News

NASHVILLE, TEN. - Sedation before intracardial injection euthanasia soon will be required in Tennessee after a DVM's highly publicized disciplinary case led lawmakers to push for legislative clarification on the method.

Atlanta - Clare B. Reagan, CAE, joins the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association as its executive director.

Tampa, Fla. - The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) met veterinarian requests for a shorter, more concentrated conference to reduce time spent away from practices, but saw attendance drop slightly from 2007 at its annual conference in late March.

Lakewood, Colo. - Created in 1933 to help "pet doctors" boost the standards of companion-animal care, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) is marking its 75th anniversary.

Lexington, Ky. - Every horse needs an annual dental exam, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) says. It hopes to spread that message through a dental-health campaign designed to reach horse owners throughout 2008.

Los Angeles - A television station investigative reporter used a hidden-camera approach to raise questions about the legitimacy of diagnoses and fees at several veterinary practices in the Los Angeles area.

I remember the summer days of my youth. My dad's veterinary practice, within walking distance of the local high school, was always fully staffed with local adolescents who just loved to be around animals. True, they didn't know anything about animal restraint or when to use gloves or pretty much anything else, but they were eager and willing and looking for a chance to get some experience with a veterinarian.

Sacramento, Calif. - The California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) wants to rid its national counterpart of the vice presidency - an office that critics claim generates more election politics than student interest in the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

The current commercial formulation of liquid oral Gabapentin suspension contains xylitol, which may be associated with potentially severe and/or fatal complications in dogs and cats, report Drs. Pierre S. Bichsel, DVM, MS and Ronald Lyman, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM of the Animal Emergency and Referral Center in Ft. Pierce, Fla.

Tampa, fla. - An American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) fund that aims to provide quality health care for companion animals received a $50,000 donation from CareCredit at the association's annual convention in late March.

Solana Beach, Calif. - 4/30/08 - An autopsy shows it was a great white shark that killed a 66-year-old retired veterinarian while he was swimming in the ocean near his home. The official cause of Dr. David Martin's death was exsanguination, or blood loss, from a shark bite, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office.

Albany, N.Y. - 4/29/08 - New York veterinarians are concerned about non-profit animal shelters practicing medicine, according to early results from a New York State Veterinary Medical Society (NYSVMS) survey.

Educational debt

After arriving at the hospital and getting ready for the day, I noticed that my afternoon schedule was nearly blank. I had one appointment at the beginning and the end of the appointment block. I did not worry much; it was bound to get busier by mid-day with clients calling in requesting same-day appointments or emergencies.

Paris, France - 4/24/2008- The change in gender, accreditation and veterinary shortages in agriculture and public health all headlined a world meeting of veterinary deans. Hosted by OIE, which includes the World Organization for Animal Health, the three-day meeting sought to address the serious and global challenges facing veterinary education.

Schaumburg, Ill. - 4/22/08 - American Veterinary Medical Association leaders gave the OK for an exotic companion mammal specialty practice area that focuses on ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs, rodents and other small exotic mammals.

Ithaca, NY - 4/21/08 - Aiming to help recruit DVMs to research positions, the Clinical Fellows Program is the newest initiative by Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine to help students balance the time and financial demands of the veterinary academia sector.

4-20-2008 - Baltimore - Dr. Nathan Wolfe, professor of epidemiology at the University of California Los Angeles hopes to prevent the next pandemic.

Baltimore - 04-20-2008 - CVC East veterinarian attendance spiked 23 percent this year over last. The conference drew 1,231 veterinarians to the Baltimore Convention Center April 18-21, reports Conference Manager Dot Thiesen, up from last year's record of 949 veterinarians.

Ames, Iowa - 4/19/2008 - The USDA has approved heightened security measures for the nation's standard for web-based animal health certification, developed by GlobalVetLink (GVL), that will better regulate and track veterinarians' electronic signatures.

Philadelphia - 4/18/08 - The first-ever Penn Vet World Award, created to honor veterinarians who have spurred practice change and profession recognition, and influenced the lives and careers of others, was given to Dr. Bernard Vallat, director-general of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Lexington, Ky. - 4/17/08 - Every horse needs an annual dental exam, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) says. It hopes to spread that message through a dental-health campaign designed to reach horse owners throughout 2008.

Schaumburg, Ill. - 4/16/08 - Pet health insurance is on the Group Health and Life Insurance Trust's (GHLIT)

Today is day 12 of a cold I cannot kick. I have fondly renamed it the Smoketown Crud. When one staff member gets it, it seems to go around until the majority are affected.

Bethesda, Md. - 4/15/08 - The Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA) is moving forward to develop the new group, including plans this month to announce leadership council members.

Raleigh, N.C. - 4/14/08 - The American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation (CHF) study of Syringomyelia in Brussels Griffon received funding support from three international clubs, based in Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Washington - 4/11/08 - Operations were suspended at one slaughterhouse and violations issued at three others after 18 facilities were evaluated in a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) audit, spurred by the nation's largest beef recall earlier this year.

Lexington, Ky. - 4/10/08 - "On Call" equine veterinarians trained to deal with the media during the Thoroughbred racing season are assigned for the major televised races this spring, including the Triple Crown.

Albany, N.Y. - 4/9/08 - New York nurses want veterinarians to stop calling their technicians 'nurses' -- a term they say applies only to the human-health profession.

Orlando, Fla. - 4/9/08 - Continued advancements in animal cruelty have spurred the unprecedented Veterinary Forensics Symposium, which opens its doors today and is co-sponsored by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the University of Florida's William R. Maples Center for Forensic Science.