Mad Cow Disease Reported In CaliforniaApril 24, 2012 The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the United States’ fourth case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as Mad Cow disease, in a dairy cow from central California, the agency reported today. The cow was not presented for slaughter for human consumption and did not pose a risk to the food supply or human health, according to the USDA. As of this morning, the cow was being held at a rendering facility in California and will later be destroyed. The positive test will not affect the United States’ bovine spongiform encephalopathy status as determined by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), nor will the detection affect U.S. trade, the USDA said. The USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the animal was positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy using immunohistochemistry and western blot tests. The tests revealed an atypical form of BSE, not generally associated with an animal consuming infected feed, according to the USDA. The agency will share its laboratory results with animal health reference laboratories in Canada and England, which have official OIE reference labs and more experience diagnosing atypical BSE. The USDA will also conduct an epidemiological investigation in conjunction …
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FDA Lays Out Plan To Protect Food SupplyApril 23, 2012 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today published the final draft of its “Food and Veterinary Medicine Program Strategic Plan 2012-2016” to guide the administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and Center for Veterinary Medicine over the next five years. The plan aims to implement the legislative mandates laid out by Congress in the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011, which requires the FDA to create a new food safety system to protect public health. “This plan illustrates the breadth and complexity of the work we do and calls out the initiatives that the leadership team considers most important to our success,” said Michael Taylor, FDA deputy commissioner for foods. The plan includes both a “cross-cutting” goal of improving effectiveness and efficiency across all levels of the FVM program and seven more specific goals, each with several objectives to attain the goals and key initiatives to accomplish the objectives. Among the specific initiatives, the FDA will implement updated standards for the labeling of pet food, including nutrition and ingredient information, and implement standards for animal feed ingredients. The administration will …
Palliative And Hospice Care Come Of AgeApril 23, 2012 Palliative care and pet hospice are emerging as viable professional options that every practitioner can and should offer the owners of terminally ill pets. Veterinary practices will encounter more issues with terminal diseases, especially cancer, because pets are living longer as family members in very caring homes. High-tech facilities can maintain seriously injured or ill animals for long periods. Modern technology forces pet owners into the dilemma of pulling the plug or enduring costly and potentially futile life support. Instead of offering only this either/or model, veterinarians should give clients the option to take terminal pets home on palliative care to die in the comfort and support of the hospice setting, or as I refer to it, Pawspice. Minimalist Medicine Patriarchal veterinarians relate to their clients authoritatively. They generally tell pet owners what to think and what to do rather than help them decide. They direct, persuade or control clients to elect either aggressive care or euthanasia. This dictatorial approach sends the message, “I am practicing ‘My way or the highway’ medicine.” Many pet owners flee this style of practice, which patriarchal veterinarians might claim is down to earth and practical. On the other …
Reflections On The International Symposium On Veterinary Hospice CareApril 23, 2012 Reflections on the International Symposium on Veterinary Hospice CareReflections on the International Symposium on Veterinary Hospice CarebondbeyondPosted: April 28, 2008By Alice Villalobos, DVM The first pet hospice conference’s purpose was to merge the medical aspects of end-of-life care with the psychosocial and spiritual aspects. According to Kathryn D. Marocchino, Ph.D., president and founder of the Nikki Hospice Foundation, this collaborative meeting was the first of its kind and brought together a diverse group of health care workers. Marocchino organized the symposium at the University of California, Davis. Hospice professionals like Dr. Marrochino, hospice volunteers, nursing and medical staff, psychologists, grief counselors, social workers, bereavement facilitators, death educators, veterinary chaplains, pastoral counselors, animal-health care workers, shelter and SPCA staff, animal communicators, pet cemetery personnel, pet massage therapists and pet-sitters including interested lay people assembled to discuss the medical and emotional aspects of hospice care. This unusual group of human-animal bond oriented people sat side by side with general practitioners, specialists, holistic veterinarians, registered technicians, animal nurses, students, practice managers and philanthropists who maintain private or non-profit pet hospice facilities. Marrochino’s goal was to develop a comprehensive, broad-based approach to veterinary hospice care. This may not …
Bonus Content: Let’s Regard End Of Life As A Distinct StageApril 23, 2012 EDITORS' NOTE: This is special bonus content for Dr. Villalobos' article, Let's Regard End of Life as a Distinct Stage. To read the full story, click here. Here are three examples of the End of Life stage: 1) Hemangiosarcoma in dogs is often diagnosed at extremely advanced stages after acute collapse from a hemoabdomen crisis. Those with rampant metastases are advised that surgery is unhelpful. These TIPs are immediately in late EoL phase. Most terminally ill patients would be offered the gift of euthanasia at the emergency clinic. Some might be released with a belly wrap, steroids, Yunnan Paio and pain medication with a signed consent form, to go home for hospice care and farewell with home euthanasia. 2) Hemangiosarcoma dogs with hemoabdomen from ruptured splenic lesions that undergo splenectomy may go from crisis to good health following surgery. Overall survival times are 89 days and not much better with treatment. These TIPs are in the middle EoL phase. We are seeking these dogs for a clinical trial using T-Cyte. Contact me at dralicev@aol.com. 3) …
