Veterinary students affected by federal loan rate increase

Federal student loan rates increased on July 1, affecting veterinary students who will be taking out these federal loans to help fund their education. Rates for direct unsubsidized loans for graduate students rose from 5.31% to 6% and rates for direct PLUS loans rose from 6.31% to 7%. The rate increase will not affect federal student loans previous disbursed or private student loans.

Pet food recall expands

United Pet Group is expanding its voluntary recall from June on packages of rawhide dog chews. The recall stems from United Pet Group identifying that certain manufacturing facilities in Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil were using quaternary ammonium compound mixtures as a processing aid in the manufacturing process. The U.S. has not approved the use of this compound in the production of rawhide chews for dogs. There have been limited reports of pet illness, although some diarrhea and vomiting were reported. The private labels affected by this expanded recall can be found on the FDA’s website. The potentially affected products should be thrown away or returned for a full refund.

Owners report greater satisfaction in appointments when classical music plays

Researchers from the University of California-Davis conducted a study testing different types of music being played in a teaching hospital. Owners were asked to report on their dogs’ behavior and their satisfaction with the music. The owners were exposed to one of three different kinds of music: modified classical music, the same music in its original format, or no music. Clients who were exposed to original classical music reported significantly greater satisfaction than those not exposed to music. Researchers suggest further research should be done to determine the effects of this music on pet anxiety in the waiting and exam room.

Money might not be cut from Penn veterinary school budget

The latest updates in state budget negotiations seem to indicate that the veterinary school at Penn will not lost $30 million of funding after all. The updated bill allocates $30.1 million to the vet school would have lost with the original cuts made toward university funding. The state’s Senate voted to pass the bill and the House of Representatives has yet to vote on the bill.

People with pets at greater risk for ticks

A study published in Zoonoses and Public Health found that pet owners are more likely find ticks on themselves than people who do not own pets. This information comes from data collected by a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initiative called TickNET. The researchers surveyed over 2,000 households in Connecticut, Maryland, and New York. About 31% of pet owners had found a tick crawling on a human in the household and 19% had found a tick attached to a human in the household. In contract, about 20% of non-pet owning households found a tick crawling on a human and 14% found a tick attached to a human.

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