News

Pomona, Calif. - Philip Nelson, DVM, PhD, takes the reins of Western University of Health Sciences' (WesternU) fledgling veterinary medical college, replacing Dr. Shirley Johnston, the program's founding dean.

Indianapolis - Eli Lilly and Co. announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Ivy Animal Health Inc., an applied-research and pharmaceutical- product development company focused on the animal-health industry.

Washington - After a risk evaluation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is amending its regulations to add the Mexi can state of Nayarit to the list of regions considered to be free of classical swine fever (CSF).

Topeka, Kan. - A Kansas veterinarian was sentenced to seven years in prison last month for securities fraud after swindling $1 million from investors in his phony cattle embryo business.

Langhorne, Pa. - Velcera Inc. inked a global licensing agreement with Nov-artis Animal Health to develop, register and commercialize a canine product using Velcera's patented oral mucosal drug-delivery technology.

Excessive use of corticosteroids has been reported to induce liver disease in the horse.

Schaumburg, Ill., and Overland Park, Kan. - The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and Fort Dodge Animal Health launched a national pet-wellness educational campaign, aimed at raising awareness of disease risks to pets and their prevention.

Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is working to establish a voluntary trichinae-certification program for U.S. pork.

Dechra Veterinary Products announced that it has secured a long-term trademark license and supply agreement with Pharmaderm Animal Health, part of the U.S. commercial division of Altana Inc.

Brea, Calif. - Skin allergies are the No. 1 reason dogs are taken to a veterinarian.

The delivery of veterinary care can be every bit as good as that of human medicine, says Diane Levitan, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM.

Seattle - Record-breaking attendance and creative sessions - including team-building strategies and a pet-food-recall panel - marked the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine's (ACVIM) 25th Forum.

TRENTON, N.J. - A pending New Jersey bill allowing pet owners to seek loss-of-companionship damages for animals killed or injured by contaminated feed could be a steppingstone to veterinarian vulnerability to similar claims, a veterinary organization warns.

Topeka, Kan. - Veterinarians remain vulnerable to consumer complaints and lawsuits despite legislative efforts in Kansas to exempt health-care professionals.

Topeka, Kan. - 6/29/07 - A scholarship for one year of tuition was awarded to an Oregon State University student, chosen as the winner of a Hill's Pet Nutrition-sponsored contest.

Firstline June 2007 BPA Statement

St. Kitts, Virgin Islands - 6/28/07 - Tuffts veterinary school is now a clinical training affiliate for Ross University veterinary students.

Springfield, Mo. - 6/21/07 - Almost 200 cats were euthanized, and the remainder quarantined at the Southwest Missouri Humane Society (SMHS) after a suspected outbreak of the fast-spreading calicivirus.

Mississippi State, Miss. - 6/19/07 - A $10,000 pledge - offered as a gift from the class of 2010 - sets a new precedent of generous giving to a Mississippi State University fund supporting the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), officials say.

Check here for updates on the pet-food debacle ... UPDATED 6/18/07!

Davis, Calif. - 6/15/07 - A $420,750 grant over three years will fund a new position for an extension veterinarian in shelter medicine - believed a first for the United States.

Denver, Colo. - 6/12/07 - The Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) released a Canine Cancer Campaign (CCC) poster to help veterinarians educate their clients about cancer risks in dogs.

Santa Fe, N.M. - 6/12/07 ? Saving Animals Across Borders (SAAB) announced today the launch of Spay New Mexico, a one-month free spay/neuter program for dogs and cats belonging to income-qualifying families.

Seattle, Wash. - 6/11/07 - The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) 25th Annual Forum set an attendance record even before the hosting of the featured pet food recall panel, scheduled for Saturday, June 9.

New York - 6/7/07 - Trends in pet travel, home assistance and convenience will catapult the pet supplies market to $11 billion by 2009.

SHAUMBURG, Ill. - 6/5/07 - The 4.7 million people bitten by dogs in 2006 spurred the creation of a tri-sponsored Dog Bite Prevention Week and introduction of a Congressional resolution, by U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, to recognize the week and prevent future dog bites.

Ithaca, N.Y. - Patient care and life in general are moving on at the Feline Health Center, part of Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, but people who work at the center agree things haven't been the same – and probably won't be for quite some time – since the death of the center's director, James R. Richards, DVM.

Recently, one of our technicians decided we should put filled prescriptions up front next to the receptionist rather than in the back.

Swedesboro, N.J. - A wrongful-death suit alleging Wedgewood Pharmacy - the largest veterinary compounding pharmacy in the nation - improperly compounded drugs was dismissed by a U.S. district court after testing confirmed the administered product was made correctly.

Horse injuries at the nation's racetracks might be reduced significantly if track veterinarians and officials had better informational tools in making pre-race assessments of horses and track conditions, experts say.