Neil Mittelman, DVM, DACVIM, talks about how to differentiate Schiff-Sherrington from other postures and offers insight into lecture “Recognize, Localize, & Save Lives!”

Recognizing neurological postures

, at the Fetch dvm360 conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey this fall, Neil Mittelman, DVM, DACVIM, talked about his case-based lecture “Recognize, Localize, & Save Lives!” which uses real-life examples of cases with uncommon or odd neurological presentations. Mittelman emphasized the importance of recognizing postures that are related to intracranial pressure and possible brain herniation. He also explained what a decerebrate posture is and offered advice for differentiating between different types of postures.

This is basically a case-based description lecture using real life examples of cases with odd or uncommon presentations, as well as those that are critically important to evaluate. So, certain postures are associated with intracranial pressure changes, possible brain herniation, and these need to be recognized as soon as possible, so we can promptly help them with lifesaving medications.

Videos

Veterinary professionals who are Fear Free certified will be able to better monitor their patient’s health virtually with Maven Pet’s services. Maven Pet, a pet wellness brand that utilizes artificial intelligence to offer pet health monitoring, is partnering with Fear Free—an organization focused on alleviating fear and anxiety in pets by providing certified veterinary care and implementing pet-friendly practices, according to a news release by Maven Pet.

Maven Pet can collect and monitor pet data while flagging irregularities. Meanwhile, Fear Free, which was developed by specialists in behavior, medicine, and handing, provides virtual and in-person tools and education to veterinary professionals and the pet care community that will help them care for pets’ physical and emotional wellbeing.

With the new collaboration, Maven Pet will be included in the Fear Free Preferred Product Program (PPP), which aims to offer Fear Free Certified Professionals access to products and services that support Fear Free’s protocols, procedures, and recommendations.

 Current products and services included in the PPP are targeted pulsed electromagnetic field therapy products, hospital mats, pet kennels and beds, and more. These products and services will facilitate the process of implementing Fear Free in their practice, according to Fear Free.

Through its new contribution to Fear Free’s program, those who are Fear Free Certified will have access to Maven Pet’s services, which will help veterinary professionals get earlier patient diagnoses with the company’s remote monitoring, as well as improve their ability to offer “proactive care without causing the animals any unnecessary stress or trauma,” according to Maven Pet.

 These professionals will be able to monitor their patient’s activity, rest, respiratory rate, water intake, scratching and more. “This approach leads to earlier diagnoses, more effective treatment strategies and better outcomes,” wrote Maven Pet in the release.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Fear Free and become part of a network dedicated to making pet care more comfortable and less stressful,” Guilherme Coelho, CEO of Maven Pet, said in a company release.

“We completely align with Fear Free's vision for a future where pets lead healthier and happier lives, and hope to empower pet parents and veterinarians alike with the tools to make it happen.”

The new collaboration with Fear Free will also benefit pet owners, as Maven Pet’s technology will be able to help them track their pet’s health status without having to worry about creating a stressful and negative experience for their pet, according to Maven Pet.

Maven Pet and Fear Free join forces for stress-free pet health monitoring. News release. 

. November 2024. Accessed December 5, 2024. [email]

Fear Free Preferred Product. Fear Free, LLC. Accessed December 5, 2024. 

https://fearfreepets.com/resources/preferred-product-program/

Articles

Maven Pet is partnering with Fear Free to bring veterinary teams AI that monitors patient health

Virtual health monitoring for Fear Free Certified veterinary professionals

Mark J. Acierno, DVM, MBA, DACVIM, talks about his lecture “Leptospirosis: Current Recommendations and What is the Risk to Veterinary Professionals”

Leptospirosis in dogs and vets

Earlier this fall, Mark J. Acierno, DVM, MBA, DACVIM, sat down with 

 during dvm360's Fetch Coastal conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to talk about his lecture “Leptospirosis: Current Recommendations and What is the Risk to Veterinary Professionals.” During the interview, Acierno shared topics covered in his lecture as well as debunked the myth that only outdoor dogs in rural areas should be vaccinated for leptospirosis. He explained that small dogs in urban environments are at equal or greater risk of contracting the disease as their rural counterparts. 

In the interview, Acierno also explained that some veterinarians have contracted the infection without realizing it, as most dogs with leptospirosis do not exhibit any signs.

