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advancing animal welfare and human health while ensuring the vitality of the profession veterinarian OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE PENNSYLVANIA VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION VOLUME IV, 2012 www.pavma.org pvma pennsylvania veterinary medical association

description

The official publication of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association.

Transcript of Keystone Veterinarian l Volumne IV

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advancing animal welfare and human healthwhile ensuring the vitality of the profession

veterinariankeystone

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE PENNSYLVANIA VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

VOLUME IV, 2012www.pavma.org

pvmap e n n s y l v a n i a v e t e r i n a r y m e d i c a l a s s o c i a t i o n

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pennsylvania veterinary medical association

8574 paxton street

hummelstown, pa 17036

phone: 888.550.7862

fax: 717.220.1461

email: [email protected]

website: www.pavma.org

2012 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Robert P. Lavan, DVM, ACPVMPresident

Kenton Rexford, VMDPresident-Elect

Sherrill Davison, VMD, Vice President

Ronald M. Kraft, DVMSecretary-Treasurer

E. Mark Fox, VMDImmediate Past President

Mary A. Bryant, VMDAVMA Delegate

Charlene Miller WandzilakExecutive Director

advancing animal welfare and human healthwhile ensuring the vitality of the profession

pvmap e n n s y l v a n i a v e t e r i n a r y m e d i c a l a s s o c i a t i o n

in this issue5 What's Happening on Your Facebook Page?

7 PVMA Welcomes Two New Members to Our Management Team

9 Build the Importance of Preventive Healthcare With Partners For Healthy Pets Power Tools

16 Changes to Cruelty Statute Head Agenda for 2011-2012 Legislative Session

18 Rabies Alert

20 Thank You to Our 2012 Donors and Volunteers

22 Native American Veterinary Services Enters New Frontiers With a Bright and Exciting Future

24 What's the Value of Your PVMA Membership?

26 Meet the PVMA 2013 Board of Trustees

29 Important Tax Information From PVMA

30 PVMA's 2012 Digital Photography Contest Yielded Creative Results

31 PVMA 2013 Digital Photography Contest Is Open

32 Welcome New Members

33 Remembering PVMA Past President Dr. David K. Rice

37 PVMA Welcomes the Class of 2016 to Penn Vet at Our First Year Picnic

what’s featured12 Is Practice Ownership For You?

14 Animal, Vegetable … Mineral?

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6 Observations by Heather Berst, VMD “Client Education is the Key to Getting More Pets Through the Door”

8 The President’s Two Cents by Robert Lavan, MS, MPVM, DVM, DACVPM "A Look Back at 2012”

10 From Where I Sit by Charlene Wandzilak “MakingaDifference”

12 Practice Pearls by David McCormick, MS, and Sherry Everhart, BS, RVT "Is Practice Ownership For You?”

19 Veterinary Technology Corner by Barb McCullough, CVT "Veterinary Technicians … Trusted Partners for Your Pet's Care”

34 Penn Vet News "Penn Vet Opens Working Dog Center"

25 Foundation Cornerstone "Meet the 2012 Pennsylvania Veterinary Foundation Scholarship Recipients"

33 Member News "Prestigious Bennett J. Cohen Award Given to Dr. Harry Rozmiarek"

38 What’s Happening “Events and Education”

40 The Grand Finale

Advertising Index29 AVMA-PLIT

9 Burzenski & Company, PC

17 DoveLewis

3, 11 Drexel University College of Medicine

21 Dr. Don Reeser—Decorative Bird Carvings

5 Hudson Digital Systems

32 iGive.com

35 Nate Lynch Veterinary Practice Sales & Appraisals

4 On-Hold Specialists

39 PfizerAnimalHealth

7 ScoDen, LLC

18 Simmons Veterinary Practice Sales & Appraisals

21 The Last Chance Fund (TLC)

25 VetCor

36 Classifieds

Quarterly Columns

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2012 Board of Trustees(A= Alternate Trustee, T=Trustee)

District IAdam Hoover, VMD, Trustee

Karen Martin, VMD, Alternate

District IILloyd Reitz, Jr., DVM, Trustee

Stacia McMahon Gilbert, DVM, Alternate

District IIIRobert Bishop, DVM, Trustee

Mary-Lynn McBride, DVM, Alternate

District IVHenry Croft, Jr., VMD, TrusteeJohn Showalter, DVM, Trustee

Michael Q. Bailey, DVM, DACVR, Alternate

District VBill Croushore, DVM, TrusteeDan Zawisza, VMD, Alternate

District VIAndrea Honigmann, DVM, Trustee

John Simms, VMD, TrusteeTrent Lartz, DVM, AlternateJeff Steed, DVM, Alternate

District VIIChristina Dougherty, VMD, Trustee

Jim Holt, VMD, TrusteeCasey Lynch Kurtz, VMD, Trustee

Theodore Robinson, VMD, TrusteeKimberley Hershhorn Galligher, VMD, Alternate

Kim Kovath, VMD, AlternateSteven Prier, VMD, Alternate

Tom Garg, VMD, Alternate

District VIIIMike Barnett, DVM, MBA, Trustee

Ferdinand Visintainer, VMD, TrusteeSusan Ackermann, DVM, Alternate

AVMA Alternate DelegateMike Topper, DVM, PhD, DACVP

Academic Veterinarian At-LargeColin Harvey, BVSc, ACVS

Veterinary Student At-LargeLauren A. Aldinger (V’12)

Production Animal Practice Veterinarian At-Large

Darcie Stolz, VMD

Equine Veterinarian At-LargeVacant

Public and Corporate Practice Veterinarian At-Large

Jules Benson, BVSc, MRCVS

Veterinary Technician At-LargeJoy Ellwanger, CVT

Editor: Heather Berst, VMDStaff Editor & Graphic Designer: Lori RaverStaff Editor: Charlene Wandzilak

Editorial CorrespondenceLetters to the Editor should be sent to PVMA, Attn: Lori Raver, 8574 Paxton Street, Hummelstown, PA 17036, fax 717.220.1461, or by email at [email protected].

Advertisingkeystone veterinarian is published quarterly by the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association. Inquiries about display advertising should be directed to Lori Raver at the address and phone number listed above. Advertising information is also available on our website, www.pavma.org. Contracts and insertion orders should be sent to the address listed above by the appropriate submission deadline.

Submission DeadlinesAll articles, classifieds, and display advertisements must be received by the deadlines listed to be considered for inclusion in the respective issue:

Volume I, 2013—February 1, 2013 Volume II, 2013—May 1, 2013 Volume III, 2013—August 1, 2013 Volume IV, 2013—October 1, 2013

Subscriptionskeystone veterinarian is mailed to all PVMA members at no charge as a member benefit. Subscriptions are available to non-members for $30 a year or $10 for a single issue.

Notice to ReadersNeither this publication nor PVMA assume responsibility for material contained in articles and advertisements published, nor does publication necessarily constitute endorsement or approval of the advertiser, product, service, or author viewpoint by the keystone veterinarian, its editors and publishers, or the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association. In addition, neither this publication nor PVMA guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of any facts, views, opinions, recommendations, information or statements contained within this publication.

Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without the permission of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association.

Copyright 2012: Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association.

veterinariankeystone

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What's Happening on Your Facebook Page?Provided courtesy of Veterinary News Network (VNN)

I f you are like many administrators of business pages on Facebook, you have probably seen a decrease in the “reach” that you are

receiving from your regular postings. At the same time, Facebook has putrenewedeffortsintorecommendingthatpagesusetheirFacebookads or Promoted Posts functionality. Coincidence? Probably not, ac-cording to most experts at social media sites like Social Media Today, Marketing Land, and Quora.

As mentioned in past discussions, Facebook uses an algorithm (Edg-eRank) in order to rate whether or not your page’s post will be seen by any single Facebook user who likes your page. The algorithm looks at the type of post (text vs. video, photo, etc.) as well as past engage-mentwiththeuserandaspecifictimedecay.AttheendofSeptember,Facebookmodifiedthealgorithmtothrottlebacktheamountofor-ganic posts showing up in user’s NewsFeeds. Now, most pages report that only about 15% of their fans actually see their posts.

Should you worry about this or should you be using the “paid” advertis-ing provided by Facebook? The answer, like most things in social media, is complex. First, you should be monitoring your posts through Facebook Insights. This will often tell you what types of posts work as well as what time you should be posting. By regularly posting good, relevant content, it’s not unusual to reach more than 50% or even 60% of your fan base. Many of our posts at the Veterinary News Network page often exceed 50% of our total likes. Next, understand that the bigger your page is, a lower percent-

age of fans are reached by your posts. That’s just a built in mechanism to stop huge brands (Coke, Nike, etc.) from clogging up everyone’s NewsFeed.

Using Facebook Ads or even the Promoted Posts feature may sound intriguing, but you will need to weigh the costs (actually pretty low) with the re-turn (also pretty low). In an experiment that is still ongoing, we used Facebook ads to promote another one of our pages and saw about 23,000 impressions over a two week period of time. Sounds great, but we only received 29 clicks on the ad and only four of those people took action (i.e. “liked” our page or looked at photos, etc.).

Finally, remember that although Facebook is the largest social media network, others do exist and it is worth your time to go and claim your presence on those sites (Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, etc). You don’t have to immediately start posting at all sites, but consider this a step in building a more solid foundation, with multiple supports for your media outreach. That way, if Facebook stops working for you, you will have other options to reach people interested in your expertise.

The Veterinary News Network can provide assistance in helping you navigate social media, as well as understand the value of traditional media and helping you protect your online reputation. VNN has part-nered with PVMA and we encourage your practice to join us. Learn more at www.MyVNN.com. l

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observations

Client Education is the Key to Getting More Pets Through the DoorBy Heather Berst, VMD, Editor

A t some point in veterinary school, I remember somebody telling us, “Just hang out a shingle with your name on it, and the clients will come.” How times have changed! Visits to the veterinarian have been

decliningforalmostadecade.AccordingtofindingsfromtheNationalCommissiononVeterinaryEconomicIssues (NCVEI) and a study by Brakke Consulting, pet owners report spending less on veterinary services, some practiceownershavehadtolayoffatleastoneveterinarianand/orstaff,andupto44percentofveterinarianshave canceled or postponed major purchases such as veterinary equipment. Where is this profession going? I started examining statics on new graduates to examine this topic closer.

I found some eye opening statistics. Veterinary school annual tuition can range from about $9,000 to close to $60,000. The average debt load upon graduation is $133,873. As reported by the AVMA, the number of fourth yeargraduatingveterinarymedicinestudentswithjoboffersorthosecontinuingontoadvancedstudieshasdeclined dramatically from 78.9% in 2010 to 61.5% in 2012. In addition, the AVMA is seeing a drop in average starting salaries based on results from its annual survey. That survey shows a 3% decline in the average starting salary of students who accepted employment in 2012. The average salary has dropped from $46,971 in 2011 to $45,575 in 2012. These statistics seem overwhelming for new graduates.

TheprofessionhasresourcestooffernewgraduatesandtheAVMAhastakenstepstohelpthem.TheEarlyCareer Development Committee was created this year. It will be responsible for helping develop resources for AVMA members early in their career by creating networking opportunities for these members and by actively engaging recent graduates to gather feedback for the AVMA on a real-time basis via an Early Career Online Community. I look forward to seeing what tools come about as a result of this program.

I have always looked to NCVEI website as an economic resource. In September 2011, the NCVEI website was acquired by the American Veterinary Medical Association. AVMA will continue to develop and manage a wide-ranging group of businesses, economic and management resources including benchmarking, pricing and com-munications tools. These are available, free of charge, to AVMA members at the NCVEI’s website www.NCVEI.org. They have some excellent articles on social networking and creative ideas to bring clients into veterinary clinics. What a great way to utilize new graduates! They are frequently more in tune to social net-working and may bring some creative and fresh ideas into the veterinary clinics.

In addition, the AVMA joined forces with over 20 leading veterinary associations (including PVMA) and animal health companies to create the Partnership for Preventive Pet Healthcare™ or Partners for Healthy Pets as it is known. The partnership was created to ensure pets receive the preventive healthcare they deserve through regular visits to a veterinarian and to help reverse trends like: 1. 50% of veterinarians had fewer patient visits during 2010 vs. 2009.1 2. 24% of pet owners believe that routine checkups are unnecessary.2 3. 56% of pet owners said that their veterinarians do not clearly explain when they should bring their pets in for various procedures or tests.2

I encourage you to check out their resources at www.partnersforhealthypets.org.

The challenging economic times have forced our profession to change and will continue to drive change in the future. I have heard the idea discussed to have more new graduates enter the public health sector and explore careers with global initiatives. This could be an exciting direction for veterinary medicine. This is an important sector and it's frequently not highlighted as much as it should be. I think we will all come out of this rough economy changed, but hopefully it will have forced some positive changes. l

References: 1. Felsted K. NCVEI UPDATE: new insights in practice growth. Bayer Healthcare LLC, Animal Health Division, Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study; 2011. 2. Felsted K. How to address the problem. Bayer Healthcare LLC, Animal Health Division, Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study; 2011.

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Vyonne MillerI grew in Kutztown, PA, and lived there until 2003. In Kutztown, I livedonseveraldifferentfarmsand we always had animals of all sorts including horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, and of course, we had many barn cats. We also had several dogs and even tried raising rabbits, chickens, and ducks. In 2003, I moved to Wisconsin and lived in South Milwaukee for two years. I then moved to the Houston, Texas, areaforapproximatelyfiveyearsand then returned to Pennsylva-nia. While in Wisconsin, I adopted a kitten and she is still with me.

