News

How would you rate your facility compared to others in the area?

AVMA's failed ear cropping resolution reignites the cosmetic surgery ethics debate.

Team members seem more worried about pet owners than themselves during recession.

The recession's ripple effect caused gray days. But the sun's still peeking through.

You may recall that the title of my first book was Most of My Patients Are Animals. Last year in this column, I related a couple of stories that illustrated the meaning of the title, with an emphasis on "most." Well, here are a few more.

In another step toward reform of the Thoroughbred racing industry, the RMTC approved new national standards for drug testing.

Here's a look at average employee earnings by position and region. How does your pay stack up?

Feline pancreatitis is a very difficult disease to definitively diagnose antemortem, and treatment remains symptomatic and supportive.

Vomiting is a common and frequently complex problem in cats.

Patients in the ICU can require antimicrobial therapy for numerous reasons.

Initial nonspecific management of vomiting includes NPO (in minor cases a 6-12 hour period of nothing per os may be all that is required), fluid support, and antiemetics.

Davis, Calif. -- Scott Weber, DVM, MS, former head veterinarian at the New England Aquarium in Boston, leads the new Aquatic Animal Health Team at UC-Davis? William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

Although orangutans are much heavier than their cousins the chimpanzees, they have developed their own method of swinging through the delicate tops of trees.

Banfield has announced that ear cropping and tail docking for cosmetic purposes will no longer be performed at their practices.

Sanofi-Aventis is buying Merck's ownership share of animal-health giant Merial. That's not all -- the deal opens up an option to combine Merial and Schering-Plough Animal Health.

Columbus, Ohio -- Dr. Lonnie King, currently the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne and Enteric Diseases, will take over as dean of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine Sept. 1.

Washington -- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) again delayed implementation of its new rules to fight identity theft. The enforcement date for the controversial Red Flags rule is now Nov. 1, 2009, the agency reports today in a prepared statement.

Recent research has shown that female cats tend to favor using their right paws in performing tasks, while male cats tend to be southpaws.

A new list shows upcoming events in equine practice.

A step-by-step photo package illustrating application of a Miller's knot for veterinarians.

Speak up...speak out...and speak loudly at the CVC in Kansas City!

Philadelphia -- In an open letter to friends and supporters, the dean of the University of Pennsylvania?s veterinary school warns that a proposed 24 percent cut in state funding for the school will have a ?devastating impact? on the school and the Commonwealth.

Animal rights groups are apprehensive about the possible upsurge in guinea pig purchases inspired by the action heroes in "G-Force."

Portland, Ore. -- Banfield, The Pet Hospital will discontinue ear cropping and tail docking surgeries, the company reports today.

A new study has found that in dogs and people with naturally occurring mitral valve disease, diseased cells within the heart are producing serotonin, contributing to valve degeneration.

Washington -- A summary of the latest research on equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM), based on interviews with 18 veterinarians or state equine program managers who dealt with outbreaks in recent years, is available through the USDA?s Animal and Plant Health Inspections Services' (APHIS) Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health (CEAH).

New York -- Pets with cancer whose owners can?t afford treatment can get financial help from a newly established philanthropic fund, based on veterinarian referrals.

Fort Collins, Colo. -- Veterinary researchers at Colorado State University discovered that cells in diseased heart valves of dogs and humans produce serotonin, which they believe may be the driving force behind mitral-valve disease in both.

A new Web site lets you send your pet's shed fur by mail and get back yarn or even a final knitted product.

Phoenix -- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed legislation banning the practice of horse tripping and creating a registry of equine rescue facilities and a public list of those facilities.