Talkin Pets

Theme of ‘Love Your Pet, See Your Vet’ reminds pet owners to show they love their pet with the gift of good health

(SCHAUMBURG, Illinois) May 2, 2013—Pet owners love to show their pets affection by showering them with toys, fancy collars and even clothes. In fact, a recent survey indicated dog and cat owners spent $5 billion on gifts for their dogs and cats during the 2012 holiday season. During National Pet Week May 5 – 11 the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reminds pet owners the gift of good health is the best way to show you truly care.

This year’s theme, “Love Your Pet, See Your Vet,” reminds pet owners that regular veterinary medical checkups can detect disease early and keep your pet healthy and happy for many years to come. According to the 2012 AVMA U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographic Sourcebook, nearly 90 percent of dog owners and 75 percent of cat owners indicated that routine check-ups and preventive care are either very or somewhat important. However, the same study revealed that from 2006 to 2011, the number households not visiting the veterinarian increased by 8 percent for dog owners and 24 percent for cat owners.

“Regular veterinary visits are important because many times pets will hide symptoms of illness, so you need your veterinarian’s skill and expertise to keep your pets healthy,” says Dr. Douglas Aspros, president of the AVMA. “Providing pets with regular preventive care is the key to a healthy and long life for your pet, and it can save you hundreds – or even thousands – of dollars by preventing or identifying problems earlier, when they may be easier to treat and less expensive to solve,” said Dr. Aspros.

This National Pet Week, the AVMA urges you to talk with your veterinarian about your pet’s healthcare and what, if any, special needs your pet might have. The AVMA, your state veterinary medical association and your local veterinarian have tremendous resources for you.

For more information about National Pet week, please visit http://www.petweek.org/. For more information about the AVMA, please visit www.avma.org.

###

The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world, with more than 84,000 member veterinarians worldwide engaged in a wide variety of professional activities.

Two new members of the Executive Board take posts on July 23, 2013

(SCHAUMBURG, Illinois) April 9, 2013—Michael E. Newman, DVM, MS of Decatur, Ala. and Gary S. Brown, DVM of Princeton, W.Va. have both been elected to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Executive Board to replace retiring members of the board. Their terms of service begin July 23, 2013.

Dr. Michael E. Newman, DVM, MS

District III AVMA Executive Board Representative-elect

Dr. Newman competed in a contested race for the District III post, representing the states of Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. His term will run from July 2013 – July 2019, and he succeeds Dr. Joe Kinnarney.

“I’m proud to become a part of the Executive Board, and I hope to serve the veterinary profession by giving voice to our accomplishments and potential,” Dr. Newman says. “The success of the veterinary profession, the quality of the people comprising the profession, and the benefits our country derives from this relatively small profession remains one of the United States’ best kept secrets. We should daily remind our political leaders and the U.S. public they have the best veterinary medical profession in the world.”

Dr. Newman received his DVM from Auburn University in 1980 and his master’s and residency in surgery five years later, also from Auburn. Dr. Newman established Alabama Veterinary Surgery in Birmingham, Ala. in January, 1986 as the first private surgical referral practice in Alabama and one of five in the southeastern United States at that time. He built that practice in Birmingham for eight years and assisted in establishing a new veterinary emergency service in 1992. In 1994, his practice was moved to Decatur, Ala., and it expanded to a larger facility there in 2006. Dr. Newman has served in all positions of the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association concluding with the presidency in 2008 – 2009. He was elected to the AVMA Council on Research in 2003 and was re-elected to that post in 2006 for a six-year term.

Dr. Gary S. Brown, DVM

District V AVMA Executive Board Representative-elect

Dr. Brown ran unopposed to become the Executive Board member for District V, representing the states of Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. His term will run from July 2013 – July 2019, and he succeeds Dr. Jan Krehbiel.