I have two daughters, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter. I worked in twodifferentanimalhospitalsstartingasareceptionistandworkedmywayuptoofficemanager.IalsoworkedatAirProductsfornineyears and did a lot of customer service work and training. Immediately prior to joining PVMA, I worked for National Pretzel Company as a salesadministrativeassistantuntilIwaslaidoffinJuly2012.Ivolun-teered for a few months at the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum in Hershey before joining PVMA. I look forward to helpingthestaffinsupportingthemembershipin2013andforward.l

PVMA Welcomes Two New Members to Our Management Team

PVMA is excited to introduce the two newest members of its man-agement team, Outreach and Events Coordinator Elaine Smith

and Member and Insurance Services Assistant Vyonne Miller.

Elaine SmithI am a native of Danville, Pennsylvania. I've spent most of my adult life in the Middle-town area and currently reside in Lower Swatara Township. I have been married to my husband, Mike, for 32 years and we have a 20-year-old daughter, Kathleen as well as a cat named Kitty. My mother

also recently moved in with us, so we have a busy household.

I enjoy being creative in my home studio as a collage, mixed media, and encaustic artist. My work has been exhibited in many Pennsylva-nia galleries and shows over the past 20 years. I teach art classes at the Art Association of Harrisburg and the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen in Lancaster. I'm currently working on a new body of work and writing a book about my collage and mixed media techniques. I also enjoy cooking for my family, reading historic novels and artist biographies, and watching old movies.

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the president’s two cents

A Look Back at 2012By Robert Lavan, DVM, MS, MPVM, DACVPM, President

the president’s two cents

A s we begin the new year, we examine our accomplishments for 2012 and look forward to 2013. As an organization, PVMA has a lot to be proud of and thankful for. We have a great management team led

by our talented Executive Director, Charlene Wandzilak. Our new headquarters is a beautiful facility which will serve us well for many years. We are also blessed with several new leaders including Dr. Kenton Rexford from Pittsburgh of Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center who will take over as President on January 1.

We recently completed a member and non-member survey and those results will be reported to our members in the next issue of keystone veterinarian. At the same time, we looked at our database of members and found the following:

• 50%ofourveterinariansearnedaDVMand50%earnedaVMD.IthoughttheproportionofVMDswouldbe higher!

• 46%aremalewith54%female.Notashock.Thiswillcontinuetoshiftinfavorofourfemalecolleagues.

• Memberswholistedtheirareaoffocusspanned35categoriesofpractice.Weareavariedbunch!

• 89%ofourmembersliveorworkwithintheCommonwealthofPennsylvania.11%ofourmembershipcomes from 30 other states and Canada. Outside of PA, the largest number of PVMA members hailed from Virginia or Florida.

I was honored to be included in the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine White Coat distribution on October 1, 2012, at the Hill Pavilion. The ceremony was hosted by Dr. Mary Bryant, our AVMA Delegate and Student Liaison. The junior students were excited to take this step and it was great to be able to share that landmark moment in their development. The formal White Coat Ceremony, with parents in atten-dance happened November 2.

The Executive Committee met at our headquarters on October 26 and 27 for our annual retreat which allowed us to review 2012 and to plan for 2013. We reviewed all of the comments from the member survey and used these to help us develop strategies and tactics to allow us to better serve member needs.

IwantedtooffermythankstothoseveterinarianswhohaveselectedpvmaAssure as their broker of record for their insurance needs. Our organization has made a commitment to provide unmatched service while diligently looking for the best price on a insurance products that will meet your needs. We want to be your broker and hope that you will give us the opportunity to provide a quote for your next insurance assessment. I think you will be surprised what pvmaAssure can do for you.

As outgoing PVMA President, this will be my last column in this role. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Executive Committee for their support and full engagement over the last year. I realize that the kind of folks who are drawn to serve a large organization like ours willingly give their time, skills, and fortunetobenefitthegreatergood.ThemembersofthecurrentExecutiveCommitteewalkinthefootstepsofmany great veterinarians who have served PVMA as servant-leaders. Collectively, we all work together to keep our organization relevant, up-to-date, and vital. I appreciate the opportunity to serve PVMA and look forward to future roles within the organization. Thanks to all of our volunteers and the PVMA management team who do the hard work in preserving the integrity of PVMA. I am honored to be a member of one of the most trusted professions in the world and I hope to see you at a PVMA CE event soon. l

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People have a special relationship with their pets and most recog-nize that visiting a veterinarian enhances that relationship, but

you see it every day in practice—pet owners who have been bombard-ed with incorrect and incomplete information and are confused about what’s best for their pets. So much so that they may not follow your clinical advice and may not bring their pets to critical preventive care appointments at all.

As a profession, we have a great opportunity to help pets and pet own-ers enjoy longer and healthier lives together. Veterinary professionals work hard to provide the best possible care to pets so that they and their owners can enjoy long and healthy lives together. Partners for Healthy Pets was founded to help you make the preventive healthcare you provide even more powerful. We’ve developed tools and resourc-es—available at no charge—that can help you build better relation-ships with owners and help them understand the value of preventive healthcaresothatmorepatientscanbenefitfromwhatyoudobest.

Individual Practice Involvement Is KeyThe Partners for Healthy Pets Practice Resources Toolbox was con-ceived to provide the profession with a sound mix of information and materialsthatcollectivelyelevatethelevelofpreventivecareofferedacross the country. Each of the tools and resources provide dynamic ways to reinforce a practice-wide focus on preventive pet healthcare. Used collectively, they can help healthcare teams enhance communi-

Build the Importance of Preventive Healthcare With Partners For Healthy Pets Power Tools

cations with pet owners about the value of and need for routine care and take preventive pet healthcare to an optimum level within your own individual practice. Make the decision to be a voice for vitality of the veterinary profession, of your practice, and of our nation’s pets!

It’s Easier Than You Think• AdoptandwidelycommunicatePreventive

Healthcare Guidelines to pet owners through your newsletters, website, and within each preventive care visit.

• Focusoncommunicatingthevalueandbenefitofpreventivepethealthcare to pet owners at all points of contact, from receptionist to technician to veterinarian.

• UsethetoolsandresourcesavailablefromPartnersforHealthyPetstohelpfindcommunicationgaps,trainstaff,andgathernewideasthat will compliment current programs and plans.

Partners for Healthy Pets is dedicated to ensuring that pets received the preventive healthcare they deserve through regular visits to a veterinarian and is committed to working with you to enhance the health of your pa-tients and your practice. The tools are available at no charge to all AVMA and AAHA members. Learn more about Partners for Healthy Pets and explore the Resources Toolbox at www.partnersforhealthypets.org. l

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from where I sit

Making a DifferenceBy Charlene Wandzilak, Executive Director

c a r e • c o m m u n i t y • r e s e a r c h • t e a c h

When clients ask the question “What more can my child do to get into veterinary school?”refer them to...

Philadelphia Health & Education Corporation d/b/a Drexel University College of Medicine is a separate not-for-profit subsidiary of Drexel University.

Call 215-762-4692 or email [email protected] more information, or visit our website: www.drexelmed.edu/ims

The Animal Science Programs atDrexel University College of MedicinePost-Baccalaureate Pre-Professional Education

Master of Laboratory Animal Science (MLAS)

• Only requires a second year of coursework and performance of a summer practicum after completion of the VMS program • A master’s degree will greatly enhance a student’s veterinary school application • Provides an alternative career option in the rewarding field of laboratory animal facility management

Veterinary Medical Science Program (VMS) • An intensive one-year certificate program • Designed to help students enhance their GPA and applications to veterinary school • Students take first-year medical school courses and graduate-level animal science courses

• Many students elect to enter the MLAS program directly

Iwant to begin my last column of 2012 by sharing a story you might know which has been adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley.

Ayounggirlwaswalkingalongabeachuponwhichthousandsofstarfishhadbeenwashedupduringaterriblestorm.Whenshecametoeachstarfish,shewouldpickitupandthrowitbackintotheocean.Peoplewatchedher with amusement. She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, whyareyoudoingthis?Lookatthisbeach!Youcan’tsaveallthesestarfish.Youcan’tbegintomakeadiffer-ence!”

Thegirlseemedcrushed,suddenlydeflated.Butafterafewmoments,shebentdown,pickedupanotherstar-fishandhurleditasfarasshecouldintotheocean.Thenshelookedupatthemanandreplied,“Well,Imadeadifferencetothatone!”

The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined thelittlegirlinthrowingstarfishbackintothesea.Soonothersjoinedandallthestarfishweresaved.

This story was told to a group of sixth grade students, including my daughter Olivia, by the principal of a middle school in Brick, New Jersey. Olivia was part of a group of ten middle school students who went to the NJ school to deliver store gift cards, encouraging notes from fellow middle schoolers, and festively decorated bags of HersheykissestostudentswhowereimpactedbyHurricaneSandy.Thebenevolenteffortwasledbya12-year-oldgirlwhowantedtomakeadifferenceandletkidsknowthatothersarethinkingaboutthem.Asmalltokeninthe face of such a big calamity; however, it allowed 300 middle school students to understand the importance of makingadifferenceand—tothestudentswevisited—itdidjustthat.

Everydaywearegiventheopportunitytomakeadifferencetosomeone.Itisanamazinggiftandonethatsometimes, we don’t even recognize.

As a VeterinarianIn your role as a veterinarian in practice, you bring reassurance and comfort to clients who are concerned for theiranimals,especiallywhentheyneedtomakedifficultdecisions.Yourinfluenceoverthosedecisionsandhowyouhandlethemmakesallthedifference,notonlytotheclientwhoisoftenheartbrokenbutalsotoyouand your relationship with the client. Showing you care goes a long way. Depending on the encounter and the client’sperceptionoftheinteraction,itcanalsobethedifferencebetweenwhetherornottheclientfilesacom-plaint with the State Board of Veterinary Medicine or posts a negative comment online to his or her Facebook or Google+friends.WeinthePVMAofficehearitallthetimewhenthepubliccallstocomplainaboutaveterinar-ian. Nine times out of ten it is because of a miscommunication or because the veterinarian was perceived not to care. Show you care, it goes a long way.

In your daily life in practice, you also have the opportunity to use your skills and expertise to help unowned ani-mals who come in to your practice for veterinary care. Those cases that are brought in by a good Samaritan or localshelterareexcellentopportunitiestomakeadifferenceinthelifeofananimalthatneedshelp.Allveteri-nariansdothisandmostdonotgetenoughcreditfortheirprobonoefforts.TheLastChanceFund(TLC)ofthePennsylvania Veterinary Foundation (PVF is our sister organization) is an excellent way to help you make this dif-ference. It provides funding for veterinary care for unowned animals which are injured, abused, and neglected. It helpsyoumakeadifferenceinananimal’slifeandletsthemhaveasecondchanceatagoodhomeandlife.

As a Member of a Veterinary PracticeInourrolesasaco-worker,manager,orowner,wecanmakeadifferencebyhelpingsomeonewhoisstrugglingbyofferingconstructivecriticisminagentleway,pitchingintogetthingsdone,empoweringsomeonewhoneedstobechallenged,offeringasuggestiontohelpourteambemoreeffective,orleadingchangeinourworkculture. We spend so much of our lives at work (40+ hours a week) that we owe it to ourselves and to others to makeadifferencethrougheventhesimplestofefforts.Sometimes,simplybeingthereforsomeonecanbeenough.

At the Capitol Inthelegislature,manyofourelectedofficialsseekofficetomakeadifferencetoo.Theywanttohelptheirconstituents and make Pennsylvania a better place. This past fall, I was invited to a meeting of stakeholders by asenatortoseeifwecouldcollectivelyworktogethertomakeadifferenceforanimalswhoarenotadequately

continued on page 17

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c a r e • c o m m u n i t y • r e s e a r c h • t e a c h

When clients ask the question “What more can my child do to get into veterinary school?”refer them to...

Philadelphia Health & Education Corporation d/b/a Drexel University College of Medicine is a separate not-for-profit subsidiary of Drexel University.

Call 215-762-4692 or email [email protected] more information, or visit our website: www.drexelmed.edu/ims

The Animal Science Programs atDrexel University College of MedicinePost-Baccalaureate Pre-Professional Education

Master of Laboratory Animal Science (MLAS)

• Only requires a second year of coursework and performance of a summer practicum after completion of the VMS program • A master’s degree will greatly enhance a student’s veterinary school application • Provides an alternative career option in the rewarding field of laboratory animal facility management

Veterinary Medical Science Program (VMS) • An intensive one-year certificate program • Designed to help students enhance their GPA and applications to veterinary school • Students take first-year medical school courses and graduate-level animal science courses

• Many students elect to enter the MLAS program directly

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practice pearls

Is Practice Ownership For You?By Sherry Everhart BS, RVT, and David McCormick, MS, Simmons Mid-Atlantic, Boalsburg, Pennsylvania

F or many veterinarians, the thought of being your own boss is quite appealing. This can be especially true depending on your current employment arrangement. Thoughts of making the rules and key

decisions, practicing medicine your way, leading the charge, increasing your earning capability, etc., can be very attractive.

The grass can look mighty green on the other side of the associate-owner fence. But is it really? What does it mean to be a practice owner? Are you owner material?

