Common Euthanasia Drug In Short Supply

Veterinarians will need to begin making alternative humane euthanasia plans for animals in their care as a nationwide shortage of pentobarbital deepens, reports the Chronicle of the Horse.

The low inventory wasn't reported immediately; veterinarians began to have trouble obtaining pentobarbital when their orders were backordered or unavailable because of supply chain issues. It was added to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's list of animal drug shortages in May.

To combat the dwindling supply, the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners, the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy and other animal care organizations are urging vets to adhere strictly to dosing guidelines and to consider alternative euthanasia methods.

In anticipation of a potential continued shortage, the AAEP has published guidelines for preferred humane euthanasia methods, including gunshot, captive bolt or combinations of other drugs. The organization notes that right now they have not received calls from members about the issue and that the alternative methods are humane when done by a trained veterinarian.

It is unclear when the pentobarbital shortage will be resolved.

Read more at Chronicle of the Horse.

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Questionnaire May Help Arthritic Equines Get Help Earlier

Osteoarthritis can be a painful condition in horses but, unlike people, horses can't talk with their veterinarians about where and how much it hurts. Now, a newly funded study from Morris Animal Foundation is testing to see if a simple questionnaire can help horse owners recognize and monitor signs of chronic osteoarthritis (OA) pain in their horses – helping their equine charges get earlier, more effective treatment and improving their quality of life.

Dr. Janny de Grauw, from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and Diane Howard, PhD, MSc., Equine Science Master graduate from the University of Edinburgh, in the United Kingdom, are the recipients of the Donor-Inspired Study grant, funded by Dr. Wendy Koch, a veterinarian who has supported the Foundation for nearly 30 years. Dr. Koch has closely followed equine behavior and welfare research over the years and wanted to increase the amount of funding available for studies in these fields.

To effectively treat pain, caregivers and clinicians need a way of monitoring and quantifying the amount of discomfort felt. However, a survey of horse owners in the United Kingdom found that owners have limited ability to identify pain and disease in their horses, underlining the need for a simple way of helping people to recognize chronic pain in their equine companions.

“As veterinarians, we want to treat horses with painful and debilitating conditions like OA as effectively as possible,” said de Grauw. “How well we can manage their condition critically relies on recognition of subtle signs of (worsening) pain by owners and caregivers, who can then seek help.”

Under Dr. de Grauw's supervision, Howard developed the 15-item questionnaire based on changes in horse behavior through interviews with owners of horses diagnosed with osteoarthritis. The questions cover posture, facial expressions, movement and behavior.

She will validate the questionnaire by having 60 owners of horses with chronic OA pain and 20 owners of horses without OA complete it. The owners with OA horses will complete the questionnaire twice in two days while their horse's pain does not fluctuate, to evaluate how robust and reproducible the scoring instrument is.

The research team hopes the easy-to-use questionnaire will help horse owners recognize when their animals are in pain and contact a veterinarian for appropriate treatment. The instrument also may help owners monitor treatment effectiveness and pain progression over time, and guide owners and veterinarians in making quality-of-life decisions.

“Many horses may deal with pain that is not recognized, particularly in its early stages,” said Dr. Janet Patterson-Kane, Morris Animal Foundation Chief Scientific Officer. “Giving their caregivers effective tools for detection, monitoring and decision-making has the potential for significant animal welfare impact.”

Osteoarthritis is a major cause of chronic pain in horses but is an underrecognized and undertreated condition. Though often associated with advanced age, it can also occur in young horses. In addition to being painful, OA can severely curtail a horse's athletic career, and impact the bond between horse and owner if the condition limits a horse's ability to be ridden.

The Foundation's Donor-Inspired Study program allows individual donors and foundations to directly support research topics for which they have a passion and there is a pressing need. Applications for this grant were reviewed and rated, based on impact and scientific rigor, by a scientific advisory board, made up of equine behavior and welfare experts.

Morris Animal Foundation is one of the largest nonprofit organizations worldwide that funds health studies benefiting cats, dogs, horses, llamas, alpacas and wildlife. The Foundation currently is funding 150 studies encompassing a broad spectrum of species and diseases.

Read more here.

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Florida Embroiled In Telemedicine Battle

The establishment of a veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR) is an essential facet of animal health. This relationship occurs when a veterinarian knows the owner's animal well enough to diagnose and treat medical conditions the animal has or may develop. This relationship is established when a vet physically sees an animal in person to examine and assess it.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which required many veterinarians to utilize telemedicine because they were unable to safely see animals in their clinics or at the animal's home, has brought this relationship into question. Currently in Florida, a vet must see an animal in person to establish the VCPR relationship, which is a prerequisite of remote veterinary care.

A rapid legislative push has begun with the intent to ease veterinary telemedicine restrictions, purporting that vets do not need to see an animal in person to establish a VCPR. The Florida Veterinary Medical Association is shocked at the recent move as they have been trying to create legislative telemedicine parameters for years.

The push for deregulation comes from Dutch Pet, a relatively unknown telemedicine company that was incorporated in Delaware in February. Bills are now bending in both the House and Senate committees.  If successful, veterinary telemedicine in Florida could be deregulated by July 1.

An additional component of the controversial bill would allow non-veterinarians in the state to administer rabies vaccinations.

Proponents of the bill, including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) say that telemedicine allows for people who may be without the financial means to access and afford to address their animal's health care concerns.

Read more here.

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Kentucky Commission Veterinarian John Taormina Passes At Age 57

Dr. John Philip Taormina, D.V.M. passed away in Lexington, Ky. on Tuesday, March 16, at the age of 57.

Dr. Taormina served as a Racing Veterinarian for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission at both Thoroughbred and Harness tracks across the state.

Prior to his tenure as a KHRC vet, Dr. Taormina was a private veterinarian specializing in equine care out of Bowling Green, Ky.

Kerr Brothers Funeral Home on Harrodsburg Rd. is handling arrangements.

We are devastated to hear about Dr. John Taormina passing away. He was such an amazing friend to all of us horsemen, he…

Posted by KentuckyHarness HorsemensAssociation on Wednesday, March 17, 2021

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