“Serving in the AVMA House of Delegates and two terms as AVMA Vice President has only partially quenched my thirst to do more for our profession. It allowed me to understand our current needs with a sound respect and appreciation of our history,” says Dr. Brown. “I want to help create a profession that is unified and progressive so that we all can be proud to call it ours.”

Dr. Brown received his undergraduate bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University and his DVM from the University of Georgia in 1984. Throughout his career, he has been active in enhancing the educational experience. He has served on multiple high school and college boards as well as mentoring veterinary students. Since 1998, Dr. Brown has been in a variety of leadership roles. He has been West Virginia Veterinary Medical Association’s Delegate to AVMA House of Delegates for seven years. He was elected to two terms as AVMA Vice President, serving in this capacity from 2008 – 2010.

For more information about the AVMA, please visit www.avma.org.

###

BEAUFORT, S.C., Feb. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Dogs love lying on cold floors and homeowners love the look of hardwood and tile, but according to Dr. Julie Buzby , veterinarian and animal acupuncturist, dogs weren't designed to live on hard-surface flooring.

"Dogs engage their toenails to gain traction," Buzby explains. "When slipping or sliding, a dog will flex his toes and dig in his nails. This is the perfect design for acquiring traction on earthen terrain; on hard-surface flooring, however, this only makes the slipping and struggling worse."

Slipping is hard on dogs' joints and increases the risk of injury. Many veterinarians emphasize that it can be an emotionally traumatic experience as well.

"Fear is real for many senior or disabled dogs who live on hard-surface floors," Buzby says. "Owners of struggling dogs recognize this fear, but until now there hasn't been an effective solution for dogs slipping on hardwood and tile."

Buzby developed Dr. Buzby's ToeGrips for Dogs, which she describes as "a biomechanical solution to a biomechanical problem." ToeGrips are natural rubber rings that slide on to dogs' nails, adhere by friction, and provide traction and confidence for senior, disabled, and rehabilitating dogs.

Dr. Lee Gregory , an emergency/critical care veterinarian who is also certified in acupuncture and rehabilitation, uses ToeGrips on Winnie, her own 13-year-old Shar Pei mix. Winnie experienced two neurologic episodes that left her with balance deficits. In addition, her vision was worsening. This combination caused Winnie to become fearful.

"Fear affects her mobility," Gregory explains, "and also translates to every part of her life. Veterinary professionals have come to recognize how fear can ruin a dog's life."

The enhanced mobility Winnie has with ToeGrips made her emotional state better too. Gregory noted, "She is still affected by her loss of vision, but I can say that she is a better dog with her restored balance. I would say that if you want to teach an old dog new tricks, help it to engage in movement. ToeGrips do this. ToeGrips are truly a breakthrough for canine geriatric medicine."

In addition to helping dogs like Winnie, Buzby says ToeGrips have been valuable for three-legged dogs, patients recovering from orthopedic surgeries, and dogs recuperating from injuries.

"ToeGrips cannot solve every dog's mobility issues," Buzby adds, "but for the right dog, ToeGrips are a simple, affordable, natural solution to an age-old problem."

ToeGrips are sold through more than 100 veterinary professionals in six countries, and can be ordered direct online at www.toegrips.com.

About Dr. Buzby's ToeGrips

Dr. Buzby's ToeGrips is a registered service mark of Dr. Buzby's Innovations, LLC of Beaufort, South Carolina. Product information available at www.toegrips.com and www.toegripswholesale.com for veterinarians.

(SCHAUMBURG, Illinois) March 14, 2013—The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recently released two reports that offer data on the veterinary medical profession—the 2013 Report on Veterinary Compensation and the 2013 Report on Veterinary Practice Business Measures.

The Report on Veterinary Compensation provides information, including professional earnings in private practice, and public and corporate employment; earnings by years of experience, region and gender; employee fringe benefits; and income per hour. For example, this year’s report indicates that in 2011, which is the year of the survey, median income for private practitioners was $100,000—$88,000 for associate veterinarians and $124,000 for practice owners. In addition, the report found that the median professional income of veterinarians in public or corporate employment was $124,000 in 2011.