We have worked with many practice owners from all types of practices: one doctor, multi-doctor, general companionanimalpractices,largeanimal,specialty,emergency,speciesspecific,holisticandmore.Manyof the owners thoroughly enjoy owning and operating their practice. For others, while it is what they do, it may not necessarily be what they still love doing. A few others are simply surviving being the owner—they arecountingthedaystotheirexit,regardlessoftheirage.Sowhatseemstomakethedifferencebetweena successful owner and the alternative?

What is success? For this article, we focused on practice owners that seemed to have a balanced and (mostly) enjoyable ownership experience.

Looking through our records, we found that successful owners tend to have strong capabilities and knowl-edge (natural or learned) in the following areas: (and they are in order of importance!)• Peoplemanagement• Medicalmanagement• Businessmanagement

Yes, these are very broad terms. For those contemplating buying or starting a practice this is a good indica-tor of just how large the scope of responsibility they will have as a practice owner. If you are considering such a step, below are some of the challenge points and experiences that owners have shared with us.

People Management SkillsBelieveitornot,thisisthefirstandforemostelementofsuccessfulownership.Thehospitalteamisyour

(and the practice’s) most valuable resource. As the owner, it is important that you make the team a priority. You must meet the team’s needs before the team will willingly meet the needs of your clients. This often requires several skill sets.

Motivator Effectivemotivationincludesaccountability/discipline,fairtreatment,satisfyingemployeeneeds (which are not always their wants), goal setting, positive reinforcement, incentives andrewards.Thechallengeinworkingwithyourteamisthatwhatmaybeeffectiveforoneindividualmaynotbeeffectiveforanother–especiallywhenyouaddtothemixthedifferingexpectationsofdifferentgenerations–X,Y,BabyBoomerandsoon.

Anunmotivatedstaffoftenresultsinlowerproductivityandefficiency.Itcanincreaseyourstaffturnover and absenteeism. This won’t go unnoticed by your clients. They too will feel the impacts of the absence of a motivated team. It changes their experience in your practice. Studies have shown that the number one reason why clients leave a veterinary practice is due to a perceived attitudeofindifferencebytheemployees.

Mediator and JudgeTheowneristheultimatedeciderwhenitcomestoconflictresolutionwithinthepractice.Beingthemediatorandjudgerequirestheabilitytoclarifyandunderstanddifferingperceptionsaswellastheabilitytogenerateoptionsforovercomingtheconflictwithoutignoringindividualneeds and the needs of the practice.

Noteveryconflictneedstoberesolvedbytheowner,butitisimportantthattheownermain-tain an understanding of what is happening within the team and between the team and the clients so he or she can skillfully intervene when necessary.

The grass can look

mighty green on the

other side of the asso-

ciate-owner fence.

But is it really? What

does it mean to be a

practice owner? Are

you owner material?

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Talent ScoutTo provide a positive pet health experience for your clients, you need a solid team. As the owner, you need to be an active participant in selecting the members of your team. Identifying appropriate talent is an investment in your practice. This is true at all levels—practice manager, kennel, assistants, technicians, and associates. What skills are most important for your practice and your team? It is attitude? Learning ability? Experi-ence? Maturity? Owners must give thought totheteampositionsandthenfindingthetalentstofillthepositionsplusthecompen-sation package to recognize their value.

MentorThis role of the owner requires an invest-ment of your self and your time (which is often in short supply) and the attributes of commitment, patience, and sensitivity. Pro-viding too much help limits an employee’s independence and his or her ability to fully own a position. Conversely, providing too littlehelpcanresultinaflounderinganddisillusioned employee who may never attain independence and will always require direct instruction.Thiscanbeespeciallydifficultwhen the personalities involved are not nec-essarily compatible. As a future owner, learn-ing about your personality type and learning style can help you learn how to reach out andconnectwiththosewhohavedifferentpersonality types and learning styles.

The responsibility of the owner to be a people manager is true whether the practice is a solo practice or a large multi-doctor, multi-discipline practice. Managing everyone or managing the managers still requires the owner to be the leader, the motivator, the guide, and the nurturer—to help everyone progress toward the practice’s mission and vision (you do have one right?)

Fortunately, many of these skills can be learned. It is never too late to start—and now is a great time to do so! There are many texts, CE courses (both veterinary and non-veterinary), Dale Carnegie, Fred Pryor and SkillPath workshops, practice management workshops and so on, that can help you learn and grow your people management skills.

Medical ManagementIt is the responsibility of the owner to estab-lish and enforce the medical protocols at the doctor level. For many owners this can be an uncomfortable position to be in, if only because theyareawarethatdifferingtreatmentproto-cols will often lead to same favorable result.

Beyond the doctor level, this establishes the standard of care for your patients and

the foundation upon which your entire team agrees to operate. Deviation from the standards and inconsistent protocols for yourpracticecanbeconfusingtothestaff.It also can place the practice at risk. Should there be an unfavorable (or misinterpreted) outcome, the owner and the practice are the ones held accountable. Because of this, the owner has the right and the obligation to de-termine what the standard protocols should be as well as what is acceptable risk to take on when deviating from protocols.

The standard of medicine that you believe in sets the pace for your practice. Also, the owner is often the conduit and leader through which the support team increases its medical skill and expertise. Your entire team must understand it and believe in it. This is fundamental for their ability to educate your clients. Additionally, the practice team’s skills, attitudes, and knowledge baseareassumedtobeareflectionoftheowner. This can be especially true in smaller practices. After all, you hired them.

Business SkillsThisisacatch-alltermformanydifferentbusiness environments. We’ve placed it in the third order of importance position be-cause, of the three, this area is the one that a practice owner can most easily hire support in or advisors when necessary. However, it is still essential for practice owners to at least haveaworkingknowledgeinthesefields.

Human RelationsThisisaconstantlyevolvingfield.Practiceowners have shared that employee record-keeping has become just as challenging as clientrecordkeeping.Employeebenefitadministration has become a major employ-ment cost that needs to be managed closely, fromhealthcareandretirementbenefitstoemployee discounts.

Legal Environment Business ownership brings many facets to the legal rights and responsibilities: the rights of clients, privacy issues, standards of care, safe-ty, and so on. Additionally, the legal rights of employees and the responsibilities of owners to the employees are not this big ‘unknown’ anymore. The internet has increased aware-ness in these areas exponentially, so even if an owner doesn’t know their obligations and responsibilities, their employees do.

Financial EnvironmentThis is what most owners and future owners consider when they think of business skills: the fee setting, inventory control, cash control, the checks and balances, establishing (and using) a budget, etc. This should also include future

Resources for Skills DevelopmentWorkshops & Seminars (held in multiple locations)www.DaleCarnegie.com www.SkillPath.com www.FranklinCovey.com/tc/publicworkshops

Veterinary Conference Practice Management Sessionswww.WVC.orgwww.NAVC.comPVMA ConferencesKeystone Veterinary Conference

TextsPractice Made Perfect—Marsha Heinke

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and other texts in the series—Stephen R. Covey

planning for team development and practice improvements (in standards, services provided, equipment, etc.). We also should not forget owner exit planning and retirement. As the old adage says, the best time to plan your exit is when you are planning your entrance.

Marketing EnvironmentCloselyrelatedtothefinancialsviatherev-enues is the marketing of your self and your practice. This is becoming especially true as competition increases. Expansion in the use of technology and social media as advertis-ingmediumhasthisfieldpresentingnewchallenges daily for practice owners. Even if a practice owner does not wish to utilize these methods, they still have the challenge of managing their online reputation as a result of client comments and reviews.

Preparing for OwnershipThere are increasing numbers of practice managers that can help ease the burden on owner. There are also many veterinary specificconsultantscoveringawiderangeofskills that can help bridge an owner or man-agement chasm to keep you moving forward (visit www.VetPartners.org).

However, it will always be true that the ‘buck’ still stops with the owner. If the owner does notfilltheseshoesordirectthefilling,thentheshoesmaygetfilledbydefault.Thedefault may not take you, the practice, the

continued on page 39

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A t all of the Pennsyl- vania Animal

Diagnostic Laboratory System (PADLS) labora-tories we strive to keep you updated about the diagnostictestsweofferand how these tests can be

used for the diagnosis of disease and herd management. The PADLS New Bolton Center ToxicologyLaboratoryoffersmanydiagnos-tic panels and analyses when a small or large animal veterinarian is suspicious about a potentially toxic exposure to a metal or min-eral involving a single animal or a herd. These tests are useful not only for the diagnosis of excessive exposures, but also for identifying nutritionaldeficienciesthatcanhaveequallysignificantimpactsonanimalhealth.

The following examples illustrate just a few ways mineral analyses can be useful to vet-erinary practitioners.

inside padls

Animal, Vegetable … Mineral?By Lisa A. Murphy, VMD, DABT, Assistant Professor of Toxicology, University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

Copper• Essentiality/Consequences of Deficiency—

Copper-dependent enzyme systems are involved in energy metabolism, collagen formation, antioxidant defenses, iron me-tabolism, and other critical biological pro-cesses.Deficiencysignsvarywithseverityand species, but can include cardiovascular disorders, depigmentation and impaired keratinization of hair and wool, anemia, impaired growth, neonatal ataxia, bone abnormalities, and impaired immunity.

• Sources of Excess—Even in the absence of copper over-supplementation, dietary molybdenumdeficienciescanresultinexcessive gastrointestinal absorption of copper. The presence of monensin in a high-copper ration can also increase cop-per absorption. Sheep are considered very sensitive to copper among animal species and can be exposed through the feeding of higher-copper calf and horse feeds. Poultry

and swine feeds can also be relatively high in copper. Other potential sources of copper include fungicides, algicides used in ponds and water tanks, and footbaths containing copper salts. The PADLS New Bolton Center Toxicology Laboratory has also had two separate and unusual cases of excessive copper exposure in dogs, one involving a copper cooking vessel and another where the dog had been drinking contaminated water from an ornamental copper garden fountain. In general, dogs are fairly resistant to copper toxicity, although certain breeds such as West Highland White terriers, Bedlington terriers, Skye terriers, and Doberman Pinschers may have an increased susceptibility. Once absorbed into the bloodstream, copper is then distributed to the liver, kidney, and brain.

• Signs of Toxicosis—Normally copper is stored and metabolized by the liver, making it the tissue of choice for analysis. When

Table 1. Clinical Signs of Lead Toxicosis

SPECIES ACUTE TOXCITY CHRONIC TOXICITY

Ruminants

Horses

Dogs and cats

Psittacines

Waterfowl

Raptors

Depression then hyperesthe-sia, tremors or muscle fasciculations, ataxia, blindness, seizures, head pressing, tenes-mus, bloat, diarrhea, death

Seizures, death

Anorexia, behavioral changes, ataxia, tremors, seizures

Seizures, death

Death

Similar to acute but may de-velop over a longer period of time and be of lesser severity, also arterial hypertension

Depression, weight loss, dysphagia and dysphonia, laryngeal paralysis (“roaring”), facialnervedeficits,aspirationpneumonia, seizures, death, rarely gastrointestinal signs

Abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, lethargy, weight loss, anemia, behav-ioral changes, intermittent seizures, rarely megaesopha-gus in cats

Depression, behavioral chang-es, anorexia, regurgitation, diarrhea, polyuria, weakness, hemolytic anemia, seizures

Anorexia, depression, emacia-tion, muscle atrophy, weak-ness, dysphonia, coma, death

Weakness, depression, limb paralysis, dyspnea, seizures

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New PADLS TestsAquacultureDr.DonnaKellyoffersservicestoveteri-narians,industry,fishenthusiasts,andpet owners. Diagnostic services include necropsy, external and internal parasite examination, and histopathology. Diag-nosticfieldvisitscanbearrangedandconsultation services are available.

Dog and Cat NecropsiesDogs and cats are accepted for nec-ropsy at all three PADLS laboratories, but because agricultural species have priority, veterinarians must call ahead for availability. A complete history must be provided and all case correspondence will be conducted only through the referring veterinarian.

Veterinary ForensicsDr. Jason Brooks has been collaborating with the Forensic Science Program at Penn State University, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania SPCA, and other law enforcement agencies to develop services for the investigation of animal crimes.

Poultry WelfarePenn State’s Animal Diagnostic Laborato-ry conducts seminars for correct and safe handling and transportation of poultry.

New PCR-Based TestingBovine abortion diagnostics and IBR virus arenowofferedatPennState.

Newcost-effectiveBVDearnotchpooling and Johne’s fecal pooling tests, bovine pregnancy testing, brucellosis testing, and CEM and EHV-1 for horses areofferedatthePennsylvaniaVeteri-nary Laboratory in Harrisburg.

Swineinfluenzavirustestingisavailableat all three laboratories.

For the most current PADLS news along with laboratory locations, contact infor-mation, fee schedules, and submission forms please refer to www.padls.org.

copper reaches toxic levels in the liver necrosis occurs, releasing copper into the bloodstream causing erythrolysis and hemoglobinuria. In sheep, this often manifests itself during a stressful event such as shearing. If blood is drawn when this is occurring, increased copper levels can be detected in serum, but the free excess copper is then subsequently absorbed by the kidneys and both liver and serum levels can return to seemingly normal levels. For this reason, postmortem testingofbothliverandkidneymaybeextremelyhelpfulforconfirmingcasesofsuspectedcop-per toxicosis. In dogs, chronic active hepatitis slowly develops with presenting signs that may include weight loss and anorexia, eventually progressing to ascites and central nervous system signs associated with progressive liver dysfunction and elevated hepatic enzymes.

