Abaxis Adds Canine Heartworm Test To Product LineJanuary 13, 2009Abaxis Inc. of Union City, Calif., has entered the animal health rapid-test diagnostic market with the signing of a manufacturing agreement with SA Scientific of San Antonio, Texas. SA Scientific develops and manufactures One-Step rapid tests for fertility and infectious diseases. The agreement is for the manufacturing of a canine heartworm lateral flow/rapid test kit. The market for canine heartworm tests is estimated at $70 million in the U.S. alone, Abaxis reported. "SA Scientific is an outstanding company with which we have done business with in the past," said Clint Severson, Abaxis' chairman and chief executive officer. "They have all the tools, capacity and expertise to manufacture a broad line of rapid diagnostic, lateral flow devices, and we look forward to a long-term strategic relationship with them." Martin Mulroy, Abaxis' vice president of marketing and sales, said the company expects to provide customers with "a high-quality, low-cost alternative to competitive products." "Our brand is highly respected and Abaxis is well-known for innovative and cost-effective solutions," Mulroy said. "Upon launch of the VetScan Canine Heartworm Test I anticipate it, too, will be widely and rapidly accepted." <HOME>
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Alternative Diets Still Riding HighJanuary 5, 2009Nearly two years after the massive recall of melamine-tainted pet food, veterinarians are still fielding pet owners' questions about alternative diets. "Even prior to the recall, we were seeing a shift in pet owners who were interested in alternatives to conventional pet foods, such as natural or organic commercial pet foods, raw pet foods and home-cooked diets," says Sally C. Perea, DVM, Dipl. ACVN. The recall accelerated the trend, Dr. Perea says, as pet owners began to look for what they perceived to be safer dietary options. Perea was formerly a consultant with Davis Veterinary Medical Consulting Inc. in Davis, Calif., and now is a senior nutritionist for Natura Pet Products in San Jose. She says a lot of pet owners who tried alternative foods or home cooking have returned to conventional products, but many others have continued alternative feeding. Perea considers alternative diets to fall into one of three categories: Alternative commercial pet foods Home-cooked pet foods Raw pet foods (commercial and home-prepared) Pros and Cons Like conventional pet foods, commercial alternatives mainly come in dry kibble and canned varieties, Perea says. These alternatives often feature things pet owners find increasingly important, such as natural and organic ingredients and …
A New Journey: Mary Beth Leininger, DVMJanuary 5, 2009Mary Beth Leininger, DVM, says it all started with an invitation. Less than a week after she and her husband, Steven R. Leininger, DVM, launched their veterinary practice in Detroit, a colleague invited them to a seminar on heartworm. This was nearly 40 years ago, when heartworm was beginning to show up in northern climates. The Leiningers had recently moved from Chicago, where, she recalls, she had made a heartworm diagnosis only two or three times in two years. She didn't think the meeting would have much relevance, but a colleague gently insisted she really needed to hear the latest news. So they attended, and it changed her life. On the purely practical side, the seminar drove home the lifelong importance of staying current on medical issues; she gained the tools to properly diagnose the condition and discovered six cases the very next month. But from a larger standpoint, it set her on a path that shaped her entire career. Retiring this month after 10 years as director of professional affairs at Hill's Pet Nutrition of Topeka, Kan., Mary Beth Leininger has devoted much of her life to leadership on professional veterinary issues, including her service as president of the …
Abaxis University Schedules Online CE Course On RecessionNovember 24, 2008Abaxis University will host a free online continuing education course titled, "Recession - Proof Your Practice," at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. (CST) Nov. 25. Veterinarians and veterinary technicians will learn how to discover where revenue is escaping and how to create and implement strategies to improve their net, according to the course description. The program, which provides 1.5 CE credits, will be taught by Mark Crootof, DVM. Dr. Crootof is a practice management consultant with Strategic Veterinary Consulting Inc. and is an editorial advisory board member for Veterinary Practice News. Registration is also open for Dec. 4, Jan. 6, Jan. 29 and Feb. 11. Click here for details. Abaxis University is part of Abaxis, based in Union City, Calif. <HOME>
Down Economy May Leave AFP Imaging Up For BidsOctober 29, 2008AFP Imaging of Elmsford, N.Y., said Wednesday that it is exploring additional investment capital, a merger or acquisition by another entity, as well as other alternatives to help improve shareholder value. "The company presently believes that AFP's current long term financing, as well as our foreign lines of credit, may not be sufficient to provide the required working capital to leverage its full potential and maximize all of the investments made to date," according a company statement said. AFP recently reported net loss of $11 million on revenue of $34.3 million for its fiscal year ending June 30, compared to net loss of $4.7 million on revenue of $28.7 million in the year-ago period. AFP said that since July, it has been negatively affected by the deterioration of credit availability. For instance, veterinarians who must finance their own capital equipment purchases are hesitating to commit to lease, purchase or invest in high tech products. "The uncertainty, reluctance or simple inability for the buyer to pay cash or finance equipment has resulted in the reduction of our current cash flow, especially during the first three and a half months of the new fiscal year," the company said. AFP, which celebrates …
