Missouri voters approved the state’s Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act on Nov. 2 by a narrow margin.

Election Day was mixed for veterinarians running for office across the country.

Of the more than 7,300 state legislators serving throughout the United States, only 21 (0.3%) are veterinarians. Representation in the U.S. Congress is only slightly better, with two DVMs currently serving (0.4%). But there are plenty of issues that have the potential to affect veterinarians, especially in their role as small business owners. In advance of Election Day next Tuesday, NEWStat asked the two veterinarians serving in Congress: Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.); Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.); and former Republican senator from Colorado Wayne Allard, DVM, to weigh in on the current election cycle. We asked them what they think are the main issues that will impact veterinarians and practice owners, and what kinds of changes might occur this election that could affect practice owners.

A recently published paper on stem cells has been retracted by three of the four authors.

Generic animal drug maker Teva Animal Health, Inc., announced earlier this month that it was "making positive steps towards returning back to business in the near future."

Two huge drug manufacturers could be getting ready to sell off some animal health assets, worth some $1 billion, later this year.

The Washington State Veterinary Medical Association (WSVMA) recently held two different events that were designed to promote unity and understanding within the veterinary profession.

There could soon be a new weapon in the fight against canine cancer. Researchers at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine are set to begin testing of an anti-cancer drug in dogs this fall. University of Missouri Assistant Professor of Oncology Kimberly Selting, DVM, DACVIM, will lead the research. Selting said the clinical trial will include 15 dogs, and she will start enrolling patients in mid-October. “The study will allow any dog with a confirmed diagnosis of cancer, and that has a tumor that is still measureable,” Selting said. “We will note if any particular cancers respond better than others and that will help us design the next phase of this clinical research, knowing which kinds of cancer to target. In people, taxanes are used often for lung and intestinal cancers, as well as breast and other cancers.”

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The astute observations of researchers at Michigan State University have led to a nationwide dog food recall. Connecticut-based dog food manufacturer Blue Buffalo Co., Ltd., has recalled certain packages of its dog foods sold under the brand "BLUE," the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced. The recall was due to possible higher than normal levels of vitamin D in the food. The recall is the result of the observations of scientists at the Michigan State University’s Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health (DCPAH). When the Center began receiving samples from all over the country from hypercalcemic dogs, DCPAH endocrinologist Kent Refsal, DVM, PhD, noticed a pattern and the team investigated further. Refsal reported his findings in a paper on the MSU website.