February 15 , 2007

Volume IV, No. 21

In Memoriam: Dr. Jennifer (Wilson) Thompson (ILL 1996)

A tragic accident has claimed the life of a beautiful young woman who was admired by many people who met her at horse shows or took their animals to her at the Amboy Vet Clinic. Dr Jennifer (Wilson) Thompson was killed Wednesday morning when a semi truck hit her vehicle.

Compounding the tragedy, her son Sam (4) also perished in the accident and her son Charlie (1) was critically injured and remains in intensive care.

Jennifer's husband (Brad) and two other children were not involved in the accident.

Funeral arrangements are pending at Mihm-Jones Funeral Home, 303 East Main Street, Amboy, IL (815) 857-2611.

Save the Date - ISVMA Lobby Day is April 18

The ISVMA will hold its Lobby Day on April 18, 2007 in Springfield. We invite all veterinarians to come to Springfield to get a briefing from the ISVMA lobbyists on the key issues impacting veterinary medicine and instructions on how to communicate our positions to your state legislators.

We hope to have at least one veterinarian from each of the 118 state legislative districts participate this year.

Please email info@isvma.org and let us know if you would like to participate in this important grassroots lobbying program. If you plan to join our advocacy force, we will send you more detailed information regarding our issues and meeting information as we get closer to the event.

Annual ISCAVMA Auction

The Annual ISCAVMA Auction to raise funds for the 2007 SAVMA Symposium will be held on Thursday March 1st at 6:30pm in LAC 100.  This auction helps fund travel, hotel, and registration for up to 150 students.  Illinois traditionally has the best symposium attendance record and with your help we can keep that Illini reputation strong!!

The auction features donations from local businesses and many unique items donated by students and faculty.  Here's just a sampling of items this year:

• Behind the Scenes tours at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Shedd Aquarium, and Lincoln Park Zoo

• Original Framed Artwork

• Skulls and limbs prepared and mounted by the anatomy department

• A restored vintage bicycle

• Cardinals Baseball Tickets – Field box seats!

There will also be a 50/50 Raffle and tickets can be purchased up until the drawing at the end of the auction.  Last year the winner took home almost $1000!  Door prizes will be given away throughout the event.

A program featuring the items available this year will be posted on the ISCAVMA website approximately two weeks before the auction.   Check it out at: http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/iscavma/.

Proxy bidding is available.  Just e-mail Teresa Lehnhardt (tlehnha2@uiuc.edu) with the item you are interested in and your maximum bid.  Food and drink will be served and everyone is welcome to attend!

Drug Pedigrees

The ISVMA has received several inquiries about drug pedigrees. We contacted Dr. Elizabeth Curry-Galvin from the AVMA (and very supportive ISVMA member) to ask for assistance in researching the issues. She responded with the following:

"The Prescription Drug Marketing Act of 1987 (PDMA) and the Prescription Drug Amendments of 1992 (PDA) and codified regulations, 21 CFR 203, cover the distribution of human prescription drugs by distributors and authorized distributors. Veterinary prescription drugs are not covered. If a distributor sells human drugs to a pharmacy or veterinarian for animal use then the distributor will have follow the requirements set forth in the PDMA and PDA. However, the sale of veterinary prescription drugs for animal use by a distributor does not fall under the requirements set forth in the PDMA and PDA.

"How does it affect veterinarians? There are no new requirements that a veterinarian needs to follow under the PDMA and PDA, with a minor exception.

"The minor exception is if a veterinarian returns human prescription drugs purchased from a distributor, which are in a non-saleable condition (expired, damaged, etc.), the veterinarian needs to keep a record of the return back to the distributor for a period of three years.

"There are no requirements for a veterinarian to complete a pedigree for human drugs. This is still a distributor requirement.

"If a veterinarian is receiving samples of human drugs from a distributor, the veterinarian will have to sign a written request form attesting that the veterinarian requested and received these drug samples. The assumption was the written request would be provided by the distributor’s salesperson."

I would like to thank Dr. Curry-Galvin and the other AVMA staff who so capably support ISVMA in its mission to serve its members.

Tax Resources Available on ISVMA Website

The ISVMA has developed a resources page to help practices implement the new rule. Resources will continue to be added as we answer new questions and address issues raised during the seminars. Additionally, ISVMA is working on developing a message board so practices can review the questions already addressed by ISVMA and the audit consultants from J.D. Michael.

Please visit the Tax Resources page periodically to get updates and to send questions or comments to ISVMA.

About the Photo in This Issue...

The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), our national bird, is the only eagle unique to North America. The Bald Eagle's scientific name signifies a sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with a white (leukos) head. At one time, the word "bald" meant "white," not hairless. Bald Eagles are found over most of North America, from Alaska and Canada to northern Mexico.

Bald Eagles were once very common throughout most of the United States. Their population numbers have been estimated at 300,000 to 500,000 birds in the early 1700s. Their population fell to threatened levels in the continental U.S. of less than 10,000 nesting pairs by the 1950s, and to endangered levels of less than 500 pairs by the early 1960s. This population decline was caused by humans. The mass shooting of eagles, use of pesticides on crops, destruction of habitat, and contamination of waterways and food sources by a wide range of poisons and pollutants all played a role in harming the Bald Eagle's livelihood and diminishing their numbers. For many years the use of DDT pesticide on crops caused thinning of eagle egg shells, which often broke during incubation.

Strong endangered species and environmental protection laws, as well as active private, state and federal conservation efforts, have brought back the U.S.A.'s Bald Eagle population from the edge of extinction. The use of DDT pesticide is now outlawed in the U.S., although still used on crops in South America. This action has contributed greatly to the return of the Bald Eagle to America's skies. About half of the world's now 70,000 bald eagles live in Alaska. Combined with British Columbia's population of about 20,000, the northwest coast of North America is by far their greatest stronghold for bald eagles. They flourish here in part because of the salmon. Dead or dying fish are an important food source for all bald eagles.

The Bald Eagle is presently protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940, Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and the Lacey Act. It is listed as a "threatened" species in the lower 48 states. Although Bald Eagles have made an encouraging comeback throughout the U.S.A. since the early 60s, they continue to be harassed, injured and killed by guns, traps, power lines, windmills, poisons, contaminants and destruction of habitat. Public awareness about their plight, strict enforcement of protective laws, preservation of their habitat, and support for environmental conservation programs can assure a healthy and secure future for the U.S.A.'s majestic and symbolic national bird.

I photographed this Bald Eagle eating a fish near Chillicothe, IL on February 4, 2007.

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