British Veterinary Association Launches VETS.TV Pilot (and Win A Laptop Too), UK
March 26, 2008
Against the backdrop of BSAVA Congress (3-6 April), the biggest veterinary gathering outside the USA, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) is launching a pilot of VETS.TV and invites all delegates to visit stand 916 to sample this new and innovative service.
VETS.TV is an internet television site run jointly by the BVA and Ten Alps Publishing which will be available via a microsite of www.bva.co.uk. The pilot includes custom-made videos on MRSA, litigation and stress management, a series of interviews with key veterinary figures and a number of specially acquired programmes.
While the project is a pilot BVA President Nick Blayney is in no doubt that VETS.TV is here to stay. “I am confident” he said “that VETS.TV represents the future of CPD. It will become a significant and popular medium for the profession since it offers varied and interesting programming covering CPD sessions, information on broad general interest and practice related subjects. It will be up-to-date, forward thinking and an information packed service designed specifically for the veterinary professional and indeed developed in response to feedback from our members.”
The VETS.TV crew will be filming around the BSAVA Congress exhibition while demonstrations of this brand new service will be given on the BVA stand. As an added incentive, all members who provide the staff on the stand with their name and email address will automatically be entered into the prize draw to win a HP 530 Celeron M 440 laptop.
British Veterinary Association
Guide For Veterinarians Includes Unusual Species Adopted Into Human Households And Potential Hazards To Human Health
March 24, 2008
Ferrets, frogs and finches are becoming more common as pets, but the list of unusual species adopted into human households now includes some of the most exotic creatures on the planet. The trade in exotic pets has become a multi-billion dollar enterprise, but expansion of the industry sometimes outpaces veterinary knowledge of how to treat the maladies that afflict these unusual animals.
The new “Manual of Exotic Pet Practice,” published by Elsevier and edited by veterinary experts at the University of Illinois and Louisiana State University, provides detailed information on all of the major exotic animal groups. The book devotes entire chapters to invertebrates, ornamental fish, amphibians, crocodilians, snakes, lizards, chelonians (turtles and tortoises), birds, marsupials, ferrets, rabbits, hedgehogs, chinchillas and guinea pigs. Rats and mice get a chapter, as do hamsters and gerbils. A final chapter offers guidance on the treatment of injured wildlife.
“We felt that there was a strong need for a general exotic pet textbook that could be used by veterinarians to manage any exotic animal that came their way,” the editors wrote in the preface.
University of Illinois wildlife veterinarian Mark A. Mitchell co-edited the book with LSU professor of zoological medicine Thomas N. Tully Jr.
The manual includes a brief history of the age-old tradition of capturing or domesticating wild animals, and a chapter on how to prepare an animal hospital for exotic pets. Each of the other chapters lists common species kept in captivity, and offers guidance on their biology, husbandry, nutritional needs, preventive medicine, common diseases, and potential hazards to human health.
Want to know how to restrain a crocodile so you can give it a proper exam” How do you know if a turtle is suffering from a vitamin A deficiency” Is the lethargic rabbit in your waiting room a victim of heat stroke or cardiac disease” Did that frog swallow something it shouldn’t have” The book offers guidance on these and myriad other potential therapeutic challenges.
Diagnostic approaches and treatment strategies are described in every chapter, and each includes information about surgery and, when applicable, special instructions related to anesthesia.
The book includes hundreds of color photographs of the maladies and injuries that sometimes afflict exotic animals, with more photos of common examination and treatment techniques. An in-depth index allows quick reference to items of interest.
“Dr. Tully and I were interested in pursuing this book because we saw a real need for an ‘all-exotics’ text for the general practitioner,” Mitchell said. “Historically, veterinary texts for exotic pets have been group-specific (for example, devoted entirely to reptiles or birds). Although invaluable, many veterinarians have expressed a desire to have a single point, primary reference to obtain clinical information on these animals. We hope this text will serve the tens of thousands of veterinarians managing exotic pet and wildlife cases as an invaluable resource to manage their patients.”
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Source: Diana Yates
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Animal Welfare Judging Competition Adds Veterinary Student Division, USA
March 22, 2008
For the first time, veterinary students participated in the Intercollegiate Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Competition, highlighting the increased attention veterinarians are receiving for their role in ensuring animal welfare.
