TVMA News    

TVMA Provides the Opportunity for Members to Interview Veterinary Technician Students at MCVC. If you are looking to hire a veterinary technician, TVMA is offering members the opportunity to set up appointments to interview veterinary technician students. The interviews may be scheduled on March 10 and 11 at the MCVC. For more information, contact TVMA office at green.delo@gmail.com.

2012 Music City Veterinary Conference - March 9-11.  

Pre-registration closes February 29. After this date only onsite registration will be accepted.

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 Murray, DVM
Kurt Grimm, DVM - Pain Management
Marc Bercovitch, DVM & Linda Holste, DVM - Endocrine Diseases
Richard Ford, DVM - Erhlichiosis
Meagan Frazier, Esq TVMA Lobbyist - Legislative Update
Kim Johnson, DVM - Veterinary Onocology Patient Care
Marian Little, DVM - Mgmnt. of PPID with Prascend
Sharon Patton, DVM
Cory Pinel, DVM - Stem Cell Therapy
Chris & Nicole Piscitelli, DVMs - Respiratory Diseases 

Speaker Highlight:

Dr. Craig Webb completed his PhD in Neuroscience at Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. Dr. Webb was an intern at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver during Discovery Channel's filming of "Emergency Vets". He is currently an Associate Professor at CSU where he teaches gastroenterology to PVM students and directs endoscopy and laparoscopy CE courses. Dr. Webb will be covering Dr. Todd Tams sessions using Dr.Tams notes.

 
Gastrointestinal Medicine - Friday, March 9, 8 a.m. - 3:25 p.m.  

Let us entertain you with the HOUNDS!
 

 
Come hear your favorite hound:
Dr. Allan Baker, Dr. John Collier, Dr. Jerry Flatt, Dr. Don Pearl, Dr. Danielle Mannis, Sheridan Davis, Stephen Flatt and Haley Mannis. 

Cat Friendly Practice Launched by American Association of Feline Practitioners - The American Association of Feline Practitioners has announced a new program, Cat Friendly Practice (CFP). The CFP program was created to improve the treatment, handling and overall healthcare of cats. Its purpose is to equip veterinary practices with the tools, resources and information to elevate the standard of care for cats. Read More...

The UTCVM Libraryis a great resource for information on all aspects of veterinary practice.  Visit the online Library at http://libguides.utk.edu/veterinarians.

UTCVM Open House
 Saturday - April 14, 2012 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
For more information Click Here or call 865-974-7377.

UTCVM Alumni Reception will be held at 4:00 P.M. on Friday, March 9, during the Music City Veterinary Conference. It will be in the Stirrup Cup Lounge of the Marriott Cool Springs. For more information, please email Megan McMurray at mmcmurr1@utk.edu.

Dr. Erica Fields joins UTCVM as Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiology.  Fields earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from North Carolina State Univ ersity where she later returned to complete a residency in radiology.  She was a lecturer in radiology at NCSU before coming to Tennessee. She specializes in diagnostic radiology and ultrasound with an emphasis on computed tomography (CT). 

 Dr. Erica Fields

Dr. Valeria Tanco joins UTCVM as Clinical Assistant Professor in Small Animal Reproduction.  Tanco earned her veterinary degree with honors from Catholic University in Cordoba, Argentina. She completed her Masters of Science degree at University of Saskatchewan in Canada in the field of biomedical sciences and a large and small animal residency in reproductive medicine at Cornell University.

State Veterinarian's Office News

Cases of Pigeon Fever in horses in Tennessee have surfaced in the past months in and around Shelby County. Pigeon Fever is considered to be endemic in western states, but has been reported in Kentucky and Florida. In the past few months, there have been more than twelve cases that have been verified by culture in Shelby County. 

Pigeon Fever is highly contagious. The bacterium that causes it (Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis) is very hardy and is difficult to eliminate once introduced to an environment. In horses, the bacterium causes abscesses in pectoral muscles and along the ventral midline into the groin area. Initial symptoms are vague and may include lameness or reluctance to move. The transmission route includes flies, or human hands and equipment transferring the bacterium from one horse to another by touching an open wound or draining abscess. 