Lead• Essentiality/Consequences of

Deficiency—Lead is an example of a heavy metal that is not considered an essential nutri-entanddoesnotappeartoparticipateinanybeneficialmetabolicprocesses.

• Sources of Excess—Lead is ubiquitous in the environment, but common sources for animal exposures include paint and plumbing systems in older structures, lead weights, lead-con-taining toys and ornaments, discarded batteries, crankcase oil, and linoleum. Young animals absorb lead much more readily than adults, and absorption can be enhanced in cases of di-etarydeficienciesinvolvingcalcium,zinc,iron,orvitaminD.Raptorsmaybecomeclinically-intoxicated with lead after feeding on contaminated carcasses.

• Signs of Toxicosis—Clinicalsignsofleadtoxicosisvarywithanimalspecies,asbrieflysum-marized in Table 1.

Zinc• Essentiality/Consequences of Deficiency—Zinc is considered essential for many biologi-

cal processes, and is especially needed during growth, pregnancy, and lactation. Clinical signsofdeficiencyincludereducedgrowthandfeedintake,impairedhealing,alopecia,andparakeratosispredominantlyaffectingthelegs,neck,andhead.

• Sources of Excess—In dogs, an important source of zinc toxicosis is the ingestion of pen-nies minted after 1982 that contain 98% zinc. Zinc oxide-containing diaper rash ointments are also commonly consumed by dogs, but usually result in self-limiting gastrointestinal upset rather than true zinc intoxication. For all species, storage of food or water in galva-nized containers can result in zinc contamination, particularly under acidic conditions.

• Signs of Toxicosis—Acute zinc exposures in animals typically result in gastrointestinal dis-tress. Severe intravascular hemolysis predominates in acutely-poisoned cats and dogs, po-tentially leading to multiorgan failure. Chronic zinc intoxication is associated with induced copperdeficiency,decreasedgrowth,decreasedfeedintake,andreducedimmunity.Foalsare susceptible to joint enlargements.

Where Are the PADLS Laboratories Located?

Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Pennsylvania State UniversityOrchard Road, University Park, PA 16802

Phone: 814.863.0837; Fax: 814.865.3907; [email protected]:Monday-Friday,8am–5pm(After-hourssubmissionavailabledaily)

PADLS New Bolton Center Toxicology LaboratoryNew Bolton Center, Toxicology Laboratory

382 W. Street Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348Phone: 610.444.5800

Pennsylvania Veterinary LaboratoryPennsylvania Department of Agriculture

2305 North Cameron Street Harrisburg, PA 17110-9408Phone: 717.787.8808; Fax: 717.772.3895

continued on page 39

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Changes to Cruelty Statute Head Agenda for 2011-2012 Legislative Session

T he Pennsylvania General Assembly completed its 2-year legislative session

on November 30, 2012. Over the course of 2011-2012, PVMA reviewed over 60 legisla-tive proposals and monitored and took posi-tions on 22 legislative bills (to view a listing of the issues we monitored and our positions, visit www.pavma.org/images/12_LeaveBe-hind.pdf). Out of those we monitored, the bills which follow made it through the ardu-ous legislative process and passed into law. As you can see by those that passed, many of the legislative bills that we review seek to amend Pennsylvania’s animal cruelty statute, Title 18. The 2011-2012 legislative session saw a number of bills that sought to increase and strengthen the penalties for acts of cruelty and require costs to be covered by theoffendingpartyrelatedtoseizedanimals’care and keeping. In addition, there were bills aimed at opening the veterinary medicine practice act to create additional conditions of the veterinarian-client-patient relationship. These included requiring manufacturer blood screening tests and distributing manufac-turer generated client information sheets on medications. PVMA opposed both of these proposed bills. Two legislative proposals to increasesalestaxinPennsylvaniatooffsetthe property taxes were also introduced but failed to move forward into law. PVMA was opposed to these proposals and met with the sponsors to educate them on our position. These proposals both would have imposed sales tax on veterinary services, the only health provider which would be taxed.

In addition to the legislative proposals, PVMA took an active interest in appropria-tions legislation related to funding for the Animal Health and Diagnostic Commission (ADHC). This includes funding for the Penn-sylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory Sys-tem (PADLS). We also advocated for funding for the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine.

2011-2012 Bills of Interest Now Passed Into LawThe following bills we were following were passed into law:Act 32 of 2011—Sponsored by Representa-tive Curt Schroder and passed into law on July 7, 2011. This act amends Title 18 (Crimes andOffenses—theAnimalCrueltyStatute) continued on page 17

to insert language providing a person who transmits or receives interstate or intra-state simulcasting of a greyhound race for monetary remuneration may be subject to a $10,000 civil penalty.

Act 62 of 2012—Sponsored by Representative John Evans and passed into law on June 13, 2012. This act amends Title 18 (Crimes and Of-fenses—the Animal Cruelty Statute) to make it a misdemeanor of the third degree to own or co-ownadogthatkills,maims,ordisfiguresaservice dog. Knowledge is a required factor for commissionofthecrimeandtheowner/co-owner shall have knowingly or recklessly failed to restrain or contain the dog. A convicted per-sonshallpayafineofnotmorethan$5,000 and make reparations for veterinary costs in treating or replacing the service dog. The bill also provides for civil penalties and restitution.

Act 182 of 2012—Sponsored by Represen-tative John Maher and passed into law on October 24, 2012. This act amends the Ani-mal Destruction Method Authorization Law by adding a chapter to further regulate the destruction of animals. It revises the law to:• Statethatnoanimalshallbedestroyed

by means of unacceptable agents and methods published in the most current version of the American Veterinary Medi-cal Association's (AVMA) Guidelines on Euthanasia; drowning; chloroform, ether, halothaneorfluothane;andcarbonmon-oxide gas from any source.

• Italsorequiresanimalstobedestroyedby the use of a method approved by the AMVA guidelines except when those methodsarespecificallyprohibitedintheact (drowning, chloroform, ether, halo-thane,fluothane,orcarbonmonoxide).

• Itrequiresthatinjectableeuthanasiasolu-tion be used as the exclusive method of destruction for small domestic animals.

• Italsoprovidesforaprocedureforanimalprotection organizations' use of euthana-sia drugs; the regulation and enforcement of this use; and creates euthanasia techni-cians who receive training on euthanasia and are under the governance of the State Board of Veterinary Medicine.

• Exemptionstothislawinclude:• Normalagriculturaloperations• Aveterinarianoracertifiedveterinary

technician under the indirect supervision of a veterinarian;

• Destructionofdangeroussmalldomesticanimals;

• amedicalschool;aveterinarymedicalschool;aresearchinstitutionaffiliatedwitha hospital or university; or a research facil-itythatmeetsspecificfederalguidelinesre-lated to the humane treatment of animals.

For a complete copy of the new law, visit www.pavma.org.

Of all the bills we monitored, HB 2630 (Act 182 of 2012) was one which illustrates best PVMA’s abilitytoinfluencethelegislativeprocessandto assist the legislature in ensuring a better law is passed. Over the course of a variety of versions of the euthanasia ban bill during the 2-year legislative session, PVMA worked with theSenateandHouseAgriculturalAffairsCom-mittee Chairs and Executive Directors to de-velop language which would protect veterinary medical judgment in euthanasia decisions and allow for normal agricultural and research op-erations.Wealsoadvocatedforthecertificationof euthanasia technicians for shelters to ensure that animals euthanized in this environment are treated as humanely as possible.

The State Board of Veterinary Medicine is hosting a stakeholder meeting on January 30 to discuss the new law and related regulations they will be developing related to the Act. PVMA representatives will be present and provide input on the proposed regulations.

Other Legislative ActivitiesIn addition to our legislative monitoring, PVMA did the following in 2012 to ensure that the veterinary profession was represented and provided input on bills which could have im-pact on veterinary medicine, public health and food safety, and animal health and welfare:1. Capitol Visits—we participated over 100 leg-islativevisitswithlegislatorsandtheirstaff.

2. Legislative Day and Friends of Veteri-nary Medicine Reception—we hosted our annual Legislative Day and Friends of Veterinary Medicine Reception to provide an opportunity for over 25 members to in-teract with representatives and senators.

3. Senate Ag Committee Educational Hear-ing—Through our partnership with Senator Elder Vogel, Chair of the Senate Agricultural andRuralAffairsCommittee,sponsoredaninformational hearing on veterinary issues with the Senate Ag Committee.

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protected by Pennsylvania’s animal cruelty statues. Why? Because the senator wanted to do something in honor of a horse in his district which was badly neglected and starved to death for no other reason than to be cruel. The owner had the means to care for her. He just decided he didn’t want her anymore so he put her in his junkyard to die with virtually no food or water. She and another horse were left to fend for themselves. To make this worse, people who worked in the junkyard allowed it to happen. They decided to walk past the horses everydayanddonothing.Theydecidedtonotmakeadifferencetothose two horses and one of them succumbed to death. The other horsewasrescuedbyoneofthesenator’sstaffpersonswhoownshorses of her own. She took the horse in, cared for her, and tried to nurse her back to health. However, the horse’s condition was so poor it was impossible to bring her back to good health and she had to be euthanized. What happened to the original owner? The judge charged him with the limited charges he could under the current law and the ownerpaidminimalfines.Becauseofthisinjustice,thesenatorhaschosen to pursue stronger language in the cruelty statutes to make sure that the next person who decides to torture an animal is provided just punishment. He has chosen to makeadifference.

To help support people in the legislature who do want to make a positivedifference,youcanensuretheygetreelected.YoucandothisdirectlyorsupportPVMA’seffortstoprotecttheprofession,animalhealth and welfare, food safety, and public health through giving to our Pennsylvania Veterinary Political Action Committee (PVPAC). Our political action committee provides the opportunity to show our support and to get to know leaders who create the laws in this state. Your PAC contribution aids our ability to gain access to and to support legislatorswhowanttomakeapositivedifference.

In Your AssociationWithinPVMA,westrivetomakeadifferenceeverydayforveterinar-ians like you in your daily lives. We develop continuing education programs to create opportunities for you here in Pennsylvania so you can learn new skills and hear about trends in medicine, surgery, tech-nology, and practice management. Our hope is because of that, you can do a better job in your practice with your clients, team members, and most importantly your patients. We work to cultivate relation-ships with agencies and the legislature so that when legislation or regulationsareintroduced,wecanhaveapositiveinfluenceonhowit impacts your ability to practice veterinary medicine, run your small business, and the health and welfare of the animals you took an oath to serve. We are a resource of information, share news and important updates,andresearchissuesforyouandyourstaffsothatyoudon’thave to take the time.

We listen to your feedback. This year we did a Member Needs Survey tofindoutwhatyouthinkaboutPVMAandwhatweshouldbedoing.To date, we have moved our Winter Conference to the King of Prussia area on February 9 begun the process of developing new dues models to give you more options, will be surveying you more often to get your immediate input on proposals and issues, and building more services that help you in your daily life. We are listening and want to use this knowledgetomakeadifference.

All that we do—the leaders, volunteers, and management team—is for the betterment of the profession and to make your life easier. We want tobethereforyou,wewanttomakeadifference.Weinviteyoutojoinusinthenewyeartomakeadifferenceintheveterinaryprofessionbyrenewing your membership, becoming involved, and providing your feedback so we can be the best organization we can be. l

From Where I Sitcontinued from page 16

Legislative and Regulatory Reviewcontinued from page 16

continued on page 39

4. Fundraiser for Senator Elder Vogel—Sponsored a fundraiser for Senator Elder Vogel to assist with his reelection.

On the Regulatory SideThe State Board of Veterinary Medicine promulgated a new regula-tionwhichbecameeffectiveonNovember3, 2012. This regulation requires any veterinarian who keeps a client's animal while the practice is closed (including evenings and weekends) to inform the client, either orallyorinwriting,whetheraveterinarian,certifiedveterinarytechni-cian or veterinary assistant will be on the premises and what level of monitoring the animal will receive during that time. This can be found in Chapter 31. State Board of Veterinary Medicine, §31.21. Rules of Professional Conduct for Veterinarians, Principle 7. Responsibility to clients and patients. For a copy of Chapter 31, contact Vyonne Miller, Member and Insurance Services Assistant, at [email protected].

Coming to a Legislature Near YouIt is expected that many issues related to the veterinary medicine practice act, animal cruelty statutes, sales tax, and more will be back in the new legislative session which will run from January 1, 2013–November30, 2014. In addition to many new bills anticipated for 2013–2014, 33 fresh-man legislators join The Pennsylvania General Assembly in January 2013: 19 House Democrats, 10 House Republicans, three Senate Democrats, and one Senate Republican. Another priority of PVMA’s in the new legisla-tivesessionwillbetointroduceourselvestothefreshmenandofferourservices and expertise as they consider issues that cross their desks.

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Rabies—Vaccination of Animals is Key to PreventionBy Barb McCullough, CVT

D epending on where you live you may or may not be experiencing a rise in rabies

cases in your area. Last year, we saw two cases in one week in the northwestern part of the state. One was a bat and the other was a raccoon. Fortunately, no human exposures occurred, and the pets involved were un-dergoing quarantine as ordered by our local state veterinarian, Dr. Karen Martin.