Now in its seventh year, the Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Competition was originally created to help students enrolled in undergraduate animal science programs understand the importance of animal welfare in agricultural systems. The contest has since been expanded to cover a multitude of species, and this year’s event challenged both animal science and veterinary students with scenarios involving dogs, gestating sows, aquaculture and livestock auctions. Students assessed these scenarios and presented their evaluations to a team of judges. Awards were given based on the top three individual scores plus the highest team score.
Dr. Gail Golab, director of the AVMA Animal Welfare Division, helped coordinate the veterinary division of the competition. The AVMA provided a grant to Michigan State University, which hosted the event, to help cover travel expenses for judges, trophies for winners, and expenses associated with the production of promotional materials. To encourage participation, the AVMA also provided travel grants for veterinary students.
“This competition helps teach students how to approach animal welfare issues comprehensively, objectively and effectively,” Dr. Golab said. “They learn very quickly that they have to pay attention to a multitude of factors - science, social expectations, and practical realities - if they want to be successful.”
Three Canadian veterinary colleges - Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Atlantic Veterinary College, and Ontario Veterinary College - participated in the team and individual competitions, while the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine was represented in the individual competition.
Atlantic Veterinary College won the veterinary team competition, while Atlantic’s Christy Coulson took home top honors in the individual category.
For more information on the Intercollegiate Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Competition, contact Dr. Gail Golab at 847-285-6618 or ggolab@avma.org.
The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world, with more than 76,000 member veterinarians engaged in a wide variety of professional activities. AVMA members are dedicated to advancing the science and art of veterinary medicine, including its relationship to public health and agriculture. Visit the AVMA Web site at www.avma.org to learn more about veterinary medicine and animal care and to access up-to-date information on the association’s issues, policies and activities.
Joint Campaign Against Bluetongue Launched, UK
March 20, 2008
With the end of the vector-free period and the threat of more cases of bluetongue, organisations from across all elements of the livestock sector have come together to launch a Joint campaign Against Bluetongue (JAB).
The 12 organisations involved, which represent livestock farmers, livestock markets, meat processing, dairy processing, and the veterinary profession, all fully support the joint industry/Defra vaccination plan for bluetongue and are committed to working together on the campaign to achieve the mass vaccination of bluetongue susceptible animals in England.
A joint statement said: “We recognise that a voluntary approach to vaccination has raised some eyebrows in some quarters but we are convinced that a voluntary, industry compulsory, mass vaccination programme is the right approach.
“We believe that the EU’s bureaucratic rules for a compulsory vaccination programme requiring official supervision would have slowed down the process of vaccination, put individual farmers businesses at greater risk, and increased the likelihood that the virus would spread across the country before animals could be vaccinated.
“Although the programme will be run on a voluntary basis, JAB is now embarking on a major campaign to urge all farmers with susceptible livestock to vaccinate their animals as soon as vaccine is available.”
The campaign, which is supported by Defra and Animal Health, will utilise national and regional media outlets as well as more direct contact through farmers meetings, livestock markets and contact with private veterinary surgeons.
List of JAB supporters:
NFU
National Sheep Association (NSA)
National Beef Association (NBA)
Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF)
British Veterinary Association (BVA)
Country Land and Business Association (CLA)
Tenant Farmers Association (TFA)
Livestock Auctioneers Association (LAA)
British Meat Processors Association (BMPA)
Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS)
Dairy UK
British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA)
Sheep Veterinary Society (SVS)
National Farmers’ Union
Studying Canine Influenza
March 19, 2008
The canine influenza virus, first identified in 2004, had been circulating in the greyhound population for at least five years prior to its discovery and may have been responsible for numerous outbreaks of respiratory disease among dogs at racing tracks during that period, according to research presented at the 2008 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, Georgia.
“We have demonstrated the virus was in the greyhound population as early as 1999 and we speculate it was likely introduced sometime before that,” says Tara Anderson of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, a lead researcher on the study.
