The 2nd annual “Passion for Pigs” Seminar and Trade Show has been approved for up to 18.5 hours of veterinary continuing education credit! The conference is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, March 16 & 17, 2010 at the Holiday Inn Select Executive Center in Columbia, Missouri. In addition to continuing education, the opportunity to interact with representatives from more than 70 companies participating in the tradeshow. For more information, or to register, contact Julie Lolli: Tel: 660-651-0570, Fax: 573-588-2139, e-mail: julie.nevets@centurytel.net.
Monthly Archives: February 2010
GlobalVetLink Introduces New Electronic Veterinary Prescription Service
Concerns that excessive livestock antibiotic use could increase drug-resistance among human pathogens has put veterinarians under scrutiny. GlobalVetLink’s eVRxSM, a secure web-based tool to support responsible antibiotic use, is designed to help veterinarians optimize prescribing habits and insure continued food safety.
Canadian Vet Reports New Pig Disease
Scientists at the Canadian Western College of Veterinary Medicine say they have found a new disease in weaners – and called it Post-weaning Wasting/ Catabolic Syndrome (PWCS).
Update on Unapproved Animal Health Products
On October 28th the AASV published an article in the e-Letter regarding the use of unapproved animal health products in food producing animals (Are You Aware there are Unapproved Animal Health Products on the Market ). The article essentially advised veterinarians and producers that only products listed on the FDA’s approved drug database, Animal Drugs@FDA, could legally be used in food producing animals in either a labeled or extra-label manner.
The behaviour of Male Fattening Pigs following either Surgical Castration or Vaccination with a GnRF Vaccine
Vaccination of male fattening pigs with a gonadotropin releasing factor (GnRF) vaccine is regarded as a possible solution to solve the welfare problem associated with surgical castration, which causes pain and stress even when performed under local or general anaesthesia. The objective of the present study was to compare the behaviour of male fattening pigs either surgically castrated without anaesthesia (T1) or vaccinated twice with a GnRF vaccine (T2). Data collection took place in a commercial German fattening unit. Each treatment comprised 8 groups of 12 pigs, housed in fattening pens with partially slatted floor and liquid feed provided three times a day. Data on postures were scored from 24-h videos recorded in every week of the fattening period (16 weeks) using scan sampling with 5 min intervals. Social behaviour was analysed in weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15 and 16 by continuous behaviour recording of focus animals in four blocks of 2 h phased evenly during the day. Overall, during the whole fattening period, vaccinates (T2) were more active than surgical castrates (T1), indicated by a higher proportion of pigs standing (T1: 9.3%; T2: 10.74%; P < 0.023). T2 animals showed a significant decrease in standing and an increase of sitting and lying after the second vaccination of Improvac. No significant effects of treatment on the total number of agonistic interactions (P = 0.064) and on biting and fighting (P = 0.151) were found. In T2 the prevalence of aggressive behaviours decreased after the second vaccination (P < 0.001), which was not found in T1 during the same period. T2 animals showed a higher level of mounting behaviour compared with T1 animals, but on a very low level. Treatment had no effect on the prevalence of play behaviour and manipulating of pen mates. It is concluded that housing of male pigs vaccinated against GnRF in single sex groups of 12 individuals does not increase behavioural problems in the fattening period compared with surgically castrated males.
Getting a Tax Refund – Have I got a Deal for You!
What about putting a brand new John Deere tractor or Kubota utility vehicle in your garage? You know you need one and you’re just waiting for the right time to buy it. Well, it won’t get any better than the AASV Foundation Auction on March 8th in Omaha, NE. The auction booklets should be arriving in your mailbox later this week.
AASV offers Swine Disease Manual, 4th edition
The American Association of Swine Veterinarians is pleased to announce the publication of the 4th edition of the Swine Disease Manual, edited by Drs. Eric Neumann, Alex Ramirez, and Kent Schwartz. The 4th edition has been completely revised and updated, and includes new information on clostridial disease, salmonellosis, porcine circovirus, and more. Copies are available for purchase at http://ecom.aasv.org/sdm.
AASV Vice President Candidates: Drs. Tara Donovan and George Charbonneau
The annual election for AASV Vice President is underway. The nominees are Drs. George Charbonneau (Stratford, Ontario) and Tara Donovan (Spring Green, Wisconsin). Information about the candidates appears in the January/February 2010 issue of the Journal of Swine Health and Production. Ballots have been mailed to all AASV Active Members (veterinarians in the US, Canada, and Mexico) and must be returned by mail. Only official ballots received in the AASV office by February 26 will be counted. The election results will be announced at the AASV 2010 Annual Meeting in Omaha.
FDA-CVM Offers Summer Intern Program
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is offering a 10 week summer internship program for interested students.
Position Announcement: Swine Production Veterinarian – Nursery
Murphy-Brown LLC has an opportunity for a swine veterinarian based in Kenansville, North Carolina. The position will provide veterinary expertise and support to a nursery production operations group who receive pigs from a 540,000 head sow herd capacity. The candidate will be expected to work as team with production staff addressing health and production challenges and other Murphy-Brown East coast veterinarians to provide full life cycle health programs.