Jennifer Fiala

Phoenix - Arizona voters banned gestation stalls that restrict sows from turning and extending their extremities.

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

Before you even applied to veterinary school, you had a vision of what you wanted to accomplish once you had that DVM license in your hands.

San Diego - Most of California's 7,900 licensed veterinarians unknowingly break federal and state drug laws every day by allowing staff to administer controlled substances without immediate supervision, officials say.

Washington- As the U.S. House and Senate adjourn for election season, a myriad of veterinary-related bills sit untouched and stand to falter due to lack of time and congressional attention.

Washington - Past government officials, environmentalists, industry leaders and even actress-turned-activist Daryl Hannah want to contribute to what's being billed the most comprehensive study on agriculture's impact to date.

Atlanta - It contaminates practices, brings about lawsuits and causes illness, even death. Yet veterinarians enforce shoddy safety measures when it comes to leptospirosis and exposure to bacteria contamination.

Murfreesboro, Tenn. - The news media evaporated, the caution tape torn down, but for those close to Susan Rizzo, the 29-year-old's violent death remains fresh in their minds.

Washington - Applicant numbers are dwindling, entire jobs sectors are suffering and diversity, whether racial-, ethnic- or gender-related, is off kilter.

Wayzata, Minn. - Dr. Ford Bell's uphill battle swelled into a small mountain.

Philadelphia - In the wake of a recent study concluding 70 percent of 9,500 ground-zero workers suffer extensive health problems, two veterinary scientists note first-responder dogs had no related illnesses.

Murfreesboro, Tenn. - She was no stranger to major life change.

Trenton, N.J. - Ninety-two students from seven veterinary institutions are scrambling for last-minute tuition funds following a New Jersey budget battle that axed $650,000 from the state's $1.337 million Veterinary Medicine Education Program (VMEP).

Minneapolis - The business of veterinary medicine operates like a cartel, misusing its regulatory power to strangle competition.

National Report - Described by insiders as "encyclopedic," AAFP's vaccine guidelines boil down to one ingredient: inoculation should be individualized, based on the patient's needs and risk-to-benefit ratio.

Washington - Legislation that ties federal grants to including pets in local and state evacuation plans hinges on last-minute negotiations between Congress' two chambers.

Washington - Plum Island Animal Disease Center will not host the proposed $450 million, 400-employee National Bio- and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF), government officials announced last month.

Midland, Texas - The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) regulatory authority over compounded veterinary medicines hinges on a ruling by a judge who's already hinted at limiting the agency's control in the human sector.

Trenton, N.J. - Ninety-two students from seven veterinary institutions are scrambling for last-minute tuition funds following a New Jersey budget battle that axed $650,000 from the state's $1.337 million Veterinary Medicine Education Program (VMEP).

Swelling to 117-degrees, Pierre S.D. shattered temperature records in July according to the National Climactic Data Center. Dr. Vicky Wilkey talks about the summer that burned.

The American Veterinary Medical Association's House of Delegates (HOD) defeated three resolutions designed to control the Executive Board's ancillary spending, especially when it comes to charitable giving.

Gaithersburg, Md.- When fibrosis hardened Pat Dickinson's lungs in late 2004, doctors struggled to isolate her illness. Two years later, the 55-year-old dog owner credits a veterinarian's education for avoiding a lung transplant and even death.

The best way to see post-Katrina New Orleans is with a native. Sure, $35 buys a three-hour bus tour past destruction most only have witnessed on the pages of newspapers and television broadcasts. Those who book trips experience what I imagine is a shocking but detached visit to the now-famous St. Bernard Parish, the lower Ninth Ward and the 17th Street Canal levee break.

National Report - The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) plans to organize an army of veterinarians and create a central command for animal disaster relief.

Honolulu - In his inaugural address, Dr. Roger Mahr announced plans to create partnerships with outside professions, coordinate a national summit and establish an action plan to promote "one world, one health, one medicine."

Arlington, Va. - Five major problems hampered rescue efforts following last year's hurricanes, which displaced an estimated 50,000 animals.

Katrina's anniversary marked by insurance struggles, staffing shortages and rebuilding delays

Success in veterinary medicine requires three things: hard work, perseverance and being at the right place at the right time.

Executive Board members have fast begun developing a list of search committee candidates.

Schaumburg, Ill. - The American Veterinary Medical Association added 13 initiatives to the agenda of its Governmental Relations Division (GRD), the group's Washington bureau. In June, Executive Board members approved the recommendations, which originated from the Legislative Advisory Committee (LAC) and other AVMA subsets. The GRD, charged with lobbying and monitoring Congress as well as federal regulations, must champion the following actions