September 5 , 2011

Volume IX, No. 4

USDA APHIS Has Proposed New Rules on the Importation of Dogs into the USA

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1, 2011 -The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing to prohibit, with certain exceptions, the importation of dogs into the continental United States for purposes of resale, research and veterinary treatment, unless they are in good health, have received all necessary vaccinations and are at least six months old.

To read the press release from APHIS, link to the proposed regulation and the comment portal, please visit http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/2011/09/imported_dogs.shtml.

FDA Warns of Possible Danger with Vet Jet™ Animal Vaccine Device

The Food and Drug Administration is warning veterinarians and pet owners, particularly cat owners, of the possible risk of fractures with the Vet Jet™ transdermal vaccination system device. The device is sold exclusively as the delivery system for the PUREVAX Recombinant Feline Leukemia Vaccine. See the FDA release for more info.

APHIS Proposes New Framework for Tracing Food Animals

In a proposal published Aug. 11 in the Federal Register, the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service indicated the new rules would require that state and tribal governments collect information on livestock movements across their boundaries. That information would be used to trace the origins and movements of those animals during disease outbreaks.

For additional information and to comment on the proposed rules, please visit the story in JAVMA News.

USDA Announces Oct. 1 as Deadline to Participate in Accreditation Program

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2011 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced to the public that veterinarians who are currently accredited in the National Veterinary Accreditation Program (NVAP) may continue to perform accredited duties and may elect to continue to participate in the NVAP until Oct. 1, 2011.

A previous notice announced that currently accredited veterinarians may continue to perform accredited duties until further notice, even if they had not received a date for their first accreditation renewal, because logistical difficulties prevented APHIS from processing currently accredited veterinarians (over 50,000) who elected to participate.

The USDA is now close to reaching its goal of processing these elections and is specifying Oct. 1 as the date by which veterinarians must elect to continue to participate in the NVAP. The accreditation of all currently accredited veterinarians who have not elected to participate in the program will expire, ending their authorization to perform accredited work.

For accredited veterinarians who have not yet elected to participate and would like to do so, APHIS has made available a Web seminar on the revisions to the NVAP and how to elect to participate.

For more information on the accreditation program and pending deadline, please visit the APHIS Web site.

ISVMA Offers Sponsored Benefit Programs to Increase Your Practice Income

The ISVMA Membership Services Committee reviews options for sponsored benefit programs designed to help veterinary practices operate more efficiently and increase profits! Programs include discount merchant services (credit card processing), bulk energy purchasing and debt collection. The ISVMA Membership Services Committee is exploring other reputable companies that can provide additional benefits to our members. These programs save our members money AND provide a valuable non-dues income stream for ISVMA.

Please check out the approved ISVMA sponsored benefit programs:

TransFirst Health Services: ISVMA members can save money on processing credit card transactions in clinic by participating in this program. For more information, please contact Rene' Buzicky at TransFirst Health Services, (800) 577-8573 ext. 160, rbuzicky@transfirst.com.

Energy Plus®: You have the opportunity to choose your energy supplier. The ISVMA has partnered with Energy Plus®. Now, ISVMA members within the ComEd service territory have the opportunity to choose an electricity supply company that offers Activation Bonuses and Cash Back rebates on electricity. CLICK HERE or call 877-830-6820 and mention Offer Code “IVM-5578” to inquire today.

Diversified Services: Many ISVMA members have already utilized this service to help recover delinquent payments on client accounts. For more information, contact Jerry Kane at Diversified Services Group, (888) 494-7900, jmk@divservgrp.com.

Reversing the Decline in Patient Visits

Survey of practice owners examines the problem, potential solutions.

Companion animal practices in the United States have opportunities to increase patient visits, according to new survey results, despite a decline in the frequency of visits that began before the current economic downturn.

For more information on the Bayer Study, please read the article in JAVMA News.

Check and Confirm the Accuracy of Your Practice Listing Using the ISVMA "Find a Veterinarian" Search Tool

Nearly 20,000 people visit the ISVMA website every day. Many of them use the " Find a Veterinarian" search tool to locate a nearby veterinarian.

There are two ways to use the "Find a Veterinarian" search tool:

1. The public can use the "Find a Veterinarian" link located just below the "Home" button on the vertical link bar at the left side of the ISVMA website. This search tool will only list ISVMA member veterinarians. Non-member veterinarians will not show up using the public search tool. Those members that have not paid their dues by July 30, 2011 (after the 30-day grace period) will no longer show up on this public search tool.

To get a listing of ISVMA member veterinarians associated with your practice, type in your practice name in the "Organization" search field.

2. If any ISVMA member logs into the Member Center, you can get a complete listing of veterinarians and technicians listed for your practice in our database and their membership status using the Member Directory Link on the horizontal (orange) link bar at the top of the ISVMA website.

To get a complete listing of all veterinarians and technicians associated with your practice in our database (and their membership status), type in your practice name in the "Organization" search field.

IMPORTANT: Please take a few minutes to have an ISVMA member from your practice log in to check the listing for your practice. Review the veterinarians and technicians listed for your practice and contact ISVMA if there are any changes. If you have a veterinarian or technician that has left your practice, please let us know where they have relocated. If you have a veterinarian or technician that is in your practice, but not listed, please let us know so that we can update our database. If there are any changes to your practice staffing list, please email peter@isvma.org with the requested information.

About the Photo

The Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) is a common bird of urban areas of the far West. It makes itself conspicuous by its behavior as well as its choice of habitat. The male sings frequently from exposed perches, and makes elaborate dive displays at other hummingbirds and sometimes at people.

In the first half of the 20th century, the Anna's Hummingbird bred only in northern Baja California and southern California. The planting of exotic flowering trees provided nectar and nesting sites, and allowed the hummingbird to greatly expand its breeding range.

The dive display of the Anna's Hummingbird lasts about 12 seconds, and the male may fly to a height of 40 m (131 feet) during the display. He starts by hovering two to four meters (6-13 feet) in front of the display object (hummingbird or person), and then climbs in a wavering fashion straight up. He plummets in a near-vertical dive from the top of the climb and ends with an explosive squeak within half a meter of the display object. He then makes a circular arc back to the point where he began. On sunny days the dives are oriented so that the sun is reflected from the iridescent throat and crown directly at the object of the dive.

The male has a gorget (throat) and forehead that are iridescent rose red. The gorget has elongated feathers projecting to the sides. Its back, rump, and sides are metallic bronze green, the underside grayish, with some green spots. It has a small white spot or streak behind eye. Its tail is dark; the middle pair of tail feathers are green, others gray; all rounded at tip. with White tufts on either side of rump.

The back, top of head, and two central tail feathers of the female are metallic bronze-green. Her forehead is sometimes dark grayish brown. She has three outer tail feathers on each side with broad white tips, black central portions, and bronzy green bases. The wing feathers dark and she has small white spot behind eye. Her auriculars are dusky. The throat is grayish with some rose feathers, and sometimes with a large patch. Her underparts are dull grayish white or brownish gray with some green spots. There are tufts on the side of her rump white.

Immature Anna's Hummingbirds resemble the adult female.

I photograped this male Anna's Hummingbird at a feeder in Gilbert, AZ.

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