To create a clear picture of how obesity affects a cat’s or dog’s overall health, Nationwide Pet Insurance analyzed its database of more than 700,000 insured pets to determine the top 10 medical conditions related to or made worse by obesity. Source: American Veterinarian, January 3, 2019. Link. The top 10 conditions related to obesity are: Most Common Dog Obesity-Related … [Read more...]
Rethinking osteoarthritis: findings from the 2019 VET Report
Successful management of osteoarthritis (OA) requires a multifaceted approach, according to findings in the 2019 Veterinary Emerging Topics (VET) Report from Banfield Pet Hospital. The report considers 3 areas of concern for pets with OA—weight gain, reduced mobility, and the progress of arthritic changes—and offers veterinarians a means to better manage and treat these … [Read more...]
Keep pets safe during the holidays with these tips
Just in time for Halloween, candy and ghosts, here’s a nice resource from the American Veterinarian editorial staff. Use the Fast Facts Sheet in social media posts, e-newsletters and as handouts during pet visits. . . .this holiday season being a responsible pet owner means taking precautions to keep your pet happy and healthy well into the new year. Source: American … [Read more...]
Pheromones and household cat aggression
Targeting multicat households in the midwestern U.S., researchers recently examined the use of synthetic feline-appeasing pheromone (FAP*; Feliway Friends*) for its effect on intercat aggression in multicat households. Take-home Message - For households with established intercat aggression issues, FAP treatment correlated with significantly reduced aggression within 21 days of … [Read more...]
Electroceuticals reduce anxiety, stress in pets (includes video)
"Electroceuticals are, as a prescription medical device, approved for anxiety," says Ava Frick, DVM. Because of how electroceutical microcurrents function throughout the brain, animal stress levels can be reduced. Source: American Veterinarian, July 3, 2018. Link. Microcurrents are introduced to the body through little clips that go on the ears. The low frequency, … [Read more...]
Protect horses and owners from leptospirosis
It is important for horse owners to understand the risk of leptospirosis to their horses, pets and themselves. Diane Rice discusses Lepto sp. in this worthwhile article. Consider it for websites, newsletters, social media posts and materials for riding clubs, stables or 4-H and FFA groups. Source: The Horse. Link. Leptospirosis is the most common zoonotic disease worldwide, … [Read more...]
Chicken farming: evolving or returning to its roots?
Over the past 160 years, consumers and poultry farmers have changed the way we care for and eat chickens. The 19th-century fancier valued the beauty of the various breeds. Most consumers now value low prices more. Kenny Googan traces the evolution of the chicken industry. Source: Countryside Daily, March 27, 2018. The evolution of the chicken industry over the past century … [Read more...]
Stem cell therapy has potential, but with cautions
Meredith Rogers, MS, CMPP, reviews the advances in stem cell therapies in veterinary medicine. She notes that clinical trials are few and most evidence of efficacy comes from anecdotal reports. Rogers says the biggest obstacles preventing more frequent use of stem cell therapy are access and cost. Beyond this, no guidelines currently exist with respect to stem cell therapy, … [Read more...]
New parvovirus discovered within equine tetanus antitoxin
A recent report in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal detailed the discovery, genetic characterization and transmissibility of equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H)—a new virus associated with equine serum hepatitis. EqPV-H was discovered when a horse in Nebraska developed clinical signs of liver failure and died approximately … [Read more...]
Cross-matching is important for first blood transfusion (includes video)
Kenichiro Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC, SAIM), discusses cross-matching and blood transfusion perceptions and myths. If transfusion records are not appropriate, or if a new veterinary practice assumes a patient has never received a transfusion and they do another mismatch, that could result in very serious consequences or even death. Source: American Veterinarian, January 15, … [Read more...]
Reminder: AAHA canine vaccine guidelines update
We learned of the latest updates to the AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines last September. One of the significant updates was to make the guidelines available online for the veterinary profession. With almost twice the content of the previous version, AAHA’s revised and updated Canine Vaccination Guidelines include important changes and new recommendations that are important … [Read more...]