Animal Health - Busy Week!

Wow...these last 10 days have been almost unprecendented in the time I have been involved with the Veterinary News Network. I haven't seen this much animal/animal health related news since those scary two months of the pet food recall back in 2007.

Of course, the biggest news right now is the so-called "swine flu" that continues to rack up numbers of infected people as well as the numbers of countries it has reached. I imagine we will have a rough ride over the next 2 or 3 weeks until we get a handle on just how easily this flu is spread and where the true origin is. I normally reserve my thoughts for pet and animal topics, but this one is close enough and I am continuing to see some incorrect facts associated with it.

A couple of key points that need to be discussed: First, pork is ok to eat if you want to eat pork. I keep hearing and reading news stories about countries that are banning pork products from states and countries where this new flu has hit. I have not seen any evidence that this flu can be transmitted in that way and there aren't any pigs in the US who have exhibited signs of this flu!!! Plus, properly cooking pork products will destroy any virus. I don't know about you but I only eat my steaks medium rare, not my pork chops!

Second, take normal precautions, don't freak out. Wash your hands often, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and dispose of tissues in the trash. Hmmm...sounds like advice my mother gave me while growing up...I wonder why we need to be reminded of it again and again.

If you are sick, stay home, don't go to work/school/church and infect your friends, co-workers and neighbors. Above all, don't go hang out with any pigs!

And finally, there are no known instances of a dog or cat becoming infected with this flu bug. So, your pets should be perfectly safe!

We have a little ways to go yet with this latest medical emergency to hit...let's keep our heads on straight and not jump to any conclusions. As the story continues to grow, the Veterinary News Network will keep focused on the animal health aspect (if there is one) and you can always check in at PetDocsOnCall.com to get the opinion of one of our staff veterinarians.

Pet Health - Compounding Pharmacies

So the bloodbath is already starting! Here we are barely 72 hours out from getting a good clue on what killed the polo ponies in Florida last weekend and the media scavengers are already circling and trying to bring down an industry that provides needed medications and alternative means of delivering the medicines - the compounding pharmacy industry.

Compounding pharmacies are pharmacies where certain drugs can be altered in dosage, mixed together, or even flavored to help aid in the delivery of the medicine. In veterinary medicine, one very common use of compounding pharmacies is to develop a transdermal mixture of methimazole that can be applied to the inner surface of a cat's ear. This medication helps control hyperthyroidism in cats. Without these pharmacies, many cats would not be regulated well and many more owners would have a difficult time giving the needed medication to their feline friends. These wonderful pharmacies have helped many veterinarians and pet owners by such simple things as adding tuna flavor to a liquid medication.

Notice how some of the media jackals are already trying to inflame the situation by discussing "gray areas" and lack of regulation. The Palm Beach Post posted an article Thursday trying to paint all the players in this industry with the same brush...scofflaws and they "operate in a gray world with little oversight". Gosh...sounds like they are working in the same environments as the drug cartels...dingy workshops, automatic weapons, and piles of unrefined drug material lying around on top of scales and in flasks and beakers.

Luckily, another Florida paper in Ocala tells a more balanced story about compounding pharmacies. There is regulation...is it perfect? Probably not, but what industry in this world is perfectly regulated? I mean, we are in the midst of a terrible recession likely caused by the lack of oversight on Wall Street. And those financial geniuses have multiple layers of regulation...

Franck's should be probably be fined and potentially placed on some sort of probationary status, but let's not find new ways to kick them when they are already down.

This was a TERRIBLE mistake and one that I certainly hope never happens again. I imagine that the entire staff at Francks Pharmacy is in a state of despair and already looking to how they can improve their protocols so this kind of accident doesn't recur. But, I do take offense at "journalists" who sense a potential weakness and then go in for the kill without any consideration to how their actions might effect an entire industry. And, I would love to see these writers come up with some sort of action plan that doesn't involve extreme government involvement rather than just fanning the flames of persecution.

What are your thoughts? Let me know or you can join the conversation at www.PetDocsOnCall.com.

Pet Health - Toxins in the Food part 2

Well, a little more research today found out some interesting news. I received an email from Nutro Products who basically stated that they are unaware of any FDA investigation and that the FDA and the Center for Veterinary Medicine (the division responsible for regulating pet food) have also confirmed that there is no current or ongong investigation of Nutro Products.

Hmmm...why would the ConsumerAffairs.com article say that there was? I did a little Internet sleuthing and found out the the ConsumerAffairs people may not be the upstanding consumer protection heroes we would expect. It seems that the owner of ConsumerAffairs.com is being sued for defamation and this won't be the first time he has experienced this activity. He even proudly states that "we get sued with regularity" although he won't divulge the number.

It seems, according to Law.com that this website and its owner act as a sort of pipeline to funnel potential class action lawsuits to attorneys. The website then also acts as a recruiter to find more people to participate in the lawsuits. Just for kicks, I clicked on the "Complaint" button at ConsumerAffairs.com...the form you fill out is interesting in that it asks for your name and contact information and then asks for the name of the "perpetrator". Not for the business name or the product name...the PERPETRATOR!! In my opinion, that is some pretty strong language for someone who should be objective.

Here's my thought...did the owner of this consumer site feed Nutro food and have an issue and decide that he wanted to "get" the evil pet food company? Or, did a close friend or relative have a pet get sick and they all decided that Nutro had some nice deep pockets?

