News

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.

Leesburg, Va. - Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center resumed full operations, including inpatient and emergency care, after a quarantine of nearly six weeks, imposed by the Virginia State Veterinarian's Office, was lifted April 2.

Have you ever had a close-up look at an ostrich? Do you have any idea how big those rascals really are?

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

The clinical signs of hepatic insufficiency in horses are highly variable, nonspecific and depend on the extent and duration of hepatic disease.

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

Ceres, Calif. - State officials quarantined a Stanislaus County hog farm after finding melamine traces in the urine of animals. The compound was identified as a contaminate in the ongoing national pet-food recall.

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

The list of legal actions continues to grow as officials sort the aftermath of the largest pet-food recall in history. DVM Newsmagazine compiled this short list of actions filed at press time.

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.

Any office call involving Mr. and Mrs. Flipflop can be quite a challenge. They truly seem to love their pets, or maybe they don't. And nothing is too much trouble when it comes to their animal's welfare, or maybe nothing is all they are willing to do. It is hard to tell. The truth is, though, they usually are all talk and no action.

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.

Davis, Calif. - "It's like a wet finger in the wind," says Dr. Paul Pion, of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN), in assessing the health impact of the massive recall affecting about 1 percent of all pet foods.

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 PetSafe Micro I.D.â„¢ Rescue Collar can be worn as an everyday dog or cat collar, but its built-in USB flash drive stores all of the pet's personal data. If the pet becomes lost, the flash drive can be plugged into any computer with a USB port to identify the pet.

There are no signs this Spring of widespread high populations of eastern tent caterpillar (ETC) – the insect linked to Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome (MRLS) – but horse farms still should take precautionary measures, says Lee Townsend, PhD, entomologist at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

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

Washington - An improved system of tracking pet-food ingredients from the point of origin to the point of utilization, a better system of reporting contaminants and a truth-in-labeling initiative are steps that might go a long way toward preventing another pet-food crisis of the magnitude the nation is experiencing.

"I was alarmed. And I was nowhere near home. 'Don't die!' I yelled as I stepped on the gas."

Washington - The Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) appointed Cindy Smith as its new associate administrator.

Schaumburg, Ill. - The American Veterinary Medical Association named Dr. Ron DeHaven as its new executive vice president to help lead the organization and replace retiring Dr. Bruce Little, who has held the position for 11 years.

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.

It's simply good business practice that will reduce or eliminate costly incidents.

Denver - Following input from dozens of veterinarians nationwide, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) has published the final version of its referral guidelines. However, veterinarians can expect to see minimal changes with this latest version.

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.

To keep your paper shredder in tip-top shape, it's best to lubricate it periodically.

After more than six weeks, the story surrounding the nation's largest pet-food recall still doesn't have an ending.

Ames, Iowa - The Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine has been granted full accreditation status by the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Q Please review laboratory diagnosis of systemic mycoses and toxoplasmosis.