 …We go on and we also talk about the risk to the veterinary professional. For example, at one [American Veterinary Medical Association] meeting, they found that a percentage of veterinarians had actually been seropositive for leptospirosis since they were exposed, probably from one of their patients. And interestingly, none of the people who tested positive thought that they had dealt with a dog with leptospirosis. …They had seen a dog with flu-like symptoms, and then shortly thereafter, these veterinarians got headaches, but they didn't realize that the patient had [leptospirosis] and that they had contracted it from their patient. And part of that is, is that when we look at dogs that are experimentally and even naturally infected with leptospirosis, you know, we think about the liver disease and the kidney disease and some of the other things that we see, like anemia and thrombocytopenia.

But in reality, most dogs that are exposed to leptospirosis and are shedding it, don't really have many signs at all. They often are described as having flu-like symptoms. And so, we need to kind of broaden our perception of who we should be suspecting of having leptospirosis.

Grey Wolf Animal Health Corp, a diversified health care company based in Toronto, Canada, has acquired the Compounding Pharmacy of Manitoba (CPM) for $22.5 million. The acquisition includes associated real estate, pursuant to a Share Purchase Agreement, according to a news release.

The independent CPM is based in Oakbank, Manitoba. The facility spans 25,000 sq ft and serves independent and corporate-owned pharmacies, as well as veterinarians in Canada. This facility is anticipated to improve Grey Wolf’s capacity for growth in their pharmacy business unit. The acquisition is also expected to diversify the company’s customer mix and expand into the veterinary and human compounding markets.

CPM generated an estimated $6.4 million and approximately $2.5 million in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization over the 12 months ending September 30, 2024, according to a news release.

 At the time of the agreement, Grey Wolf paid $19.8 million in cash and issued 3,160,112 shares of its stock, valued at $0.8544 per share. The cash payment was funded using Grey Wolf's existing cash reserves and 2 new loans totaling $18.7 million from its current lender. Grey Wolf’s new purchase is “expected to be immediately accretive to revenue.”

"We believe CPM is complementary to our Trutina acquisition that we completed in 2021 and provides the ability to expand our existing business in both the veterinarian and human compounding pharmacy markets from a new facility near Winnipeg" Angela Cechetto, CEO of Grey Wolf, said in the company news release.

 Trutina is a Canadian compounding pharmacy that formulates medication for veterinary and human patients.

In 2022, the global market for animal drug compounding was valued at 1.3 billion USD. It is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.19% during the forecast period. Contributing factors of its growth include increasing awareness among pet owners of the benefits of compounded medications, causing more pet owners to purchase these personalized medications.

Demand for compounded medications for companion animals is leading the market growth, with felines contributing a significant portion of that growth. Medicating cats can be difficult, creating a demand for compounded medications in feline medicine that ensures patient compliance during administration while maintaining the human-animal bond.

 According to the FDA, veterinarians in the United States prescribe 6.3 million compounded animal drug prescriptions annually.

Grey Wolf Animal Health announces the acquisition of the Compounding Pharmacy of Manitoba. News release. Grey World Animal Health Corp. December 2, 2024. Accessed December 5, 2024. 

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/grey-wolf-animal-health-announces-the-acquisition-of-the-compounding-pharmacy-of-manitoba-899223148.html

Trutina Pharmacy. Trutina Pharmacy. Accessed December 5, 2024. 

Animal Drug Compounding Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Animal Type (Companion Animals, Livestock Animals), By Product, By Route of Administration, By Dosage Form, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 – 2030. Grand View Research. Accessed December 5, 2024. 

https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/animal-drug-compounding-market-report

Grey Wolf Animal Health Corp recently acquired the Compounding Pharmacy of Manitoba

Canadian compounding pharmacy acquired by multi-sector health care company

On this weeks episode of The Vet Blast Podcast presented by 

, our host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, welcomes special guest Meghan Solc, DVM, DACVD, who is also one of 

, to discuss why it is important to consider multiple diagnosis for skin diseases, long term management of autoimmune diseases, the significance of systemic symptoms, and more within the world of dermatology. 

So let's just, everyone picture it. A dog enters the clinic for an evaluation of a skin condition. Other than allergies, so what could this patient have? So what are some things that we need to talk about with those things?

We want to have a bunch of differential diagnoses on our radar, because everything can really look the same. And so when we have a dog coming in that are crusty, that have infections, you know, depending on their patterns of lesions, you may have things from allergy to T cell lymphoma on your list. So there's a wide range of different diseases to consider. 

So generally, rule of thumb, you know, things that we learn in vet school and in my internship and residency, we're going to be rolling out things that can cause folliculitis, like dermatophytosis... But then we're looking at weirder things, like sebaceous adenitis [and] pemphigus foliaceus. So there's a lot of different things that look essentially the same until you start digging a little bit deeper

Digging a little bit deeper, [I] see what you did there, a little metaphor for derm, I like that.

