Medical

Atlanta - 9/7/07 - The first-ever World Rabies Day - an international effort to raise awareness about the risks of rabies - kicks off tomorrow, Sept. 8. The event aims to heighten understanding of the impact of human and animal rabies, while encouraging prevention to help avoid more than 55,000 rabies-related deaths that are estimated to occur each year.

Schaumburg, Ill. - 9/4/07 - "Being a Pet is Risky Business" campaign, sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association, aims to raise awareness about common pet disease risks and how to protect against them.

Banfield poised for growth

Portland, Ore. - Long-time industry executive John Payne became the new president of the 635-hospital corporate practice, while founder Dr. Scott Campbell remains as chairman of the company.

Atlanta, Ga. - World Rabies Day, originally designated for Sept. 8 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will be extended through several weeks to include global events with the shared goal of raising international awareness, education and disease prevention.

Schaumburg Ill. - With the 10-year anniversary of the American Veterinary Medical Association's 2000 euthanasia guidelines fast approaching, the group's Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) prepares to review the document for relevancy and possible changes.

Denver, Colo. - DVMs can send condolences to clients who have lost pets and at the same time support veterinary research through a new memorial-card service offered by Morris Animal Foundation (MAF).

Armonk, N.Y. - 8/17/2007 - BrightHeart Veterinary Centers has signed on as a supporting sponsor for The Tower of Hope, a charity foundation that aids people who suffer from disabilities, abusive relationships or chronic illnesses through the use and assistance of pets.

Ithaca, N.Y. - 8/8/2007 - A team of Cornell University scientists from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences discovered that a novel group of E. coli bacteria is associated with intestinal inflammation in patients with Crohn's disease, the university reports. Their findings were published in The ISME Journal: Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology.

London - 8/6/07 - Along with a growing list of countries, the European Union blocked British beef exports amid a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. British public health officials vowed its response has been swift as they seek to contain the outbreak.

Fort Collins, Colo. - There may be a link between an increase in emergency-room visits for dogs and cats and lunar-cycle days when the moon is near or at its fullest, according to a study by colleagues at Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Hypercalcemia is defined as a serum or plasma total calcium level exceeding the normal level. Reference ranges vary considerably among laboratories however a serum calcium concentration > 12mg/dl is considered to be a clinically important elevation and a repeated calcium elevation warrants clinical investigation. Routine calcium levels reported on chemistry profiles are Total calcium, of which 50% is ionized (the metabolically active form) , 40% is protein bound (to albumin) and 10% calcium complexes. In the dog serum calcium concentration is adjusted for albumin level by subtracting the albumin level from the total Ca++ level and adding 3.5.;this yields a corrected calcium level in mg/dl. This method is not accurate in cats. Recently, (2005) it has been suggested that ionized calcium must be measured directly in order to obtain the most accurate level and prevent misdiagnosis of disease especially in dogs with chronic renal failure.

There are many different causes of skin defects in both cats and dogs. Traumatic wounds such as degloving injuries, dog or cat bites, burns, deep fungal infections, and extensive wounds caused by surgical removal of neoplastic disease are examples of clinical situations where reconstructive surgical techniques may be necessary.

Fears of acetaminophen contamination in pet food are unfounded, based on test findings by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and independent toxicologists, says the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).