TVMA News

New AVMA Leadership

During the Annual Session, the reins of the AVMA President position are turned over to a new President, and a President-Elect is chosen. This year, Dr. Doug Aspros handed over the title of President to Dr. Clark Fobian. Dr. Aspros officially became Immediate Past President, and Dr. Ted Cohn was chosen as President-Elect.  Read more...

Veterinary College Offers Pet Memorial Day and PAWt-luck Dinner

In an effort to help pet owners celebrate the lives of their companion animals, both living and dead, Veterinary Social Work (VSW) at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine is offering its seventh annual Pet Memorial Day, Sunday, September 8, 2013. The event, which is free and open to the public, allows people to reflect on the impact pets have on their lives. The national Pet Memorial Day is held each year on the second Sunday in September.  Read more... 

Farm Animal Education: Stocker Cattle Management from Head to Tail  

The College of Veterinary Medicine and the Animal Science and Extension Departments at theUniversity of Tennessee  Institute of Agriculture are sponsoring "Stocker Cattle Management  from Head to Tail." The continuing education conference is for veterinarians, veterinary technicians and stocker operations owners. The conference will be held  Saturday, August 24, 2013 from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm.  Read more...  

Students at AVMA Convention

Many thanks to our students who serve in leadership roles on the national level as part of the Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA).  SAVMA's objectives are patterned after the parent AVMA: "...to advance the science and art of veterinary medicine, including its relationship to agriculture and public health." It also serves to improve communication between the local AVMA student chapters and provides a national voice to student members around the world.

The SAVMA House of Delegates sessions took place in July at the national AVMA convention in Chicago.  Pictured: UTCVM Class of 2014 member Al Claiborne (left) is the SAVMA Treasurer, and UTCVM Class of 2015 member Samuel Smith (right) is the SAVMA International Exchange Officer-Elect, both of which are Executive Board positions. UTCVM Class of 2016 member Elizabeth Johnson (center) is the UT SAVMA Junior Delegate.

Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) Issues 

Accredited Veterinarians in Tennessee are still having many of their CVI's disapproved by other states. The most common error is that P.O. Boxes and incomplete addresses are used for the consignor and the consignee. CVI's are used to trace animals. There must be a complete street address (with numbers) to show origin and destination of the animal. Also you must put your six-digit national accreditation number on the CVI. Additional errors include a late date or no issue date. The issue date is the actual date that the veterinarian is inspecting the animal. A late date indicates that the CVI was not sent in promptly to our office which in turn prevents this office from forwarding it to the destination state. Disapproved CVI's are marked and logged by our office. The Accredited Veterinarian receives a copy and an explanation of the reason for the disapproval. Accredited Veterinarians who continue to receive disapproved CVI's may be subject to investigation by state or federal officials. 

• Must have a certificate of veterinary inspection ("health certificate")
• Must be officially identified (USDA metal eartags or 840 RFID tags or tattoo)

Official identification requirements for cattle and bison moving interstate are:

• All sexually intact cattle and bison 18 months of age or over
• All female dairy cattle of any age and all dairy males (bulls and steers) born after March 11, 2013
• Cattle and bison of any age used for rodeo, recreational events, shows and exhibitions

Beef cattle under 18 months of age are exempt from the official identification requirements and "direct to slaughter" cattle have the option of using USDA backtags in lieu of official ID.

Electronic Health Certificate Program

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture offers a free electronic health certificate system for Tennessee veterinarians. This service is for both large and small animal practitioners.

Veterinarians can call the department at (615) 837-5120 or email animal.health@tn.gov to set up an account. When veterinarians contact the department the following information is needed: Tennessee veterinary license number, six digit veterinary accreditation code, clinic name and address, phone, fax and an email account is optional.

Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medi­cine in Harrogate, Tenn., received a letter of reasonable assurance of future accreditation from the AVMA Council on Education after members took a vote during a July 2 conference call.  Read more...

• August 24 - Stocker Cattle Management from Head to Tail
• Sept 8 - Pet Memorial Day and PAWt-luck Dinner - UTCVM
• Sept 8-10 - AHS 2013 Triennial Heartworm Symposium, New Orleans
• Sept 28-29 - SWVS, San Antonio
• Oct 12-13 - The East Tennessee Veterinary Conference, Gatlinburg
• Nov 22-24 - Mid-South Regional Veterinary Conference, Tunica, MS
• Feb 28-Mar 2, 2014 - MCVC