News

Washington - The U.S. House passed the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act last month in lame-duck session, sending the measure to President Bush's desk for his signature.

Take this quick quiz to discover how crispy you really are.

How would you define learning? Webster's dictionary defines "learning" as acquiring knowledge or skill by study or experience, while "study" is the act or process of applying our mind in order to acquire knowledge by reading or investigating. Unfortunately, Webster's definition of the term study emphasizes acquisition of knowledge without properly emphasizing the importance of acquiring wisdom. What's the difference?

When I was 2 years old, my mom read a book to me called The Doctor in the Zoo. That's when I decided to be a veterinarian, but not one who just sees dogs and cats.

Austin, Texas - The Texas Animal Health Commission advised equine owners and DVMs to use best practices for the prevention of Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA) following an outbreak in nearby states.

Fort Collins, Colo. - Roughly 385,000 lambs and 215,300 sheep were lost due to predator and nonpredator causes in 2004, representing 9.4 and 5.6 percent of the U.S. lamb crop and sheep inventory, respectively.

Orlando, Fla. - The 24th annual NAVC Conference Jan. 13-17, 2007 promises to provide a variety of learning formats.

Shawnee, Kan. - Bayer HealthCare named Lykele van der Broek global head of its animal health division.

New Orleans - Federal regulators want the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to overturn a trial court's ruling that limits the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) jurisdiction over the production of some compounded drugs.

Fort Collins, Colo. - The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) seeks DVM input for its Dairy 2007 national study.

Advances in veterinary transfusion medicine and development of canine and feline blood donor programs have increased the availability of blood products to the veterinary market. An increasing number of small animal practices are routinely using commercial blood banks and providing their patients with valuable transfusion medicine services. It is important when administering these products to understand and recognize the most-common signs of a reaction. Side effects such as vomiting, fever and urticaria have been well described in veterinary patients.

Baton Rouge, La. –– The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry is investigating the cases of two horses administered counterfeit clenbuterol to determine if the unapproved drug is responsible for their deaths.

This practitioner, behavior consultant, lecturer, and author thinks television shows such as Dog Whisperer may give pet owners unrealistic expectations about the time and commitment needed for behavior modification.

Ithaca, N.Y. - He hopes his legacy will be upheld through the continued encouragement of Cornell's future veterinarians to be diverse in thought and practice, and open to challenges and change.

Fort Collins, Colo. - Old age was the number one cause of death for horses, according to a recently released study of equine health from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Dr. Nancy Matthews didn't cry. She didn't run. After a short fight, she curled into the fetal position and remained still, trying to keep her neck, face and the back of her legs unexposed.

Biosecurity is no joke. Most practitioners are aware of its significance considering the media focus on bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), bovine spongiform encephalopathy and agroterrorism. Yet veterinarians who are known to make a host of producer safety recommendations often omit some security suggestions because they appear excessive.

Washington, D.C. - A study monitoring the success of weight loss for people and animals showed better results when owners and pets worked together.

St. Paul, Minn.- American Association of Bovine Practitioners' (AABP) board members voted during the group's annual meeting in September to establish a charitable foundation.

Pomona, Calif. -Western University's (Western U) veterinary college broke ground on its veterinary clinical center.

Louisville, Ky. - At 3:45 a.m. Dec. 20, Louisville Metro Council members passed a dangerous dog ordinance that rejected an original version calling for the ban of seven large breeds including Pit Bulls.

As veterinary practitioners, we know that new and unanticipated challenges face us in a world of accelerating change and technological development. The media and particularly the Internet have altered both the level of information available to us and the level of expectations of our clientele.

Annapolis, Md. - The Maryland Republican Party named a 58-year-old mixed animal practitioner as spokesman for its agenda.

Chicago - The American Veterinary Medical Association's annual leadership conference agenda appears ordinary apart from an administrative rules rewrite.

Fort Collins, Colo. - A voluntary quarantine at Colorado State University (CSU) was lifted following a late October outbreak of equine herpes virus type-1 (EHV-1).

I finished the surgery with feelings of pride and accomplishment. There were enterotomies in four places. The abdomen was closed, the skin was closed, and the drain was in place.

Englewood, Colo. - A $30-million cancer program aims to foster research, treatment and, hopefully, a future cure for canine and human cancer.

The fourth goal of therapy is to prevent serious side effects of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia.

Washington - The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) requests agenda topics for a meeting on veterinary biological products.

It's in every corner of your hospital, and you try to avoid it as much as possible. It's in your exam rooms, your treatment area, your surgery suite and even your employee lounge.