Jennifer Fiala

Marshall, Texas - A Texas jury handed AVID Identification Systems a $6-million verdict in a patent infringement case. The decision followed a six-day trial in U.S. District Court in eastern Texas against Swiss manufacturer Datamars SA and its U.S. distributor Crystal Import Corp. for willfully infringing on three U.S. patents and false advertising, the court contends.

Schaumburg, Ill. - A visioning team of AVMA's Strategic Planning Committee and various group leaders has developed a list of directional goals to measure future initiatives against.

Providence, R.I. - Rhode Island hinges on becoming the nation's first state to mandate the sterilization of cats.

Washington - Two vacant positions, a laundry list of agenda items and a Congress gearing up for elections welcomes Dr. Mark Lutschaunig to his new job as the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) Governmental Relations Division (GRD) director.

A lawyer rarely pursues a lawsuit against a veterinarian who apologizes.

Sacramento, Calif. - As physical therapy takes root in animal healthcare, veterinary regulators and the profession's leaders scramble to create guidelines to restrict lay and untrained practitioners.

This month, the National Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (NBVME) Executive Committee plans to question two veterinarians and two would-be graduates on charges they shared NAVLE secrets on the Internet.

In 1936, Cameron Animal Hospital opened as the first standalone veterinary building servicing dogs and cats in the Northeast United States.

Santa Monica, Calif. - California's registered veterinary technicians (RVT) are one step closer to holding license to perform small skin incisions to place intravascular catheters.

Schaumburg, Ill. - The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) names Lyle Vogel, DVM, MPH, director of the Division of Animal Welfare. Next in line is Dr. Gail Golab, the division's new associate director.

Riverdale, MD. - Government analysis shows that the nation's risk for a mad cow outbreak is so low, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to ease testing protocols for the brain-wasting malady.

National Report - Several veterinary programs and other institutions in at least 14 states are jostling to host a new high-security government laboratory intended to research some of the world's most dangerous diseases.

Schaumburg, Ill. - The American Veterinary Medical Association's Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) has been recharged as part of an approved directive from a task force reviewing the group's welfare policies and framework.

Schaumburg, Ill. - The American Veterinary Medical Association wants no part of any signed pact with the Human Society of the United States - even when endorsing mutually supported initiatives.

National Report - Dr. Al Schwartz likens general practice to a dying breed, consumed by a growing number graduates electing tracks in specialty medicine.

Los Angeles - A plan designed to stave off Pit Bull and Rottweiler attacks around Los Angeles has expanded to mandate the sterilization of almost all dogs in unincorporated areas of the nation's largest county.

National Report - As the profession evolves, so do two distinct factions - its army of general practitioners and a growing number of board-certified specialists.

Trenton, N.J. - He's put away the scuba gear, paused the pottery wheel and plans to rearrange time spent as his practice to do one thing - run for the New Jersey General Assembly.

Toledo, Ohio - More than a year after the Ohio Supreme Court quashed part of the state's vicious dog laws, an appeals panel finds another section of code as well as a Toledo ordinance targeting Pit Bulls unconstitutional.

Sacramento, Calif. - Corporate veterinary medicine has walked away from a legislative bid to ease California's license requirements - for now.

Mandatory abuse reporting could sever clients and also the ability to continue contact with the owner.

Washington - Year 2025: Technicians rank as spay and neuter experts, veterinary education and licenses restrict via species, and agricultural practice exists as a mere memory.

We have many diverse needs in the country that aren't going to be met at foreign schools.

Washington - Dr. Michael Chaddock, head of AVMA's Washington bureau, resigned following a dispute with Executive Vice President Dr. Bruce Little over what Chaddock claims were "irregular hiring practices" for an assistant director position. AVMA disputes Chaddock's account.

The vast majority of veterinarians are basically saying that they are safe.

Schaumburg, Ill. ? The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) wants capital punishment opponents to stop quoting its euthanasia guidelines to contest lethal injection.

Corvallis, Ore. ? The American Veterinary Medical Association's Council on Education (COE) plans this month to demote Oregon State University's (OSU) accreditation status for the second time in six years. The move was in response to officials hiring a researcher and geochemist as the veterinary college's interim dean.

Indianapolis ? The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently approved Dow AgroSciences' technology to generate vaccines from plants, marking the first such regulatory sanction in the world.

Sacramento, calif. ? An April 28 hearing on licensure expansion for registered veterinary technicians (RVT) might prove the California Veterinary Medical Association's (CVMA) best and final chance to thwart the measure.

Washington ? In a town where political isolation begets a legislative death sentence, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reports some once-unusual alliances now bolster the profession's Washington agenda.