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IDEXX: Contributing to something bigger

 readers! For those who are currently enjoying all the learning at Fetch Charlotte, we hope you are having a fun and education time. For those not in Charlotte, do not worry because throughout the weekend, we will be sharing our conference coverage here at dvm360.com!

As we prepare our conference coverage, here is what was popular this week on dvm360.com:

 is excited to share that our very first continuing education 

 of The Vet Blast Podcast is now available! Thanks to our friends at Elanco, Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, sat down with Susan E. Little, DVM, PhD, DACVM (Parasitology) to talk all this tapeworm. 

 this week that its 3-month-year old Andean bear twin cubs have ventured out from their hidden den to meet guests at the zoo for the first time since they were born in December 2022.

 by the DEA is warning the public about the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with FDA-approved veterinary sedative xylazine, creating a higher risk of users suffering from a fatal drug poisoning.

, Natalie Marks, DVM, CVJ, president at Marks DVM Consulting, gave a little inside look at her upcoming lecture at this weekend’s Fetch Charlotte Conference.

The American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologist officially 

 registration for the 14th annual National Service Animal Eye Exam Event. The event will take place throughout May in nearly 200 cities across the United States Canada, Puerto Rico, and Hong Kong.

? You are in luck because we just launched the dvm360 TikTok account! You can check out our account 

 for laughs and lessons on all things veterinary medicine.

Articles

News wrap-up: This week’s headlines, plus dvm360® launches its first CE podcast  

The American Kennel Club now recognizes the French bulldog as the most popular breed in the United States.

 With the emergence of these brachycephalic breeds, faculty member Justin Ganjei, DVM, DACVS-SA, sat down in a 

interview to offer insight on what clients should be informed of to properly care for these pets. 

The following is a partial transcript of the video.

To be a responsible owner, if you have one of these breeds, you have to do the responsible thing and treat them appropriately so their quality of life can be improved.

Rice J. French bulldog knocks Labrador retriever out of number one spot, ending 31-year stay at the top. American Kennel Club. Marchc 15, 2023. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.akc.org/press-releases/french-bulldog-knocks-labrador-retriever-number-one-spot-ending-31-year-stay-top

Videos

In a dvm360® interview, Fetch Charlotte faculty member Dr Justin Ganjei shares what pet owners should know to make responsible decisions 

Educating clients on brachycephalic breeds

Viticus Group announced that it is now accepting applications for recent veterinary students to apply for its Jack Walther Recent Graduate Boot Camp Scholarship. Sixty applicants will be chosen to attend an interactive 3-day course designed for veterinary professionals who have graduated within the last 5 years or less.

“Viticus Group is proud to honor Dr Jack Walther and continue his legacy by educating veterinary graduates and enhance animal healthcare just as he did,” said Andrea Davis, chief executive officer of Viticus Group, in an organizational release.

 “Our goal is to support those who save and improve lives through innovative education, and this is just one way we’re able to achieve that.”

 this program will run June 5-7, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and provide attendees with hands-on laboratory education in training facilities with course training in dentistry, dermatology, and general surgery. To be considered, a video, audio, or written application must be submitted by April 21st, 2023.

This scholarship program honors Jack Walther, DVM, who cared for animals and wildlife in Reno, Nevada, for over 35 years. During his life, Walther would mentor veterinary professionals as well as a professor at the University of Nevada for several years.

Winners will be notified on or after May 5, 2023, with all travel and transportation expenses to and from Las Vegas not included but registration, lodging, ground transportation, and meals will all be covered for those chosen.

Viticus Group Invites Applicants for Dr. Jack Walther Recent Graduate Boot Camp Scholarship. News release. Viticus Group. March 23, 2023. Accessed March 24, 2023.

Recently graduated students are invited to apply for that award that honors Jack Walther, DVM.

Viticus group seeks applications for veterinary boot camp scholarship

Four sea otters that stranded in California died from an unusually severe form of toxoplasmosis, according to a study from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). The disease is caused by the microscopic parasite 

 that hasn’t been previously detected on the California coast.

The preliminary findings, published in the journal 

, note that toxoplasmosis, which is likely a recent arrival on the California coast, is common in sea otters and can be fatal. This unusual strain appears to be especially virulent and capable of rapidly killing healthy adult otters. Currently, no infections with the strain have been reported in humans, according to a news release from UC Davis.

“Because this parasite can infect humans and other animals, we want others to be aware of our findings, quickly recognize cases if they encounter them and take precautions to prevent infection,” said Melissa Miller of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and corresponding author of the findings report, in the release. “We encourage others to take extra precautions if they observe inflamed systemic fat deposits in sea otters or other marine wildlife.”

 is a common parasite hosted by wild and domestic cats and shed in their feces. Although healthy humans rarely experience symptoms, toxoplasmosis can cause miscarriages and neurological disease. Sea otters are especially vulnerable to 

 infection because they live near the shoreline where they may be exposed to the parasite’s eggs in rainwater runoff, and they eat marine invertebrates that can concentrate the parasites.

The 4 sea otters described in the reported study stranded between 2020 and 2022. All had steatitis, a condition with severe inflammation of body fat. Severe steatitis is a very unusual finding in sea otters with toxoplasmosis, according to investigators.

“The appearance of this lethal type of 

 in coastal California is concerning for 2 main reasons: First, because of potential population health impacts on a threatened species, and second, because this parasite could also affect the health of other animals that are susceptible to 

 infection,” said Devinn Sinnott of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, the study’s coauthor, in the release.

Microscopic examination of tissues confirmed 

 as the cause of death for all 4 otters. High numbers of the parasites were observed throughout each body except the brain, which is typically one of the major organs affected in sea otters with fatal toxoplasmosis.

DNA testing identified a rare strain of 

 called COUG in all 4 cases. This strain was first found in 1995 in Canadian mountain lions during surveillance after a nearby outbreak among humans, but the strain of 

 responsible for the outbreak was never reported. Detection of COUG in sea otters was a surprise, according to Karen Shapiro of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, a senior author on the study. “The COUG genotype has never before been described in sea otters, nor anywhere in the California coastal environment or in any other aquatic mammal or bird,” said Shapiro, in the release.

All 4 otters stranded during periods of high coastal rainfall, which means they may have been exposed to 

 eggs via storm runoff. Although 3 of these otters stranded near each other, it is unclear whether they were all infected in the same location. How this unusual strain might affect humans or other animals is also unknown.

 infections in sea otters for 25 years, and I have never seen such severe lesions or high parasite numbers,” Miller added. “We are reporting our preliminary findings to alert others about this concerning condition. Since 

 can infect any warm-blooded animal, it could also potentially cause disease in animals and humans that share the same environment or food resources, including mussels, clams, oysters, and crabs that are consumed raw or undercooked.”

Investigators noted that with increased surveillance, the COUG strain may be identified in other animals. “We still have much to learn,” said Sinnott. “Larger-scale studies are needed to understand the potential impact of infection by the COUG 

 strain on sea otter populations, how geographically dispersed it is, how it is being introduced into the ocean and what other animals might be affected.”

Sea otters killed by unusual parasite strain. News release. UC Davis. March 23, 2023. Accessed March 24, 2023. https://www.ucdavis.edu/health/news/sea-otters-killed-unusual-parasite-strain

A rare form of toxoplasma infection is posing a threat to marine animals in the state's coastal region.

Unusual parasite strain kills 4 California sea otters

“I'm looking forward to share some great experiences with our veterinary community!” said Jan Bellows, DVM, DAVDC, DABVP, FAVD, in anticipation for the Fetch dvm360

 conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. Bellows received his doctorate in veterinary medicine from Auburn University in 1975 and returned to south Florida to practice companion animal medicine surgery and dentistry at All Pets Dental in Weston, Florida. He is the day 2 keynote speaker of the conference, with his session “Dental Hacks from A to Zebra.” Bellows will focus on veterinary dentistry as a whole and attendees can expect to learn over 26 tips and tricks for your dental practice. Attendees will dive into updates on new equipment, materials, and techniques as Bellows moves through the alphabet of dentistry.

Learn more about Dr Bellows in this Q&A style interview with 

Can you introduce yourself and share a little bit about how you got started as a veterinarian?

My name is Jan Bellows. I'm a veterinarian in Weston, Florida and probably all my life I wanted to be a veterinarian. As a little kid I worked for a veterinarian in Farmingdale, New York and I loved it. Then I moved to Florida and went to University of Florida [for undergrad] and then got into veterinary school at Auburn University, and still wanted to be a veterinarian when I got out. Then I went to New York to do an internship and then came back to Florida, and still love it every day.

What got you interested in veterinary dentistry?

Well, during my internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York City, I got very interested in ear diseases because that's something you can't really see, and it can really bother the dogs and cats. Then, I found that the mouth is very similar, in which you can't really see what's going on. But a good detective can figure it out and I always wanted to be a good detective. So that's how I got interested in dentistry. The way I really got involved in dentistry was when I was in my own practice for probably about a good 10 years and a friend of mine said, "Let's go to Vero Beach, there's a wet lab on dentistry." So, I went and it was given by a veterinarian who was also a human dentist. And when I came back, I found that almost all my patients needed immediate dental care.

What has been the most rewarding moment in your career?

Probably the most rewarding part of my career was working on a gorilla at Disney World. That was just incredible. My wife and I went there, and we got to take care of some gorilla cavities. What was really interesting.

What’s your favorite aspect of working in veterinary dentistry?

My favorite aspect is being able to do something in rapid time, that will create permanent, good change. I found that dermatology is something that's interesting, but it tends to linger on…and other animal problems like behavior problems really linger on. Dentistry is something you can diagnose. It's very black and white on radiographs. You can do the treatment that takes an hour or less, and then the animal is just so much better off for it. And if the client will continue to do home care, it should stay that way.

What do you hope attendees take away from the lecture?

I hope that the attendees take away from the lecture at least 5 pearls that they can take back to their practice the next day and use in a different way than they've used before and really increase the way they enjoy dentistry and practice dentistry.

What do you think is the most challenging aspect of veterinary dentistry?

The most challenging aspect of dentistry is that there's a client attached to every patient. The veterinarian generally knows what to do, but then they have to convince the client that the pet really needs it. Because in most cases, the animal is still eating even though they have horrible teeth, and even though they're in chronic pain. And the client needs to appreciate that and then the client needs to agree to the treatment and the client needs to agree to aftercare.

Get to know our day 2 keynote a little better in this interview with dvm360®

Q&A with a keynote: Jan Bellows, DVM, DAVDC, DABVP, FAVD

In an interview at the 2023 Fetch dvm360 Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, faculty member Stuart Walton, BVSc (Hons), BSCAgr (Hons), shared his advice for how to evaluate a blood test that shows elevated liver enzymes and what that can mean for the patient. He explained that taking into consideration other factors, like pre-existing conditions, can help determine the next steps in diagnosis. 

Stuart Walton, BVSc (Hons), BSCAgr (Hons): 

The big thing with liver enzyme elevation, especially ALT [alanine transaminase], is that just an ALT being elevated on its own is not necessarily indicative of liver disease. When you see an elevation to the liver enzyme when you perform some blood tests, is just a snapshot in time. When you're actually evaluating liver disease, what you should do is take several points of time. 

In an interview at Fetch Charlotte, Stuart Walton, BVSc (Hons), BSCAgr (Hons), discusses when elevated liver enzymes, particularly alanine transaminase (ALT) elevation, could be a concern

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