Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions For The Veterinary CommunityNovember 21, 2012 Whenever the year’s about to end I always feel the urge to write lists. There’s something cathartic about it, don’t you think? This time, however, I felt compelled to pen a list of pet issues I’d like to see the veterinary community take on as 2013’s New Year’s resolutions. While this personal exercise in wishful thinking might not feel so cathartic once I start fielding readers’ commentary, I do believe my opinions are well considered, rankle you though they may. So here goes...in no particular order: #1. Seek or devise and adopt community-wide, low-income solutions. This means we need to get smarter about offering a minimum standard of care to every single animal in the community. It’s not good enough to give it away in your place of work on occasion (or even routinely). As veterinarians we have a duty to help our communities build better systems for managing pets of the indigent, disabled and destitute. Which also means we should… #2. Get out of the way of low-cost spay and neuter clinics. If they really are charging much …
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House Bill Seeks To Ban Action Devices, Performance Packages Used In SoringNovember 21, 2012 A House bill receiving the support of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Equine Practitioners could prohibit the use of action devices and performance packages on Tennessee Walking Horses. The AVMA and the AAEP today called upon members to contact their congressional representatives in support of the bill, HR 6388. If passed in its current form, the amended Horse Protection Act would: Make illegal the act of soring or directing another person to cause a horse to become sore. Require the U.S. Department of Agriculture, rather than the industry, to license, train and oversee inspectors. Prohibit the use of action devices such as boots, collars, chains and rollers on any limb of Tennessee Walking Horses, spotted saddle horses or racking horses at horse shows, exhibitions, sales and auctions. Ban weighted shoes, pads, wedges, hoof bands and other devices not used for protective or therapeutic purposes. Increase civil and criminal penalties for violations. Disqualify horses for periods based on the number of violations, and permanently disqualify horses from show rings after three violations. Action devices and performance packages are used to encourage horses …
Priorty Dog Treats Recalled On Suspicion Of Salmonella ContaminationNovember 21, 2012 Dog treat manufacturer Carolina Prime Pet Inc. voluntarily recalled two lots of Priority Total Pet Care All Natural Bullstrips in five-count packages because of possible salmonella contamination. A test performed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture detected salmonella in one lot, the Lenoir, N.C., manufacturer reported Tuesday. The recalled products were distributed beginning about Sept. 1. The packages bear UPC 0-21130-42080-3 and lot codes 20082712 S 3195 and 20090312 S3195. No animal illnesses linked to the bullstrips were reported, the company added. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning in pets include lethargy, diarrhea, fever and vomiting. People who handle contaminated pet products may exhibit similar symptoms. Priority Total Pet Care All Natural Bullstrips are sold in: Safeway stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Wyoming. Vons, Pavilions and Pak ‘N Save stores in California. Randalls and Tom Thumb stores in Texas. Genuardi’s stores in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Dominick’s stores in Illinois. Carolina Prime Pet urged customers to …
Memorize 7 Principles To Be Smooth OperatorNovember 21, 2012 Of all the great American human surgeons, William Halsted was particularly influential because of the surgical principles that bear his name. Though they are more than a century old, the principles are just as relevant today in human, small animal, large animal and exotic animal surgery. In his time, Halsted was called “the father of safe surgery.” Let’s review Halsted’s seven principles of surgical bliss. They will help you, like the singer Sade, become a “smooth operator.” 1. Handle tissues gently Let’s face it: Surgery is invasive by definition. Yet we should strive to minimize iatrogenic trauma to tissues. Thumb or tissue forceps should be used to grab tissues delicately, as opposed to crushing them. Whether we use sharp or blunt dissection, it should be as accurately anatomical as possible. Ironically, gentle tissue handling also means using a scalpel blade correctly. Once the beginning and end of the incision are identified, a scalpel should be used to make a single incision in a single pass to the appropriate depth. Being wishy-washy or using a scalpel like a paint brush is much more traumatizing to the skin because the incision will have jagged edges. In …
Hurricane Sandy Leaves Its Mark On The Region's Veterinary CommunityNovember 20, 2012AVMA, Foundation Continue Post-Sandy Work Posted: Nov. 9, 2012 The American Veterinary Medical Association and its foundation are working to distribute donated supplies to veterinary clinics impacted by Hurricane Sandy and assisting veterinarians who are providing emergency care to animals in the region, the organizations reported...Read More Vets Cope with Animals, Infrastructure in Storm's Wake Posted: Nov. 6, 2012 The 1948 film noir “The Naked City,” set in Manhattan, concludes with: “There are 8 million stories in the naked city.” These are the stories of the lingering effects of Hurricane Sandy on some of New York City’s dogs, cats and veterinarians...Read More Vet Clinics in the Northeast Struggle with Loss of Power, Flooding Posted: Oct. 31, 2012 Like many businesses in storm-ravaged parts of New York City and New Jersey, veterinary clinics and hospitals continue to feel the lingering effects of Superstorm Sandy...Read More Vet Rescue Groups Brace for Hurricane Sandy Posted: Oct. 29, 2012 Emergency veterinary clinics and disaster response teams were preparing for Hurricane Sandy today as the storm headed toward the Northeastern United States...Read More <HOME>
