FDA Seeks Comment On Reportable Food Registry DocumentJune 19, 2009 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking input on a document created to assist the food industry in complying with new requirements that pertain to the reporting of adulterated food. The Reportable Food Registry (RFR) requires a responsible party to file a report through an FDA Internet portal when there is reason to believe that an adulterated food will cause serious adverse health consequences or death to humans and animals. The FDA’s “draft guidance,” provides questions and answers pertaining to the registry. The RFR applies to all FDA-regulated categories of food, including pet food. Only infant formula and dietary supplements are exempt from RFR requirements. “Responsible party” is defined as the person who submits the registration information to FDA for a food facility that manufacturers, processes, packs or holds food for human or animal consumption in the United States. Federal, state and local government officials would also be able to use the portal to report information that may come to them about such foods. The establishment of the registry is mandated in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Amendments Act of 2007. The Congressional intent for the RFR, …
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California Legislators To Consider Bill On Limiting Ownership Of Intact Dogs And CatsJune 18, 2009 California legislators are poised to hear a measure that seeks to limit the number of intact dogs and cats a person may own. The state Assembly recently approved the bill, and the Senate Committee on Public Safety is scheduled to hear the proposal on June 23. Assembly Bill 241 would prohibit any person from having more than a combined total of 50 unsterilized dogs and cats that are kept for breeding or raised for sale as pets. Those in possession of more than that would have to spay or neuter the excess animals or sell, transfer or relinquish the animals within 30 days. If necessary, any euthanasia procedures would have to be performed by a licensed veterinarian or other qualified person as pursuant to regulations adopted by the Veterinary Medical Board. AB 241 authorizes a peace officer, humane officer or animal control officer to take possession of any animal that is kept in violation. Violators would be guilty of a misdemeanor. The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) has issued an alert stating that AB 241 would impose an “irrational ban on the possession of dogs and cats irrespective of the quality of care provided to …
ChemNutra Pleads Guilty To Two Of 27 Charges In Melamine CaseJune 17, 2009 ChemNutra Inc., a Las Vegas-based ingredients broker, pleaded guilty on June 16 to federal charges of distributing tainted wheat gluten that led to the mass pet food recalls of 2007. ChemNutra and its owners, Sally Qing Miller and her husband, Stephen Miller, each pleaded guilty to one count of selling adulterated food and one count of selling misbranded food. They were originally charged with 13 misdemeanor counts of introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce, 13 misdemeanor counts of introduction of misbranded food into interstate commerce and one felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Sentencing hearings for ChemNutra and the Millers have not yet been scheduled. Under federal statutes, the Millers are each subject to a sentence of up to two years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine of up to $200,000 and restitution. ChemNutra is subject to a fine of up to $400,000 and restitution. Attorneys representing the defendants said in a joint statement that the Millers, ChemNutra and the government have agreed that probation and a fine were an appropriate sentence for the strict liability misdemeanors. “The Millers and ChemNutra look forward to putting both this case and …
AAHA Helping Pets Fund Resumes Grants After $25,000 DonationJune 16, 2009The American Animal Hospital Association Foundation’s Helping Pets Fund recently received a $25,000 donation from Veterinary Pet Insurance, allowing the fou犀利士 ndation to resume grant funding immediately. The AAHA Foundation temporarily suspended grants in April because the increased number of pets helped this fiscal year had depleted funds. “We are very excited and appreciative for this wonderful gift,” said John Albers, DVM, executive director of AAHA. “By supporting the AAHA Helping Pets Fund, VPI is helping change, and many times save the lives of companion animals that otherwise wouldn’t receive help.” The Helping Pets Fund helps those in need access veterinary care for their sick or injured pets. The foundation awards grants supporting veterinary care for pets that have been abandoned or whose owners are experiencing financial hardship. Since its inception in 2005, the AAHA Helping Pets Fund has awarded more than $800,000 in grants to help more than 3,000 pets. Veterinary Pet Insurance is based in Brea, Calif. <HOME>
CAPC Takes Education Road Show Out WestJune 15, 2009 The second annual Companion Animal Parasite Council Education Road Show is set to take place June 27 to July 11, making eight stops in four states: Colorado, California, Oregon and Washington. The nonprofit group is touring the West in a 33-foot RV and will provide free public events. Parasitologists and veterinarians will educate pet owners and families about zoonotic diseases and how to prevent them. Parasites are a growing problem in the West, according to the CAPC. “There are parasites and zoonotic disease, sometimes a higher-than-expected incidence, in every Western city on our Road Show schedule,” said Michael Paul, DVM, executive director of the CAPC. “Parasites can be found in all 50 states, every day of the year, regardless of the weather.” Heartworm and other common parasitic diseases were virtually non-existent in the West 50 years ago, according to the CAPC. However, the changing landscape and influx of people from different parts of the country help these diseases spread more rapidly. Many people relocating to the West bring dogs and cats that have parasites, the CAPC said. The CAPC recommends that pet owners use preventive medicine year-round to control internal and …