Remember that the pet population is the bufferzonebetweenwildlifeandhumans.If pets are not properly vaccinated then the risk for human exposure increases. People don’t stop to think that they are putting their families at risk by not vaccinating their pets. But that is exactly what they are doing. What about that unvaccinated family dog that is out romping in the woods, chasing critters, and comes down with rabies three weeks from now? What about their 3-year-old child who is best buddies with that dog? Do they realize they may have just signed their child’s death warrant?

All pets, indoors and out, need to be vac-cinated. Sadly, Pennsylvania law does not

require the vaccination of those animals that are housed outdoors. If they never ever go in the house, then they are not required to be vaccinated. We typically think of them as barn cats, but horses, cows, and other farm animals are also at risk—more so than a supervised house pet. For that reason alone, you should strongly encourage your clients to vaccinate all pets and farm animals on their property.

Those of you working in private practice may want to consider putting into effectapolicyrequiringallpatientshaveacur-rent rabies vaccination before being seen at yourfacility.Thiswillhelplimityourstaff’sex-posure risks as well as the owners’ risks. How many times have you seen an unvaccinated cat come in with a bite wound abscess? We all assumeit’sfromacatfight,butitcouldjusthaveeasilybeeninflictedbyarabidraccoon.How much risk are you willing to take?

Ifyoufindapositiveraccoonorothersuchwildlife entering your clients yards you

veterinary technology corner

canfigurethat’sjustthetipoftheiceberg.Typically, where there is one there are more. Many times, cases are reported in close proximity. Check out the rabies map from theDepartmentofAgriculture(http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us) and see how many cases have been reported in your county. Just because your practice hasn’t seen any doesn’t mean it’s not out there. Be proactive with getting your clients pets protected. l

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Veterinary Technicians …

Trusted Partners for Your Pet’s CareByDr.JimHumphries,CertifiedVeterinaryJournalist,VeterinaryNewsNetwork

A nyone who has read James Herriot’s immortal novels about veterinary practice knows that much of the work he did with

animals and pets he did by himself. The owners in the stories were either unable or unwilling to help and having any sort of assistant was reservedforextremesituations,likeadifficultcalving.

Fast forward to today and many pet owners will see a wide range of people working at the veterinary hospital. Are these veterinary techni-cians just like nurses in a human hospital?

The answer to that question is, to some extent, yes, but the reality is technicians actually perform a wider range of duties than do most nurses for people. Veterinary technicians end up being the nurse, laboratory technician, dental hygienist, phlebotomist, radiology tech, anesthetist and surgical assistant for your pet as well as helping pro-vide essential information to animal owners.

Althoughthefirstattemptstocertifyveterinaryassistantsgobackmorethan100years,theveryfirstprogramtoprovidetrainingwasac-tually started by the United States Air Force in 1951. This was followed by a civilian program in 1961 at the State University of New York. Now,interestedindividualscanfindmorethan160programsavailableacross the US and even enroll in online education courses.

Toearncertificationasaveterinarytechnician,astudentmustattendeither a two year or four year accredited program in veterinary tech-nology. This education will provide a broad background in everything from medical terminology and anatomy to pharmacology and animal nutrition. Some schools even include business and management courses.

Although the term “technician” is often used to describe any veteri-naryassistant,moststates’practiceactsdodefineaveterinarytechni-cian as someone who has obtained the education described above and then passed the Veterinary Technician National Exam. These folks are designated as Licensed Veterinary Technicians (LVTs), Registered Vet-erinaryTechnicians(RVTs)orCertifiedVeterinaryTechnicians(CVTs).

Veterinary assistants, on the other hand, are usually trained on-the –job,butoftenhavesimilarskillsandduties.Again,eachstatedefineswhat types of responsibilities and procedures assistants or technicians can perform.

In either case, both of these vital team members function as the right hand for many veterinarians. By performing tasks such as collect-ing blood samples, capturing x-rays or even providing important education to clients about parasites, the technicians help make the veterinariansmoreefficient.Yourpet’sdoctorcannowfocusondoingexaminations, prescribing needed medications, diagnosing problems and performing surgery. Of course, the overall well-being of your pets is a primary concern for all technicians. This means they are also very skilled at providing exceptional levels of nursing care to pets who might be scared, in pain or simply anxious about being at the hospital.

Some technicians will even further their education and skills by special-izing in areas such as anesthesiology, nutrition, behavior, dentistry or even zoo medicine.

According to the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA; www.navta.net), there is a strong demand for graduates of veterinary technology programs. In fact, the Department of Labor lists veterinary technology as one of the top twenty fastest growingcareerswhereeducationmakesadifference.Anotherfunfact… 95% of all veterinary technicians are women!

You know that your veterinarian is an important partner with you in the healthcare of your pets, but it is also crucial to get to know the other vital members of the veterinary care team. These are the folks who will be insuring that your cat stays warm after her spay surgery or that your dog’s pain medication is delivered on time. In many cases, veterinary technicians and assistants can also provide you with some rock solid advice about vaccinations, parasite prevention and even nutrition. l

veterinary technology corner

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2012The Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association (PVMA) and the Pennsylvania Veterinary Foundation (PVF) extend a big thank you to everyone who made a donation or volunteered their time to help us in 2012.

THANK

2012 Pennsylvania Farm Show VolunteersDr. Dave AllgeierMs. Liz AllgeierMs. Matt AllgeierMs.PaulaClifford,CVTMs. Megen CummingsDr. Sherrill DavisonDr. Robert GraybillMs. Sarah HallDr. Nan HanshawDr. Don HerrDr. Jim HoltDr. Lisa MurphyDr. Brian ReedDr. Lloyd ReitzDr. Ben RhodesDr. Ines RodriguezDr. Larry SamplesDr. Elizabeth SantiniMs. Beth Shelby, CVTDr. John SimmsDr. Trish ThomsonMs. Laura TurnerDr. Mark WalterDr. Dave WolfgangDr. Jeanne WordleyMs. Maggie WreioleDr. Dan ZawiszaMr. Mark Zebrowski

PVMA Building FundDaniel Dr. Stephanie Becker Dr. Robert Bishop in Memory of Devon BishopDr.RobertBishop/ShoemakerAvenueAnimal HospitalDr. Kirk BreuningerDr. James CohaganMr. William EdkinsDr. Nate HarveyDr. Michael HermanDr.DarrellHoffmanDr. Adam HooverDr. Charles KoenigDr. Ron KraftDr. Russel and Shirley NylandDr. Deborah PattDr. Charles RakerDr. James Reed

Dr. Arthur Richards, Jr.Dr. Ronald StasDr. John ShisslerMr. Scott and Dr. Tammy Stone

PVPAC DonorsDr. Kirk Breunninger Dr. J. P. and Barbara Childress Dr. D.L. Daman Dr. Natalie DanielsMr. John Delara and Dr. Tanya Lin FronchzekDr. John and Donna DodsonDr. Barbara Dymond and Joseph Frederick Dr. Fred Guenther HempfieldAnimalHospitalDr. Michael HermanDr.ErichandKathyHoffmanDr. Charles and Sandra Koenig Dr. Ronald and Linda KraftDr. Paul and Margaret LambertDr. Robert LashDr. Robert Lavan Dr. John LeeDr. Edward LoewensteinDr. Donald and Barbara LoweDr. Bradley MacNeillDr. Dale and Jeannie Mantell Dr. Elizabeth McKinstryDr. Deborah Patt Dr. John and Eileen QuatrocheDr. Daniel and Jeanne ReillyDr. Conrad RoblejoDr. Christine Runnels Dr. Bill Whittaker Dr. James RushDr. Gary and Anna Marie Senita Dr. Jitendra and Sudhra Sharma Dr. J.O. Simington Dr. Nadine Simms Dr. Sean SmarickDr. Denny and Christine StachmusDr. Ronald Stas Mr. Scott and Dr. Tammy StoneDr. Jason and Amy TomesDr. Helen McCahon Uhlman DDr. Melvin and Martha WengerDr. Dave WolfgangDr. David and Elaine Young

PVF Silent Auction DonorsDr.SusanAckermann/TheCatDoctorMs.RobinBernstein/Ms.MicheleRosenthal CommunityAffairsDirectorPittsburgh SteelersDr. Heather Berst and Mr. Rich PuchalskiDr. Elwood Borger Mr. Sean CaseyMr. Ron GantzDr. Lawrence Gerson Ms. Judy HennDr. Don Herr Hershey Lodge Heska Dr. Ron and Linda KraftDr. Malcolm KramDr. Deborah Landis Ms. Liz Moquin PfizerAnimalHealth/PhyllisShawPfizerAnimalHealth/SusanWeber,CVTDr. Ted Robinson Royal CaninMs. Beth Shelby, CVT Ms. Elaine SmithDr. and Mrs. Michael Topper Ms. Amy TylerMs. Charlene WandzilakDr. Cindy Albright Ward

PVF General DonationsMr. Eric and Ms. Lara Anderson Antietam Valley Animal Hospital Mr. Mike DrawbaughMs. Gail Fought Dr. Leslie GallMs. Amber Holt Dr. Ron KraftMs. Deborah KruppMs. Angela Latta Ms. Liz Moquin Mr. Robert MullMs. Nancy Murphy Mr. Robert OrdemannMs. Julia Rich The Roemer FoundationMr. Gregg Rosen Dr. Michael TopperMs. Wendy Uba

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Mr. Gerald WhiteMs. Sara Zimmerman

PVF Scholarship DonationsMs. Robin Bernstein Dr. Malcolm KramDr. Deborah LandisDr. Dan Murphy PfizerFoundationMatchingGiftProgramMs. Cynthia Albright WardDr. Tom Wiles

The Last Chance Fund (TLC) DonationsMs. Robin Bernstein Mr. Debra ChaikenMr. Marvin and Ms. Melonia CharlesMs.SandraDanoffMr. Reuel DeppenMr. Drew Graham Mr. Barry and Ms. Darlene Greenawald Ms. Candy HenryMs. Patty KarnMr. Eleanore Koreshy Loyalhanna Veterinary ClinicMs. Marilyn Merenstien Ms. Regina Milione

Ms. Bernardine MillerNazareth Veterinary Center Check Ms. Betty NearyMs. Marie Elena NessMs.JoyceOffermanMs. Amy PavlakMs. Kimberly PennaMs. Harriet Perlman Point Breeze Veterinary ClinicMs. Kelly E. ReillyMs. Elizabeth SimcoxStanglein Veterinar ClinicMr. Theodore MartinTrooper Veterinary Hospital Ms. Lillian WelshMs. Linda WhitneyWillow Street Animal Hospital

Native American Veterinary Services (NAVS) DonationsAmericans for Native AmericansBart,Inc./FrederickJ.BartBroadheadsville Veterinary Clinic Mr. James and Ms. Leeann ChiegoCumberland Valley Veterinary Medical AssociationFort Washington Veterinary AssociatesMs. Myra Corbet

Ms. Donna Lizanich Mr. David and Ms. Mona London Ms. Sheila MillsSpring Mills Veterinary Hospital Ms. Betsy SummersMs. Stacey RisterTrucksville Dog & Cat HospitalWright Veterinary Medical Center

Memorial GiftsIn Memory of Dr. Richard DetwilerDr. Lawrence SamplesDr. Max HermanMs. Molly LevanMr. Paul EhlermanMr. Robert and Ms. Virginia DeemMr. Robert CiferriShoemaker Avenue Animal HospitalMr. Thomas OrdemannWestern Veterinary Medical Association

In Memory of Dr. Charles WunderlichDr. Fred Guenther

In Memory of Dr. John DryerWestern Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association l

The Last Chance Fundof the Pennsylvania Veterinary Foundation

The Pennsylvania Veterinary Foundation (PVF) established the “The Last Chance Fund” (TLC) to help ensure a source of funding for the care of abused, neglected, or injured unowned companion animals that might otherwise be euthanized or surrendered to an animal shelter that is already overburdened.

Find out how your hospital can become a participating practice today at www.pavetfoundation.org.

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Native American Veterinary Services Enters New Frontiers With a Bright and Exciting FutureBy Ted Robinson, VMD, Founder, Native American Veterinary Services (NAVS) and Vice-Chair, Pennsylvania Veterinary Foundation

2 012 was a year of transition with the expansion of our southwest trip to include Monument Valley, Arizona, and Taos, New Mexico. Native

AmericanVeterinaryServices(NAVS)nowcoversfivereservationsinthesouthwest: the pueblos of Zuni, Hopi, Santa Domingo, and Taos, as well as a new and exciting venture into Kayenta, Monument Valley, Arizona.

WhatmakesKayentaexcitingisthefactthatwearenowworkingwithafirstclassveterinaryfacilitywithinahighschoolontheNavajoNationReservation.Beingtheonlyfacilityofitskind,itoffershighschoolstudentsthe opportunity to pursue a career in veterinary technology or an introduction to a pre-veterinary program. The facility, run by Clyde and Elisha McBride is a complete veterinary hospital contained within a high school. It has both small and large animal capabilities for surgical and medical cases. The only thing that was lack-ingwasthepresenceofveterinarianstohelpinteachingthestudents.NAVShashelpedtopartiallyfillthisvoid. During our time in Kayenta, we work with the students to help train them in both surgical and medical procedures. We perform spays and neuters on dogs and cats as well as various procedures on large animals, includinggeldingofhorses.Also,itaffordsthestudentsanopportunitytodiscusswiththebothveterinariansandveterinarystudentsthedifferentopportunitiesavailableintheveterinaryprofession.

