Recall of 2 lot #'s of 85 lb plus size of Iverhart Plus Chewables

The following is an excerpt from an article that was posted in The VIN News Service:

Virbac recalls Iverhart Plus

August 20, 2009
By: Jennifer Fiala
For The VIN News Service

Virbac Animal Health has recalled Iverhart Plus flavored chewable tablets for dogs after routine stability tests showed that samples from two lots did not contain sufficient amounts of ivermectin to give dogs weighing 85 pounds or more six months of parasite protection.

The company, which sent out a letter to distributors last Friday, reports that lots 090093 and 090095 of the heartworm preventative, sold between March 20 and April 5, are affected.

A third lot, 090073, initially was named in the recall, but subsequent tests revealed the related product was not subpotent....

The rest of the article can be found at the following link: http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=13680

An Open Letter to Veterinarians, By a Veterinarian

"The Growing Problem of Clients Who Cannot Afford Emergency Care"

After about 10 years working in emergency hospitals, it became painfully clear that, the more advanced our ability to provide adequate care became, the less the average person was able to afford it. In our recent economic downturn, it has become a real crisis. With the widespread use of specialized emergency and critical care hospitals for overnight, weekend, and holiday coverage for general practitioners, clients and their sick and injured pets are frequently caught in a desperate situation. They find themselves in the midst of a medical emergency, in a hospital where there is no ongoing relationship with the doctor providing the care, and faced with charges that are likely to be much higher than they are accustomed to, not to mention the requirement of immediate paymentFew would disagree that state-of-the art veterinary care should be available and easily accessible. It also goes without saying that facilities that provide this level of care must charge more for their services than practices with lower overhead. However, often we are dealing with owners who have chosen a particular emergency facility simply because their own vet is using it to cover emergency calls. Suddenly, they are faced with charges that could easily be three or four times when their normal vet would charge. There are some ethical questions, here. Should an emergency hospital that offers round-the-clock care, sophisticated critical care monitoring, and advanced surgical and medical treatment, be willing to offer care that is less than state-of-the-art, simply because an owner cannot afford it? Is it right to turn someone away and risk the animal's death, because they do not have enough to pay for treatment? As veterinarians, where do our allegiances lie?--to the owner and their emotional and financial needs; or to the animal and its comfort and general welfare? What about our own financial needs? It helps no one if veterinarians give so much of their services away that they go out of business. Nor does it help if we give away so much of our time and energy that we burn ourselves out and either lose our compassion or leave the profession.I would really like to get a dialog started about this important issue. My husband and I are trying to build up an organization that will help find funding for people who cannot afford emergency care. It is called The Veterinary Emergency Funding Mission. Other similar organizations have fallen short because they have depended only on the generosity of individuals. I think that this issue is far too important not to get the backing of veterinarians and local communities around the country. Perhaps an internet dialog will get the word out and start people thinking about how to make change happen.

Lucy L. (Pinkston) Schroth DVM - President & Co-Founder of The Veterinary Emergency Funding Missionhttp://www.vefm.org/ (blog - http://vefm.blogspot.com/ )(vefmmail@gmail.com)

"Help me to help financially strapped owners pay for emergency vet care."

"Together, the veterinary community can make a BIG difference."

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A Tribute to K-9's

This is a great You-Tube Slide Show.

"Finding the Right Diet for Your Dog," an article by Darlene Arden

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"Finding the Right Diet for Your Dog"

(Article © 2000 Darlene Arden. First published in AKC Gazette, March 2000)

Click on the above link to read this informative article, written by behaviorist, author, and long-time dog and cat owner Darlene Ardene. It is an excellent summary of the issues involved in feeding your dog. When one talks to people in the "commercial diet" camp and the "raw diet" camp, it sounds as if they are arguing about religion.....Darlene's article discusses the pros and cons of both types of feeding and suggests that rigid adherence to any one method, especially without the nutritional education to back it up, can be quite dangerous to your dog's health.

For more information about Darlene Arden, go to her web site, www.darlenearden.com or visit her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/petxpert

Darlene's latest book is "Rover, Get Off Her Leg!" - "Pet Etiquette for the Dog Who Pees on Your Rug, Steals the Roast, and Poops in Improper Places." - (available at www.amazon.com) For more information about this informative, irreverent book, go to Darlene's "room" in The Red Room, an online writer's community (www.redroom.com) - http://www.redroom.com/author/darlene-arden/bio.

As an aside (and this is strictly from a dog's perspective, since it's MY journal and I AM a dog!), she's a really nice person. Shhhh......Don't tell anyone that I was the one who said this, since German shepherds are supposed to be aloof with people outside their family. I wouldn't want to tarnish my image.

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Flu Vaccine?? Don't Jump on This One Right Away

The New York Times published this article about a newly FDA approved vaccine against canine Influenza (Flu).
New York Times Article (June 30, 2009)
Of course, they make it sound as if every dog with a "pushed-in" (brachycephalic) facial conformation should have this vaccine. However, a recent article in Veterinary Practice News (June 23, 2009) stated that "Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health’s Canine Influenza Vaccine, H3N8, has been granted a conditional product license." A conditional product license is just that--"conditional." The Veterinary Practice News article goes on to say that, "During the conditional license period, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health will continue to submit data obtained in support of the product’s performance, which will be evaluated by government regulators to determine whether a regular product license may be issued. The vaccine, made from inactivated virus, has been demonstrated to reduce the incidence and severity of lung lesions, as well as the duration of coughing and viral shedding." This last statement is significant. It means that it does not prevent canine Influenza, nor does it cure the disease. "It is intended as an aid in the control of disease associated with canine influenza virus infection, a type A, subtype H3N8." So far, although it may play an important role in controlling existing outbreaks in group-housing situations (like shelters), veterinary infectious disease specialists are NOT yet recommending it for the average "dog on the street." The reasoning behind this position is explained in the Vet. Practice News article. "Because the virus is a novel pathogen, most dogs have no immunity to canine influenza. Therefore, the infection can spread quickly through animal shelters, adoption groups, pet stores, boarding kennels, veterinary clinics and any location where dogs congregate." However, in spite of the fact that it is highly contagious, it is not the "killer virus" that the media has implied. For more information on the disease itself, visit this page on Veterinary Partner, a client education site. (article)