Jennifer Fiala

Schaumburg, Ill. - The American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) expects to raise more than $1 million this year and promises to work toward changing its poor reputation as an aid organization.

Washington - More minorities are studying veterinary medicine, but the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges' (AAVMC) latest enrollment data show the increase at just 0.4 percent.

Washington - American Veterinary Medical Association officials approved a $28,681,810 budget for fiscal 2008, creating the largest spending plan in the group's history.

Washington - A last-minute resolution seeking the American Veterinary Medical Association's support of foie gras production roused the House of Delegates (HOD) last month as the controversial agriculture practice took center stage.

Colebrook, N.H. - Despite warnings describing the shortage of large-animal veterinarians as acute, new graduates continue to steer clear of what's arguably the profession's neediest segment.

The public believes veterinarians are smart, compassionate and empathetic.

Decision reflects Census report that unmarried couples head more than half of U.S. households.

Miami - The American Association of Feline Practitioner (AAFP) seeks to cement its authority on welfare, devoting a committee to the topic and drafting principles for guidance.

Washington - Veterinarians fill top levels of national security, protect public health and command a unique skill set used to defend the nation's food supply. Yet these highly trained professionals aren't licensed to practice small-animal medicine.

Sacramento, Calif. - A controversial bill pushing the nation's first statewide mandate to sterilize dogs and cats pits California shelter leaders against breeders and spurs bitter debate among veterinarians.

Colebrook, N.H. - Carol Couture knows how to suture wounds. She keeps Banamine on hand and neighbors on speed dial who've pooled their resources to administer lay veterinary medical care.

Schaumburg, Ill. - Hundreds of veterinary-related bills proposing everything from licensure tweaks to insurance mandates have the profession's watchdogs monitoring legislative introductions at a frantic pace.

Jefferson City, Mo. - A Missouri Supreme Court ruling that exempts the retail sale of prescription veterinary drugs from the state pharmacy board's oversight has prompted a Senate bill calling for regulatory clarification.

Pleasant Hill, Calif. - Veterinarians vulnerable to lawsuits and state board complaints must remain vigilant when it comes to liability in their practices, and graduates equally should beware the dangers of working in an unsound legal environment.

Washington -- Proponents of an overdue national program to beef up veterinary medicine's presence in underserved, largely rural areas are pressuring its administrator -- USDA.

Ames, Iowa - A virus spreading among U.S. swine operations caused nearly three times the infection rates reported last year, inducing "devastating economic loss" for producers and calls for vigilance among veterinarians, Iowa State University (ISU) researchers say.

Pleasant Hill, Calif. - Veterinarians vulnerable to lawsuits and state board complaints must remain vigilant when it comes to liability in their practices, and graduates equally should beware the dangers of working in an unsound legal environment.

St. Louis, Mo. - Chiropractic treatment for animals has become so popular that the nation's largest directory publisher now gives the term its own heading.

Chicago - Veterinarians are still beloved and clients remain willing to pay high fees despite growing public expectations and prices rising faster than inflation. Yet practitioners, wary of practice ownership, aren't eager to put in a lot of hours, a trend that's straining the U.S. supply of DVMs.

Vancouver, British Columbia - Teetering on financial ruin, the British Columbia Veterinary Medical Association (BCVMA) faces roughly 50 lawsuits carrying millions of dollars in punitive damages if veterinarians from India prove Canadian regulators guilty of discrimination.

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.

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.

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

Orlando, Fla. - Florida veterinarians are constructing a comprehensive strategy to beat back lay practitioners' attempts to gain unregulated access to animals to perform complementary and alternative procedures.

Las Vegas - Fresh out of college, Dr. Carlos Vareli earns $72,000 a year and pays on $75,000 in education loans.

National Report - With at least 24 DVMs now calling state legislators their colleagues, the profession has never been more poised to bolster veterinary medicine's voice and initiatives.

Oakland, Calif. - The nation's 29th veterinary medical program appears on the horizon.

National Report - As the new democratic-dominated Congress promises to the raise the federal government's minimum wage to perhaps $7.25 from $5.15, voters in six states approved referendums Nov. 7 to relieve a 10-year gap in the hourly pay.

Schaumburg, Ill. - Research and disaster initiatives received $400,000 from the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF), with Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT) claiming more than half.

Schaumburg, Ill. - Eight standards now serve as the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) overarching guide to evaluating future animal welfare policies, resolutions and actions.