Our work on the Zuni reservation has also been greatly enhanced. Due to the kind donation from the Bucks County SPCA of over 30 stainless steel cages and a gas anesthesia machine, we now have the capability of performing twice as many surgical procedures as we were previously able to perform. All in all, we attended to both the surgical and medical needs of over 350 dogs and cats in addition to hundreds of sheep, horses, pigs, and goats during our 5-day stay on the Zuni reservation. The stay also allowed all the participants to glean knowledge about the Zuni culture and to closely interact with the native population. Participants had a private tour of the unique eagle sanctuary located on the reservation. While on the reservation, we also lec-tured three classes of students at the middle school about the opportunities available in veterinary medicine.

Work on both the Santa Domingo and Taos reservations consisted of vaccinating and worming hundreds of horses and cattle as well as performing numerous horse castrations. This gave an opportunity for both the veterinary and veterinary technician students to work on large animals. Our work on these reservations over the past few years has greatly enhanced the health and thriftiness of these domestic animals, thus giving them a better quality of life and a greater market value.

During 2012, we received a $20,000 grant from PetSmart Charities ($10,000 a year for two years). We also received a grant from the Roemer Foundation to help cover part of the cost of the student participants.

We would like to thank the Bucks County SPCA, the Roemer Foundation, and PetSmart Charities, and Ameri-cans For Native Americans (ANA) for their generous support. For without their support this project would not be possible. l

October 2012 Participants

VeterinariansDr. Suzanne SmithDr. Jim McClearen Dr. Ted RobinsonDr. Don Skinner

Dee Skinner Dr. Kari Titcher

Dr.DarellHoffmanAnneHoffman

Dr. Mark Mendlowitz Dr. Jane Fassinger

Dr. John Lee

TechniciansDiane Thomas Kathy NehodaGlenn NehodaSarah Griesel Barbara Lock

StudentsHope Douglas

Ashley HardAnn Mitchell

Bethany FrumanAdrienne Keller

Amy Bogdan Party Knapp

Elfriede Perner with Dr. Lee

Penn Vet student Hope Douglas gets a little help holding a horse still during examination.

Dr. Jane Fassinger examines a sheepfromalocalflock.

foundation cornerstone

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Sometimeseven the best clients

need reminded.

PVMA FACT SHEETS

Client education is important, but how much do your clients remember after they get home?

PVMA offers fact sheets on a variety of topics to help you educate your clients. Whether it's

disaster preparedness, safety tips, or the dangers of internet pharmacies, our fact sheets are an easy way to make sure pet owners have the

information they need at their finger tips.

Visit www.pavma.org and click on 'For Pet Owners'. You can download and print the

sheets or provide your clients with the link.

Also, our selection of fact sheets is constantly expanding. Have a new topic you'd like to see

covered? Email your suggestion to [email protected].

People in Zuni wait in line with their pets to enter the clinic.

Penn Vet student Hope Douglas, Manor College student Amy Bogdan, and Dr. Ted Robinson pose with a group in Zuni.

Dr. Jim McClearen teaches Navajo students inside the clinic.

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what's the

VALUEof Your PVMA Membership?

other benefits• keystone veterinarian(officialpublicationofPVMA)—$30

• 20%discountondisplayadsinkeystone veterinarian—$45-385

• Freeclassifiedadsinkeystone veterinarian—$35-300

• FreeVetBytesbi-monthlye-newsletter—$100

• FreeAroundtheCapitolweeklye-newsletter—$200

• Discountedlegalservices/consultation—upto$500(10% discount up to $5000 in services annually)

• Freenewgraduateemploymentcontractreview(withinfirstthree years of graduation)—$300

• Freeclassifiedadsforreliefveterinariansonwebsite—$35-300

• DiscountedclassifiedadsonVeterinaryCareerNetwork— $25-200

• Reduced Cost Book Program with Priority Press— $14-55(includes:Contracts,Benefits,andPractice:Managementfor the Veterinary Profession, Legal Consents for Veterinary Prac-tice, Law and Ethics of the Veterinary Profession, and Job Descrip-tions and Training Schedules for the Veterinary Team)

Ifyouhavequestionsregardinganyofthebenefitsor

serviceslistedorhaveanideaforanewbenefit,contact

Charlene Wandzilak at [email protected].

• Insurance savings through pvmaAssure, PVMA's insurance agency—$50-$500+ (includes long-term care, disability, and term life)

• Energy Plus Buying Group average annual energy bill savings for home-owners—$222

• DiscountedHersheyparktickets(averagesavingsforfamilyof four)—$48

• Discounted custom imprinting for cards and stationery (10% discount)—$25-100+

• 24/7/365exclusiveadvocatetorepresentyouandyourinter-ests with the legislature and regulatory agencies and with you in mind in everything we do!—PRICELESS

Total Potential Other Discount Savings: $1,619–$2,290

$$$

additional savings for practice owners!• EnergyPlusBuyingGroupaverageannualenergysavingsfor

practices—$506

• Discountedon-holdmessagingsystems—$25-125

• Discountedbankcardprocessingservices—$200-1,000+

• Websitehostinganddesignservices—$100-1,000+

• InsurancesavingsthroughpvmaAssure, PVMA's insurance full-service, in-house agency—$500-$1,000 + (includes employee benefitpackages)

Additional total savings for practice owners: $1,331–$3,631

(based on non-member vs. member veterinarian full conference registration rate)

• WinterConference—$50

• SpringClinic—$50

• KeystoneVeterinaryConference—$75

• 3RiversVeterinarySymposium—$65

• EVEWebinars—$85-$510

Total Potential Annual Educational Discount Savings: $50–$750

educational discounts

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arship. Judging for this scholarship includes a review of the student's demonstrated leader-ship experience, education and work experi-ence, extracurricular activities, membership in professional and student organizations, honors and awards, career goals and aspira-tions of Catawissa, PA, attended Penn State University and received her degree in Animal Sciences in 2010. She grew up in rural Colum-bia County in the shadow of her grandfather's farm where she developed her passion for animals. Since she began at the University

of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jolie has joined many clubs (including emergency and critical care, production medicine, behavior, surgery, and more) which help to expand her knowledge with wet labs and lectures. She is also a student member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Animal Hospital As-sociation (AAHA).

Following her graduation, Jolie hopes to return to rural Pennsylvania and work as a mixed practice veterinarian. Mixed practice will allow her to combine her loves of both production animal and companion animal medicine. She also looks forward to being able to help educate clientsandproducersonthebenefitsofpreventivecareforalltypesofanimals. Congratulations, Jolie! l

Meet the 2012 Pennsylvania Veterinary Foundation Scholarship Recipients

Each year the Pennsylvania Veterinary Foundation (PVF), the charitable arm of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association

(PVMA), awards veterinary students with scholarships to help ease the burden of the cost of their education through generous donations from veterinarians and the public. Scholarships are awarded based on academicperformanceandfinancialneed.

Denise Hardisky, V'13Cornell University, College of Veterinary MedicineFrom Nicholson, PA, Denise grew up on a hobby farm which included 100-head herd of Shropshire sheep which she showed around the country. Joining 4-H at the age of nine, she was also exposed to animal husbandry and herd health. Now as an adult continues her involvement with 4-H by helping young people

raise and prepare livestock for show. Through 4-H she also raised a market steer for her local fair and enjoyed the challenge of choosing a competitive feeder calf, working closely with local feed mill nutrition-ists, and being active in preventive health. In 2004, Denise purchased a small herd of Shorthorn show heifers and has widely expanded her cattle experience through a number breeding projects.

Still active in community service, Denise hopes after graduation to become a diagnostician serving both bovine and small ruminant pro-ducers. Congratulations, Denise!

Amanda Wanner, V'14University of Illinois, College of Veterinary MedicineFrom Mohnton, PA, Amanda attended Penn State University and graduated with a degree in Life Sciences. Over the last nine years, she has held various jobs at veterinary practices doing small animal technician work and also small ruminant and exotics handling. She also volunteered at the Berks County Animal Rescue

and developed a particular interest in shelter medicine. Amanda also worked at the Penn State sheep barn and fell in love with large animal medicine. She is a student member of both the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Animal Hospital Associa-tion (AAHA), is the board secretary for the Illinois Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA), the Behavior Club, and participates in several others clubs including shelter medicine, resident equine, and clinical pathology. In addition, she performs community outreach through the Veterinary Student Outreach Program by caring for the pets of abused women at the University of Illinois' A Pet's Place.

Following graduation, Amanda would like to return to Pennsylvania and work in a mixed practice, eventually opening her own practice. Congratulations, Amanda!

Jolie Hunsinger, V'14University of Illinois, College of Veterinary MedicineJolieHunsingeristherecipientofthePVF/PVMAYoungLeaderSchol-

foundation cornerstone

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District I TrusteeDistrict I includes Erie, Warren, McKean, Crawford, Mercer, Venango, Forest,Elk,Jefferson,andClarionCounties.

ADAM HOOVER, VMD FRANKLIN, PA Associate Veterinarian, Franklin Animal Clinic

Did you know: Dr. Hoover is a member of the PVMA LegislativeandRegulatoryAffairsCommittee.

District I Alternate TrusteeBETH PIERSOL, DVM NORTH EAST, PAAssociate Veterinarian, Animal Ark Pet Hospital

Did you know: When Dr. Piersol is not working or spending time with her two children, she can usually be found reading, listening to music, and participating in triathlons and other outdoor activities.

District II TrusteeDistrict II includes Potter, Tioga, Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming, Union, Snyder, Northumberland, Montour, and Columbia Counties.

LLOYD REITZ, JR., VMD PAXINOS,PAAssociate Veterinarian, Alpine and St. Francis Animal Clinic

Did you know: He lives with his wife and two children in a century-old farm house along with two New-foundland dogs and two pot-bellied pigs. Currently,

he is President of the Board of Directors for pvmaAssure Insurance Agency, Inc.

District II Alternate TrusteeSTACIA MCMAHON GILBERT, DVM COAL TOWNSHIP, PACo-Owner, Alpine and St. Francis Veterinary Clinic

Did you know: When she is not working, Dr. Gilbert enjoys camping, gardening, skiing, and reading.

District III TrusteeDistrict III includes Bradford, Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike, Monroe, Lackawanna, Wyoming, Luzerne, and Sullivan Counties.

MARY-LYNN MCBRIDE, DVM DRUMS, PA Owner, McBride Equine and Pocono Downs Reg.

Did you know: Dr. McBride is married and has a 9-year-old daughter. She also has one dog, one cat, three horses, and two donkeys.

Meet the PVMA 2013 Board of TrusteesPVMAhelditselectionofofficersandtrusteesinAugust2012.ThefollowingindividualswillserveonourBoardofTrusteesbeginningJanuary1,2013.

District III Alternate TrusteeDAWN FIEDORCZYK, VMD FORTY FORT, PAAssociate Veterinarian, Northeast Veterinary Referral Hospital

Did you know: Dr. Fiedorczyk currently resides with herfivecatsandaveiledchameleon.Inherfreetime,she does some insect collecting, likes to read, and

enjoys live music.

District IV TrusteesDistrict IV includes Lawrence, Butler, Beaver, Armstrong, Indiana, Al-legheny, Fayette, Westmoreland, Washington, and Greene Counties.

MICHAEL Q. BAILEY, DVM, DACVR EXPORT,PAHeadRadiologist,BanfieldPetHospitals

Did you know: Dr. Bailey was an American Veterinary MedicalAssociation/AmericanAssociationfortheAdvancement of Science congressional fellow where he worked as a legislative aide to a senior member of

Congress in the areas of healthcare, agriculture, and education.

JOHN SHOWALTER, DVM CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PAOwner, Showalter Veterinary Services

Did you know: Since 1989, he has been pursuing advancedtrainingintheveterinarydentalfieldandis a member of the American Veterinary Dental As-sociation.

District IV Alternate TrusteesAMANDA GLASS, DVM PITTSBURGH, PATechnical Service Veterinarian, Merial, Ltd. Auburn

Did you know: Dr. Glass began working with Merial in 2007 where—as a technical services veterinarian—some of her duties include training and assisting the sales representatives as well as being a professional

resource for the veterinarians that they serve.

SEAN SMARICK, VMD, DACVECC MONROEVILLE, PAOwner, Allegheny Veterinary Emergency Trauma and Specialty

Didyouknow:Withhistwodaughtersnowfirmlyin grade school and with his wife’s permission, Dr. Smarick is making more time to paddle whitewater,

run in the woods, and get back into organized veterinary medicine.

continued on page 27

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District V TrusteeDistrictVincludesClearfield,Centre,Mifflin,Juniata,Huntingdon,Fulton, Bedford, Somerset, Cambria, and Blair Counties.

DAN ZAWISZA, VMD ROCKWOOD, PAAssociate Veterinarian, White Oak Veterinary Clinic

Didyouknow:Dr.Zawiszaenjoyshuntingandfishing,hiking and camping, reading, and old movies.

District VI TrusteeDistrict V includes Dauphin, Lebanon, Lancaster, Perry, Cumberland, York, Lancaster, Counties.