Again, I don't know all the particulars of the "500" complaints (see yesterday's post) ConsumerAffairs has received, but I am very suspicious that we have seen very few examples of blood work or necropsies done on the poor pets who died. The only consistent data is the ethylene glycol (antifreeze) present in the blood of the Italian Greyhounds who died.

So...I would say that ConsumerAffairs should probably focus on gathering more concrete data before continuing to try and place blame.

Some good news today...they may have a lead in what caused the deaths of the 21 polo ponies. I will be following that story as well and will hopefully have additional information for you soon.

Pet Health - Toxins in the Food?

This week is already starting out to be a hectic week for people who love animals and those of us who also try to keep the facts straight in the face of chaotic news. So far this week (its only Tuesday):



21 Polo Ponies Die at US Open Match



FDA Admits Probe of Nutro Foods



EPA Reviewing "Spot-On" Insecticides

I will cover the polo ponies and the insecticides later in the week as we know more, but I think the FDA probe of Nutro deserves some mention now.

For those of you who are unaware of the situation, ConsumerAffairs.com has reported several times over the last two years about pets becoming ill and even dying after eating Nutro foods. The company has repeatedly denied any problems and even has set up a special FAQ section on it's website. However, when a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act was denied by the FDA, ConsumerAffairs asked for more information and found out that any release of information could jeopardize an on-going investigation. This information was published on Sunday, April 19th, 2009 on the ConsumerAffairs.com website.

I do feel sad for any pets who have become sick or even died, but I think it is a little early to be casting blame on the company. First, in two years, ConsumerAffairs has 500 consumer complaints about Nutro. That's about 1 complaint for every 130,000 dogs in the US. ConsumerAffairs says that the only thing the cases have in common is the fact that the owners fed Nutro food. I have a little difficulty believing that, especially since in at least one case that ConsumerAffairs cites, the dogs were shown to have anti-freeze in their system. The owner claimed that no antifreeze was kept on premise, but we have no idea whether these dogs ran loose (probably not, they were Italian Greyhounds) or any other aspects of the dogs' environment.

ConsumerAffairs also states that "all dogs had sudden and recurring bouts of diarrhea, vomiting and other digestive problems." Those symptoms are a little vague and could be caused by a variety of issues. After all, who among us doesn't know (or own) a dog that will eat almost anything if given a chance. I would be interested in finding out over a 2 year period of time, how many dogs show up at their veterinarian for vomiting/diarrhea...I bet it's in the millions! So, 500 dogs that just happened to eat the same type of food is really a small number.

The final point of ConsumerAffairs is that many of the dogs got better after stopping the food. Well, guess what...that is a common protocol for any vomiting dog. Stop feeding, allow the GI tract to calm down and things often get better.

Before blaming Nutro, shouldn't we know how healthy all of these pets were prior to their illnesses or deaths? Shouldn't some labwork/medical records/necropsy results be reviewed to find common denominators there? I can tell you from experience, pet owners are famous for saying "but he was perfectly fine last night" all while bringing the pet in with a maggot infested wound. Without some sound scientific data, I don't think it's fair to be slinging mud at a company until proof of wrongdoing is certain.

Don't forget the "me too" mentality. I don't know if these food complaints were found in clusters across the US or even if there were many connections among the complaintants, but I do know that people love to talk bad about products and many more people will just follow along without finding out the right information.

Now, I may be removing my foot from my mouth later this week if the FDA finds any problems at Nutro, but from my experience in the trenches and from my contacts in the veterinary world, I am not sure we should be jumping to a conclusion of wrong-doing by Nutro right now. Even the chief toxicologist at the ASPCA is unsure that these cases had a food connection.

Check back later this week...I hope we know more!

Excitement Over Pet Health Questions

Spending most of my day in front of the computer screen has shown me some amazing, stupid, and unbelievable things! But, I think what bugs me the most is when I see so called "pet experts" offering up advice to pet owners that is questionable and sometimes dangerous!

Now, I know that I don't have a degree in Veterinary Medicine (or "vetrinary medicine" as some people decide to spell it), but when I offer up information in any online media, whether it is our Veterinary News Network site or on my PetLifeRadio show, I am sure that it is information that has been verified as accurate by veterinarians. I have spent my entire life working with animals in one capacity or another, but I do not hold myself out to be a leading pet expert. I really think that DVMs deserve that recognition and everyone else who wants to provide pet advice should remember that fact.

I get annoyed at breeders who want to dispense medical advice and pet columnists who often promote one specific product to the exclusion of all other possibilities. Don't get me wrong, I think that their information can be useful at times, but when you see sites recommending foregoing all vaccines for puppies, or using harsh chemicals as insecticides, it just causes my blood to boil. Especially when the advice is not scientifically accurate or scientifically proven.

SO...I am very excited to announce that VNN has started a new project to help bring accurate, up-t0-date pet health information to everyone. PetDocsOnCall is an exciting new pet community forum where pet lovers of all types (dog, cat, horse, exotic, fish, etc) can go an share their love of pets. In addition, our interactive "Ask a Vet" forum provides you a place where you can get trusted information about your pet's specific health needs.

Tired of dealing with sick dogs....Ask A Vet! Have cat health questions...Ask A Vet! This site allows for anyone to ask pet health questions and receive helpful information from the true pet experts...the Veterinarians! Other sites might provide an article or two, but we all know that your pet is special, unique, and needs individualized information. That's why I think the interactivity of the forum is so exciting. Already, in less than a month, there have been some great answers about vaccine titers, complex behavior issues, and many many more.

With 400 veterinarians across the US and Canada, I am thinking that VNN has the right stuff for making PetDocsOnCall soar!!