Weekly News - 04/13/2010
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| Veterinary Advantage would like to thank its sponsors in promoting excellence in animal health sales including Abbott Animal Health, Bovie, IDEXX, Intervet/Schering Plough, Merial, Midmark, Ethicon/Novartis, Sempermed, and UltiCare. |
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Top Stories IDEXX to expand headquarters Dr. de Jong wins AVMA Executive Board seat Grants to encourage young veterinarians to bovine medicine Pet owners should be aware of lungworm dangers H1N1 affected only small number of pets Alltech awards Medal of Excellence to Professor Pettigrew Vet-Advantage Appoints Christine DeFrank as Director of Operations |
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Products to Watch Bioject Medical Technologies meets development milestone for Merial IDEXX announces USDA approval of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis antibody test kit, with milk claim FDA approves Intervet/Schering-Plough’s Otitis drug for dogs |
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Events Animal Health and Wellness Forum begins June 14 |
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Top Stories |
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IDEXX to expand headquarters IDEXX Laboratories Inc. announced plans to expand its headquarters in Westbrook, Maine, with a new, $50 million corporate administrative building that is estimated to encompass 200,000 square feet, and support 500 new jobs, according to a report in Mass High Tech. Officials said the company is undergoing the expansion because of its steady growth over the past decade. Seven years ago, IDEXX had 800 employees at its Westbrook facilities. Today those operations in Maine have doubled to 1,600 employees, the company said. Globally, the company employs approximately 4,800 people. The new building should be ready in 2012, and the building project will begin immediately, according to officials. Jonathan Ayers, CEO of IDEXX, said that keeping the company’s workers in one facility and in close proximity to each other fosters a “culture of innovation.” |
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Dr. de Jong wins AVMA Executive Board seat Dr. John H. de Jong of Weston, Mass., has won a seat on the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) Executive Board, representing New England. Dr. de Jong, a small-animal practitioner from the Boston area, won a six-year term on the Executive Board’s District 1, comprised of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. He replaces Dr. Douglas G. Aspros of White Plains, N.Y., whose term on the board expires this year. Dr. de Jong is a 1985 graduate of Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and is a very experienced veterinary surgeon. He owns the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic; is a partner and chief of staff at the Neponset Animal Hospital in Dorchester, Mass.; and he is the founder and chief surgeon of a low-cost spay-and-neuter clinic. He has served on the AVMA’s House of Delegates since 1999 and has chaired the House Advisory Committee, the Governance Performance Review Committee and the AVMA Political Action Committee Policy Board. In addition, he’s been president of the Massachusetts and New England veterinary medical associations and has also served as president of the American Association of Housecall Veterinarians. |
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Grants to encourage young veterinarians to bovine medicine AgriLabs, working with the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) and the National Dairy Shine, is offering young veterinarians two new grants in an effort to encourage interest in bovine medicine, DVM Newsmagazine reported. Starting in early April, veterinarians actively working with beef and dairy operations can vie for two $5,000 grants — the AgriLabs Bruce Wren Continuing-Education Beef Award for Young Veterinarians and the National Dairy Shine Bruce Wren Young Veterinary Award. The first two grants will be awarded in August 2010, with completed applications due June 15, 2010. Applicants must have graduated with a veterinary degree between June 1, 2000 and June 1, 2009 and will have to submit a professional-development plan, which describes how they’d use the grant to become a more valuable resource for their producer-clients. |
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Pet owners should be aware of lungworm dangers Recently published research from Bayer Animal Health shows that 50 percent of pet owners are not aware of how their canine can become infected with lungworm. Celebrity vet Joe Inglis, who has appeared on The One Show and Blue Peter, said pet owners should know the symptoms of lungworm to ensure it is treated if it occurs. Many pet owners are unaware that the animal can lose its life if the illness is not dealt with swiftly. Inglis said pet owners should do all they can to prevent their dogs eating slugs and snails. This includes being vigilant when out walking with the dog lead and keeping an eye on the animal when it is playing in the garden. “A lot of the risk comes from accidental ingestion such as dog bowls left outside in the garden or dog toys,” he said. Anyone concerned that their dog may have eaten the creatures should seek advice from a vet immediately — regardless of whether the animal is showing any symptoms of ill health. |