The Report on Veterinary Practice Business Measures provides data and trends including gross veterinary revenue statistics, financial returns and ratios in veterinary practice, key practice operating expense ratios, and revenues according to service categories. The 2013 report indicates that the median gross practice revenue was $728,640 in 2011.

The AVMA has conducted an economic survey of U.S. veterinarians every two years since 1984 and the data from this survey provides reliable statistics on veterinary earnings and salaries. The AVMA’s Report on Veterinary Practice Business Measures and Report on Veterinary Compensation each contain dozens of tables and figures of statistical tabulations along with summaries of key findings.

For more information about the AVMA or to purchase a copy of the reports, visit www.avma.org.

###

The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world, with more than 84,000 member veterinarians worldwide engaged in a wide variety of professional activities.

www.avianstudios.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Scott Echols, DVM, Dipl ABVP
P.O. Box 540248, North Salt Lake, UT 84054
PH: 877-574-4186 WEB: www.avianstudios.com
EMAIL: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
DVD series created by world-renowned bird veterinarians offers
easy-to-understand and comprehensive information
on basic bird care that improves the lives of pet birds
A lot of people have birds for pets, but relatively few understand basic care. Consequently,
on a daily basis, veterinarians working with birds see problems resulting from either
minimal or incorrect information concerning their husbandry.
To address this problem, acclaimed bird veterinarians and lecturers Doctors M. Scott
Echols and Brian L. Speer have created The Expert Companion Bird Care DVD Series, the
first audio visual resource created by specialists that covers topics all bird owners should
know.
Designed to provide concise and accurate information to bird owners, the DVDs offer
video collected worldwide by avian veterinarians, teachers, aviculturists, enthusiasts, and
pet store owners that illustrate the points outlined in each section.
Volume 1 in the series covers a wide range of topics, from identifying commonly kept
parrot species to housing and nutrition to household dangers and toxins to telltale signs of
illness in birds to how to select a veterinarian.
Volume 2 covers the history of keeping birds, selecting birds that fit the lifestyles of their
owners, and aviculture, or the raising, keeping, and care of birds.
Volume 3 covers obtaining birds from specialty to large corporate pet stores, grooming
(such as wing and nail trims), and DNA sexing.
Each DVD is packed with vital information and offers a reliable resource on avian care that
veterinarians, pet stores, aviculturists, and websites can offer to their bird-owning clients.
Dr. Echols comments, “Everyone who has worked on this project shares the hope that this
information will help people better care for their pet birds.”
“I highly recommend this DVD to any bird owner, new and experienced.”
 Drury R. Reavill, DVM
“…valuable information to everyone interested in pet birds and aviculture.”
 Laurella Desborough, aviculturist and author
“…anyone considering a pet bird needs to watch this video series.”
 Meghan Corradini, Wings of Love
Author: Drs. M. Scott Echols and Brian L. Speer are world-renowned bird veterinarians.
Both are internationally recognized lecturers, authors, and bird care experts. Additionally,
both have received the TJ Lafeber International Avian Veterinarian of the Year Award.
Scott currently lives in Salt Lake City and practices in numerous hospitals throughout the
United States. Brian owns and operates the Medical Center for Birds in Oakley, California

(ANNAPOLIS, Maryland) December 5, 2012—Across the country, many leaders in the animal care and control community rated the strong relationship they have with their local veterinarians as unique, but a recent study shows that it might not be as unique as they think.

CATalyst Council, a national initiative comprised of animal health and welfare organizations working on behalf of cats, recently conducted a nationwide survey of shelters, animal rescue groups, veterinarians and technicians to evaluate the nature of the relationship that exists between those groups.

