News

Detroit, Mich. - Dr. Karen Hrapkiewicz, former clinical veterinarian and director of the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources at the Wayne County Community College District Veterinary Technology Program at Wayne State University, is suing the school, alleging she was fired in retaliation for protesting the university's laboratory animal practices and for her age.

Clothespins may be just the ticket to cleaner staining.

National Report - New preventive health guidelines for dogs and cats were recently unleashed by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA).

Baton Rouge - Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Veterinary Medicine received $200,000 from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) for its shelter medicine program.

Davis, Calif. - A landmark donation-one of the largest ever received by the veterinary college-pulls the University of California-Davis closer to its billion-dollar fundraising goal.

Davis, Calif. - Veterinarians at the University of California-Davis (UC-Davis) say they have developed two genetically engineered vaccines to combat Rift Valley fever, a mosquito-borne disease that affects livestock in the Middle East and Africa.

Austin, Texas - Dog and cat breeders in Taxas have new licensing requirements.

Springfield, Ill. - Animals tken into custody by animal-control officers or shelters in Illinois must now be scanned for microchips or checked for other identification within 24 hours, according to a new law that takes effect Jan. 12, 2012.

Ocala, Fla. - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration lost its first attempt at shutting down a veterinary compounding operation Sept. 12, when a U.S. District Court denied its motion for a permanent injunction against Franck's Pharmacy of Ocala, Fla.

Dr. Ilona Rodan discusses new handling guidelines that will make your practice more feline-friendly.

Madison, Wis. - Long-time professor Dale Bjorling, DVM, has been named associate dean for research and graduate training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Vetrinary Medicine.

National Report - Parvovirus cases have spiked in some parts of the country, with veterinarians in New York and Arizona reporting increases of 75 percent and 330 percent, respectively.

The first part of this session will discuss increased or atypical WBC morphology and describe clues to determine whether the process is leukemic or reactive in origin.

Mycobacteria do not stain with routine cytologic stains and can be difficult to visualize. However, careful examination of the cells and background material reveals the presence of distinctive negatively stained thin rod present both intra- and extracellularly.

Small lymphocytes are smaller in size than a neutrophil and have a round nuclei that takes up the majority of the cell. The nuclei contain densely aggregated chromatin forming large chromocenters (condensed chromatin).

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is an excellent adjunctive tool for evaluating internal organs. It is often diagnostic, requires little specialized equipment, and can rapidly provide useful information.

Normally, only a small amount (milliliters) of fluid are present in the thorax and abdomen. Effusions, defined as an accumulation of fluid in one or more body cavities result from multiple causes including increased hydrostatic pressure, decreased oncotic pressure, increased vascular permeability, decreased lymphatic drainage, infection, neoplastic infiltration, or rupture of organs or structures within the cavity.

Cytolopathology: the laboratory and microscopic evaluation of cells and fluids. Sources of cells include tissue aspirates, imprints, scrapings, body fluids, or lavage fluids.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been a mainstay of veterinary analgesia for many years. They are frequently used for the treatment of lameness, abdominal pain, inflammation, and fever.

Opioids are classically used for analgesia in cases of moderate to severe pain. They can have other uses and effects, however. Sedation, calming/euphoria, and chemical restraint can all be achieved through opioid use in animals.

The veterinary practitioner may be involved in some cases where pain management with NSAIDs or opioids is not possible due to the unacceptable risk of adverse effects.

Antimicrobial drugs are the most frequently prescribed drugs in veterinary medicine. They are also frequently used incorrectly, which can lead to treatment failure and the development of resistant bacteria.

This class of antibiotics includes the penicillins, the cephalosporins, and the carbapenems. They have excellent activity against most gram-positive bacteria, and very few associated side effects.

Treatment failures can occur due to the presence of resistant bacteria, such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus/pseudintermedius, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae, or vancomycin resistant enterococci

Clinically significant drug interactions are rarely reported in veterinary medicine, however the incidence is probably far greater than is reported.

The use of compounded products in veterinary medicine is a common practice due to the lack of approved veterinary drugs and convenient, palatable administration forms.

The term adverse drug reaction includes any undesired effect of a drug, including a lack of the desired effect. Adverse reactions to veterinary drugs can range from minor to severe and life-threatening.

Although newer therapies are being developed in humans that allow a certain targeting specificity, immunosuppressive therapy in dogs and cats is largely based on the use chemotherapeutic drugs.

Feline asthma consists of an inflammatory disorder of the lower respiratory system of cats that results in bronchoconstriction and limited airflow to the lungs.

For many years, short and long-term therapy of epileptic disorders in dogs and cats has been based on the use of benzodiazepines (e.g. diazepam), barbiturates (e.g. phenobarbital) and bromide, either individually or with different combinations.