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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.

Washington - 4/8/08 - The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) wants veterinarians to pressure lawmakers to support the Senate's version of the Farm Bill.

Blacksburg, Va. - 4/7/08 - The role biofilm plays in the development of Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex (BRDC) will be studied, with the help of government funding, by a Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicince professor.

Washington - 4/4/08 - Emergency funding totalling $16.8 million has been earmarked to continue efforts to eradicate bovine tuberculosis in California, Michigan and Minnesota, announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Camden, N.J. - 4/3/08 - Another chapter in the lengthy pet-food recall saga is drawing to a close with the reported settlement of more than 100 class-action lawsuits brought on behalf of pet owners in the United States and Canada.

Madison, Wis. - 4/2/08 - The Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association (WVMA) plans to release guiding principles for large-animal welfare, pending review by the group's Animal Welfare Committee and the Executive Board's final approval in June.

4/2/08 - I found myself privileged to stay in bed, watching Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera. There was no alarm; this was my day off. Still, I had plenty to do, most of which required phone calls. I made my first call to the hospital, checking on my patients Pugsley and Elsa (the "misunderstood" dog from the previous night).

Questions regarding neonatal mortality are common in general practice.

Despite their marked efficacy in suppressing the immune system, alternatives to glucocorticoids must often be considered when treatment immune-mediated or chronic allergic diseases in dogs and cats.

The semen factors thought to be most important to fertility are the number, the morphology and the motility of the spermatozoa.

The goals of canine breeding programs are usually to optimize both pregnancy rates and litter size.

An accurate history is critical to the evaluation of a female animal suspected to be infertile.

Radiology and ultrasonography are useful for evaluating the ovaries, uterine wall, and intrauterine contents; for confirming pregnancy; and for assessing fetal viability.