Canine influenza is a highly contagious respiratory infection of dogs that is caused by the H3N8 influenza virus. The canine influenza virus is closely related to the virus that causes equine influenza and it is thought that the equine influenza virus mutated to produce the canine influenza virus. Two clinical syndromes have been seen in dogs infected with the canine influenza virus - a milder form associated with infection of the upper respiratory tract and a more severe form that is accompanied by pneumonia. Because the virus is a novel pathogen, virtually all dogs that are exposed to the virus become infected and nearly 80% show clinical signs but most affected dogs have the mild form. Fatal cases of pneumonia resulting from infection with canine influenza virus have been reported in dogs, but the fatality rate (5% to 8%) has been low so far.
The first recognized outbreak of canine influenza in the world was believed to have occurred in racing greyhounds in January 2004 at a track in Florida. From June to August of 2004, outbreaks of respiratory disease were reported at 14 tracks in 6 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Texas, and West Virginia). Between January and May of 2007, outbreaks occurred at 20 tracks in 11 states (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin). In June 2007, more outbreaks occurred at 3 tracks in Florida. Infection has also been confirmed in pet dogs in 25 states and Washington, DC. These cases occurred in animal shelters, humane societies, rescue groups, pet stores, boarding kennels, and veterinary clinics.
Anderson and her colleagues were concerned that a number of respiratory outbreaks of unknown cause at greyhound tracks prior to 2004 might be an indication that the virus had been in the dog population earlier. They were able to acquire greyhound blood samples for the period 1999 to 2004 from Hemopet®, an animal blood bank in California that uses retired greyhounds as donors. They tested these samples for antibodies to both the canine influenza virus and the equine influenza virus.
“For most dogs we had 2 to 3 years’ worth of samples, so we were able to follow up with the same dog from year to year to see if it maintained antibody levels,” says Anderson.
In 1999, 33% of the samples tested positive for antibodies to both canine and equine influenza viruses. Antibodies were also detected in samples collected in 2000 (38%), 2001 (19%), 2003 (44%) and 2004 (28%). Tracking the dogs using their ear tattoos, the researchers were able to determine that seropositive greyhounds were present at tracks or farms in a number of states during respiratory disease outbreaks in 1998, 1999 and 2003.
Only 1% of the 2002 samples tested positive. Interestingly, says Anderson, there were no outbreaks that year, and most of the sampled dogs had not been on tracks during the outbreaks in 1998 or 1999.
“Based on the serological evidence, we conclude that influenza A H3N8 virus was circulating in the racing greyhound population as early as 1999. The seropositive dogs were located at tracks involved in respiratory disease outbreaks of unknown etiology, suggesting that influenza A H3N8 virus may have been the causative agent of those outbreaks,” says Anderson.
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The International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases is organized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Society for Microbiology, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, the Association of Public Health Laboratories and the World Health Organization. More information on the meeting can be found online at http://www.iceid.org/.
Source: Jim Sliwa
American Society for Microbiology
Increasing Dairy Milk Production With Electrolyzed Drinking Water
March 19, 2008
Many different approaches are being used to increase milk production of dairy cows. A study recently completed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) indicates that improving drinking water through a technology created by EAU Technologies, has the potential to produce the desired results.
Penn Vet worked with EAU Technologies, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: EAUI), a leading provider of Electrolyzed Water - EMPOWERED WATER(TM) - for high- volume, business-to-business applications, for the controlled study. Dairy cows from Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center campus were divided into two groups. One group’s drinking water was electrolyzed, alkaline water and the control group was given regular well water. At the end of the 12-week test period, the Holstein cows showed an increase in milk production and an increase in milk fat content as well as a reduction in milk urea nitrogen (MUN).
“The electrolysis process improves the antioxidant and pH balance of the drinking water. The blood samples analyzed from the two groups indicates that the cows drinking the electrolyzed water showed differences in acid-base balance. We suspect that cows drinking the electrolyzed water had an increase in rumen activity and effectiveness; which in turn may explain the marked increased in milk butterfat,” explained Dr. James Ferguson, Chief of Animal Production Systems, Department of Clinical Studies, New Bolton Center. “At the same time, the study indicated an increase in milk production for early lactating cows. The cows in the treated water group also drank more water and consumed about the same amount of feed. Bacterial Coliform levels within the EAU troughs also were significantly reduced.”
