News

The Kentucky Agriculture Development Team was tasked to implement an agricultural strategy for provinces (including) Bamyan, Kapisa, Panjshir and Parwan. We provided direction and focus of agriculture resources. Our effort was to increase agricultural sector jobs and productivity.

National Report - Expect client backlash if you decide not fax prescription authorization to 1-800-PetMeds.

National Report - All disasters start locally. According to Dr. Heather Case, it's a concept that drives emergency response during catastrophic events.

Indianapolis - Elano, the animal-health division of Eli Lilly and Co., has made an upspecified offer to acquire the animal-health portfolio owned by Janssen Pharmaceutica, a Johnson & Johnson company.

Fort Pierce, Fla. - The media spotlight once again shone on veterinary medicine in a less-than-traditional way.

Sulphur, Okla. - After cheating death and surviving a frigid night in a Dumpster, Wall-E the puppy is somewhat of a celebrity.

I hurried into the exam room and uttered my usual cheery "Good morning!" before realizing that no one else was there.

Schaumburg, Ill. - Whether a veterinarian has helped animals impacted by disaster or lost it all in a catastrophe, the American Veterinary Medical Foundation has several resources at the DVM's disposal.

Nashville, Tenn. - Crossing your fingers and hoping it never happens to you is not an effective disaster management plan.

I've proudly promoted wellness testing because what is the cost of not testing?

Use this reader tip to mask that icky carpet smell.

A 5-year-old 79.2-lb (36-kg) castrated male Doberman pinscher underwent a routine dental prophylaxis.

Keep fecal messes to a minimum with this reader tip.

The serum chemistry profile, complete blood count, and urinalysis findings that indicate kidney disease.

Chronic anemia affects the body negatively in a number of ways and decreases an animal's quality of life.

First, a word of caution.... Assess each individual situation carefully and remember that anything can be dangerous in the right quantity (even water). Also, consider health status of patient. Once you take all these into account, there are many exposures that you may be able to talk clients through managing at home.

Case 13: 12 year old labrador retriever, pre-dental workup reveals ALT 250, alkaline phosphatase 355, BILIRUBIN 0.2.

It is important that the clinician formulate a treatment protocol based on a correlation of clinical course, laboratory and gross findings, and histologic findings rather than relying on histologic changes alone. Although treatment principles for cats and dogs with IBD are similar, drug selection and dosage regimens vary between these two species in some situations.

Immune suppression is the cornerstone of the treatment of IMHA. Commonly used medications include corticosteroids, azathioprine, and cyclosporine. Side effects can occur because of the medication used or could be from the immune suppression itself. To date there is little data on the incidence of side effects in dogs treated for IMHA.

Antibiotic therapy is indicated for treatment of suppurative hepatitis, cholangiohepatitis and hepatic encephalopathy, and prevention of septicemia. The bactericidal function of the hepatic reticuloendothelial (RE) system may be compromised in hepatic disease, especially if hepatic blood flow or oxygen tension is altered, resulting in septicemia.

Brucella canis is a non-motile, Gram negative coccobacillus with a host range limited to domestic and wild canids. Stray dog populations may act as a reservoir. There is a higher reported prevalence in purebred animals but few studies have attempted to compare populations of owned and stray dogs.

Intestinal biopsy may be accomplished two ways: endoscopy and surgery. CBC, serum chemistry profile, and urinalysis are useful and may point out systemic manifestations of the disease which will aid in correctly diagnosing and prognosing the problem (e.g., hypoalbuminemia due to histoplasmosis), but are also useful as a preanesthetic work up before endoscopy.

Methanol (also known as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol) is found most commonly in "antifreeze" windshield washer fluid and varies in concentration from 20-100% (with 20-30% being the most common form.) Methanol's metabolite, formaldehyde, is rapidly oxidized by the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase to formic acid, which can cause metabolic acidosis if significant quantities of methanol are ingested.

Average puppy and kitten deaths during the first 12 weeks of life approach? 11%-34%. Still births or death within the first 24 hours account for 5% of the losses; an additional 5% loss occurs during the neonatal period; and 0%-5% loss in transitional & socialization periods. Infectious diseases are not the most common cause of neonatal or transitional period mortality.

Diagnostics for chronic gastrointestinal problems include a complete blood count (including manual differential), biochemical profile, urinalysis, fecal flotation (+/- direct examination, fecal cytology, sedimentation, acid-fast staining, occult blood, PCR testing for parasites), thoracic and abdominal radiographs and abdominal ultrasound. Trypsin-like immunoreactivity may be indicated.

The procedures discussed will include in-hospital urine cultures, voiding urohydropropulsion, and esophageal feeding tube placement.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) currently is recognized as a common and important medical problem in cats. Three general types of clinical presentations have been identified in cats with idiopathic IBD: (1) a clinical course characterized primarily by vomiting, (2) a clinical course characterized primarily by diarrhea, and (3) a clinical course that includes both vomiting and diarrhea as primary signs. Associated clinical signs can include change in appetite (anorexia, inappetence, or ravenousness), weight loss, and lethargy. In some cats, the clinical signs are cyclic; they seem to flare up and then abate in a predictable pattern.

It is known that high blood pressure is associated with renal disease in many species including cats and dogs. That this is important is known from many studies including ones involving dogs.