TVMA News 

TVMA wishes you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

2012 Music City Veterinary Conference - March 9-11. Some of the speakers and topics are listed below:

 Rebecca Kirby, DVM - Emergency and Critical Care 

 Dave Van Metre, DVM - Food Animal Medicine
 Greg Ogilvie, DVM - Oncology
 Gary Norsworthy, DVM - Feline Medicine
 Johnathon (Bert) Dodd, DVM - Dentistry
 Dave Hustead, DVM - Vaccine Protocol
 Todd Huspeni, DVM - Parasitology
 Sherman Canapp, DVM - Orthopedic Surgery
 Sharon Center, DVM - Liver Diseases
 Nancy Loes, DVM - Nutritional Supplements
 Teresa DeFrancesco, DVM - Cardiology

 Wendy Myers, President of Comm Solutions for Veterinarians
 Ben Nabors, DVM - Equine
 Heath King, DVM - Equine
 Cathleen Mochal King, DVM - Equine

 Jennifer Allen DVM - Technician
 Kelly Baltzell MA - Social Media & Marketing
 Greg Brown MS - Suture Science & Selection
 Cheryl Cross DVM - Alternative Medicine
 Michael Dryden DVM
 Kurt Grimm DVM - Pain Management
 Rebecca Kirby DVM - Emergency & Critical Care  

 
Speaker Highlight:

Todd C. Huspeni, BA, MA, PhD - Dr. Huspeni is an Associate Professor of Parasitology & Curator of Parasites:  He teaches courses in parasitology, field ecology, and general zoology.  He also mentors both undergraduate and graduate students in parasite-related research.

Technician Track   Intruders on the Inside (Endoparasites)Saturday, March 10, 2012 1:30pm-2:20pm
 

Technician Track -Intruders on the Outside (Ectoparasites)  
 Saturday, March 10, 2012 2:35pm-3:25pm

Technician Track -Diagnostic Techniques for Blood Parasites in Dogs & Cats  Saturday, March 10, 2012 3:55pm-4:45pm

Tax reform proposals could reduce 401(k) savings. According to Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), two major reform proposals have surfaced that could change current tax policy toward retirement savings:
 

• A plan that would end existing tax deductions for 401(k) contributions and replace them with a flat-rate refundable credit that serves as a matching contribution into a retirement savings account.
• The "20/20 cap", which would limit the sum of an employer and worker annual contributions to the lower of $20,000 or 20 percent of income. Read More...
   

State Veterinarian's Office News

State News 

The State Veterinarian's office is proud to announce that Tennessee accredited veterinarians can now submit large animal Certificates of Veterinary Inspection on-line. Veterinarians interested in this service should contact Tina Rogers at 615-837-5120 to sign up for their user name and password. 

 
USDA, FDA hold public meetings on animal health topics.

While most of the government is on a budget vigil, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) engaged stakeholders in discussions surrounding animal health. Early November, the GRD attended three public meetings held by the USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the FDA on a wide variety of animal health topics including animal traceability, disaster preparedness plans in the event of major outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and the reauthorization of the Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA) and Animal Generic Drug User Fee Act (AGDUFA). Read More...

Stop the Prescription Mandate Bill - Call Your Senators Today! 
 H.R. 1406, The Fairness to Pet Owners Act, a bill that would require veterinarians to write a prescription at the time
of prescribing a product for a companion animal, continues to be stalled in the House. This legislation would also require veterinarians to provide a written disclosure notifying the pet owner that they may fill the prescription through the prescribing veterinarian, or another pharmacy. Efforts are underway to introduce similar legislation in the Senate.
 
Call your Senators today and encourage them to not support any legislation that would mandate veterinarians to write out prescriptions - something veterinarians already do. Take Action!

TN Senators Back Bill to Close Online Sales Tax Loophole. Read More...

The AVMA PLIT announced that The Hartford, a primary business insurance provider for the AVMA PLIT-sponsored Workers' Compensation Program, has declared a dividend return for the 2006 and 2008 plan periods. Dividend checks totaling $19,796 were recently mailed to Tennessee participants for policies underwritten by The Hartford. This is the final valuation for the 2006 plan period; earlier valuations returned $28,173 to Tennessee policyholders in January 2011. This dividend is a result of better than expected claims experience and the group buying power of veterinarians in the PLIT-sponsored program.
 

AAHA and AVMA Publish Preventive Canine and Feline Healthcare Guidelines with support from the Partnership for Preventive Pet Healthcare.

In September 2011, the AAHA and AVMA jointly introduced the first Canine and Feline Preventive Healthcare Guidelines, giving veterinarians a valuable tool to increase focus on the value and scope of regular pet examinations. Published as single-page documents, the Guidelines are streamlined yet complete recommendations for canine and feline preventive healthcare. Inclusive content in a concise format maximizes their practical value and makes it easy to put them into practice.

It is important to elevate the focus on preventive care due to the increase in the prevalence of some common preventable canine and feline diseases such as diabetes, dental disease, parasitism, and otitis externa (inflammation of outer ear and ear canal). These diseases may be attributed to declining visits to
veterinarians over the past decade.

Research shows that visits to the veterinarian are declining for a variety of reasons. First of all, pet owners are increasingly practicing self-help pet care or avoiding care altogether. With the widespread information available on the internet, more pet owners are turning to their computers before consulting their
veterinarians. For cat owners in particular, the transportation of their pets to and from the veterinarian is an obstacle to care. Most importantly, however, many pet owners do not understand the need for routine canine and feline examinations.

That's where the AAHA-AVMA Preventive Healthcare Guidelines come in. By validating and broadcasting the importance of routine pet visits, the Guidelines make it easier for veterinarians to practice preventive care, and for pet owners to understand the reasons why regular checkups are essential to their companions' well being.

The Partnership for Preventive Pet Healthcare is a unique alliance of professional veterinary associations and leaders in the animal health industry. It has been established to address the decline in our pets' health due to an increase in preventable health conditions and a decrease in the number of pet visits to the veterinarian, in contrast with a growing pet population.

The Partnership for Preventive Pet Healthcare was established in July 2011 and is comprised of 19 leading veterinary associations, including AVMF and AVMA, and animal health companies. Membership is open to other professional associations and animal health companies.

The Partnership was created to ensure that pets receive regular preventive care that can lead to early detection and disease prevention, so that pet owners and their pets can enjoy a longer and healthier life together. The development of the Preventive Healthcare Guidelines is the first step in developing programs and tools to address these healthcare issues. AVMF looks forward to bringing you more information about this partnership in the coming months. To learn more about this partnership, please contact Cheri Kowal.

FAQs on Prescriptions and Pharmacies

The AVMA Fellowship Program, partially funded by AVMF, is an opportunity for veterinarians to spend a year in Washington, D.C. working with Members of Congress or the Executive Branch. AVMA Fellows use their broad scientific and medical knowledge to assist in creating legislation and regulations that affect our nation and profession. AVMA Fellows receive a generous stipend as well as reimbursement for certain expenses incurred during the Fellowship.

• December 6-9 - UTCVM December Conference
• December 8 - UTCVM Equine Power Dentistry Course
• 2011 - World Veterinary Year - 250th Year Anniversary of Veterinary Medicine
• March 9-11, 2012 - Music City Veterinary Conference