“We had heard again and again that there are many communities where the relationship between veterinarians and shelter groups is adversarial, so we set out to find out if that is the case and how we can help strengthen those relationships. Surprisingly, only 17% of veterinarians and 2% of shelter respondents believe that, in general, shelter-veterinary relationships are adversarial. Further, when asked about their own communities, only 5% of veterinarians and 1% of shelters categorized their relationship in that manner,” says Dr. Jane Brunt, CATalyst Council’s executive director.

The survey, facilitated by Advanstar Veterinary Group and Petfinder.com, also revealed that many respondents would like to further strengthen their relationships. Even though the survey was designed to be anonymous, the overwhelming majority of participants chose to provide their contact information so they could receive tips on how to enhance their relationship and information regarding programs for partnering with veterinarians and shelter groups in their community.

Past chair of the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators and current CATalyst Council chair, Jan McHugh-Smith agrees. “These results underscore the fact that there is a real interest in collaboration in those communities, which was a very pleasant surprise. When collaboration is the top priority everyone in the community benefits and at the top of the list are all the pets that now have a loving home where they can receive a lifetime of care.”

Additional findings from the survey as well as a tool that communities can use to score the relationships that exist in their area will be released at the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Florida at 5:30 PM Saturday, January 19, 2013 in the Sun Ballroom 1-3 at the Gaylord hotel and highlighted in upcoming DVM Magazine and Veterinary Economics publications.

###

The CATalyst Council is a national organization which includes a wide variety of animal health and welfare organizations as well as corporate members of the animal health industry working together to improve the health and welfare of America’s favorite pet. It was founded in response to troubling statistics released by the American Veterinary Medical Association that indicate an increase in our nation’s pet cat population coupled with a decline in veterinary care for those cats. More information about the CATalyst Council is available at www.catalystcouncil.org.

(SCHAUMBURG, Illinois) August 6, 2012 – At its annual convention in San Diego, Calif., the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) officially launched its Future Leaders Program’s second class by announcing the 10 veterinarians who will be taking part in the program over the next year.

The year-long program was created by the AVMA with support from Pfizer Animal Health to develop volunteer leaders for the AVMA and other organized veterinary groups. The goal is to help participants to enhance their individual leadership skills and to create useable tools for the wider veterinary profession to benefit from and utilize.

The 10 participants were selected from approximately 60 AVMA member nominees who had graduated from veterinary schools within the last 15 years.

“The hardest part of picking each class over the past two years has been narrowing down the list of nominees to just 10 participants, because of the qualifications and diverse interests and energy of all the outstanding nominees,” said Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief executive officer of the AVMA. “Many of these Future Leaders are already leaders, taking leadership roles at the state and local levels, so we’re excited by not only what we can teach them but how much they’ll be able to teach us.”

Participants will have an opportunity to work with professional facilitator Dr. Ken Andrews of High Impact Facilitation, who will provide project management and

leadership training. As the year progresses, these young leaders will not only learn new skills, but they will, as a group, develop and collaborate on a project that will provide the AVMA with a valuable new tool or service that will benefit all members. The first class of Future Leaders focused on creating a web-based Future Leaders Toolkit that uses videos, instructional materials, and other tools to help all AVMA members improve their leadership skills on the job or within the profession.

The following veterinarians were selected to be the AVMA’s 2012-2013 Future Leaders Program:

Dr. Karen Burns Grogan

Dacula, Georgia

Poultry medicine

Dr. Jenifer Chatfield

Dade City, Florida

Zoo medicine

Dr. Jennafer M. Glaesemann

Fairbury, Nebraska

Mixed animal private practice

Dr. William Allen Hill

Pollocksville, North Carolina

Academic laboratory animal medicine

Dr. Blair Hollowell

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Small animal medicine and rehabilitation

Dr. Jason Johnson

Luverne, Alabama

Academia

Dr. Virginia Kiefer

Rocky River, Ohio

Small animal practice

Dr. Douglas Kratt

La Crosse, Wisconsin

Small animal practice

Dr. Rebecca Stinson

Reidsville, North Carolina

Equine practice

Dr. Kelvin G. Urday

Keller, Texas

Mixed animal private practice

###

The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world, with more than 82,500 member veterinarians worldwide engaged in a wide variety of professional activities.

