Herbal Meds: When CE Equals Caveat EmptorApril 17, 2009 From early Imperial times until the Communist era, the teaching of herbal medicine in China took the form of a master teaching an apprentice. About 2,000 years ago, Chinese herbalists turned away from blaming anthropomorphized agents (i.e., demons) for disease and instead began attributing sickness to yin-yang imbalance.1 Primitive, folkloric medical practices of tongue and pulse diagnosis served as mainstay diagnostic tools. With these methods, herbalists determined which potentially effective but possibly injurious plant products to give patients based on the color of the tongue and feel of the pulse. Few asked questions about the pharmacologic actions, adverse effects or interactions of the herb mixtures. Even the exact nature of the ingredients remained a tightly held “family secret.” This sounds quaint and exotic until one realizes that much of this is continuing in veterinary medicine today in North America. Continuing education courses in Chinese herbal prescribing are more popular than ever. Pitfalls Persist While online courses and Internet chats have modernized delivery of the message, certain pitfalls persist, such as apprentices worshipping the master, espousing blind faith in his or her secret formulae. Mystique and metaphors, however, do not substitute for true investigation …
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FDA Warns Of Comfortis, Ivermectin InteractionApril 17, 2009The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Elanco Animal Health are advising veterinarians that dogs receiving extra-label doses of ivermectin should not receive concurrent treatment with Comfortis (spinosad), a monthly chewable tablet used for the prevention and treatment of flea infestation. The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine recently received reports of adverse reactions which are consistent with ivermectin toxicity. Many veterinarians use high extra-label doses of ivermectin to treat dogs with non-responsive demodectic mange and other conditions. Elanco Animal Health is a division of Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. Click here for the "Lilly Companion Animal Health Technical Bulletin: Spinosad and the Extra-Label Use of High Dose Ivermectin for the Treatment of Generalized Demodicosis in Dogs." <HOME>
Veterinary Post-Graduate Education Rising Trend, AVMA SaysApril 17, 2009Veterinary Post-Graduate Education Rising Trend, AVMA SaysVeterinary Post-Graduate Education Rising Trend, AVMA Says More veterinarians are pursuing post-graduate education, according to a recent American Veterinary Medical Assn. study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Assn. In fact, almost 40 percent of graduating new veterinarians in 2008 reported that they were going into advanced education—89.2 percent of those into internships and 6 percent into residencies. In 2003, only 26.3 percent of graduates chose advanced educational positions. In 1995, 15 percent opted for more education. One motivating factor driving these new graduates is the promise of additional income in the long term. According to the 2007 AVMA Report on Veterinary Compensation, board-certified veterinary specialists earned a median income of $139,000 in 2005 compared to the median income of $79,000 for private practice veterinarians with no post-graduate education. "Internships have quadrupled and residencies have doubled in the past 20 years," said Michael Garvey, DVM, a Pennsylvania veterinarian who has run the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program for the American Assn. of Veterinary Clinicians for more than two decades. In 1986, there were 179 internships and 130 residencies filled through the matching service, for a total …
California Bill Would Make Adoption Fees Tax-DeductibleApril 17, 2009 A new bill to allow individuals and families to deduct the cost of adopting pets from local government facilities and charitable organizations has been set to be heard before the California Assembly Revenue and Tax Committee on Monday, April 20. California Assembly Bill 233, as introduced, would allow for taxable years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2010, and before Jan. 1, 2015, a deduction under that law for the adoption fees paid during the taxable year by taxpayers for pet adoption from a qualified animal-rescue organization. A “qualified animal-rescue organization” means any city, county, or city and county animal-control agency or shelter, or an animal-adoption organization that is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, the bill states. This measure seeks to curb the amount spent annually by local governments in dealing with abandoned cats and dogs, which is estimated at $100 million. The deduction allowed may not exceed $300, the bill states. AB 233, introduced by assemblyman Cameron Smyth, R-Santa Clarita, would take effect immediately as a tax levy. <HOME>
AVMA House Of Delegates To Mull ResolutionsApril 17, 2009 The American Veterinary Medical Assn.'s House of Delegates will deliberate 16 resolutions July 19 as it concludes its now biannual session in New Orleans. The group decided not to consider a 17th resolution submitted by the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Assn. that would have had the AVMA encourage the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to withdraw approvals of "all non-therapeutic uses of antimicrobials in food animals for growth promotion and feed efficiency" due to concerns of resistance. The resolution was submitted after the 60-day prior notice requirement, so it was subject to a two-thirds floor approval to consider at this session. Slightly more than 50 percent of delegates favored consideration of the resolution, short of the needed two-thirds. An 18th resolution, submitted by four food-animal practice associations to counter the New Jersey resolution, was subsequently withdrawn. Among the resolutions to be considered on Saturday are measures to eliminate the position of vice president of the AVMA, to increase the AVMA's involvement with veterinary students, to develop a model certificate of veterinary inspection for domestic travel of companion animals, to encourage the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine to "strictly enforce its rules prohibiting drug compounding that …