The study is one of several EAU is conducting in a range of 30 to 3,000 herd dairies to measure the effectiveness of Empowered Water for milk production. As part of the Penn Vet study, in addition to the pH increase, EAU also developed a proprietary method of creating and controlling the level of measurable antioxidants in the water to better match the antioxidant conditions of a healthy cow’s primary digestive system. And the EAU water also cleans the drinking water. Water samples collected from the troughs over the course of the study showed the EAU treated water was consistently negative for coliform organisms such as E. coli and other bacteria. Blood chemistry tests conducted also showed that blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, magnesium and chloride levels were lower in treated cows than those part of the control group.
“We know there are many factors that influence milk output and quality. By conducting tests in a variety of dairy settings, we believe we are gaining invaluable experience, application knowledge and acquiring accurate data to show that our Empowered Water(TM) can be an effective, natural solution, capable of impacting positive returns on milk and butterfat production. And, most importantly, benefit the overall health of the cow,” added Wade Bradley, President and CEO of EAU Technologies. “This model directly mirrors EAU’s business focus on providing our target industries, with high volume, robust and environmentally sound solutions.”
The Penn Vet study is the first of the trial studies to be completed. Results will be published later this year. The remainder of the studies is expected to conclude over the next several months.
About EAU:
EAU Technologies, Inc. (EAU) is a supplier of Electrolyzed Water Technology (EW Technology marketed as Empowered Water(TM)) and other complementary technologies with applications in diverse industries. EAU’s water-based and non-toxic solutions (at application concentration, the solutions are non-toxic to humans and live animals) may replace many of the traditional methods now used to clean, disinfect and nourish in large industries such as agriculture and food processing. EAU has solutions for existing bacteria, virus and mold proliferation threats. EAU continues to add innovative and efficacious products that offer a systemic approach to pathogen elimination in food processing plants and related industries, thereby producing safer foods while protecting the environment through “Green Technology.” EAU has developed patent pending systems that are being used on dairies to process drinking water for dairy herds. Studies and trials are showing promising results at improving animal digestion which shows signs of improved animal health and production. EAU uses terms like “green”, “natural”, “non-toxic” and “organic” based on our NAMSA studies that show no toxicity or cytotoxicity at levels as high as 70 ppm of HOCl. EAU uses only water, food grade electrolytes and electricity to create all of its solutions. The active ingredients in the solutions EAU creates through electrolysis are GRAS (generally regarded as safe) approved. Please visit our website and sign up to be emailed our press releases and public announcements. http://www.eau-x.com
“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
Statements in this press release relating to plans, strategies, economic performance and trends, projections of results of specific activities or investments, and other statements that are not descriptions of historical facts may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward- looking statements may include without limitation, our expectations about the growth and the potential for the company, and Mr. Bradley’s abilities to lead the company in that growth. Forward-looking information is inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors, which include, but are not limited to, risk associated with successfully developing our business in evolving markets, our need for additional capital, our continuing operating losses, the ability of our management to conduct distribution activities and sell products, possible failure to successfully develop new products, vulnerability to competitors due to lack of patents on our products, and other risk factors listed in our annual report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2007 and our other SEC reports. Forward-looking statements may be identified by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “forecasts,” “potential,” or “continue,” or similar terms or the negative of these terms. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The company has no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
About The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine:
Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine is one of the world’s premier veterinary schools. Founded in 1884, the School was built on the concept of Many Species, One Medicine(TM). The birthplace of veterinary specialties, the School serves a distinctly diverse array of animal patients, from pets to horses to farm animals at our two campuses. In Philadelphia, on Penn’s campus, are the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital for companion animals, as well as classrooms, laboratories and the School’s administrative offices. The large- animal facility, New Bolton Center, in Kennett Square, Pa., encompasses hospital facilities for the care of horses and food animals as well as diagnostic laboratories serving the agriculture industry. The School has successfully integrated scholarship and scientific discovery with all aspects of veterinary medical education.
