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

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

National Report –– Implementing simple review processes and business procedures can safeguard veterinary practices from embezzlement and the risks that come with it - fraud, theft and financial downfall.

National Report - Two companies engaged in animal testing and diagnostics have partnered to create the first USDA-approved test to identify Johne's disease in bovine milk samples.

For an inexpensive catheter guard for cats, I take the cardboard tube center from a roll of Vetrap (3M) bandaging tape and cut it lengthwise so it can be slipped over the catheter site on the cat's forelimb.

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.

Associates with a yen to open their own practice often face what might seem an insurmountable barrier.

Shawnee Mission, Kan. - Bayer Animal Health launched resQ pet identification system, considered a safe and convenient ISO-compliant microchip system to help reunite pets with their owners, the company reports.

Metformin is an antihyperglycemic prescription medication labeled for the treatment of noninsulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus in people. Metformin belongs to the biguanide group of oral antidiabetic agents and is the only biguanide currently available in the United States.

Q. Please review bartonellosis in animals and humans.

Put the luxury hotel chain's latest values to work in your practice and increase client satisfaction.

National Report -When used with caution, the modern capabilities of e-mail and text messaging, now available on almost any cell phone or Blackberry, can improve and speed communication in a veterinary practice. But without appropriate limits, that practice can be damaged swiftly, experts say.

A new type of heparin, low-molecular-weight heparin, shows promise as an effective and easier-to-use form of therapy for people prone to thromboembolism. Does the same hold true for dogs and cats?

In suspected cases of toxicosis, reduce errors and receive more meaningful results by spending more time up-front communicating with and acquiring specimens for the diagnostic toxicology laboratory.

To get a free-catch urine sample from a cat when you don't need a sterile sample, drill holes in a plastic litter pan, and nest that litter pan inside a normal litter box.

A 3- or 4-ft wooden closet pole with a hook at the end works well to remove slip leashes from aggressive animals.

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.

Serena is one of my favorite patients. She is a big, old country dog who came into this world two months after her mother - a dog of unknown ancestry – hooked up with her father, a dog of unknown whereabouts.

Native Californian Dr. Diane R. Craig is the 2007 president of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association (SCVMA), an organization with 1,300 members. Craig is owner of Veterinary Surgical Specialists in Tustin, Calif.

Las Vegas - Continuing education and laboratory programs at the Western Veterinary Conference (WVC) were a slam-dunk success despite National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star weekend crowds.

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.

Shawnee Mission, Kan. - The Food and Drug Administration approved two new topical products targeting fleas, heartworms and intestinal nematodes for both dogs and cats from Bayer Animal Health LLC.

Colorado Springs, Colo.- The American Boarding Kennel Association released professional standards for dog daycare services.

Can you rearrange the letters in "NEW DOOR" to form one word?.

Costing some $15 million, researchers put the final piece of a scientific puzzle on the horse genome sequence that totalled 2.7 billion DNA base pairs.

When it comes to altering a regulatory agency's purview, lawmakers must give the go-ahead. Senate Bill 195 and its House companion seek to correct the omission of veterinary prescriptions from the state pharmacy board's authority.

When I meet a colleague for the first time, the question I am asked most commonly is "When did you start cartooning?"

Kennett Square, Pa. -- Many patients leave caregivers with indelible memories, but none like this one.

Oxytocin is a pituitary hormone that causes strong, coordinated contractions of the estrogen-primed uterus during parturition. It may be used therapeutically to relieve nonobstructive dystocia in bitches.

This music-loving internist and nutrition specialist finds practicing in the university setting to be a perfect fit, but he fears the declining interest in academic work by others. "It is becoming difficult to find people who are interested in staying in academia, and there doesn't seem to be a contingency plan in place to address this problem."

Alachua, Fla. –– A practice manager program through the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) earned accreditation from the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA).