Scottish Vet School Offers Online Degree In Conservation MedicineAugust 22, 2012The University of Edinburgh Royal School of Veterinary Studies in Scotland will enroll the first students in an online conservation medicine program this fall, the university reported. The program is targeted at international veterinarians and intends to provide them with the skills required to be effective practitioners of conservation medicine and enable them to develop solutions to ecological health issues. Starting in September, veterinarians will study part time for one to three years to earn a certificate, diploma or master’s degree. The first class includes veterinarians from Cyprus, France, India, North America, Rwanda, Turkey and the United Kingdom, the university reported this week. “Conservation medicine needs biologists, ecologists, public health specialists and vets to work together, but while a lot of vets are keen to become involved, there is limited training in this area,” said Anna Meredith, Vet.M.B., Ph.D., Cert.L.A.S., D.Zoo.Med., a professor of zoological and conservation medicine at the school. “This is why we wanted to run such a course that could be accessed by vets from all over the world.” The school appointed Dr. Meredith to head the program. She also is involved in research related to …
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Florida Looking For Next Veterinary DeanAugust 17, 2012 The University of Florida’s search for a new veterinary college dean will take another step forward Sept. 14, 2012, when a committee meets to review initial applications for the job. Top administrators from the university’s Academic Health Center and the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences formed a search committee to recruit a replacement for Glen Hoffsis, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM. He is scheduled to retire July 1, 2013. The committee met July 23, 2012, to outline criteria for selecting the next dean. The members were asked to find a candidate who has a strong vision for the college during tough economic times, can strike a balance among all missions of the college, and can interact with the many constituencies associated with the college and the university. “Dean Hoffsis has done an excellent job serving the college and the university during his six years at UF,” said Teresa A. Dolan, DDS, dean of the College of Dentistry and committee co-chairwoman. “When he retires, he will leave the college in a position of strength and poised for growth, making the deanship an attractive opportunity for a strong academic leader in veterinary medicine.” Helping lead the search …
Progress In Treating FIP ReportedAugust 15, 2012 Feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, has long been a diagnosis without hope. But a new medication shows promise, and a cutting-edge genetic breakthrough might be within reach. Niels Pedersen, DVM, PhD, and Al Legendre, DVM, PhD, spoke of hope to a crowd of nearly 200 veterinarians, cat breeders and cat lovers at the recent 33rd annual Winn Foundation Symposium in Reston, Va. Dr. Pedersen is director of the Center for Companion Animal Health and the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Legendre, Dipl. ACVIM, is a professor of internal medicine and oncology at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville. Once clinical signs occur, FIP has been considered fatal. Most instances of FIP occur in kittens, and it happens a lot, or at least more than previously suspected. According to Pedersen, one in 100 to one in 300 of all cats under ages 3-5 succumbs to FIP. The incidence can be five to 10 times greater among young cats coming from catteries and shelters. A Difficult Disease Since 1963 when FIP was discovered, there had been little real progress affecting the lifespan of those who are diagnosed. …
Pets Best Debuts Feline Illness Insurance PlanAugust 15, 2012 Pets Best Insurance launched a low-premium, illness-only feline insurance plan targeted at budget-conscious cat owners, the Boise, Idaho, company reported today. The plan does not cover accidents but does provide coverage of up to $4,000 annually and $10,000 over a cat’s lifetime. An entry-level plan starts at under $4 a month, the company reported. A quote from the company’s website for a $1,000 deductible, 70 percent reimbursement, illness-only policy for a 1-year-old, mixed-breed cat in California ran $2.11 a month. According to the Pets Best website, the new plan includes coverage for: • Cancer • Hyperthyroidism • Diabetes • Chronic renal failure • Acute renal failure • Hepatic lipidosis • Cholecystitis • Feline asthma • Pancreatitis • Pneumonia • Heart disease • Intestinal foreign body • Hypothyroidism • Pyothorax • Chylothorax • Arthritis • cquired cataracts • Feline infectious peritonitis (only if vaccinated) • Feline leukemia virus (only if vaccinated) • Anemia and clotting disorders • Mast cell tumors As of Aug. 7, …
Debra Horwitz, DVM: Sharing The Passion Of Behavior MedicineAugust 15, 2012 Debra Horwitz, DVM, Dipl. ACVB, not only has a passion for helping clients with their pets’ behavioral issues, she has a drive for educating other veterinarians to do the same. Dr. Horwitz has had a referral practice for behavioral problems in companion animals since 1982 and moved her practice, Veterinary Behavior Consultations, to St. Louis in 1986. Throughout the years, she has actively worked toward educating both pet owners and veterinarians on behavior topics. On the vet side, for instance, Horwitz speaks at national and international veterinary meetings, serves on several advisory boards for corporations and publications related to animal behavior and is a behavioral consultant on the Veterinary Information Network. Her work in educating pet owners has also spanned various avenues, including Nestlé Purina’s “Ask the Vet” as a Kitten Chow Mentor, local lectures through the Humane Society of Missouri and writing articles for consumer publications. Horwitz says she has always liked animals and knew early on that veterinary medicine would be a good fit. “I’m that cliché,” she says. “I wanted to be a vet from the time I was pretty young.” Horwitz received her DVM from Michigan State University College of …