COLUMBIA, Mo. ­— The most common ailment to affect a horse is lameness. A University of Missouri equine veterinarian  has developed a way to detect this problem using a motion detection system called the “Lameness Locator.”  Now, Kevin Keegan, a professor of equine surgery in the College of Veterinary Medicine at MU, has found that his Lameness Locator can detect lameness earlier than veterinarians using the traditional method of a subjective eye test.

The Lameness Locator, which is now in commercial use, places small sensors on the horse’s head, right front limb and croup, near the tail. The sensors monitor and record the horse’s torso movement while the horse is trotting. The recorded information is then transferred to a computer or mobile device and compared against databases recorded from the movement of healthy horses and other lame horses.  The computer is then able to diagnose whether or not the horse is lame.

In a new study published in the Equine Veterinary Journal, Keegan and co-author Meghan McCracken, an equine surgery resident at MU, put special adjustable shoes on horses that temporarily induced symptoms of lameness. The horses were then monitored by the Lameness Locator as well as by a number of veterinarians using any lameness testing methods they wished. If no lameness was detected by either the veterinarians or the Lameness Locator, the special shoes were adjusted slightly to increase the symptoms of lameness. This process was repeated until both the Lameness Locator and the participating veterinarians properly identified in which leg of the horse the lameness was occurring. Keegan and McCracken found that the Lameness Locator was able to correctly identify lameness earlier than veterinarians using subjective eye test methods more than 58 percent of the time and more than 67 percent of the time when the lameness occurred in the hind legs of the horse. Keeg! an attributes this to the sensors’ high sensitivity levels.

“There are two reasons why the Lameness Locator is better than the naked eye,” Keegan said. “It samples motion at a higher frequency beyond the capability of the human eye and it removes the bias that frequently accompanies human subjective evaluation.”

Because equine lameness may begin subtly and can range from a simple mild problem affecting a single limb to a more complicated one affecting multiple limbs, veterinarians and horse owners know that early detection is the key to successful outcomes.

“If veterinarians can detect lameness earlier, before it gets too bad, it makes treatment much easier,” Keegan said. “Lameness often goes undetected or undiagnosed entirely, which can cause owners to retire horses earlier than needed, simply because they cannot figure out why the horses are unhealthy. The Lameness Locator should be able to help with that as well.”

(ANNAPOLIS, Maryland) June 27, 2012—Your cat needs routine medical care to ensure it lives a long, happy, healthy life, but sometimes finding a veterinarian that you and your cat feel comfortable with can be difficult. More and more veterinarians across the country are working to become cat friendly to ensure their feline clients have the best visit possible. A study in the July 1 edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) showed that by taking steps to be more cat-friendly, veterinarians are better able to help more cats receive needed veterinary care.

The CATalyst Council, a national initiative comprised of animal health and welfare organizations working on behalf of cats, has compiled the following list of five things to look for when seeking a cat-friendly veterinary practice.

1. The first time you call for information about a practice, the receptionist should be able to tell you what the practice recommends for routine wellness care for cats that are the same age as your cat. This should include not only the basic vaccinations but also preventive medications and annual visits.

2. The practice should have either separate exam rooms for cats or should offer special times during the day when they only see cats.

3. When scheduling an appointment, the person you speak to should ask whether you are at all worried about transporting your cat to the practice. There are many tips and resources for cat owners that can help alleviate the stress that some experience when transporting a cat and your veterinarian’s office should be able to explain them to you.

4. Ask what types of carrier the office recommends for transportation. Most cat-friendly practices would recommend a carrier with a removable top so that if your cat seems nervous or scared it can be examined without extracting it from the carrier. In addition, you can ask what type of cat-friendly training the staff has undergone.

5. Ask if the practice sends out reminders when wellness care is needed again. They should; it’s something that shows they are committed to their feline clients and the health of their patients.