Fort Dodge Recalls Proheart 6April 17, 2009 Fort Dodge Animal Health of Overland Park, Kan., will voluntarily comply with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine’s request to temporarily cease production and recall ProHeart 6 from the market until the FDA’s questions regarding safety are resolved. The FDA is advising veterinarians to avoid administering this product to dogs until further notice. The FDA is also convening an independent scientific advisory committee to evaluate available data, a move Fort Dodge is supporting. “While Fort Dodge Animal Health is cooperating with FDA’s request for a recall, we have concerns about how the agency interpreted these complex data,” the company said via a formal statement distributed late Friday afternoon. “As such, the company fully supports the initiation of this review process and will work closely with FDA to provide any necessary information for the panel to make a fair and accurate assessment of these data. We look forward to working with the panel and remain confident in the safety and efficacy of ProHeart 6.” Fort Dodge reported that the data indicates that the incidence of disease and death seen with the use of ProHeart 6 is at or below what would be …
Dealing With Issues Of Children At The PracticeApril 17, 2009 The American Assn. of Human-Animal Bond Veterinarians presented a daylong symposium, "Conundrums with Kids, K-9's and Kats at the Klinic," at January's North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Fla. I served as facilitator for the panel discussion at the end of the day. Here are some highlights. Relationships Merry Crimi, DVM, former American Animal Hospital Assn. president and current Delta Society board member, identified many issues that veterinarians encounter with children at the veterinary practice. Dr. Crimi cited these issues: handling childrens' normal curiosities; safety issues in the clinic; handling children's behavioral problems; pet selection for success and handling poor choices for pets; discussing a pet's illness with children; separation of children from their pets for hospitalization; families surrendering a problem pet (due to allergies, behavior, moving, etc.); death of a pet; euthanasia; and pet replacement. She emphasized that the skills used to handle these conundrums affect the health of every practice, in terms of client and staff retention, stress management, career satisfaction, client compliance and the bottom line. Interaction Karen L. Overall, VMD, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVB, from the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, presented the second session. …
Richards Honored For Lifetime MentorshipApril 17, 2009 The Cat Writers’ Assn. recently named the late James Richards, DVM, the recipient of its 2007 Shojai Mentor Award, which recognizes a Cat Writers’ Assn. member who goes beyond mentorship duties by offering guidance, encouragement and support to fellow members. Dr. Richards, who was director of the Cornell Feline Health Center at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, was a spokesman for feline health and awareness campaigns. The most recent was the KNOW Heartworms initiative, which aims to tackle myths of feline heartworm disease. He also founded the Cornell Feline Health Center Veterinary Issues Award. The award, renamed in his honor, encourages writers to undertake difficult stories on the topics of technological or medical advances, research or innovations in feline veterinary medicine. Richards died in April to a motorcycle accident in New York. <HOME>
Equine Vets Enter Hall Of FameApril 17, 2009 Two veterinarians who have helped raise the level of care for horses have been inducted into the International Equine Veterinarian Hall of Fame, sponsored by the American Farriers Journal. G. Kent Carter, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, chief of medicine at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine, has been working in conjunction with farriers for more than two decades. He also established an instructional rotation dedicated to equine lameness at the college. Jay Merriam, DVM, operates the referral clinic Massachusetts Equine Clinic in Uxbridge, Mass., which specializes in sports medicine and equine podiatry. He also initiated a clinical internship program linking his practice with the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. <HOME>
Mizzou’s Dr. Cook Wins National HonorApril 17, 2009 James Cook, DVM, Ph.D., director of the Comparative Orthopedic Laboratory at the University of Missouri, has been named the grand-prize national winner of the “Thank Your Vet for a Healthy Pet” essay contest for going above and beyond when it comes to caring for animals. “I’ve been fortunate to receive a number of different awards in my career, but this award is probably the most meaningful,” Dr. Cook said. “I want my work and my life to make a difference in people’s lives and animals’ lives. “In these cases, making a difference in a dog’s life made such a difference in these special people’s lives, and this award helps me always remember that and be motivated by it.” Cook, who was also the Midwest regional winner, was chosen from more than 1,000 nominations made by pet owners throughout the country. All the vets received attractive certificates recognizing their nominations. The contest to recognize America’s best veterinarians was sponsored by the Morris Animal Foundation of Denver; Merial Ltd. of Duluth, Ga., and BowTie Inc., publisher of Veterinary Practice News, Dog Fancy and Cat Fancy magazines. Michael Ray of Deltona, Fla., was one of Cook’s nominators. …