EAU Technologies, Inc.
http://www.eau-x.com
Reptiles’ Muscles Move Lungs For Sneaky Maneuvers In Water
March 14, 2008
Without a ripple in the water, alligators dive, surface or roll sideways, even though they lack flippers or fins. University of Utah biologists discovered gators maneuver silently by using their diaphragm, pelvic, abdominal and rib muscles to shift their lungs like internal floatation devices: toward the tail when they dive, toward the head when they surface and sideways when they roll.
“It allows them to navigate a watery environment without creating a lot of disturbance,” says doctoral student T.J. Uriona. “This is probably really important while they are trying to sneak up on an animal but don’t want to create ripples.”
The discovery in American alligators suggests “special muscles that manipulate the position of the lungs - and thus the center of buoyancy - may be an underappreciated but important means for other aquatic animals to maneuver in water without actively swimming,” says C.G. Farmer, an assistant professor of biology.
Those animals include crocodiles, African clawed frogs, some salamanders, turtles and manatees, she adds, noting that the use of muscles to move the lungs may be “incredibly important or you would not see it evolve repeatedly.”
The study by Uriona and Farmer will be published in the April 2008 issue of The Journal of Experimental Biology, which is set for online publication Friday, March 14.
The researchers found that alligators are somewhat like pilots using controls to adjust an aircraft’s pitch and roll, except the reptiles’ controls are muscles that help them shift their lungs backward to dive, forward to surface or sideways to roll.
Farmer says the new study asked how gators “manage to maneuver so gracefully without the fins and flippers used by fish, seals and other adept swimmers?”
“The secret to their aquatic agility lies in the use of several muscles, such as the diaphragmatic muscle, to shift the position of their lungs. The gases in the lungs buoy up the animal, but if shifted forward and backward cause the animal to pivot in a seesaw motion. When the animals displace gases to the right or left side of the body, they roll.”
Uriona says that during the Triassic Period, which began 250 million years ago, the crocodilian ancestors of alligators were cat-sized animals that lived only on land.
“Until now, it was believed the diaphragmatic muscle evolved to help them breathe and run at the same time,” he says. “Showing they are actually using it to move around in water gives an alternative explanation for why the muscle evolved.”
It also suggests the muscle didn’t evolve until after crocodilians took to the water during the Cretaceous Period, which began 145 million years ago. During that time alligators’ ancestors also evolved a flattened skull, shorter limbs and a big tail.
Studying the Crocodile Rock
The study involved five, 2-year-old American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) from Louisiana’s Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge near Grand Chenier. The gators were only 15 inches to 20 inches long, compared with adults that can reach 15 feet.
Electrodes were implanted on five sets of muscles so their activity could be monitored while the alligators maneuvered in 100-gallon fish tanks. One set of muscles played no role in moving the lungs to help the gators dive and maneuver, but four did:
— The diaphragmaticus, which plays a role in breathing like the diaphragm that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity in humans and other mammals. But in gators, it runs parallel to the belly and encases the stomach and intestines. When an alligator inhales, the diaphragmaticus pulls the liver back toward the pelvis and tail. The liver is attached to the lungs, so when the liver is pulled back, it expands the lungs.
– The ischiopubis muscles, with one on each side of an alligator’s pelvis. Each ischiopubis muscle connects a pubis bone to an ischium bone. Unlike humans, who have their pelvic bones fused together, the pubes and ischia are not fused in gators, so the ischiopubis muscles allow gators to puff out their bellies, helping pull the liver toward the tail so the lungs inflate when the animal inhales.
– The rectus abdominis muscles, which Uriona describes as the gator equivalent of “six packs,” “abs” or abdominal muscles. In most animals, these muscles help maintain posture. In crocodilians, these muscles encase the belly ribs, helping push the guts upward to force air from the lungs when the animals exhale.
– The internal intercostals, which are muscles between an alligator’s ribs - the kind of muscles people eat when they order pork or beef ribs. There are two groups of chest rib muscles. One group helps the rib cage contract and pushes air out of the lungs when gators exhale; the other helps the rib cage expand during inhalation.
Of the muscles listed above, some are used for inhaling and some for exhaling. Yet the study found all four muscle types work together to help an alligator shift its lungs so it can rock downward to dive or roll side-to-side. The tail also helps gators roll.
“The muscles are on when they are diving, and the muscles shut off when they start returning to the surface,” Uriona says.