Western Colleges Form Teaching AcademyApril 20, 2012 The Consortium of Western Regional Colleges of Veterinary Medicine established a Teaching Academy to develop and implement best practices and scholarship in veterinary medical education, consortium sponsor Pfizer Animal Health of Madison, N.J., reported today. The five member veterinary medicine colleges, including Colorado State University, Oregon State University, Western University of Health Sciences, Washington State University and University of California Davis, chipped in $10,000 a piece to kick-start the academy. Each school also chose two members to join the academy’s Steering Committee, which will meet during the second quarter of 2012 to complete governance design, identify strategic tasks and initial projects and assign working groups for each task. Committee members include: Peter Hellyer, DVM, M.S., and Ray Whalen, DVM, Ph.D., of Colorado State; Sue Tornquist, DVM, Ph.D., and Terri Clark, DVM, of Oregon State; Peggy Schmidt, DVM, M.S., and John Tegzes, VMD, of Western; Steve Hines, DVM, Ph.D., and Leslie Sprunger, DVM, Ph.D., of Washington State; and Jan Ilkiw, B.V.Sc., Ph.D., and Johanna Watson, DVM, Ph.D., of
Purina Launches Preventive-Care Service For VetsApril 19, 2012Purina Launches Preventive-Care Service for VetsPurina, Idexx, Purina Preventive Care Service, preventive veterinary care, veterinary practicePurinaCare Insurance Services Inc., a subsidiary of Nestlé Purina PetCare Co., and Idexx Laboratories Inc. unveiled a preventive-care plan service for veterinary practices called Partners in Wellness, wherein PurinaCare and Idexx handle client billing and administrative tasks in exchange for a portion of the revenue from services rendered for participating clients.PurinaCare Insurance Services Inc., a subsidiary of Nestlé Purina PetCare Co., and Idexx Laboratories Inc. unveiled a preventive-care plan service for veterinary practices called Partners in Wellness, in which PurinaCare and Idexx handle client billing and administrative tasks in exchange for a portion of the revenue from services rendered for participating clients.newslinePurina Launches Preventive-Care Service for VetsPosted: April 19, 2012, 9:10 p.m. EDT PurinaCare Insurance Services Inc., a subsidiary of Nestlé Purina PetCare Co., and Idexx Laboratories Inc. unveiled a preventive-care plan service for veterinary practices called Partners in Wellness, wherein PurinaCare and Idexx handle client billing and administrative tasks in exchange for a portion of the revenue from services rendered for participating clients. Through Partners in Wellness, clinics build customized preventive-care plans, and their clients can sign up for the plans on one-year contracts. …
Adoptions Up, Euthanasia Down At Shelters In MarchApril 19, 2012Euthanasia of cats and dogs at North American shelters declined year-over-year in March as more pets were adopted, returned to their owners and transferred out of shelters, according the March 2012 PetPoint Report published by Canadian company Pethealth Inc. today. The report aggregated data from 1,004 animal welfare organizations using Pethealth’s PetPoint shelter management software in both March 2011 and March 2012, including 134,697 intakes and 128,706 outcomes for dogs and cats during the month. Euthanasia of cats and dogs declined 19 percent and 12 percent, respectively, in March 2012 compared to the year-ago period. Live-release outcomes, including adoptions, returns to owner, and transfers out of reporting organizations, for cats and dogs in March 2012 increased 5 percent and 11 percent, respectively, compared to March 2011. In March 2011, the same outcomes for cats and dogs increased 3 percent and 2 percent, respectively, compared to March 2010. Live-release outcomes increased year-over-year in March 2012 despite declines of 14 percent and 2 percent in cat and dog returns to owner, respectively, compared to March 2011. “Despite the decline in returns to owner and increases in returns to shelter, the overall increase in live release outcomes demonstrates a favourable [sic] environment of …
California Dental Scaling Bill Quashed In CommitteeApril 18, 2012 A California Assembly committee killed a bill yesterday that would have allowed California groomers to scale pets’ teeth for “cosmetic purposes.” Assembly Bill 2304 would have exempted from the scope of veterinary medicine the “service whereby a person utilizes nonmotorized instruments to remove calculus, soft deposits, plaque or stains from an exposed area of a household pet’s tooth above the gum line, provided that the service is performed exclusively for cosmetic purposes and the person performing the service first obtains written permission from the person requesting the service.” On Tuesday, April 18, 2012, the California Assembly Committee on Business, Professions and Consumer Protection unanimously voted against the bill 6-0. Earlier this month, the California Veterinary Medical Board sent a letter to Assemblymember Mary Hayashi, chair of the Committee on Business, Professions and Consumer Protection, opposing the bill on the grounds that it was too broad and would “allow anyone, anytime using any instruments to open a business scaling tartar off the teeth of animals.” The CVMB supports the practice of dental scaling by unlicensed individuals, provided a veterinarian, or in some cases a veterinary technician, oversees …
FEI Introduces Exam And ID Cards For VeterinariansApril 16, 2012 The International Equine Federation (FEI) will require veterinarians who work at FEI events to obtain an ID card by passing an online test that focuses on the FEI Veterinary and Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulation, the federation reported today. The system, which goes into effect on June 1, 2012, will require competitors’ private veterinarians, team veterinarians and treating veterinarians appointed by organizing committees to pass the online exam on the relevant FEI regulations affecting veterinarians who support horses at competing FEI events. Both the exam and ID cards are free through the FEI website. The International Equine Federation introduced the ID card system to ensure a consistent level of understanding and interpretation of current regulations, said FEI veterinary doctor Graeme Cook. Existing FEI official veterinarians, including veterinary delegates, testing veterinarians and head treatment veterinarians, are exempt from the examination requirement, providing they download their ID cards before the end of the year. The cards include Quick Response (QR) codes to allow FEI officials and stewards to check the identity of veterinarians using a smartphone. Veterinarians must fulfill the FEI eligibility requirements to apply for access to the exam through their national federation. Upon …
