News

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - 8/8/05 - Dr. Joseph DiPietro, dean of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, was appointed to the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues (NCVEI) Board of Directors.

Wear a nonwhite laboratory coat or a scrub shirt for pets with white coat syndrome.

An effective way to wipe up anal gland secretions is with a little of your favorite ear-cleaning solution on a gauze square.

When a cat or small dog has a paw lesion that requires daily soaking, we send the owner home with a 16-dram pill vial.

Use a Velcro (Velcro Industries) strip to keep blood pressure cuffs organized.

I own a 90-lb atopic dog that needs routine bathing, so I know what a chore it is for clients to bathe their large dogs with atopic dermatitis twice a week.

Any pet that leaves our hospital after undergoing surgery on or suffering trauma to its paws, which necessitates keeping the area clean and dry, is sent home with Gore-Tex (W.L. Gore & Associates) booties.

In our busy practice, my colleagues and I employ full- and part-time employees with a wide range of schedules.

Otitis externa is a common presenting problem in clinical practice. In chronic cases, the infection frequently extends to the middle ear. While multiple factors contribute to otitis development and subsequent secondary infections, the organisms found most often in affected ears include Staphylococcus species, Malassezia pachydermatis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics represent one of the greatest developments in antibiotic therapy in the last fifty years. However, with their tremendous benefit comes great risk.

The National Veterinary Medical Services Act (NVMSA) has taken a step closer to reality as a recent addition to the Senate side of agriculture appropriations. While NVMSA proponents await final word on whether an associated pilot program will receive $750,000 in initial funds, Dr. Michael Chaddock, a champion of the bill in Washington, thanks veterinarians and students for their efforts in pushing the measure.

St. Louis — Veterinarians expect demand and prices for in-clinic products to climb in the second quarter compared to the previous quarter.

Schaumburg, Ill. — The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) votes to support sow gestation stalls until a more welfare-friendly housing system that's reliable, efficient and economically viable is conceived.

Sacramento, Calif. — The California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) is fighting legislation that would allow municipalities to create local laws targeting specific breeds of dogs.

Washington — The veterinary profession is battling federal proposals that would eliminate funding for slaughter facility inspections and nix funds that administrate the sale of federally managed mustangs.

Chicago —Veterinarians concentrating in swine medicine gross nearly $110,000 annually, leading all practitioner categories and disproving a widespread belief that food animal DVMs rank low in wage potential.

Schaumburg, Ill. — Dr. James F. Peddie leaves the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) with more than $20 million in reserves, remodeled Washington real estate and some of the lowest professional membership fees in the nation.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association (RIVMA) says it's relieved legislation that could reward owners non-economic damages and increase veterinarians' malpractice insurance didn't make it out of committee.

Washington — Sales of antibiotics rose 7.5 percent in 2004, according to a survey from the Animal Health Institute (AHI).

When I was in college, I spent summer vacations taking tourists on horse pack trips in the Rocky Mountains. During that time, I was asked some incredibly stupid questions. So when I travel, I like to ask tour guides what the dumbest questions they've ever been asked are. The usual response is "You wouldn't believe me!" I always tell them, "Oh, yes, I would."

Orlando — The Florida Veterinary Medical Association (FVMA) breaths a sigh of relief after Gov. Jeb Bush vetoed a bill that carried lenient standards on pharmacy dispensing laws.

Many important issues are facing the veterinary profession, but veterinarians should not be daunted, says this leader of a foundation charged with improving the lives of companion animals and wildlife. "Be persistent in what you believe in, and don't give up."

Schaumburg, Ill. — Foreign veterinary numbers are falling short of attendance expectations lated for the jointly held American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and World eterinary ssociation meetings in Minneapolis.

Denver — Slated for September release, Dental Care Guidelines authored by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) are in the final editing process.

Washington —As the nation shakes off a second case of mad cow, the veterinary profession relies on consumer reaction and government analysis to determine the finding' significance.

Antimicrobial selection should strive for a spectrum that is as narrow as possible, thus avoiding the sequelae of drug use on the normal flora and unnecessary selection pressure.

Trenton, N.J. — The New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association (NJVMA) is attempting to overhaul the state's animal cruelty statute in an effort to streamline the hodgepodge of amendments that tackle such offenses.

A 5-cc blood tube or unit rabies vial that is rubber-shaped provides an excellent method of carrying or sterilizing hypodermic needles.

MINNEAPOLIS- 8/1/05 - Five veterinarians won a trip to the George H. Muller Veterinary Dermatology Seminar in Hawaii this November for their written and photo submissions of dermatological cases in the practice setting.

Rome, Ga. — Five veterinary graduate hopefuls have earned the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) Bovine Veterinary Student Recognition Award based on their background, work, primary medical interests, academic experience and career goals.