director and CEO of the Lakewood, Colo., association. The Live Surgery Suite is …
Low Levels Of Thiamine Lead To Cat Food RecallMarch 12, 2013o complaints were received regarding the thiamine levels or any other health issues related to the foods, which were distributed in 25 states, Diamond reported. “We have a process where we continuously test our products, and this process allowed us to find the undesired levels of thiamine in some of our cat formulas,” said Michele Evans, Ph.D., Diamond's executive director of food safety and quality assurance. “In the event an error occurs, we have the data to quickly alert pet owners, giving them the confidence they demand of a pet food manufacturer.” The company found no issues when testing all other Diamond brands for thiamine deficiency. Only products with certain best-by dates and production codes were recalled. They include: Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat Formula, 18-pound bag, code NGF0703, best by 10-Jul-2013, sold in Massachusetts. Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat Formula, 6-pound bag, code NGF0802, best by 15-Aug-2013 or 16-Aug-2013, sold in Florida, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. Premium Edge Senior Cat Hairball Management Formula, 6- and 18-pound bags, code NGS0101, best by 03-Jan-2014 or 04-Jan-2014, sold in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Oklahoma. Premium Edge Senior Cat Hairball Management Formula, 6- and 18-pound …
Steve's Real Food Recalls Turducken Diet For DogsMarch 8, 2013 Due to possible salmonella contamination, Steve's Real Food issued a recall on March 7, 2013, of 5-pound bags of its Turducken Canine Diet (8-ounce patties) distributed from Oct. 2012 to Jan. 2013. The issue came to light when Minnesota Department of Agriculture personnel, after a routine sampling, determined one 5-pound bag had the “potential for contamination.” Gary Bursell, CEO of the Murray, Utah-based pet food manufacturer, said he thinks that the alert might have stemmed from finding an open bag. “We use a biodegradable film on the bags, and we've had problems sealing the patty bags, not the nuggets,” Bursell said. Consequently, Steve's Real Food made the decision to recall the July 27, 2012, production run of 5-pound bags of Turducken Canine Diet Patties, which the suspect bag was part of, and preempt any action by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Bursell explained. The entire amount of product recalled is 40 cases, consisting of 240 bags or 1,200 pounds of patties. Bags of the recalled product have lot number B-209-10-27-13 and a best-before date of Oct. 27, 2013. The product was distributed by Holistic Pet Source in Nashville, Tenn.; PFX Pet Supply …
Veterinarian Deidra Blackmon Dies In Texas ShootingMarch 7, 2013 Texas veterinarian Deidra Blackmon, DVM, was shot to death March 3 after a man apparently became angered when one of her friends vomited near his car, police reported.Dr. Blackmon, 33, was an associate veterinarian at Animal Emergency Hospital of North Texas Dr. Blackmon, 33, was a 2010 graduate of Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and an associate veterinarian at Animal Emergency Hospital of North Texas. “Like Deidra, we are all healers but are struggling how to heal each other,” chief of staff J. Bruce Nixon, DVM, stated on the hospital's Facebook page. “We will carry Deidra in our broken hearts and remember that we have been graced by her presence and friendship.” Jeffery Hansana, 24, who was arrested on a murder charge, encountered Blackmon and her friends when both groups were parked at a convenience store in Saginaw, Texas, police said. Blackson and two female friends had stopped after celebrating an upcoming wedding with a visit to the Fort Worth Stockyards entertainment district. The women drove away after one of Blackmon's friends got sick but …