Podcasts

Meghan Solc, DVM, DACVD, shares common dos and don'ts when it comes to the itchy client in your clinic, plus how to communicate better with clients

Dermatology red flags and allergy mimickers

With the rise in pet ownership, new veterinary clinics and research hospitals are opening across the United States. Often equipped with advanced technologies and highly specialized veterinarians, new facilities are helping improve access to pet care and veterinary treatments. Meanwhile, veterinary research hospitals are advancing veterinary science and medicine through things like clinical trials and new therapies.

Below are 3 recent openings of veterinary facilities in the country:

Texas A&M Clinical Veterinary Teaching & Research Complex (Texas)

Clinical Veterinary Teaching & Research Complex rendering. (Image courtesy of Texas A&M University)

Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) will have a new Clinical Veterinary Teaching & Research Complex (CVTRC). In a recent university announcement, Texas A&M reported that its Board of Regents has approved the construction of the $181 million small animal hospital.1

The facility, scheduled to open in August 2027, will span 135,000 sq ft and will have additional faculty, staff and student wellness spaces, client comfort rooms, a pharmacy, space for diagnostic imaging, and areas for training. The new building will serve as a training hub for the VMBS.

“A once-in-a-generation project, this new hospital will ensure that Texas A&M continues to lead the nation in veterinary education,” John R. August, Carl B. King dean of Veterinary Medicine, said in a university release.1 “The new facility will offer much-needed space for our world-class veterinary clinicians, residents, interns, support staff and students in which to work, learn and provide compassionate care to our patients as well as to conduct the groundbreaking clinical trials that advance the veterinary profession as a whole.” 

Center for Rural Veterinary Practice (Mississippi)

Mississippi State University is renovating its clinical facilities and building a Center for Rural Veterinary Practice at its College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). The move is aimed at addressing a shortage of veterinary care in the state and in rural US. The projected is expected to result in a new cattle handling facility and farm animal hospital, a renovated equine hospital, and an expanded small animal hospital wing.

The Center for Rural Veterinary Practice, meanwhile, will advance the college’s education programs and clinical services for cattle, sheep, goats, and swine, according to the university.

 The project will expand the hospital's capacity, including more client consulting rooms, specialty services, and a larger intensive care unit (ICU) for critically ill patients. Moreover, the expanded Community Veterinary Services unit will help prepare students for small animal general practice by providing exposure to common diseases and allowing them to provide wellness care.

“Mississippi State is working to increase access to veterinary care, recruiting and mentoring students from rural and underserved areas, helping veterinarians practicing in rural areas to have more successful and sustainable businesses, and mentoring and coaching early-career veterinarians who are interested in establishing rural practices so that they can have a viable pathway and contribute to their local economies,” Keith Coble, vice president for MSU’s Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine, said in a news release.


CityVet recently announced it is opening a new clinic on December 9, 2024, in Red Mill, Virginia Beach, Virginia. The new facility will be led by Erica Feiste, DVM, MBA, MRCVS, and will provide various services including dental care, preventive care, diagnostic, and advanced surgical procedures.

According to CityVet, the new clinic will act as a bridge for pet owners who need advanced care but are looking for more affordable alternatives to emergency surgery that provide wound care, C-sections, and foreign body surgeries.

“We are thrilled to open a second CityVet location in Virginia Beach, continuing expanding our presence in this vibrant community. Dr Erica Feiste’s exceptional leadership, advanced skills, and dedication to fostering strong relationships with both clients and colleagues make her an ideal partner. Her contributions have been invaluable, and her commitment to delivering high-quality care ensures that Red Mill will be a trusted resource for pets and their families,” David Boguslawski, CEO and president of CityVet said in an organizational release.

Texas A&M University System Regents Pave Way For New Veterinary Teaching, Research Hospital. News release. Texas A&M University. November 21, 2024. Accessed December 4, 2024. 

https://today.tamu.edu/2024/11/21/new-veterinary-teaching-research-hospital/

College of Veterinary Medicine at MSU expands clinical facilities, establishes Center for Rural Veterinary Practice. News release. Mississippi State University. November 26, 2024. Accessed December 4, 2024. [email]

CityVet, a leading network of veterinarian-owned practices, expands in Virginia Beach with a new clinic opening December 9th. News release. December 2, 2024. Accessed December 4, 2024. [email]

Take a look at these 3 veterinary centers newly opened or coming soon