Taking your cat to see its veterinarian should not be a stressful task, and finding a practice that is committed to making your cat’s visit as pleasant as possible is something you can accomplish with a few phone calls to practices in your area. In addition, the American Association of Feline Practitioners has recently created a Cat Friendly Practice designation for veterinary practices. To see if a veterinary clinic near you has received this designation, visit www.catvets.com.

By getting the above information from local veterinary clinics in your area, you should be able to find one that will treat your cat with the respect and kindness it deserves.

###

The CATalyst Council is a national organization which includes a wide variety of animal health and welfare organizations as well as corporate members of the animal health industry that are working together to improve the health and welfare of America’s favorite pet. It was founded in response to troubling statistics released by the American Veterinary Medical Association that indicate an increase in our nation’s pet cat population coupled with a decline in veterinary care for those cats. More information about the CATalyst Council is available at www.catalystcouncil.org.

New guide offers best practices for police, prosecutors,
animal control, and veterinary professionals

Washington, D.C.–The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Policing Services (the COPS Office) has partnered with the ASPCA^® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®) to develop the first-ever toolkit aimed at assisting law enforcement agencies in addressing dogfighting. The resource, a 96-page, illustrated manual, is available free of charge from the Justice Department to law enforcement agencies, investigators, prosecutors, animal control officers, veterinarians and interested community partners.

The Dogfighting Toolkit for Law Enforcement is a collection of resources designed to provide local law enforcement agencies and their partners with the necessary tools to deal with dogfighting in their communities. The toolkit includes details of best practices on addressing the issue, along with a quick reference card, a prosecutor’s guide to dogfighting cases, a community action guide, an FAQ for animal shelters and veterinarians, and access to a no-cost, online training course entitled “Combating Dogfighting.”

“Dogfighting is a heinous crime with terrible consequences,” said Bernard Melekian, director of the COPS Office. “This toolkit gives law enforcement an opportunity to develop strategies to address a malicious crime, and provides prosecutors, professionals, and community members guidance on how they can assist in helping put an end to dogfighting.”

“The ASPCA is pleased to jointly launch this comprehensive toolkit with the Department of Justice that will help law enforcement across the country tackle this ruthless crime that has become both an animal welfare and public safety issue,” added Dr. Randall Lockwood, senior vice president of ASPCA Forensic Sciences and Anti-Cruelty Projects. “Dogfighting is often associated with other illegal activity such as drugs and weapons, and we hope our toolkit will help law enforcement and other agencies actively investigate, prosecute and eradicate dogfighting in America.”

Dogfighting is a multi-million dollar criminal enterprise, which has challenged law enforcement agencies for nearly 150 years. Coordination of police, prosecutors, animal care and control, veterinary professionals, and others is essential for the successful investigation of dogfighting within any community.

Historically, dogfighting activities have remained underground and participants in this crime were rarely held accountable. Laws addressing dogfighting and animal cruelty in general were usually weak and poorly enforced. In the last decade, however, this trend has begun to change. Once just a misdemeanor, dogfighting can now carry felony penalties in all 50 states. Legislators, law enforcement agencies, and the public have recognized that animal cruelty and dogfighting often include participants and spectators who have been, or will be involved in, other serious crimes.

The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $13 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 120,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, technical assistance, conferences, and webcasts. For additional information about the Dogfighting Toolkit for Law Enforcement, and to view a list of municipalities that received grants, visit the COPS Office website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

About the ASPCA^®
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA^® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®) is the first humane organization established in the Americas and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animal welfare. One million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. The ASPCA, which is headquartered in New York City, offers a wide range of programs, including a mobile clinic outreach initiative, its own humane law enforcement team, and a groundbreaking veterinary forensics team and mobile animal CSI unit. For more information, please visit www.aspca.org. To become a fan of the ASPCA on Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/aspca. To follow the ASPCA on Twitter, go to www.twitter.com/aspca.                                                
 

###