The Alligators’ Burden
As part of the study, Uriona created small weights - equal to only 2.5 percent of each gator’s body weight - by wrapping buckshot pellets in duct tape.
When a weight was duct-taped to an alligator’s snout, it helped the alligator dive. As a result, the electrical recordings showed that there was reduced activity of muscles needed to help diving - muscles that pull the lungs backward to help lift the tail.
When a weight was duct-taped at the base of a gator’s tail, it made diving more difficult, and the biologists recorded increased activity of muscles needed to pull the lungs back to assist diving.
“We showed with the weights that they can adjust how much they activate those muscles to meet whatever conditions require,” Uriona says. In other words, the gators exert fine control over the muscles used to shift their lungs for aquatic maneuvers.
Gators on an Evolutionary Roll
Until now, researchers assumed alligators’ land-dwelling ancestors developed the diaphragmaticus muscle to help them breathe while running.
“It may be that instead of these muscles arising for breathing, they arose for moving around in the water and later were co-opted for breathing,” Uriona says.
He says natural selection would favor the development of muscles to move the lungs for quiet maneuvers in water because animals with such ability can easily “move around in the water, either trying to sneak up and eat something, or avoid being eaten.”
Uriona says the diaphragmaticus likely began as part of the rectus abdominis muscle and evolved into a separate muscle.
If the diaphragm-like muscle evolved to help breathing, two steps were required. First, the diaphragmaticus’ connection to the breastbone had to be replaced by a connection to the liver. Second, separate nerve circuits had to evolve to control the diaphragmaticus and “abs” since one is used to inhale and the other to exhale.
If, instead, the diaphragmaticus first evolved to help ancient crocs maneuver in water, only the first step would have been required. When the diaphragm-like muscle and other muscles later evolved to assist breathing, then the second step was needed.
Uriona and Farmer say it is simpler evolutionarily for one step to occur at a time, making it more logical that the diaphragm evolved first when early crocodilians took to the water, and began to play a role in breathing only later.
To turn or otherwise maneuver in water or air, animals must generate lift or drag - and that requires speed, Farmer says. So the ability to move the lungs to maneuver “is probably key for slow swimmers,” she adds. “This mechanism allows these animals to manipulate their posture without generating lift or drag - without any swimming movement like the flick of a tail or swish of a fin.”
The study was funded by the National Science Foundation, the University of Utah and a private donor, Sharon Meyers of California.
University of Utah
AVMA Applauds New State Laws That Make Dog Fighting A Felony Everywhere In The United States
March 13, 2008
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is pleased to announce that dog fighting is now a felony everywhere in the United States. Last week, Wyoming made dog fighting a felony, the 50th state in the country to do so.
“For many years, the AVMA has recommended that animal fighting be considered a felony offense in this country, giving it the legal classification and punishment that a blood sport of this sort deserves,” explains Adrian Hochstadt, assistant director of State Legislative and Regulatory Affairs at the AVMA. “The AVMA condemns any and all events involving animals in which injury or death is intended, and we encourage veterinarians to collaborate with law enforcement with respect to recognition, enforcement, and education about dog fighting. Together, we can help break down the criminal networks that perpetrate these violent crimes against animals.”
On March 4, 2008, Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal signed legislation that increased the penalty in that state for participating in dog fighting from a misdemeanor to a felony. Idaho passed similar legislation just a week earlier, making it the 49th state to make dog fighting a felony. The issue of dog fighting gained national attention last year after Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was arrested and prosecuted for involvement in the blood sport.
For more information, please visit http://www.avma.org.
The AVMA and its more than 76,000 member veterinarians are engaged in a wide variety of activities dedicated to advancing the science and art of animal, human and public health.
American Veterinary Medical Association
AVMA Urges Outlawing Trafficking Of Chimps, Monkeys And Nonhuman Primates As Pets
March 13, 2008
Citing concerns about the spread of disease and injury, inhumane treatment of animals, and ecological damage, Dr. Gail Golab, PhD, DVM, director of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Animal Welfare Division, spoke on the dangers of nonhuman primates kept as pets before a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources.