Oregon Veterinarians Sound Off On Human Med Pharmacists Dispensing To PetsNovember 16, 2012 More than one-third of Oregon veterinarians surveyed reported cases in which retail or online pharmacists changed the prescribed dose of a medication for an animal patient or substituted a different product without the doctor’s authorization, according to the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association. While the altered medications tended not to harm a patient, some veterinarians described cases in which an animal died or was euthanized. About 115 Oregon veterinarians responded to the online survey, which the OVMA ordered in reaction to the now-stalled national Fairness to Pet Owners Act, which would require veterinarians to issue prescriptions to clients. “It really goes back to February, when one of our members contacted our office because she had concerns about the House resolution,” Glenn Kolb, executive director of the OVMA, said today. “We started hearing some stories [about prescription errors].” The good news, Kolb said, is that more than half of the survey respondents had been contacted by a pharmacist to answer questions about an order. “Together they work hand in hand to meet the needs of the client and the best interests of the patient,” the survey noted. The bad news, Kolb added, is that “When …
Veterinary Ophthalmologist Found Dead Near TucsonNovember 16, 2012 Prominent California Veterinarian Dies in Car Firetony basher, anthony basher, ophthalmology, veterinary, tusconAnthony “Tony” Basher, a British-born board-certified veterinarian specializing in ophthalmology, was found dead in a burning car Nov. 9 near Tucson, Ariz., the Pima County Sheriff’s Department reported. He was 54.A prominent veterinary ophthalmologist died in a car firenewslineVeterinary Ophthalmologist Found Dead Near Tucson Anthony “Tony” Basher, a British-born board-certified veterinarian specializing in ophthalmology, was found dead in a burning car Nov. 9 near Tucson, Ariz., the Pima County Sheriff’s Department reported. He was 54. Basher, MRCVS, Dipl. ACVS, Dipl. ACVO, had been working part time in Tucson and at Eye Care for Animals clinics in Temecula and Santa Monica, Calif., after he was fired from Veterinary Specialty Hospital in San Diego, his ex-wife, Kim, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. She didn't disclose the reason for his firing. The cause of Dr. Basher's death is under investigation, the Sheriff’s Department stated, but Kim Basher, also a veterinarian, told the newspaper that his death was an accident, possibly caused when brush and grass caught fire under the car. The car belonged to the owner of the house …
Adams '15-Minute Kill' Claim DisputedNovember 15, 2012The National Advertising Division (NAD) recommended today that Phoenix-based Farnam Pet Products modify or discontinue certain advertising claims for its Adams Flea & Tick Spot On for Dogs, including statements that the product “starts to kill fleas and ticks in 15 minutes.” The NAD, an investigative unit of the advertising industry's system of self-regulation, also ruled that Farnam provided sufficient support for certain claims related to the product’s applicator. All the claims were challenged by FidoPharm, a Yardley, Pa., subsidiary of Velcera Inc. and the maker of PetArmor, a competing product. Farnam will “take the NAD’s recommendations into account in an appropriate way when crafting future advertising," the company stated. FidoPharm noted that both Adams and PetArmor are topically administered pesticide solutions that, when administered every 30 days as directed, control fleas and ticks on dogs year-round. The active ingredients in Adams is etofenprox, which kills fleas and ticks; (S)-methoprene, an insect growth regulator that kills flea eggs by preventing them from hatching and flea larvae by preventing them from molting; and piperonyl butoxide, an insecticide synergist. The active ingredient in PetArmor is fipronil, which …
Fellowships Give Canine Researchers A Leg UpNovember 15, 2012 Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the distinction between the American Kennel Club and the independent American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation. In the face of diminishing government support for biomedical canine research, the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation has selected five canine research fellows for sponsorship. The foundation is providing a total of $60,000 to five colleges of veterinary medicine to fund the fellowships. Each fellow will receive $10,000 to continue canine research projects and $2,000 to travel to a national conference and present findings. The foundation established the program to assist researchers committed to canine health and “make sure that there is a focus for that,” said Shila Nordone, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of the Raleigh, N.C.-based foundation. “Veterinary biomedical research has been hit pretty hard in comparison to human medical research,” Dr. Nordone said. Funding to biomedical animal research has shifted at the national level to human research through the National Institutes of Health, Nordone added. “We have to do what we can to nurture the next generation [of researchers],” she said. …
Henry Schein To Kick Off Disaster Relief Symposium Series In NYCNovember 12, 2012 Henry Schein Inc. of Melville, N.Y., will host a series of symposiums for health care professionals, including veterinarians, recovering from Hurricane Sandy. The first meeting will kick off Friday at the Westin New York at Times Square hotel in New York City from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. For the initial symposium, Henry Schein, the parent company of Butler Schein Animal Health of Dublin, Ohio, is convening a panel of speakers from the insurance, claims management and disaster recovery industries, along with representatives from dental, medical and animal health associations, to discuss topics related to the recovery of health care practices impacted by the storm. "We are hosting this [symposium] for all three of our business verticals as a way to help those impacted by the devastation of Sandy to be able to understand what they’re experiencing personally and professionally and to give them guidance that they’re not alone,” said Steve Kess, vice president of global professional relations for Henry Schein. The kickoff meeting, titled “Recovery Empowerment Symposium: Emerging from the Storm,” will cover topics including: How to access federal agencies, including the U.S. Federal …
