Medical

Brisbane, Australia - BioChip Innovations (BCI) is working to release Influenza PrimRset, a new product that can identify each of avian influenza's 144 strains, allowing quicker response time and appropriate treatment for outbreaks.

Your editor's note, "I Love My Job" (January/February 2007) hit the nail on the head.

Denver, Co. - The American Animal Hospital Association presented its 2007 awards, recognizing individuals for their outstanding service to the veterinary industry, at the annual conference in Denver.

The article "How to Beat a Bully" in the January/February issue really hit home.

"The biggest myth that we deal with is that most people believe their dog or cat got fleas from direct contact with another pet.

The technology will help many patients, but will be of particular benefit to athletic horses.

Westlake Village and Palo Alto, Calif. - National Veterinary Associates (NVA), the nation's largest private owner of free-standing companion-animal hospitals, announced that it received a $128 million investment from Summit Partners, a private equity and venture-capital firm.

Baltimore - Nutramax Laboratories is taking Cosequin® over-the-counter because of Internet bootlegging, but says new distribution-control strategies are in place to save its newest generation product, DasuquinTM, from meeting the same fate.

The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has honored former dean and DVM William R. Pritchard for his achievements and leadership by renaming the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in his honor.

The site will have 25 claims specialists, adding to the nearly 400 employees.

Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minn. - A $1.8- million linear accelerator for treatment of cancer patients is expected to be ready for use this summer at the Veterinary Medical Center in the University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine.

San Diego, Calif. – The WALTHAM UC Veterinary Medical Center – San Diego Clinical Nutrition Program is now open to provide pets, clients and DVMs with a new resource for veterinary health - nutritional treatment for ill or overweight pets.

St. Paul, Minn. - More than three decades in the academic realm of veterinary medicine are drawing to a close for Dr. Jeffry S. Klausner, dean of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, as he prepares to become president and chief executive officer of New York City's prestigious Animal Medical Center (AMC) on July 1.

C.A. Tony Buffington, professor of veterinary sciences at The Ohio State University, shares his thoughts on nutrition issues facing pets.

National Report - Parasites are on the move. Warmer winters, exploding wildlife populations and reforestation are all fueling the trend.

Denver, Colo.-The Morris Animal Foundation launched a $30-million fundraising effort to back its three-phased canine-cancer initiative that aims not only to save dogs from the disease, but also help produce breakthroughs in human cancers - especially those typically found in childhood.

North Grafton, Mass. –– For the first time since the Fogarty Fellowship was established, a veterinary student was selected as one of 20 annual participants in the National Institutes of Health overseas research program.

Blacksburg, Va. - While almost 400 Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) students attended classes and labs the morning of April 16, the start of a massacre was underway just 500 yards across campus.

National Report - Healthy Pet bought six new animal hospitals in New England, bringing its ownership portfolio to 44 practices along the East Coast.

Rockville , MD. - The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine posted its Cumulative Adverse Drug Experiences (ADE) Summaries Report, providing veterinarians and animal owners easy access to information about reactions and other signs that have been associated with drugs.

Ithaca, NY - 4/25/07 - Feline expert and veterinary leader James R. Richards died yesterday from injuries suffered in a motor vehicle accident.

The expanding pet-food recall that started with Ontario-based Menu Foods Inc. has prompted the government to consider whether pet foods should be regulated in Canada.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced approval of the nation?s first human vaccine for H5N1 influenza, commonly known as avian or bird flu.

National Report - A national survey to gauge the impact of the contaminated pet food following the massive recall was launched late yesterday.

National Report - 4/9/07 - In response to pet-owner concerns after the large-scale recall of some pet foods, the American Veterinary Medical Association issued guidelines on making home-cooked meals for pets while reiterating that non-recalled pet foods remain the best option.

National Report - 4/4/07 - Members of Congress are joining a rapidly expanding hue and cry over last month's recall of tainted pet foods, with at least three lawmakers demanding answers from the Food and Drug Administration and Menu Foods.

Denver, Colo. - Veterinary organizations lost the first round in a fight to quash a controversial bill that would allow unlicensed professionals to perform certain health services without veterinary referral or supervision.

Princeton, Mass. – A large number of New England veterinarians are actively supporting a new program through which service dogs are trained specifically to assist disabled combat veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Springhill, La. –– Two men and a teenager were sentenced for holding a mixed-animal veterinarian at gunpoint while his house was ransacked. The veterinarian was at home with his daughter during the incident.

Lexington, Ky. – The ongoing risk that equine viral arteritis (EVA) poses for American horses, its detection, carriers, possible new strains and the various means of prevention were the subject of a recent DVM Newsmagazine interview with expert Peter Timoney, MVB, PhD, FRCVS, chairman of the Department of Veterinary Science at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. He has spent 24 years studying EVA. We asked him the following questions: