Search Results for “”

On Sept. 9, the Human Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI) Foundation and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) announced the findings of a new survey on how knowledge of the scientific benefits of the human-animal bond impacts the way pet owners care for their companion animals. The survey asked pet owners about their awareness of research that shows pets improve human health and found that this knowledge motivated them to take better care of their pets, including a significant, positive impact on veterinary care.

Behavioral changes in your patients can indicate pain. And this month is the perfect time to identify it. In September, the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM), a multi-disciplinary organization dedicated to promoting, enhancing, and advancing pain management in animals, is sponsoring the second annual Animal Pain Awareness Month. Scheduled to coincide with human medicine’s Pain Awareness Month, its theme is, “Because their pain is our pain.” Practices can download free resources from the IVAPM website.

The death toll in the Louisiana floods is 11; 20 parishes are now federal disaster areas, according to the Times-Picayune in New Orleans. As of Tuesday, The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries had rescued 598 animals. The flood impacted people and their pets, including veterinary professionals. And the worst is yet to come if you ask Rebecca McConnico, DVM, PhD, at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine (LSU SVM).

On Aug. 11, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) announced that Janet Donlin, DVM, has been named Executive Vice President/Chief Executive Officer of the AVMA. She will begin her employment on Sept. 12. Donlin will succeed Ron DeHaven, DVM, who is retiring after nine years with the AVMA. AVMA President Thomas F. Meyer, DVM, cited Donlin's decades-long service to the veterinary profession and her extensive professional achievements as key factors to her being named the lead executive of the AVMA.

National Veterinary Technician Week is right around the corner, Oct. 16-22, 2016. Here’s your chance to show your appreciation. Send AAHA your best high-resolution photo files (300 dpi or better, or larger than 1MB) of your vet techs and assistants by Aug. 19. The top images will be published in the October issue of Trends magazine. Images that don’t fit in the magazine may be posted on AAHA’s Facebook page.

Too often, clients don’t understand the value of accreditation and the veterinary rigor that is part of that distinction. AAHA hopes to change that. The first annual AAHA-Accredited Hospital (AAHA Day) will be held on July 22, and every year thereafter. Its purpose is to educate clients about the value of accreditation and what it means for their pets, and to thank accredited hospitals for holding themselves to a higher standard.

Given the constant new research, trends, and practices in veterinary medicine related to oncology, it’s difficult for general practitioners to keep up. Now, there’s a resource to help. Today, AAHA released its 2016 Oncology Guidelines for Dogs and Cats (“Guidelines”), a “go to” resource general practitioners can use with oncology patients. “Our goal was to provide a ‘snapshot,’ based on general consensus, about how the general practitioner can and should approach and handle cancer,” said Guidelines Task Force chair John Berg, DVM, DACVS, and Professor of Surgery in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.

Until recently, if you practiced in Michigan, you weren’t required by law to take continuing education. That is no longer the case. Governor Rick Snyder signed Public Acts 47 and 49, effective June 13, requiring that veterinarians and veterinary technicians take continuing medical education (CME). Prior to this, Michigan was the only state without such a requirement, reported the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association. VetFolio can help.

Patient bites and near bites can cause stress for staff. Now, a survey wants to identify that stress, in part to offer some solutions. Sally J. Foote, DVM, CABC-IAABC, Low Stress Handling™ Certified and Fear Free℠ Certified, is conducting a survey, which runs from June 8 to Sept. 8, to understand the impact of patient bites and near bites on staff. Veterinarians, technicians, assistants, and shelter care workers who have been bitten or experienced a near bite are being sought to complete the survey.

The Orlando, Fla. shooting on June 12 left 49 dead and 53 injured, reported Orlando’s WFAA Channel 8. Canine support appeared the next day. On June 13, 12 dogs and 20 volunteers who are part of a national organization, Lutheran Church Charities Comfort Dogs (LCC Comfort Dogs), headed down to Orlando to offer support to the families of the victims and to first responders, reported ABC News. The dogs and their handlers were from seven different states, reported CBS News.