News You Can Use

Greenies® have been reformulated!!
Based on recent scientific research, Greenie® chews have been reformulated and now contain protein isolates for optimal digestion and solubility. The new formulation has a high protein content that begins to break down immediately upon contact with saliva. The rapid degradation decreases worries over gastro-intestinal obstruction. The nutritionally balanced treats are now categorized into five different sizes for variations in skull size and bite force. Be sure to choose the appropriate size for your pet. These improvements make us more comfortable in recommending them as well as feeding them to our own dogs!

In mid February, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning to consumers regarding Wild Kitty Cat Food. Salmonella ssp was found during routine analysis of frozen raw Wild Kitty Cat Food. The specific products covered by this warning include Wild Kitty Raw All Natural, Frozen Cat Food - Chicken with Clam Recipe, available in 100 gram (3.5 ounce) and one pound containers. Consumers are warned to stop feeding this food and avoid contact with cats or other pets that have eaten this food. Any illnesses or problems with The Wild Kitty Cat Food should be reported to the FDA's Office of Emergency Operations (301) 443-1240.

Cefquinome (Intervet), an antibiotic developed for treatment of respiratory disease in cattle may receive FDA approval. According to a recent Washington Post article, the use of cefquinome in cattle may result in the emergence of bacteria that are resistant to many drugs. This is especially important as cefquinome is an antibiotic currently used to treat human gastrointestinal diseases and meningitis in human beings.

The Veterinary Medical Advisory Committee, a group providing advice to the FDA, last year recommended that the drug not be approved for use in cattle. Based on comments in the Washington Post, however, it appears that the FDA may approve the drug anyway.

The FDA has given Pfizer Animal Health approval to market Cerenia™ (maropitant citrate) to prevent and treat acute vomiting in dogs. The veterinary prescription drug can be given once a day either as an oral or injectable product. The onset of action is rapid and occurs within an hour of administration. The drug should be available in the summer of 2007.

According to an article published in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology European scientists are using a 3-D image of the viral protein polymerase to determine how the bird flu virus might spread to human beings. See the February 25, 2007 issue for more information.

Bird flu continues to be an issue in SE Asia. In mid November an H5N1 bird flu outbreak was confirmed by officials in South Korea. Over 236,000 birds will be slaughtered in a province located about 150 miles South of Seoul. Officials have established a strict quarantine in an effort to contain the outbreak. Korea 's last outbreak occurred more than three years ago.

GenoMed, is a “Next Generation Disease Management” company using genomics (the study of an animal's entire genome) to treat diseases in animals and human beings. They have expanded their trials for treatment of West Nile virus encephalitis and report success with their fourth horse in the trial. More information regarding their protocol is available on their website (http://www.genomed.com/).

PetScreen Limited, a British bioscience company, has developed an inexpensive blood test for canine lymphoma. A similar screen for feline lymphoma is expected next year. The canine screen looks for a “protein fingerprint” in the blood sample, which provides an accurate and sensitive detection for the presence or absence of lymphoma. Check out their website for more information (http://www.pet-screen.com/).

On a slightly different note, researchers at Yale have used mitochondrial cytochrome b as a genetic marker to identify different species of lemurs. Their results show that lemurs originally suspected to belong to different species based on coat colors and location are genetically alike and belong to the same species.

A recent article in the Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry journal suggests that mass mortalities of seals along industrial coastal areas are not just due to environmental contaminants such as PCB's. Biological pollution also plays an important role, especially for harbor seals living in urban areas with high levels of bacterial pathogens.

Purdue welcomes Dr. Willie Reed as the new head of their veterinary school. Dr. Reed is a graduate of the Tuskegee College of Veterinary Medicine and received his PhD in Veterinary Pathology from Purdue.

Finally, if you take your chicken or duck for a walk in St. Louis, MO, be prepared to carry a pooper scooper. According to a new ordinance, anyone controlling fowl as well as other animals in public or on someone else's property needs to carry some form of solid waste removal material.

Hypoallergenic cats:  Allerca Inc. is the first  company in the world to breed and sell hypoallergenic cats. Allerca test thousands of cats looking for those that did not have glycoprotein Fel d1, the protein known to trigger allergic reactions in human beings. It was a slow process as only 1 cat in 50,000 does not have glycoprotein Fel d1. After finding a sufficient number of non glycoprotein Fel d1 cats, they selectively bred them resulting in kittens that do not produce any allergic reactions in humans. These playful kittens come in a variety of colors with a medium long hair coat and moderate shedding.  Priced at $3,950 there have been so many orders there is now a waiting list!

AVMA Information:   The AVMA has a developed a brochure to help educate dog owners about dog bites. More than 4.7 million Americans are bitten each year by dogs and the AVMA would like to decrease that number significantly. The brochure, titled "What you should know about dog bite prevention" is available on the AVMA website (http://www.avma.org/).

Diamond Pet Foods Update:  The Food and Drug Administration inspected Diamond Pet Food's South Carolina plant and found "significant violations" of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.  Violations included lack of controls to prevent aflatoxin contamination, failure of personnel to prevent distribution of contaminated lots, and incorrect labeling regarding the product source. More information is available on the FDA website.