Animal Response Teams Unite In Wake Of Hurricane GustavSeptember 3, 2008As of Wednesday, more than 1,000 animals were still being cared for at the Mega-Shelter in Shreveport, La., following Hurricane Gustav, which hit Labor Day weekend and destroyed about $2 billion to $10 billion in properties according to preliminary estimates. The Louisiana State Animal Response Team, the volunteer animal emergency response partner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, has been overseeing the evacuation and sheltering of animals with help from the American Humane Assn., the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Best Friends, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Noah's Wish, United Animal Nations, and the Humane Society of the United States, among others. The last time American Humane deployed to Louisiana for a major animal emergency response was following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Those experiences helped American Humane, among other animal organizations, better deal with Gustav, according to Debrah Schackenberg, senior director of the Animal Emergency Services for American Humane. "Knowing the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, it's critical that we can provide residents a safe place for their animal before the storm hits, so residents don't hesitate to evacuate, and so they can focus on keeping themselves safe," Schackenberg said. …
Companies Step Up For Rabies Day ObservanceAugust 28, 2008World Rabies Day, to be observed Sept. 28, is building momentum since it was initiated last year by United Kingdom charity Alliance for Rabies Control and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With the aid of 74 countries, the global initiative has helped educate more than 54.3 million people about animal and human rabies prevention. That number should increase this year, said Peter Costa, global communications coordinator for the World Rabies Day Campaign. At press time, events had been planned in at least 30 countries, but the number was expected to increase as the observance grew closer. To date, the campaign has received inquiries from 180 countries, nearly doubling the inquiries from last year, Costa said. "Not only is this a strong indicator of the need for this unifying campaign, it shows the potential for us to spread our message into parts of the world where rabies education is most needed," he said. Rabies claims the lives of about 55,000 people a year around the world, and one person dies from rabies every 10 minutes, a fact that has spurred so many companies, universities and nonprofits to climb on board.
AAEP Opposes The Soring Of Tennessee Walking HorsesAugust 7, 2008The American Assn. of Equine Practitioners has issued a white paper recommending the elimination of soring within the Tennessee Walking Horse industry. AAEP defines soring as "the infliction of pain to create an extravagant or exaggerated gait in horses for training or show purposes." The white paper, "Putting the Horse First: Veterinary Recommendations for Ending the Soring of Tennessee Walking Horses," includes the following guidance: Immediate institution of drug testing at every competition. . The abolishment of the Designated Qualified Persons Program and the establishment of a corps of independent veterinarians to conduct horse inspections and impose sanctions for violations of the Horse Protection Act. . The development of objective methods to detect soring in order to eliminate the current practice of conditioning horses to tolerate pressure applied to the limbs. . Establishment of a single industry organization that has governance responsibilities and sets and enforces uniform standards and regulations. . Reevaluation of judging standards. Although soring is prohibited by the federal Horse Protection Act of 1970, it continues within the industry, according to AAEP. For instance, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued 103 competitor violations …
Alltech Adds To Marketing StaffAugust 6, 2008Alltech of Lexington, Ky., has named Kathryn Norman its marketing coordinator. She previously worked as an intelligence analyst for the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security. The company has also added four marketing interns--Matthew Mathis, Jessica Decker, Joseph Tunde and Paige Ishmael. Decker will perform market research in consumer branding and Tunde will research the application of Alltech's Sel-Plex in Africa, with a focus on nutrition and dietary supplementation targeting those with immuno-compromised conditions. <HOME>
Abaxis, Wyeth, Neogen, Schering-Plough, Pfizer, PetMed - 07-25-2008July 25, 2008Abaxis Inc. Abaxis Inc.’s veterinary division recently reported revenue of $16.61 million for its first quarter ended June 30, compared to revenue of $16.44 million in the year-ago period. Veterinary reagent disc sales for the first quarter were $10.4 million, a decrease of 6 percent from the year-ago period. “The slow economy did have a negative effect on our veterinary reagent disc business,” said Clint Severson, chairman and chief executive officer of Abaxis. “While the comparisons over the first fiscal quarter last year were difficult due to increased veterinary reagent disc sales because of the pet food scare and the fact we announced a price increase in the last quarter of fiscal 2008, clearly the economy has been a drag on our veterinary consumable sales. “The good news is that our Vetscan chemistry analyzer sales increased by 83 units or 25 percent over last year’s comparable quarter. Improving product quality and the fact that a Vetscan chemistry analyzer can make a veterinary practice more efficient in a difficult economy are two reasons for the increase.” Overall, Abaxis reported net income of $2.78 million on revenue of $24.57 million for its first quarter, compared to …
