Breaking News

International Report -- Today is the third annual observance of World Rabies Day, a glocal rabies awareness campaign spearheaded by the United Kingdom charity Alliance for Rabies Control (ARC) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Washington -- The Veterinary Services Investment Act (VSIA), which will establish grants to confront veterinary-service shortages, was introduced by U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and John Thune (R-S.D.).

Annapolis, Md. -- Some veterinarians in Maryland need to find a new laboratory for necropsies and nonemergency infectious disease testing. The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) is in the process of consolidating five labs across the state into two facilities and won?t be providing services to companion-animal veterinarians from now on.

National Report -- VCA Animal Hospitals, which recently announced it would offer free boarding at its Southern California facilities for companion animals whose owners were evacuated or displaced because of wildfires, is now offering a similar service in flood-ravaged southern states.

Cathy Johnson-Delaney was elected to a second consecutive term as president of the AEMV.

Lakewood, Colo. -- The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) has begun its search to replace long-time Executive Director Dr. John Albers, who will step down from the position Dec. 31 after 23 years.

National Report -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture, concerned about a perceived drop in swine disease samples from pork producers, is urging veterinarians to continue monitoring herds for a variety of diseases, including the H1N1 influenza virus.

Austin, Texas -- Dr. Bob Hillman will resign Dec. 31 after seven years as Texas state veterinarian.

Anderson, Ind. -- The first of two tests for a highly contagious bacterial infection suspected in a group of quarantined racehorses at Hoosier Park Racing and Casino came back negative.

Listen to a new exclusive audio report about a new HSUS campaign designed to spur pet adoptions.

Lakewood, Colo. -- For the first time, a new Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool is available to help veterinary hospitals and shelters reunite lost pets with owners by checking participating pet-recovery services' registries.

Santa Monica has joined San Francisco in trying to limit declawing before a new state law takes effect Jan. 1.

BI has made a deal with Pfizer to purchase much of the Fort Dodge animal-health portfolio.

Bismarck, N.D. -- Anthrax is reported in North Dakota for the first time this year, in a county that hasn?t seen a case of the disease in nine years.

Lexington, Ky. -- Tickets to the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games go on sale Friday (Sept. 25) at noon -- exactly one year before the games begin in Lexington's Kentucky Horse Park.

Washington -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is asking health-care providers, veterinarians included, to voice their opinions on the regulation of medical products and prescription-drug promotions on the Internet and social networking sites.

Las Vegas -- More than 4,000 veterinarians, veterinary students and technicians are expected for the 55th annual convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Dec. 5-9 at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

Fort Worth, Texas -- The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has an ongoing program offering $500 to those who adopt mature horses 4 to 10 years old from public lands as part of National Wild Horse Adoption Day Sept. 26.

National Report -- A new application for the iPhone may help veterinarians track the spread of infectious diseases like the H1N1 virus and West Nile virus.

Whitehouse Station, N.J. -- Global pharmaceutical company Sanofi-aventis is now sole owner of Merial Ltd. after purchasing Merck & Co.?s remaining 50 percent interest for $4 billion.

National Report -- Dog bites accounted for one-third of all homeowner insurance liability claims in 2008, according to data collected by the nonprofit Insurance Information Institute.

Lenoir, N.C. -- Dr. Beth Jones, a veterinarian from Lenoir, N.C., announced she will run for the state Senate in 2010, attempting to unseat District 44 Sen. Jim Jacumin (R-Burke).

FDA warns against importation or compounding of trilostane following the approval of Vetoryl.

Veterinarians may want to get in line early to receive the H1N1 vaccines recently approved by FDA.

The AVMA is dipping into its reserves to fund travel expenses for next year's HOD sessions.

The number of rabies-infected cats was almost four times that of dogs in 2008.

Anderson, Ind. -- A suspected contagious infection in two Thoroughbred racehorses resulted in the quarantine of those two and 57 other horses at Anderson's Hoosier Park racetrack north of Indianapolis.

A veterinary researcher and a biologist believe they've found a more effective method of collecting snake venom and also may have shed some new light on evolution.

Fort Collins, Colo. -- The new Diagnostic Medicine Center at Colorado State University is now operational, enabling the university to help monitor the health of animals and wildlife in the state and research new approaches to disease intervention and prevention.

St. Louis, Mo. -- Purina Horse Feed has donated $10,000 to help repair hurricane damage to a horse research center at Southern Illinois University -- Carbondale (SIUC).