Breaking News

National Report -- A national public health warning was issued after a Labrador retriever brought to the United States as part of Operation Baghdad Pups was found to have rabies.

Washington -- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking comment on a survey it plans to conduct on methods of disposal of unused pharmaceuticals by the health-care industry.

Starkville, Miss. -- Dr. Shane Burgess, a basic-sciences associate professor with Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, along with Drs. Fiona McCarthy and Susan Bridges, received a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue work annotating the chicken genome.

Montpelier, Vt. -- A new electronic database serving Vermont aims to make reporting animal abuse cases easier.

Schaumberg, Ill. -- The American Veterinary Association wants pet insurance to be another option on the menu of pre-tax eligible contribution programs offered by employers.

Ithaca, N.Y. -- A clinical fellows program launched at Cornell University this fall is designed to address the growing shortage of academic veterinarians.

The economic downturn has had little effect so far on the buying and selling of veterinary practices.

Davis, Calif. -- A new genetic screening test was created for equine cerebellar abiotrophy at the University of California-Davis' Veterinary Genetics Laboratory.

Davis, Calif. - The newly formed International Animal Welfare Training Institute is exploring new approaches to animal handling and housing practices for animal agriculture.

Schaumburg, Ill. -- The head of the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) Animal Welfare Division recently earned the honor of becoming the first U.S. veterinarian credentialed in animal welfare.

Baton Rouge, La. -- The Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine is looking for dogs to participate in a new study about chronic renal disease in canines.

Madison, Wis. -- A new injectable pain drug being studied at the University of Wisconsin (UW) could actually help animals recover faster after surgery.

Kenilworth, N.J. -- Schering-Plough Corp announced last month that it was closing on its transfer of certain products to Pfizer Animal Health.

National Report -- One of the most significant issues facing veterinary practices is qualified management, according to VetMgrCentral.

Portland, Ore. -- Banfield announced in September that it sold its Merlin Digital Technology branch to Eklin Medical Systems Inc. and has entered into a partnership with Eklin to develop digital imaging equipment for Banfield hospitals.

Frankfort, Ky. -- The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has appointed an interim chief veterinarian to replace Dr. Lafe Nichols, who resigned last week.

Los Angeles -- Stocks were still volatile Oct. 3 after both the U.S. Senate and House approval of a $700 billion economic bailout package.

Washington - Neither a short-term cash infusion or the $2.5 million in long-term funding promised for the support of the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD) in this year's Farm Bill came through in time, so the resource used to keep contaminants out of the food supply for more than a quarter century began shutting down Oct. 1.

Rockville, Md. - The Food and Drug Administration just made an animal drug database accessible to the public.

Tallahassee, Fla. -- Of 13 Florida premises still under quarantine this week for equine piroplasmosis, only one farm still has horses that test positive for the disease.

Corvallis, Ore. -- A biomedical researcher with the Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine received a $1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to study a possible treatment for tuberculosis.

Pullman, Wash. -- Washington State University (WSU) College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Dr. Warwick Bayly began also serving as WSU provost Sept. 23, when Provost Steven Hoch filed a last-minute personal-leave request after less than two months on the job

Nashville, Tenn. -- The International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM) is offering a certification program for those interested in new methods of pain management.

Nottingham, U.K. The University of Nottingham is using a grant of more than $4 million (USD) to dissect the functions of the bacterium that causes bovine mastitis (BM) and try to come up with a cure for the disease.

Schaumburg, Ill. -- Make a donation to the American Veterinary Medical Association Political Action Committee and earn money for your state VMA's scholarship fund or college scholarship fund.

Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released its guidelines for genetically engineered (GE) animals for research and food production.

Madison, Wis. -- The University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine Large Animal Hospital now can offer laser surgery to equine patients thanks to the acquisition of carbon dioxide and diode laser surgery instrumentation.

Lexington, Ky. -- The Equine Disaster Relief Fund, administered by the American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation, is accepting donations to help horses in Texas and Louisiana affected by Hurricane Ike.