Stress: It’s a factor in most professions, but particularly for veterinarians and especially for those just beginning their careers. The more it’s talked about, the better able veterinarians will be to cope with it. On Saturday, the AAVLD Plenary Session, taking place during the joint meeting of the U.S. Animal Health Association (USAHA) and the American Association of Veterinary Diagnosticians (AAVLD), addressed the topic of stress. [Source: Farm Journal Ag Web, by JoAnn Alumbaugh, October 21, 2018]
Monthly Archives: October 2018
ASF Surveillance Highlights Pork Industry Ask in USAHA Resolutions
Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) and the other swine industry organizations intentionally look for gaps in domestic swine disease surveillance and testing as part of ongoing preparedness efforts. With the occurrence of African swine fever (ASF) in China, domestic surveillance for this disease is critical yet currently lacking. The organizations’ review showed classical swine fever (CSF) surveillance tissue testing needs to be expanded to include tissues veterinarians are likely to submit during disease investigations. And the US industry doesn’t have a USDA-validated pseudorabies virus (PRV) nucleic acid detection (PCR) should this disease reappear in our domestic swine herds. If any of these diseases are suspected in the US, veterinary diagnostic labs (VDLs) need to be prepared with the tools to quickly and accurately diagnose these potentially devasting foreign animal diseases. With three widely supported US Animal Health Association (USAHA) resolutions, strong pork-industry requests were sent to USDA to help fill these gaps and, ultimately, protect the health of the US swine herd.
People on the Move: Dr. Kevin Eggers
Dr. Kevin Eggers recently accepted a position as Senior Veterinarian with Tyson Pork Group. He was previously employed by Elanco Animal Health. Updated contact information for Dr. Eggers is available at www.aasv.org/members/only/directory.php. Are you on the move? If so, let us know at aasv@aasv.org.
Doc Tales
Upon seeing the following headline, “Waddell falls down 100-foot mine shaft, kills 3 rattlesnakes, survives 2 days before rescue,” I immediately contacted Dr. John Waddell to express my relief that he had survived such a horrible ordeal. John, however, assured me that he was not the John Waddell mentioned in the article noting that even near starvation, dehydrated and with multiple broken bones, once he saw the 3 rattlesnakes, he would have had no trouble scaling a 100 foot mine shaft!
Influenza A(H3N2) Variant Virus Outbreak at Three Fairs – Maryland, 2017
On September 17, 2017, the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) was notified by fair and 4-H officials of ill swine at agricultural fair A, held September 14-17. That day, investigation of the 107 swine at fair A revealed five swine with fever and signs of upper respiratory tract illness. All five respiratory specimens collected from these swine tested positive for influenza A virus at the MDA Animal Health Laboratory, and influenza A(H3N2) virus was confirmed in all specimens by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL). On September 18, MDA was notified by fair and 4-H officials that swine exhibitors were also ill. MDA alerted the Maryland Department of Health (MDH). A joint investigation with MDH and the local health department was started and later broadened to Maryland agricultural fairs B (September 13-17) and C (September 15-23). In total, 76 persons underwent testing for variant influenza, and influenza A(H3N2) variant (A(H3N2)v) virus infection was identified in 40 patients with exposure to swine at these fairs (Figure), including 30 (75%) who had more than one characteristic putting them at high risk for serious influenza complications; 24 (60%) of these were children aged
Global Economic Impact of ASF Outbreak
African swine fever (ASF) is spreading throughout China, the world’s leading producer and consumer of pork. China’s hog prices have climbed 25 percent since July. Supply chain constraints, combined with the threat of a more widespread virus, are expected to drive prices even higher. China’s struggles may provide well-timed relief from rising protein supplies being experienced by U.S. pork producers and the U.S. protein sector at large. The outbreak of ASF in China could be the lever that helps bring supply and demand back into balance. Click here to view a short video and access the full report developed by CoBank.
Going for the Gold
1969 — What an eventful year: Woodstock, the Lunar Landing, and the start of AASP! With all of that going on, you might have missed that 1969 was the year “Jasper” was named Grand Champion Barrow at the Chicago International Livestock Show. Jasper’s owner was none other than the father of one of AASV’s illustrious past presidents, Dr. Max Rodibaugh. Not only that, Jasper was such a model of perfection that the famous Breyer pig was created in his image. Thanks to donor Dr. Kerry Keffaber, AASV members will have the opportunity to bid on this piece of history 50 years in the making at the 2019 AASV Foundation Auction. Yes, indeed, we have “Jasper the Market Hog,” in the original Breyer box. What will YOU donate for the auction at this milestone meeting as we “Go for the Gold”? See www.aasv.org/foundation/2019/auctioninfo.php for details and the donation form. Donations are due December 1.
Who Will Make History at the 50th AASV Annual Meeting?
Twenty-five years ago, at the 1994 AASP Annual Meeting, Dr Beth Lautner became the first woman – one of only two ever – to receive the prestigious Howard Dunne Memorial Award. At the same meeting, Dr Alan Davis, a practitioner from Flanagan, Illinois, was named the Swine Practitioner of the Year, and AASP charter member Dr. Wally Brandt received the Meritorious Service Award. Dr Brandt was instrumental in recording the history of the first 25 years of the association, raising the question: Who will make history at the 50th AASV Annual Meeting? Do you know an AASV member whose dedication to the association and the swine industry is worthy of recognition at this milestone meeting? The AASV Awards Committee requests nominations for the following five awards to be presented at the upcoming AASV Annual Meeting in Florida.
Position Announcement: Veterinary Field Sales Representative
IDEXX is looking for a motivated and passionate Field Sales Representative to direct and coordinate swine diagnostics and swine production sales efforts for IDEXX Livestock & Poultry Diagnostics (LPD) products/services to private and public veterinary laboratories, universities and farms.
Position Announcement: Production Veterinarian
At Smithfield we believe in “Good Food. Responsibly.” and we take that very seriously. Our sustainability strategy is organized by pillars that represent our key areas of sustainability focus: animal care, environment, food safety and quality, helping communities, and people. The concept of value creation is an overarching focus of our sustainability strategy, underpinning these pillars. As a veterinarian at Smithfield Hog Production of Missouri, you will help us in these goals by being responsible for monitoring herd health; identifying clinical signs of disease, and creating and implementing appropriate herd health strategies; developing and auditing bio-security practices and procedures; and coordinating farm staff members to achieve goals of maintenance of herd health and to maintain bio-security procedures.