Vesicular Stomatitis Confirmed In TexasJune 12, 2009 An electron micrograph depicts VSV, the virus responsible for vesicular stomatitis (VS) in horses, cattle and pigs. Courtesy of US Department of Health and Human Services. The Texas Animal Health Commission reported June 12 that vesicular stomatitis, a sporadically occurring virus that is endemic to the United States, has been detected in a horse in Starr County, Texas. This is the nation’s first case of VS for 2009. The last outbreak was in 2006 where 17 horses and a dozen cattle on 13 premises within Wyoming were confirmed to have the virus. Signs of the disease include blisters, lesions and sloughing of the skin on the muzzles, tongue, teats and above the hooves of susceptible livestock, including horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, deer and some other species of animals. Sand flies and black flies are thought to play a role in the virus transmission. “To prevent the spread or introduction of infection, many states and countries will place additional entry requirements or restrictions on the movement of animals from affected states, or portions of the state,” said Bob Hillman, DVM, Texas’ state veterinarian and head of the TAHC. “Call the …
FDA Approves Drug For Feline HyperthyroidismJune 12, 2009 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Dechra Ltd.’s Felimazole (methimazole), the first drug approved for the treatment of hyperthyroidism in cats. “Hyperthyroidism is one of the most common diseases seen in middle-aged and senior cats,” said Bernadette Dunham, DVM, Ph.D., director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. “Cats can become seriously ill with this condition. The approval of Felimazole offers cat owners, in consultation with their veterinarians, an effective medical treatment for this serious disease.” Methimazole has been used to treat feline hyperthyroidism for years, but because it is a drug for humans, its use in animals has been off-label. Field studies evaluating the effectiveness and safety of the product were conducted in the United Kingdom and the United States. Success was measured by a decrease in the production of thyroid hormones or T4 levels and improvement in clinical signs, such as weight gain, cessation of vomiting and regaining normal eating habits. A total of 166 hyperthyroid cats were treated with Felimazole. In the U.K. study, 77 percent of cats had normal T4 levels and 81 percent had reduced disease severity by day 42. In the U.S. study, 61 percent of cats were …
Equine Piroplasmosis Outbreak Reported In MissouriJune 11, 2009 The World Organization for Animal Health reported on June 11 an outbreak of equine piroplasmosis in Jackson County, Mo. The last reported occurrence was in February. EP is a tick-borne disease that affects horses, donkeys, mules and zebras. The disease, caused by Theileria equi, is transmitted via tick bites or through mechanical transmission by improperly disinfected needles or surgical instruments, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The source of the most recent outbreak was deemed “unknown or inconclusive.” The affected premises is a horse stable in Jackson County involving a 7-year-old quarter horse gelding purchased six months ago. The horse showed clinical signs consistent with EP on June 1. The next day, the horse was presented to a veterinary medical hospital in Kansas because of an acute illness consistent with infection of a blood-borne pathogen. The horse was placed in quarantine and isolation. The horse and other animals on the affected premises -- 63 including horses, ponies and mules -- were examined for ticks. No ticks were found, according to the OIE report. Test results for the other animals are pending, and the …
Charitable Giving Dips Slightly Amid RecessionJune 11, 2009 Americans donated $307.7 billion in 2008, with $6.6 billion going toward animal and environment organizations, according to Giving USA, a publication of the Giving USA Foundation. The report was researched and written by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. Overall charitable giving was down from $314.1 billion in 2007, a record year since the annual report on philanthropy began in 1956. The animal/environment subsector, which represents 2 percent of total estimated giving, saw a 5.5 percent drop from the year before. “With the United States mired in a recession throughout 2008, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that charitable giving would be down,” said Del Martin, chairman of the Giving USA Foundation. “However, what we find remarkable is that individuals, corporations and foundations still provided more than $307 billion to causes they support, despite the economic conditions. “It would have been easy to say ‘not this year’ when appeals came their way, and we definitely did see belt-tightening. This drop in giving meant that nonprofits have had to do more with less over the past year, but it could have been a lot worse.” Other recipients of …
You, Too, Can Beat TechnophobiaJune 10, 2009 Are you a technophobe when it comes to your work? Would your colleagues call you a “virtual veterinary Luddite”? Does the thought of computer-related veterinary work—online or for recordkeeping, in particular—give you a massive migraine? Maybe it induces panic attacks, instead. Either way, you’re in good company. Plenty of veterinarians among us eschew the “evils” of the common machinery that a growing percentage of practices can no longer live without. Sure, by now all our practices have computers. Maybe we even know how to use them when we absolutely have to. But does that mean we’re willing to take our practices to the next level computer-wise? Usually the answer is a big NO. There’s always something higher on our wish list. Digital X-rays, anyone? Different Kind of Tool When we think of ourselves as technologically savvy, many of us point to all that stainless-steel surgical hardware we adore, the power tools that line the back of our OR’s cabinets, the fancy anesthesia monitors, dental rads, fecal centrifuges and blood work machines. They’re cool, right? Yet add a laptop to one of those neat-o trinkets and it becomes a leering countertop tool eerily reminiscent …