The State Veterinarian's Office will be contacting all veterinary clinics with a survey that explores the possibility of veterinary contact and laboratory billing by e-mail. Other information about emergency preparedness will be discussed. If you have not yet been visited by the Department of Agriculture, you may download the survey here and email it back to us at animal.health@tn.gov or fax it to 615-837-5013. Your participation allows us to keep you informed of health alerts and emergency situations  

The Kord Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory is an AAVLD Accredited Laboratory and a member of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN). Kord offers extensive small and large animal services at an affordable rate. Tennessee veterinarians are encouraged to support Tennessee's state laboratory. Click here  for a price list.

Reminders to accredited veterinarians:  On all paperwork to Kord Lab accompanying  samples- use your 6 digit NEW accreditation number. Do not use your license number or old 4 digit accreditation number. (This includes Coggins papers.)
On health certificates- Send the white and pink copy to the TN State Veterinarian. Send the canary copy with the shipment. Keep the goldenrod copy for your office. 
****    FORWARD ALL COPIES WITHIN 7 DAYS.
Finally, if you do not know your accreditation number or wish to become accredited, please contact Dr. Sara Clariday at sara.clariday@tn.gov or 615-837-5120. 

Avoid Pet Dentistry Without Anesthesia - There is a new fad in pet care and on the surface it may sound good. But as is often the case, this fad is potentially harmful for your pets, likely illegal and misleads the public. It is called Non-anesthetic dental scaling or "standing dentals". Check out this video from VNN. 

Avoid Pet Dentistry Without Anesthesia

Follow AAEP Biosecurity Guidelines to Reduce Risk of Infectious Disease Transmission during Breeding Season - The American Association of Equine Practitioners urges those involved in the breeding management of mares and stallions to reduce the risk of venereally transmitted diseases by utilizing the association's "Biosecurity Guidelines for Control of Venereally Transmitted Diseases." Developed in 2011 by the AAEP Infectious Disease Committee, the guidelines focus on controlling the transmission of equine arteritis virus (EAV), contagious equine metritis (CEM), and equine herpesvirus-3 (EHV-3). Read More...

False rumors of new strains of canine distemper virus It was recently brought to our attention that there are rumors circulating online about the existence of two new strains of canine distemper virus. These rumors are untrue. After consulting with two experts, Dr. Ed Dubovi (from Cornell) and Dr. Ron Schultz (from the University of Wisconsin), we provide the following information:

There is no data to back up claims that the disease is on the rise on a national level, but there have been many outbreaks of distemper covered in the news media.

Genetic studies of the canine distemper viruses in the U.S. may show strains that were previously undetected here, but it's almost impossible to determine if these strains are newly arrived or just newly detected because of improvements in testing. In addition, minor genetic changes often do not affect the antigenicity of the virus and have no impact on the efficacy of currently available vaccines.

The currently available distemper vaccines are highly effective and will protect dogs against all currently circulating strains of canine distemper virus.

The real issue is that there are unvaccinated (or inadequately vaccinated) and unprotected pets at high risk of developing a very deadly, yet preventable, disease.

Dog owners are strongly urged to consult with their veterinarians regarding vaccination of their dog against distemper and other common diseases, including adenovirus, parvovirus and rabies.

For more information, please visit the post on our AVMA@Work blog

A Rural America Built to Last. The U.S. Department of Agriculture & RURAL TV invite you to be a part of the television audience for the LIVE televised Town Hall with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The Town Hall will be Thursday, March 1st in Nashville. You must RSVP by Noon Thursday, February 23. Click Here for more details and contact information.

FDA Investigating Illegal Online Sale of Handheld Dental X-ray Units - Devices could be dangerous due to unnecessary radiation exposure. Read More...

FDA Accepting Applications for Veterinary Medicine Student Internships 2012 Summer Intern (SI) Program - "Windows to Regulatory Research" Read More...

• March 9-11 - Music City Veterinary Conference
• April 14 - UTCVM Open House
• June 28-July 1 - Pacific Veterinary Conference - San Francisco, CA
• August 4-7 - AVMA Annual Convention - San Diego, CA