New Product
Incurin Estriol Tablets for Female Canine Urinary Incontinence
Merck Animal Health announces the availability of Incurin, a new FDA-approved treatment for canine urinary incontinence in spayed females, which features convenient once-a-day dosing and a proven efficacy and safety profile. The active ingredient in Incurin, estriol, is a naturally occurring, short-acting estrogen. Estriol can help restore estrogen levels in spayed dogs to support a dog’s natural process for maintaining urethral tone for urinary control. Estriol has a nuclear retention time of 1 to 4 hours compared to estradiol and diethylstilbestrol (DES), which have a nuclear retention time of 6 to 24 hours. The shorter retention time of estriol limits undesirable side effects associated with long-term estrogen-receptor binding, such as bone marrow suppression. Incurin is unique in that the starting dose is the same for all female dogs—two 1-mg tablets once daily. Incurin may also be titrated down to the lowest effective dose. Incurin will be available for order in October. For more information, visit merck-animal-health.com.
New Product
Chewable Tablet for Treating Superficial Canine Pyoderma
Virbac Animal Health has announced the introduction of palatable Rilexine (cephalexin) Chewable Tablets for Dogs, the first FDA-approved cephalexin designed exclusively for the veterinary market, to aid veterinarians and pet owners in the treatment of secondary superficial bacterial pyoderma caused by susceptible strains of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. Cephalexin is the first-choice antibiotic for the treatment of pyoderma, and before the introduction of Rilexine Chewable Tablets, veterinarians relied on human generic formulations. Plus the bitter, metallic taste and strong odor can be difficult to mask during a lengthy dosing regimen, which can lead to non-compliance and compromised outcomes. The proven palatability of Rilexine Chewable Tablets can make it very easy for the pet owner to complete the full course of treatment. For more information, contact a Virbac representative, or visit virbacvet.com to view the research and more in-depth details.
Grants
ASPCA Awards $7.6 Million in Grants
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) issued 828 grants totaling $7.6 million to 619 animal welfare organizations in 49 states nationwide in the first 6 months of 2012, a 127% increase over the same period in 2011.
“The ASPCA is pleased to assist the life-saving efforts of local animal welfare organizations across the country,” said Michael Barrett, vice president of grants management at the ASPCA.
Efforts supported by the grants include:
- Shelter outreach programs
- Spay/neuter programs
- Anticruelty rescues, raids, and investigations
- Humane law enforcement
- Disaster and emergency response
- Equine emergency hay and feed, veterinary care.
To learn more about the ASPCA’s Grants Program visit aspcapro.org/Grants.
Technology
Space Saving All-In-One PC for Practices
ImproMed, LLC, a subsidiary of Butler Schein Animal Health, announced the addition of the ImproMed All-In-One PC to its hardware lineup. The All-In-One PC features a 23-inch touchscreen, an Intel processor, and Bluetooth capability. Along with technological advancements, the All-In-One PC provides space savings in the veterinary practice, taking up only as much room as a traditional PC monitor, eliminating the need for keyboard or mouse due to its touchscreen capabilities. Installed features also include a built-in memory card reader for uploading pictures, 7 USB ports, and Windows 7 Professional Operating System. To learn more about this new technology, visit impromed.com/infinity-all-in-one-pc, or contact ImproMed at 800-925-7171 or nic@impromed.com.
12.12.12 Campaign Update
Heartworm Prevention on the Rise in 2012
Merial announced that more doses of heartworm preventive have been provided to more dogs so far in 2012 than during the same period last year, indicating that more pet owners and veterinarians are working together to prevent heartworm disease. The announcement comes as Merial celebrates the mid-point of its
12.12.12 Campaign to increase the number of dogs protected fromheartworm disease in 2012. Acording to MDI, an independent marketing research company, there has been a 5% increase in the total number of heartworm preventive doses dispensed by veterinarians compared to the same period in 2011. More than 10,595 individual veterinary professionals and 8,111 veterinary clinics nationwide have joined the campaign since it was launched by Merial. Veterinary professionals taking part in the 12.12.12 Campaign receive ongoing support from Merial, including training materials, tips for advocating heartworm prevention, client incentives, and tools to measure progress.. To learn more or to take the 12.12.12 pledge, visit join121212.com.
