Breaking News

National Report -- An outbreak of contagious equine metritis (CEM) that began more than three months ago now involves 711 horses in 46 states, as state and federal veterinary investigators continue to look for the source.

Schaumburg, Ill. -- To better coordinate animal-rescue efforts during times of disaster, a decade-old "statement of understanding" between the AVMA, AVMF and the American Red Cross has been formalized.

Phoenix -- The Humane Society of the United States filed a class-action lawsuit against Petland Inc. and the Hunte Corp. for allegedly selling "unhealthy puppy-mill puppies to unsuspecting customers."

Tallahassee -- A bill that would have required sterilization of all cats and dogs by the age of 4 months was substantially changed by the Florida House Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Committee.

Meridian, Idaho -- The American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists is offering up its services in May to a group that never fails in its service to others.

Baton Rouge, La. -- A successful surgery on a bleeding tumor in a 10-year-old Labrador Retriever earned the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine $100,000 in thanks from the dog's owners.

It has a 1-in-700,000 chance of happening, but a cow gave birth to triplets at WSU March 17.

DVM Newsmagazine again earned the highest honor bestowed in business-to-business publishing .

Wisconsin - Veterinarians in the rural Midwest were warned of a possible new trend -- teen-aged girls reportedly taking veterinary medications meant to induce abortion in cows to perform their own abortions.

Germantown, Md. -- The American College of Veterinary Surgeons added 65 new diplomates who passed the latest board-certification exam, the ACVS announced.

Springfield, Ill. - An Illinois Senate bill that would have labeled cosmetic ear cropping and tail docking as "animal torture" was cut to the point of removing all substantial policy change.

Philadelphia -- Dr. Frederick A. Murphy has been selected as the 2009 recipient of the Penn Vet World Leadership Award, earning him $100,000 in unrestricted funding.

The California Senate soon will debate non-therapeutic antimicrobial use in food animals.

The number of heartworm cases continues to climb in parts of the United States.

Sterling, Mass. -- Webster Veterinary has donated a copy of the its new student edition imaging program to each U.S. veterinary college to use in their teaching hospitals.

Perth, Australia -- About one-third of veterinarians surveyed for a psychological study in Australia report poor psychological health, with younger doctors suffering most from work-related stress and anxiety, researchers found.

Schaumberg, Ill. -- Jim Flanigan, director of marketing with AVMA for the past seven years, has left the association for the Society of Critical Care Medicine, a human health organization.

Washington -- A mandatory animal identification tracking system is the most effective way to minimize an animal disease outbreak.

Urbana, Ill. -- Students could spend their first weeks of veterinary school in clinical rotations if a curriculum overhaul is adopted at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.

Reno, Nev. -- An offer from Madeleine Pickens to create a million-acre sanctuary for up to 30,000 wild horses could cost the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) more than it presently pays for long-term holding facilities for horses removed from public lands, according to the veterinary representative on the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board.

National Report - The first research foundation dedicated to veterinary pharmacology has been created through start-up funds from the American Academy of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (AAVPT).

Whitehouse Station, N.J. -- Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. announced a $41.1 billion merger March 9, but it's unclear at this point how it will affect both companies' animal-health businesses.

Schaumberg, Ill. -- A $100,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation will go toward national and global One Health Commission initiatives.

National Report -- Veterinary students in two states will have access to more scholarship funds despite the tightening economy.

Columbia, Mo. -- A veterinary ophthalmologist at the University of Missouri identified a genetic link between cats and humans for two forms of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a discovery that could lead to gene-based therapies benefiting cats and humans.

Ames, Iowa- An NIH-affiliated organization doled out more than $4 million in grants to two veterinary researchers at Iowa State University (ISU) to further study Parkinson's disease.

Minneapolis/St. Paul -- The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, in conjunction with the university's Masonic Cancer Center, has established a new Animal Cancer Care and Research (ACCR) program.

Hamburg, Germany -- Veterinarians experience a high degree of psychosocial stress and demoralization linked to factors such as long hours with little free time, tough clients and difficulty balancing their private and professional lives, according to a team of researchers in Germany.

New York - Dr. Jeffrey Klausner is out at the famed Animal Medical Center. But no one is really saying why.

Blacksburg, Va. -- A professor of veterinary anatomy and physiology at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine was awarded the Carl J. Norden-Pfizer Distinguished Teaching Award, considered the nation's top veterinary teaching award.