Breaking News

San Francisco -- The San Francisco Society for the Protection of Animals (SPCA) is cautioning pet owners who use Golden Gate Park in the Haight District to be aware of an increase in canine parvovirus cases in dogs that have visited it.

Raleigh, N.C. -- A formal partnership was announced between PharmaCom BioVet Inc. and the United Kingdom's PetScreen, a company that specializes in early cancer detection in canines.

Washington -- The federal order banning extra-label use of cephalosporins in food-producing animals has been revoked -- at least for now.

Franklin, Tenn. - Mars Petcare has extended its Oct. 28 voluntary pet food recall that affected 15 states, adding more product carriers and brands affected by possible Salmonella contamination.

Schaumberg, Ill. -- "Chew on This," a new food-safety podcast series offered by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), got off on the right drumstick in November with a Thanksgiving-theme program about poultry safety and holiday dinners.

The AVMA announced its opposition to cosmetic tail docking and ear cropping Nov. 26.

A new system to track the impact of the recession on veterinary practices reports a 5 percent growth rate this year.

Schaumberg, Ill. -- A comprehensive online continuing-education program will be unveiled by the American Veterinary Medical Association Dec. 1.

Phoenix. -- As of Nov. 7, with nearly two months left in the year, the the Arizona Department of Health Services already reports a record-breaking year for rabies cases.

Lewisburg, W.Va. -- The American Veterinary Medical Association responded to reports that workers at a large turkey farm in southeastern West Virginia treated the birds inhumanely and were videotaped doing so.

Davis, Calif. -- Earthquakes and fires happen often enough in the state that the University of California, Davis is developing a program to offer large-animal emergency response training.

Lafayette, Ind. -- The Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine is going to the dogs this summer, when the school teams with the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette to place decorated, life-size dog statues throughout the area in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the veterinary college and the 100th anniversary of the art museum.

Fort Collins, Colo. -- Colorado State University will create an international environmental medicine center to investigate the safety of foreign food products.

Corvallis, Ore. -- Dr. Christopher Cebra, an Oregon State University (OSU) faculty member since 1997, recently was named the new head of the department of clinical sciences at the school's College of Veterinary Medicine.

Veterinary salaries are growing at a higher rate than inflation, according to a new AVMA report.

Brea, Calif. -- Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) has reached a milestone, now offering more than 2,000 companies the chance to enroll employees in a voluntary pet health insurance program.

Columbus, Ohio -- The American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) has elected a new president, Dr. Michael D. Lairmore of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and a veterinarian with the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine.

Columbia, Mo. -- A new Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL) was dedicated earlier this month at the University of Missouri campus giving researchers the necessary tools to study emerging infectious diseases such as West Nile virus and tularemia, pathogens commonly found in Missouri.

Reno, Nev. -- Thousands of unadoptable wild horses in U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) holding facilities could be saved from possible euthanasia or slaughter if the agency decides to accept an offer from Madeleine Pickens, wife of Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens, to create a preserve where the horses could live out their lives.

Lansdowne, Va. -- Forty-two U. S. scientists and specialists gathered at a national forum to consider ways to defend the United States from outbreaks of zoonotic diseases.

Denver -- The Morris Animal Foundation (MAF), in an effort to increase veterinary research into feline health issues, has launched the Happy Healthy Cat Campaign.

Davis, Calif. -- A team of researchers at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine say a gene mutation is responsible for high levels of uric acid, and sometimes bladder stones, in Dalmatians.

Sacramento -- Increased pet abandonment, euthanasia and public-health problems will be the likely result of the a newly proposed California tax on veterinary services, according to a statement issued today by the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA).

Kennett Square, Pa. -- The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine broke ground on its new state-of-the-art James M. Moran Jr. Critical Care Center at Penn Vet's new Bolton Center.

Denver -- The Morris Animal Foundation announced a plan for 2009 that includes funding about 200 animal studies.

Mayfield Village, Ohio -- Embrace Pet Insurance landed its first institutional investment round of $2.1 million.

Washington -- The always-in-danger-of-closing Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD) garnered a few extra months of operation, but with drastic cutbacks.

Schaumburg, Ill. -- DVMs should report pesticide incidents involving animals to a new veterinarians-only website.

California is looking for ways to make ends meet, including a proposed new veterinary service tax.

Tallahassee, Fla. -- No horses that tested positive for piroplasmosis during a nearly two-month investigation remain on Florida premises, the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced, although six properties remain under quarantine.