The subcommittee is taking testimony on the Captive Primate Safety Act, which would stop commerce in chimpanzees, monkeys and other nonhuman primates kept as pets. Dr. Golab argued that the evidence is clear that primates kept as pets are a hazard to themselves, their owners and the public.
“According to the Captive Wild Animal Protection Coalition (CWAPC), more than 80 percent of health and behavioral issues with nonhuman primates arise from those that are kept as pets,” she said. “Because nonhuman primates pose significant risks to the health of the public and domestic animals - including the possibility of severe injury to the humans and domestic animals with which they come in contact - the AVMA opposes private ownership of these animals.”
Dr. Golab said that these animals are often taken from their mothers soon after birth, and both show signs of depression. Once they reach adulthood, primates can become aggressive and sometimes are stronger than their human owners. Between 1995 and 2007, there were 132 injuries caused by captive or escaped primates in the United States, according to the CWAPC. It’s difficult to find veterinary care for these pets, Dr. Golab explained, and they carry numerous zoonotic diseases. “Tuberculosis is especially common among macaques and their owners,” she said.
“Zoos don’t have the space for nonhuman primates that were formerly pets, and sanctuaries are overburdened,” Dr. Golab said.
Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, also spoke. “They don’t make good pets. Chimpanzee at a certain age, 5 or 6, are stronger than a man,” Goodall said. “They have no business being kept as pets.”
For more information, please visit http://www.avma.org.
The AVMA and its more than 76,000 member veterinarians are engaged in a wide variety of activities dedicated to advancing the science and art of animal, human and public health. Visit the AVMA Web site at http://www.avma.org for more information.
American Veterinary Medical Association
CLSI Publishes Standard For Antimicrobial Disk And Dilution Susceptibility Tests For Bacteria Isolated From Animals
March 10, 2008
In order to have a positive impact on clinical outcomes, help maintain antimicrobial effectiveness, assist clinicians in using antimicrobials safely, and minimize selection of resistant pathogens, laboratories must use a standardized, well-defined method for performing antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST).
In response to this need, Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) recently published an updated document, Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Disk and Dilution Susceptibility Tests for Bacteria Isolated From Animals; Approved Standard-Third Edition (M31-A3), which is predicated on providing AST methods that give accurate, reproducible, clinically relevant results for veterinary pathogens.
Jeffrey L. Watts, PhD, RM(AAM), M(ASCP), Director, Livestock Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Animal Health, who served as chairholder for the committee that developed the document, says, “M31 is the only standard available in the world specifically addressing the antimicrobial susceptibility testing of animal pathogens. This latest version, M31-A3, incorporates the latest information for detecting resistance mechanisms in bacterial pathogens as well as veterinary-specific clinical breakpoints for over 18 agents.”
This document provides veterinary diagnostic laboratories with currently recommended antimicrobial agent disk and dilution susceptibility test methods for bacteria isolated from animals; criteria for quality control (QC) testing; and interpretive criteria.
This document is a revision of M31-A2, and includes the following updates:
-changes derived from CLSI documents Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Disk Susceptibility Tests (M2) and Methods for Dilution Antimicrobial Susceptibility Tests for Bacteria That Grow Aerobically (M7);
-a separate section lists QC strain entries in various international repositories;
-a workflow sheet for QC testing and a troubleshooting checklist;
-development of specific test methods and QC values for several antimicrobial agents effective against Campylobacter;
-veterinary-specific interpretive criteria for additional antimicrobial agents;
-designate CLSI Approved Human Interpretive Criteria, Primary Test, Selectively Report (Group B); No Veterinary Species-Specific or Human-Specific Interpretive Criteria, Primary Test, Selectively Report (Group C); and Supplemental “AMDUCA-use” (US Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act) products, Selectively Test, Selectively Report (Group D); and
-refinements to definitions for “susceptible” and “resistant” designations.
For additional information on CLSI or for further information regarding this release, visit the CLSI website at http://www.clsi.org.
CLSI, formerly NCCLS, is a global, nonprofit, membership-based organization dedicated to developing standards and guidelines for the health care and medical testing community. CLSI’s unique consensus process facilitates the creation of standards and guidelines that are reliable, practical, and achievable for an effective quality system.
http://www.clsi.org