Educational Opportunities
ACVIM & IVIS Partner to Promote Educational Resources to the Veterinary Industry
The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) and the International Veterinary Information Service (IVIS) are collaborating to inform veterinarians, veterinary students, technicians and those involved in animal health about the importance of research and curing diseases in animals through educational opportunities. ACVIM (acvim.org) offers continuing education programs through its annual ACVIM Forum Conference, Advanced Education Courses at the Oquendo Center, consensus statements, and other online resources. The IVIS website (ivis.org) provides free access to original, up-to-date e-books, proceedings of veterinary meetings, journals, reviews, an international calendar of veterinary events, and much more, with the help of private and corporate sponsors.
New Websites for Dermatologic Education
Pfizer Animal Health (PAH) has launched two educational web sites to communicate advancements in veterinary dermatology and to improve discussions between veterinarians and pet owners concerning allergic skin conditions. The two sites—mypetitches.com and itchcycle.com—bring visitors the latest research and news from the dermatologic community and highlight new information about PAH’s portfolio of products for allergic skin conditions. Developed for the pet owner, mypetitches.com is an online resource to help owners understand common signs and causes of skin conditions and the importance of partnering with their veterinarian to care for their pets. Itchcycle.com is the veterinarian’s or dermatology specialist’s online gateway to the newest dermatologic insights, information, and tools, including recent research findings and downloadable materials about the pathobiology of allergic disease.
Practice Building
Website Helps Veterinarians Discover New Sources of Income
To help doctors find new sources of revenue from their existing clientele, ALLPRO Imaging is supporting the new, free website ProfitWithVeterinaryDentistry.com. The site presents informative interviews with several veterinarians who explain how they put dentistry programs together, improving revenues. The interviews cover a number of topics, including hardware options and costs, setting fees, obtaining client’s buy-in for large fees, and training and coaching. The site requires a simple registration (first name and a valid email address) but the content is free. No salespeople will call. “Doctors who are embracing a dedicated dentistry program are typically seeing an immediate and significant return on investment,” says Jen Healey, Assistant Marketing Manager at ALLPRO Imaging. “Even better, right now, veterinary dentistry is a wide open market with a low-cost entry point.”
Study
National Academies Releases Findings on Veterinary Workforce Study
The National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies released its findings on Workforce Needs in Veterinary Medicine. The Association of American Veterinary Medicine Colleges (AAVMC) enlisted the National Academy of Sciences to conduct the study to address questions regarding the future of veterinary medicine, preparation of veterinary students, and changing needs in society.
Although there is little evidence of widespread workforce shortages, there are, however, sectors of unmet need and an imbalance in the distribution of veterinarians. The study projects future needs across all sectors, and makes recommendations for meeting those needs. Areas include bioterrorism and emergency preparedness, environmental health, food safety and security, food production systems, regulatory medicine, diagnostic laboratory medicine, biomedical research, health promotion and disease prevention, public health research, and epidemiology.
The profession’s responsibility to protect and improve the health of animals, people, and the ecosystem—a “One Health” approach—was also noted. Recommendations include the development of a One Health think tank, greater use of technology and resource sharing, and more partnerships between academia and industry. The NRC report also noted that veterinary medical education in its current form requires improvement due to a decline in funding for education and research and increasing student debt load relative to income.
The study was sponsored by the AAVMC, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Bayer Animal Health, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), and Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The report is available for purchase and download at dels.nas.edu/Report/Veterinary-Medicine/13413.
Marketing Tool
Custom Marketing Tool For Veterinary Practices
CareCredit, a health care credit card, has created a self-serve Custom Marketing Tool, providing veterinary teams with online solutions to more easily and cost-efficiently communicate with both existing and potential clients. The Custom Marketing Tool is available at no charge to practices that accept CareCredit and provides online templates to create and print postcards customized with the practice’s logo and branding. Veterinary teams can choose from templates and messages including: celebrating pet birthdays, appointment reminders, and encouraging referrals of the practice to their friends and family for existing clients. Cards can be designed and customized free of charge, printed for a nominal cost, and mailed to a client list or purchased direct mail list. The cost of postcard printing, renting a list, if desired, and postage should average less than $.50 per piece for most offices. For further information, visit carecredit.com or call 800-300-3046.
Cremation Service
Alkaline Hydrolysis Natural Cremation System
Eco-Green International has recently introduced alkaline hydrolysis cremation, Natural Cremation-AAD, to the veterinary community as an alternative cremation process that saves energy and time and is significantly cleaner for the environment. The method offers a solution for larger animals and disease or disaster situations. The process uses water, Eco-Green’s Enviro-Care solution, and extreme heat, leaving pure calcium phosphate remains. After the cremation, the sterile remains are returned to the pet owner in an urn with an engraved nameplate. For more information, visit ECO-GreenCremationSystem.com or call 262-379-1326.