ANDREA HONIGMANN, DVM LANCASTER, PAAssociate Veterinarian, Berks Animal Emergency and Referral Center

Did you know: Originally from Troy, OH, Dr. Honig-mann and her husband, Mark, reside in Lititz with their daughter, Addison, a yellow lab, and two cats.

JOHN SIMMS, VMD SHIPPENSBURG, PAOwner, Burnt Mill Veterinary Center

Did you know: Dr. Simms has been recognized by PVMA for his many contributions with the prestigious Distinguished Veterinary Service Award and 2010 Legislative Leadership Award.

District VI Alternate TrusteesNATHAN KAPP, VMD LANCASTER, PA Associate Veterinarian, Muddy Creek Veterinary Service

Didyouknow:Inhistimeoff,Dr.Kappenjoysrestor-ing antique tractors and farm equipment, baling hay, and driving his vintage Studebaker.

JEFFREY STEED, DVM LANCASTER, PAManaging Partner and Owner, Manheim Pike Veterinary Hospital

Did you know: Dr. Steed is married to Dr. Kathy Nyland Steed and has two children. He is owned by two dogs and one cat.

Board of Trustees continued from page 26

District VII TrusteesDistrict VII includes Bucks, Philadelphia, Delaware, Montgomery, and Chester Counties.

HEATHER BERST, VMD PHILADELPHIA, PAPractice Development Veterinarian, Hill’s Pet Nutrition

Did you know: Dr. Berst is a member of the Board of Trustees and Fundraising Committee of the Pennsyl-vania Veterinary Foundation and is the Co-Chair of the Bark in the Park 5k Run Planning Subcommittee. She

is also the Chair of the PVMA Communications Committee and, in this capacity, is editor of keystone veterinarian.

CHRISTINA DOUGHERTY, VMD PHILADELPHIA, PAManager of the Companion Animal Veterinary Team with Veterinary Medical Information and Product Sup-port(VMIPS),PfizerAnimalHealth

Did you know: Tina is the mother of three children and currently lives with her husband and family in

Philadelphia, PA.

CASEY LYNCH KURTZ, VMD POTTSTOWN, PAAssociate Veterinarian, French Creek Veterinary Hospital

Did you know: Dr. Kurtz's interest and involvement in animal rescue led to her incorporating and obtaining nonprofitstatusforthegroupCares4Pets,Incorporated.

THEODORE B. ROBINSON, BS, MS, VMD RICHBORO, PAOwner, Unique Seminar Destinations for the Veterinary Profession

Did you know: Dr. Robinson founded the Native Ameri-can Veterinary Services program in 2000 in coordina-tion with PVMA, the Bucks-Montgomery Veterinary

Medical Association (BMVMA) and Americans for Native Americans.

District VII Alternate TrusteesKIMBERLEY HERSHHORN GALLIGHER, VMD MALVERN, PAOwner, Phoenixville Animal Hospital

Did you know: In her free time, Dr. Galligher enjoys cook-ing, gardening, golf, water skiing and long walks with her family.

TOM GARG, VMD MALVERN, PAEmergency Veterinarian, Hope Veterinary Specialists

Did you know: Dr. Garg is an active member of PVMA and serves as Chair of the Legislative and Regulatory AffairsCommittee.

continued on page 28

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KIMBERLY KOVATH, VMD PHILADELPHIA, PAPart-time Veterinarian and Assistant Professor, Delaware Valley College.

STEVEN PRIER MS, VMD MALVERN, PAOwner, Sugartown Veterinary Hospital

Did you know: Dr. Prier is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition, and PVMA.

District VIII TrusteesDistrict VIII includes Schuylkill, Berks, Carbon, Northampton, and Lehigh Counties.

SUSAN ACKERMANN, DVM HELLERTOWN, PAOwner, The Cat Doctor; Co-Owner and a member of the Board of Directors of the Valley Central Veterinary Emergency Hospital

Did you know: In her spare time, she enjoys serving as President of the Hellertown Enhancement Project, as

an Instructor for the Da Vinci Science Center Summer Camp, a mentor for the Minsi Trails Boy Scout Career Exploration Program, the chair of the Women in Medicine Career program for the Northeast Penn-sylvania Girl Scouts Council, and performing as a Soprano I with the Pennsylvania Sinfonia’s Camerata Singers.

FERDINAND VISINTAINER, VMD NEW TRIPOLI, PAPartner, Country Doctor Veterinary Hospital

Did you know: Dr. Visintainer is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Pennsyl-vania Veterinary Medical Association, and the Lehigh Valley Veterinary Medical Association (LVVMA).

District VIII Alternate TrusteesMEG ALONSO, VMD MACUNGIE, PARetired Veterinarian

Did you know: Dr. Alsonso served as President of the Lehigh Valley Veterinary Medical Association from 2008 through 2011.

CARLOS HODGES, DVM, MS, PC WHITEHALL, PACo-Owner, Valley Central Veterinary Referral Center

Did you know: Dr. Hodges co-hosts the Animal Doc-tor Show on Channel 69 WFMZ-TV Allentown, PA, with Kathy Craine. He is also a frequent participant on MyFox Philly 29 and WCAU-TV Philadelphia. Dr. Hodges has hosted a Wednesday Foster Child

segment sponsored by Fannie Mae from WCAU-TV Philadelphia. The segment won PVMA’s Media Award.

Board of Trustees continued from page 27

Alternate Delegate to the American Veterinary Medical Association

MIKE TOPPER, DVM, PHD, DACVP HARLEYSVILLE, PADirector, Clinical Pathology, Merck and Company, Inc.

Did you know: Dr. Topper currently serves on the AVMA’s House Advisory Committee and serves as the Chair of the PVMA Governance Committee.

Academic Veterinarian At-Large TrusteeCOLIN HARVEY, BVSc, FRCVS, DACVS, DAVDC PHILADELPHIA, PA

Did you know: Dr. Harvey has written extensively for textbooks and journals, has written, edited or co-edit-edfivebooks,andwastheeditorofVeterinary Surgery, the journal of the American College of Veterinary

Surgery from 1982-1987, and of the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry for the American Veterinary Dentistry College from 1994-2000.

Public and Corporate Practice Veterinarian At-Large Trustee

JULES BENSON, BVSc, MRCVS PHILADELPHIA, PAVice President of Veterinary Services, Petplan Insurance

Did you know: Dr. Benson enjoys music, movies and reading as well as cycling, Muay Thai kickboxing and hanging out with his four cats, bunny, four rats, and leopard gecko.

Production Animal Veterinarian At-Large Trustee

DARCIE STOLZ, VMD STRASBURG, PA Owner, Darcie Stolz, VMD

Did you know: Dr. Stolz was discouraged from be-coming a veterinarian by her high school counselor and her college advisor but followed her heart and graduated from Penn Vet in 1982.

CertifiedVeterinaryTechnicianAt-LargeTrustee

JOY ELLWANGER, CVT, BS, AAS MOUNT JOY, PA Animal Operating Room Coordinator, Penn State Her-shey, Department of Comparative Medicine within the College of Medicine

Did you know: Joy also owns and manages Shear Elegance Dog Grooming in Mount Joy. When she is not

groomingotherpeople’sdogs,youwillfindhershowingKerryBlueTerriers and Wheaten Terriers in conformation and agility where she has achieved multiple titles on her dogs. Joy is acknowledged by the AKC as a Breeder of Merit. l

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A s you may be aware, Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Associa- tion dues may not be deducted on your federal income tax return

as a charitable expense, but a portion of them may be deducted as a business expense.

As a 501(c) (6) organization under the tax codes, the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association is subject to a rule stipulating that the portionofamember’sdueswhichsupportsbroadlydefined“lob-bying activities” may not be deducted by the member as a business expense. For 2012 tax purposes, this amount is 7.26% of the dues you paid to the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association, whatever that amount may be. Conversely, you may deduct up to 92.74%. For 2012, you may apply these percentages against the dues amount which you actually paid.

If you pre-paid your 2013 dues in 2012 and your tax returns are calcu-lated on an accrual basis, do not take the business deduction for the 2013duesuntilyoufileyour2013return.Youwillreceivenoticeoftheallowable amount for 2013 in January 2014. On the other hand, if your tax returns are calculated on a cash basis and you pre-paid the 2013 dues in 2012, you may include them (after subtracting 7.26%) on your 2012 return.

If you have any questions about the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association dues amount you paid for 2012, please feel free to call our officeat888.550.7862.However,pleasecontactyouraccountantortaxadvisorforspecifictaxadvice.

Important Tax Information From PVMABest wishes for a prosperous and happy new year.

Sincerely yours,

Ronald Kraft, DVM, Secretary-Treasurer

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PVMA's 2012 Digital Photography Contest Yielded Creative Results!

Please take a moment to admire some of the photography submitted by Pennsyvlvania students for PVMA's 2012 Digital Photography Contest. Winners and honorable mentions (HM) were presented with their awards and prizes during a Junior Hall of Fame Breakfast hosted during the 6th Keystone Veterinary Conference held at the Hershey Lodge in August. Congratulations to our young photographers! l

GAVIN DRAWBAUGH, KINDERGARTEN HM

ALYSSA TERZA, KINDERGARTEN

SAMANTHA BUCHER, 9TH GRADE

SAMANTHA SCHULTEIS, 5TH GRADE

ABIGAIL ZYHOWSKI, 11TH GRADE

CALVIN TERZA, 2ND GRADE

ELIZABETH BRUNER, 2ND GRADE HM

JONATHAN SNYDER, 10TH GRADE

ELIZABETH FANG, 7TH GRADE

SARAH MANNHERZ, 4TH GRADE

ABIGAIL BRUNER, 3RD GRADE

ABIGAIL STALEY, 5TH GRADE HM

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It's vital to get the word out about the importance of veterinary care, and where better to start than with kids? In recognition of National Pet Week, PVMA is again running its annual digital photography contest for all Pennsylvania schoolschildren in grades K-12. Children must submit a photo which demonstrates the theme “A Photo Shot of Love:

Celebrating Healthy Pets,” and they could win a $50 prize. Please help get the word out in your area and encourage children to learn more about veterinary medicine in a fun and creative way.

Photos must be digital, no more than 2 megabytes, and should be submitted via email to Lori Raver at [email protected]. Photos should be solely the work of the student, and emails should include the student’s name, address, phone number, school, and grade.PVMAwillprovidea$50cashawardandaplaqueforthefirstplacewinnerineach grade. The winners of the statewide photo contest will also be invited to receive their award in person at the Keystone Veterinary Conference on August 15-18, 2013, in Hershey. The winning photos will be on display at the convention.

Rules1. The digital photography contest is for school age children, kindergarten through

12th grade. Children must be Pennsylvania residents.2. The photo must be solely the work of the student.3. The theme is “A Photo Shot of Love: Celebrating Healthy Pets.”4. Photos should be NO LARGER than 2 megabytes.5. Entries should be submitted by email to [email protected]. The email should

contain the student’s name, address, phone number, school and grade.6. Photos MUST BE RECEIVED via email by May 31, 2013.

PVMA 2013 Digital Photography Contest Is Open

Promote the Contest in Your Own Practice!

National Pet Week Is May 5-11, 2013"A Photo Shot of Love: Celebrating Healthy Pets"

They can show their

friends!

Each entry to the PVMA Photo Contest will be added to our online gallery prior to judging in June so the students can share with their friends. Eachphotowilldisplaythestudent’sfirstname,grade, and school name. Visit www.pavma.org!

PREVIOUS WINNERS

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Welcome New Members

member news

pVMA welcomes the following new members and thanks them for joining PVMA!