American Humane Survey Determines Why Some Don’t Own PetsAugust 14, 2012The cost of pet ownership, a lack of time to care for a cat or dog, and grief over an animal’s death are among the main reasons people don’t have pets, according to the first phase of an American Humane Association survey. The association’s Animal Welfare Research Institute in Washington, D.C., which is conducting the ongoing “Keeping Pets (Dogs and Cats) in Homes Retention Study,” also found a strong dislike for cats among more than one-third of people who do not own pets. “There are still significant hurdles to overcome in helping to keep more of these healthy, adoptable animals out of the nation’s shelters,” said Patricia Olson, DVM, chief veterinary adviser at the institute. “Using the data gathered and the work to be done in future phases of this study, we hope over time to decrease pet homelessness and relinquishment.” The 1,500 people who completed an online survey were broken into those who had “never owned a dog or cat as an adult,” those who had “previously owned a cat but not within the past 12 months” and those who had “previously owned a dog but not within the past 12 …
Walmart Launches Store-Brand Premium Dog FoodAugust 14, 2012 Walmart, the Bentonville, Ark.-based discount giant, jumped into the premium pet food market today with its own brand, Pure Balance. Available exclusively in more than 2,900 Walmart stores, the retailer’s first ultrapremium dry dog food contains a blend of omega-3 and -6 fatty acids and is free of soy, wheat, corn, artificial colors, preservatives and chicken byproducts. “Our customers told us they wanted to be able to feed their dogs a dry food made with pure ingredients without having to make a special trip to the pet store,” said Jody Pinson, vice president of pets at Walmart. “We listened and are excited to offer Pure Balance...at a price our customers can afford.” The new offering wasn’t cause for alarm with B.C. Henschen, co-owner of Platinum Paws, a holistic pet store and grooming salon in Carmel, Ind. A Walmart store is two miles away. “In our store, education remains the most important thing to assist in selling pet food,” he said. “If a formula looks great, with no fillers, byproducts and such, but has a price that is far lower than the average food …
Winn Feline Solicits Study ProposalsAugust 13, 2012 Grant applications may be submitted through Dec. 10, 2012, and the winners will be announced in March 2013, the Wyckoff, N.J.-based foundation reported today. Grants awarded in 2011 may be considered for a second round of funding. Last year, Winn funded 10 grants totaling $174,018. The organization has paid for research into feline infectious peritonitis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, for example, but proposed studies can apply to all cats or individual breeds as well as nutrition and behavior. Studies should have discrete and achievable goals within the $25,000 funding limit and can be submitted by faculty veterinarians, postdoctoral fellows, practicing veterinarians or veterinary students, Winn reported. Further instructions are on the Winn website. <HOME>
Anthrax Surfaces In Colorado After 31-Year HiatusAugust 10, 2012 Nearly 60 cattle are dead in Colorado after an outbreak of anthrax, but officials are confident the disease has been contained. The outbreak occurred at a ranch in Logan County and marked the first confirmed incidence of the disease in Colorado in 31 years. Anthrax outbreaks are not uncommon in the Western states and the risk of infection is minimal outside the affected ranch, said Colorado state veterinarian Keith Roehr, DVM. Scientists from the Colorado State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Fort Collins confirmed the disease in the carcass of one of the deceased animals. Officials said they are certain “beyond a reasonable doubt,” based on the clinical signs, that the other cattle died from anthrax as well. Officials quarantined the ranch, and cattle at nearby ranches are scheduled for vaccinations, and some may take prophylactic antibiotics as a precaution. Because no cattle left the Logan County ranch in the months before detection of the clinical signs of anthrax, infected cattle likely did not enter the food chain, according to the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Drought conditions may have created a favorable environment for bacterial growth, …
Global Pet Food Sales To Approach $75 Billion By 2017August 10, 2012 The global market for pet food will grow by 4.2 percent annually over the next six years, increasing from $58.6 billion in 2011 to $74.8 billion by 2017, according to a report published by Transparency Market Research of Albany, N.Y. The report projects the U.S. market for pet food sales to increase by 3.2 percent this year and at an annual rate of 3.5 percent over the next six years, from $21.7 billion in 2011 to $26.6 billion in 2017. While the United States represents the largest market, the Asia Pacific market will grow at the fastest pace over the next six years, according to the report. The European market is the second largest for pet food and is expected to grow at an annual rate of 4.4 percent from 2011 to 2017. Factors driving the global market include higher disposable incomes, changing lifestyles, and a trend of more nuclear families and other people having pets in their homes, according to the report. Dry food accounts for the largest type of pet food consumed globally, followed by snacks and treats, and then wet and canned food, the report noted.
