News

Urbana, Ill. - 3/15/07 - A University of Illinois research team uncovered a similarity between known human protein pathways in osteosarcoma patients and the proteins of canine and feline patients that could help improve palliative care for animals.

Kenilworth, N.J. - 3/12/07 - A deal valued at $14 billion, Schering-Plough is purchasing the animal and human healthcare businesses of Akzo Nobel NV, the parent of Intervet. Pending regulatory approval, the deal is slated to close by the end of 2007.

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.

Naperville, Ill.–– Illinois joins nine other states in passing a law requiring emergency measures to accommodate the needs of pet and service-animal owners during major disasters.

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.

This eight-week plan will help put the finish line at your first race in sight.

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?.

Shawnee Mission, Kan. - Bayer Animal Health entered an employer partnership with UpLink, which is described as a community hub connecting area companies with teachers and students who want to further their skills and knowledge in math, engineering, technology and science.

A federal appeals court recently upheld a 1949 law that bans horse slaughtering in Texas.

Columbia, Mo. - A University of Missouri (MU) veterinary ophthalmologist hopes continued research and advancement in eye-implantation technology will one day end retinal blindness for companion animals and humans.

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."

New guidelines give equine practitioners information on containing outbreaks.

Denver - The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) released draft guidelines regulating communication between veterinarians referring and those receiving patients and seeks industry response and collaboration to develop a final version for implementation.

Jefferson City, Mo. - A Missouri Supreme Court ruling that exempts the retail sale of prescription veterinary drugs from the state pharmacy board's oversight has prompted a Senate bill calling for regulatory clarification.

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

Pleasant Hill, Calif. - Veterinarians vulnerable to lawsuits and state board complaints must remain vigilant when it comes to liability in their practices, and graduates equally should beware the dangers of working in an unsound legal environment.