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H1N1 affected only small number of pets According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) there have been no new reported cases of 2009 H1N1 in the United States since January when a Colorado cat tested positive. So far, the route of exposure for household pets has been through an infected human living in the same environment, wrote Dr. Patrick Mahaney VMD, CVA, West Hollywood. This circumstance exemplifies the zoonotic transmission route (between differing species). Greater public awareness and improved sanitary habits may contribute to the 2009 H1N1 virus only having infected a small number of pets. If the virus ultimately becomes capable of horizontal transmission (between members of the same species), then more companion animals could become infected, Mahaney wrote. |
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Alltech awards Medal of Excellence to Professor Pettigrew Alltech, an animal health and nutrition company, announced that Professor Jim Pettigrew will be the recipient of the 2010 Medal of Excellence to be presented at Alltech’s 26th International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium taking place at the Lexington Convention Center May 16-19, 2010. Professor Pettigrew will be honored for his revolutionary research in the area of food production and his work to address the challenges of feeding an increasing global population. Professor Pettigrew will also take part in the Symposium Plenary Session, where he will set out his main objectives for the feed and food production industry in order to meet growing global demands. |
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Vet-Advantage Appoints Christine DeFrank as Director of Operations Veterinary Advantage Magazine has announced the appointment of Christine DeFrank as the company’s director of operations. She will be responsible for all of the company’s financial and administrative functions. DeFrank is a graduate of the University of Virginia, as well as Georgia State University’s MBA program where she majored in finance. DeFrank comes to Vet-Advantage from Wachovia Bank. She can be reached at the 866-388-8212 x708 and her email is cdefrank@vet-advantage.com. |
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Products to Watch |
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Bioject Medical Technologies meets development milestone for Merial Bioject Medical Technologies Inc. (BJCT), announced that it has met the final milestone under its Development Agreement with Merial Limited by delivering devices with auto-disable nozzles to Merial for its next generation spring-powered companion animal vaccination device. The next generation needle-free spring vaccination device is based on a state-of-the-art needle-free injection technology platform designed for efficient delivery of vaccines and other injectables. The platform is designed to combine high performance standards, dosing flexibility, consistent depth of penetration, and reduced cost. The Merial device is durable and designed for use by veterinarians to deliver vaccines to both feline and canine patients, simply by selection of the appropriate nozzle. |
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IDEXX announces USDA approval of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis antibody test kit, with milk claim IDEXX Production Animal Services released the new IDEXX Mycobacterium paratuberculosis Antibody Test Kit for U.S. and Canadian customers. The new kit detects antibodies for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) in serum, plasma and milk samples. It is designed to help dairy and cattle producers manage the impact of MAP (also known as Johne’s disease). |
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FDA approves Intervet/Schering-Plough’s Otitis drug for dogs The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Intervet/Schering-Plough’s new animal drug application for the veterinary prescription use of Posatex (orbifloxacin, mometasone furoate monohydrate, and posaconazole) Otic Suspension for the treatment of otitis externa in dogs, Veterinary Practice News reported. This drug is for treatment of otitis externa associated with susceptible strains of yeast (Malassezia pachydermatis) and bacteria (coagulase-positive staphylococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterococcus faecalis). Federal law restricts this drug solely for use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. |
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Events |
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Animal Health and Wellness Forum begins June 14 Health and Wellness for Companion Animals, a three-day conference in Las Vegas, Nev., at the Luxor Hotel and Casino, will cover a range of topics from food, treats and supplements to veterinary and OTC pharmaceuticals for pets, Pet Product News International reported. The event begins June 14 as part of the Pet Industry Advisory National Forum Series. Scheduled speakers for the first day include include: Todd Brodersen, president of Same Page Consulting, on how to market and sell to the veterinary market; Chris Ragland, president and CEO of Axxiom LLC, on key product and usage trends in the pet health market; Travis Meredith, DVM, MBA, Dipl. ACT, president of Alliance Veterinary Centers, on meeting the evolving need of the aging pet population. For more information on the full list of speakers and topics covered, or to register, call (781) 891-7374, e-mail: roz.applebaum@petindustryadvisory.com, or go to: www.petindustryadvisory.com |
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