Rabies Vaccine Recall: Fort Dodge Animal Health has recalled 330,000 doses of Rabvac 3 TF Serial 873113A  after QA testing revealed a problem with the duration of protection. The recalled lot numbers entered the market in November 2004 and expired on June 29, 2006. Veterinarians using this product are encouraged to check their records and identify animals that need to be revaccinated. Fort Dodge is providing information to veterinarians as well as free rabies vaccine and $25/animal. More information is available from Fort Dodge's sales and marketing department (1-800-477-1365) or your Fort Dodge representative.

More Bad News for  Fort Dodge:  The Northern District Court of Georgia issued a preliminary injunction ordering Fort Dodge Animal Health to stop their advertising campaign that claimed  their Innovator vaccine was more effective against West Nile Virus than Merial's Recombitek vaccine. The court concluded that promotional material and statements by a Fort Dodge Representative at a veterinary conference were "literally false".

For all you LSU Tigers: Dr. Michael Groves has retired as Dean of  Louisiana State University's School of Veterinary Medicine.

Fun News: The cane toad, a 4 ? pound invasive species brought to Australia 70 years ago is growing longer hind legs so it can jump farther and spread faster.  This species travels more than 1 mile per night during wet weather.

Rabbit Flu is NOT the next bird flu: The death of a young British man in late August from the "rabbit flu" has overwhelmed rabbit groups with requests for information about the safety of rabbit ownership.  Rabbit flu is not really an influenza virus or even a virus but is caused by Pasturella ssp.  Cases of rabbit flu in human beings are very rare and treatable with antibiotics if caught early enough.

DEA Fees to rise on November 1, 2006:  The Drug Enforcement Administration is raising the annual fees for practitioners and researchers to $551 for the three year registration period. If you need to renew your DEA registration in the near future it must be postmarked before November 1, 2006 to avoid the price increase. Manufacturers of controlled substances will see their fees increase from $1625 to $2293 and the cost for distributors, importers and exporters of controlled substances will rise from $813 to $1147.

Additional Substances May Be Permitted In Organic Livestock Production:  The United States Department of Agriculture has proposed the addition of medical treatments including the administration of atropine, bismuth subsalicylate, butorphanol, flunixin, furosemide, magnesium hydroxide, poloxalene, tolazoline, and xylazine in organic livestock production. Also proposed are the use of peracetic acid for sanitation of equipment and facilities, calcium propionate for inhibition of mold in dry herbal products, and excipients such as binders and fillers in the manufacture of drugs.

Phosphine Gas:  More than 24 horses in Brazos County, Texas died after eating feed from a bin treated with a pesticide that releases phosphine gas. Necropsies performed on three horses dying at the Texas A & M Veterinary Medical Clinic showed evidence of phosphine gas in the stomach.  

Michigan State University Spartans: Dr. Christopher Brown has been appointed the Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Fun News: From Ketchum Idaho's St. Francis Pet Clinic. A queen size electric blanket was surgically removed after being swallowed by 12 foot python. The wiring extended through 8 feet of the python's digestive tract.

Renal diets have been shown to increase survival time for both cats and dogs. A recently published study (Plantings EA, et al: Retrospective study of the survival of cats with acquired chronic renal insufficiency offered different commercial diets. Vet Record 157:185-187, 2005) showed a survival time of 16 months for renal diets and 7 months for conventional diets. A previous study by Jacob, et al published in 2002 showed a prolonged lifespan for dogs fed a renal diet.

The California Veterinary Medical Association and the Redwood Empire Veterinary Medical Association were successful in blocking legislation that would have prevented the use of recombinant vaccines in Sonoma County. The ballot issue, which was defeated, asked for a ten year moratorium on the “propagation, cultivation, raising, growing, sale or distribution of transgenic organisms”.

Those with an active fish practice will be pleased to learn that florfenical has been approved by the FDA for use in four aquaculture species (catfish, hybrid striped bass, salmonids, tilapia). The drug became the first one approved under the Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Health Act (MUMS).

Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections were responsible for three large outbreaks at petting zoos, fairs, and festivals in North Carolina, Florida and Arizona during 2004 and 2005. Children were mainly affected, especially those who came in contact with animals at petting zoos. Despite 173 cases and 22 children with hemolytic uremic syndrome, no deaths occurred. Behaviors such as touching or stepping in manure, sitting on the ground, sucking a thumb or using a pacifier or sippy cup were identified as likely means of exposure in young children. Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a zoonotic disease and veterinarians associated with petting zoos, fairs, and festivals are reminded to be sure strict hygiene procedures are in place.

Important news for all Aggies: Texas A & M University will open a Center for Equine Business Studies in June 2006. Dr. Ernie Davis has been tapped to be the Executive Director. The center will work with the public and government to provide information in the fields of agriculture and veterinary medicine. Statistics and data may ultimately be used to guide programs and proposed legislation. Go Aggies!!

On a lighter note, even goldfish require cosmetic surgery from time to time. Lucky, a very lucky 10 year old comet goldfish, underwent surgery to have six large tumors removed from his scales. Gill irrigation was used in the 35 minute procedure to keep Lucky alive while he was out of the water.