(September 26, 2012—January 8, 2013)

Active-Recent GraduateJennifer Asher, DVM, Aston, PACaitlin Botes, VMD, Aston, PARebecca Caldwell, DVM, Monroeville, PANicole DeGrande, DVM, McKean Veterinary Hospital, McKean, PAValerie Ebert, DVM, Honesdale, PAAlexandra Ford, DVM, Williamsburg, PAChristopher Gehman, DVM, Millerstown Veterinary Associates, PC, Millerstown, PAApryle Horbal, VMD, Wynter's Circle, LLC, Pittsburgh, PAHeather Kellermann, DVM, Levittown, PAMichelle Kneeland, DVM, Coatesville, PAJennifer Kotouch, DVM, Five Points Veterinary Clinic Aliquippa, PAMichael Miller, DVM, Diamond Creek Equine, LLC, Wellsville, PASarah Moser, VMD, Carlisle, PALindsay Schwartzmeyer, DVM, North Collins, NY

Academic ActiveBeverly Gnadt, DVM, Temple University - ULAR, Philadelphia, PAJennifer Shelly, Ridley Park, PA

ActiveRobin Archer, DVM, West Finley, PALindsay Berardino, VMD, Philadelphia, PA

Justin Bienkewski, DVM, Met Vet, Pittsburgh, PASandra Chmiel, DVM, Corry, PADawn Eckert, DVM, Mechanicsburg, PABarbara Flickinger , VMD, BJF Housecall Veterinarian, Inc., Spring City, PATegan Fuller, DVM, Always Compassionate Veterinary Care, Pittsburgh, PAJose Gomez, DVM, BEVA, Glenmoore, PADiane Harris, DVM, New Holland Veterinary Hospital, New Holland, PAAlan Hertz , DVM, Sunbury Animal Hospital, Sunbury, PADeirdre Mason-Hauver, DVM, Waynesburg, PATravis Meredith, DVM, PhD, Royersford, PANicole Palumbo , DVM, Franklin Animal Clinic, Franklin, PAIngrid Rhinehart , DVM, Beaver Animal Clinic, Beaver, PAAmy Santonastaso, VMD, New Milford, PAKatharine Semmens, DVM, Lebanon, PALaura Tancredi-Geary , DVM, Antech Imaging Services, Philadelphia, PALaura Tseng, DVM, VSEC, Levittown, PAJudith Veghte, Anthracite Animal Clinic, Ashland, PAChristopher Warrington, DVM, Cranberry Township, PAAmy Will-Schlechtweg, VMD, King of Prussia, PAJustin Yesilonis, DVM, Oxford, PA

AssociateMolly Dixon, VMD, Philadelphia, PAMichael Odian, DVM, Equine Practice PC, Taneytown, MD

Industry PartnerTamaraZubillaga,PfizerAnimalHealth,Exton,PA

Part-timeStaffVeterinarianElizabeth Sinclair Miller, DVM, Millersburg, PA

Practice ManagerKatherine Johnson, Butler, PASally Master, CVT, Nazareth, PATerry Turck, CVT, Sellersville, PANatasha Lake, Duncannon, PAStephanie Popp, Edgebrook Veterinary Clinic, Pittsburgh, PASharon Hines, BS, Willow Run Veterinary Clinic, Willow Street, PAJulianne Smiley, Valley Veterninary Service, Belle Vernon, PA Jill Turner, Morrisville Veterinary Hospital, Morrisville, PA

Student Leann Murphy, Lancaster, PAMichelle Dunn, Philadelphia, PAMaria Gorka, Philadelphia, PAJonathan Madara, Philadelphia, PAJeremy Maurer, Philadelphia, PAJennifer Monkiewicz, Philadelphia, PAAyla Musciano, Philadelphia, PAStacy Taylor, Philadelphia, PAAlexandra Crooks, Philadelphia, PARachel Yenko-Martinka, Chester PASteven Erikson, Newtown Square, PA l

Raise Money for the Pennsylvania Veterinary Foundation When You When You Search Or Shop Online!

Raise a penny (or more!) for the Pennsylvania Veterinary Foundation (PVF) every time you search the web. www.iGive.com is the internet's

firstonlinesearchengineandshoppingmallwhereapennyor more per search and a portion of each purchase is donated to your

favorite cause. Over 1,000 of the web’s best stores participate in thisfreeprogram,andupto26%ofeachpurchasebenefitsourcause!

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Search and shop online at www.iGive.com!

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David K. Rice, VMD, passed away on November 30, 2012. Dr. Rice was born in Arendtsville, PA, in 1921,

and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine in 1945. He moved to Warren in 1947 and set up a large animal practice serving counties in both Pennsylvania and New York. Dr. Rice served as the PVMA President in 1955 and was a member of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Examining Board for six years. He also served in the Army Veterinary Corps and obtained the rank of captain.

Dr. Rice was also very involved in politics in his community. In addition to serving in several school board capacities, Dr. Rice was elected as a Warren County Commissioner in 1966 and served for 20 years. He also was instrumental in the developmentofthecounty'sOfficeofHumanServicesand,over the years, helped the Rouse Estate to diversify and of-fer many services to the community. Locally he also served on the Board of the Warren County Fair and was heavily involved in judging the horse pulling contests.

Dr. Rice is survived by his wife, Alice, of more than 69 years; three sons: Dr. David (Mike) of State College, PA, Dr. Robert of Rockville, MD, and William of Kallispel, MT; a daughter Caroline Sorensen of Warren, PA; and 13 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren. l

Prestigious Bennett J. Cohen Award Given to Dr. Harry Rozmiarek

A t its annual meeting of the Board of Trustees, Association for Assessment

and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International presented its highest honor, the Bennett J. Cohen Award, to Dr. Harry Rozmiarek, DVM, PhD, DACLAM. The Bennett J. Cohen Award recognizes outstand-ing individuals who have provided excep-tionalserviceandsignificantcontributionsto AAALAC International and have demon-strated a strong and abiding commitment to advancing science through the promotion of the highest standards of laboratory animal care in research, testing, and education.

AAALACInternationalisaprivate,nonprofitorganization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science through voluntary accreditation and assessment programs.Dr.Rozmiarekhasmadesignifi-cant contributions to the mission and work of AAALAC International. He served as an ad hoc consultant to AAALAC starting in 1971, served on the Council on Accreditation from 1979-1988, and was the council's Vice Chair for three of those years. Dr. Rozmiarek later served for more than a decade on AAALAC's Board for Trustees, where he held the posi-tions of Secretary, Treasurer, Vice Chair and Chair from 2005-2009.

His contributions to the wider laboratory animal science community are many. Dr. Ro-zmiarek joined the University of Pennsylvania in 1987 as professor of Laboratory Animal Medicine and director of University Labora-tory Animal Resources. He has also served as university veterinarian and Associate DirectoroftheOfficeofRegulatoryAffairsand as director of postdoctoral residency training for veterinarians in laboratory animal medicine from 1987-2007. The recipient of numerous grants for facilities improvement, training, and research, he is currently a memberoftheScientificConsultantsGroupfor Malaria Research of the Agency for International Development (USAID). In 2004, he was appointed by the National Research Council (ILAR) as the national member and currently represents the United States on the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS) and was elected to the ICLAS Governing Board in 2007. Dr. Rozmiarek's contributions and leadership in laboratory animal medicine were recognized by his election as AALAS National president in 1983, president of the American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners in 1992, president of the American College of Labora-tory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) in 1997, and numerous other positions of leadership in these and other organizations. He was

awardedtheAALASGriffinAwardin1995and the Charles River Prize of the American Veterinary Medical Association in 1996, was appointed a Fulbright Scholar and stud-ied at the University of Cambridge for the 2002-2003 year, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association in 2009. Dr. Rozmiarek is author of more than 60 scien-tificpublicationsandpresentationsandwasco-recipient of the AALAS Research Award in 1980. He has published extensively in the fieldsofimmunology,toxicology,virologyand infectious disease, and laboratory animal management and husbandry. He has been a member of the Editorial Committees for the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (1995) and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Guidebook (1992 and 2002). He has served on the Editorial AdvisoryCommitteeandScientificReviewBoard for the AALAS Contemporary Topics Journal, as Editor Emeritus for the Shanghai Laboratory Animal Science Journal, and ref-ereefornumerousotherscientificjournals.He currently serves as Professor Emeritus

member news

and Director for the University of Pennsylva-nia and Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Congratulations, Dr. Rozmiarek, on receiving this honor! l

Remembering PVMA Past President Dr. David K. Rice

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Penn Vet Opens Working Dog CenterL ate last spring, people went crazy for Cairo. The Navy SEAL dog

playedanintegralroleinthespecialoperationsteamtofindOsa-ma Bin Laden, and was an instant celebrity in mainstream media after the May 1 mission. Talk about how well Cairo was trained, speculation on his breed, the gear he wore while parachuting into the compound and the quest for more details about his role that day, ran rampant.

The role of working dogs in the U.S. hasn't been well publicized or well understood. These dogs, in addition to serving in the military, protect ourportsandbordercitiesaswellashelpofficersonday-to-daypatrols in many cities across the states. Until now, however, demand for these well-trained dogs has surpassed our ability to supply them domestically.

The University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine Working Dog Center aims to change that.

On September 11, Penn Vet, under the leadership of Cynthia M. Otto, DVM, PhD, opened its new Penn Vet Working Dog Center in Philadel-phia with the overarching goal to collect and analyze genetic, behav-ioralandphysicaldata,andintegratethelatestscientificinformationin order to optimize the success and well-being of detection dogs. Information collected can then be used to build a domestic supply of these dogs, which can be bred, trained, and kept within the states. In addition to the research arm, the Penn Vet Working Dog Center will

train dogs—from puppies through year two of their lives—to take on important jobs with police, federal agencies, and more.

Attheopening,thefirstclassofsevenpuppiescametogetherforthefirsttime.Thefirstclassofpuppies,allbroughtinbetween8weeks–11weeks of age and donated by breeders from across the country, are being broughttothecenterfivedaysaweekandlearningbasicobedienceunderthe guidance of Training Director Annemarie DeAngelo. Ms. DeAngelo, a retired New Jersey State Trooper, founded the force’s K9 unit and will now be using her talents to train and shape these future detection dogs.

When the pups aren’t at the center, they are living with foster families.

“We are getting the pups at 8 weeks of age,” said Dr. Otto. “They live withfosterfamiliesandtheycometoourcenterfrom8am–5pm Mon-day through Friday for foundation training. The early developmental exposure is critical, but even more critical is the data we are collect-ing.”

The puppies are each named after dogs who responded with their handlers to the terror attacks on September 11, 2001. Three of those responder dogs attended the ceremony this past September and met their predecessors.

“September 11 was my inspiration for this center,” said Otto. “When I went to New York to serve as the on-the-ground veterinarian for these dogs, I knew that there was more that had to be done on the research side to ensure their overall health and well-being. I promised myself then that I wouldn’t rest until this center was realized, and now we are just beginning.”

The seven puppies have come from working lines of dogs and include a golden retriever named Bretagne, a Dutch shepherd named Kaiserin, three yellow Labrador retrievers named Morgan, Sirius and Socks, and two chocolate Labrador retrievers named Papa Bear and Thunder.

These dogs, in addition to serving in the military, protect our ports and border cities as well as help officers on day-to-day patrols in many cities across the states.

penn vet news

continued on page 35

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“Working dogs are, in general, high-energy, focused, and eager to be active,” said Otto. “The type of work that best suits an individual dog varies in physical and mental demands. Some types of detection work, like search and rescue, require a very independent and agile dog, while other types of work, like USDA inspection dogs at the airport, are best-suited for quieter dogs that work well in a team.”

At the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, Dr. Otto and Ms. DeAngelo will be observing the seven puppies to see what kind of work each of them may be best suited to pursue.

After their 1-2 years of training, dogs will be obtained by any number of agencies who can use them in a working role depending on the strengths and talents of the dogs. Two of the female puppies will be employed by the University of Pennsylvania Police Department.

Inadditiontothefirstclassofseven,Ottohopestobringintwoaddi-tional classes of puppies in the next year so that a new class of puppies is always being started out.

But it isn’t all work for the pups.

“Ourfirststepintrainingistobuildplaydrive,”saidOtto,“sowesetup an environment in which the puppy can play and have fun and chase a toy. We have them do that in all sorts of places and on all sorts ofsurfacestobuildconfidence.”

In addition to the training, the puppies undergo regular health check-ups and data, including weight and height, are recorded. Eventually, Dr. Otto hopes to track genetic information in the most successful of the puppies to determine whether there is a biomarker that these

dogs have that other family-pet dogs do not. There is also the aim to begin a breeding program at the center.

“People don't often realize that the dogs that we do have domestically are often bred, raised and trained in Eastern Europe,” said Otto. “As aresult,whilethedogswehavehereareeffective,wearegenerallygetting dogs of a lower quality than what we can breed and train here. Also, knowing that we are breeding and training dogs domestically ensures a greater level of national security.” l

Working Dog Centercontinued from page 34

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Classified AdsVeterinariansSEEKING EMPLOYMENT—Senior citizen veterinarian, still hardworking and conscientious is seeking part-time employment in southcentral Pennsylvania. Dr. Deborah Stone. 717.334.9549.

FULL-TIME ASSOCIATE veterinarian—buy-in potential. 3-doctor, full-service small animal hospital in scenic Berks County. Practices high-quality standardofcare.Exceptionaldoctor/supportstaffratio.Excellenbenefitandcompensationpackage.Visit www.antietamvet.com. Email resume to [email protected] or fax to 610.779.6079.

DO YOUlikeweekendsoffandnooncalltime?Busy,Four Doctor, small animal practice seeking a friendly, energetic, well-rounded veterinarian who wants to practice quality medicine and surgery. Potential to earn $100,000 plus per year, 401K, health insurance andmanyotherbenefits.Newgraduateswelcome.Ultrasound experience a plus. Call Dr. Beth Crombie at 570.523.3640 or email [email protected].

LOOKING FOR great working conditions? Small animal hospital in south central Pennsylvania needs an associate. Long-term desirable. We have an experienced, skilled, and compassionate team to support you. Interest in surgery is a plus. We have visiting specialists in ultrasound, chiropractic, and surgery. Practice quality medicine in a semi-rural environment. No emergency, reasonable hours, and pro-sal. Schuylkill Veterinary Hospital—570.622.1098 or [email protected].

WINDING HILL Veterinary Clinic was established in 1982. We are a progressive full spectrum 3.5 veterinarian small animal day practice located in Mechanicsburg, PA. We are currently seeking a PT veterinarian with routine medical and surgical experience to join our established team. We prideourselvesbystrivingtoofferawelcomingenvironmentforourstafftoprovidethehigheststandard of care for our patients. Please email your resume to [email protected] if you would like to learn more.

FULL OR PART-TIME associate veterinarian—Our newly remodeled small animal hospital, located just 15 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, PA, is seeking an associate to join our positive team of professionals. Established more than 60 years ago, our busy hospital is equipped with digital radiography and afullin-housediagnosticlaboratory.Ourstaffisdedicated to providing excellent veterinary care in a compassionate manner. Ideal candidate should possess excellent communication skills, strong interest in medicine, a desire to provide exceptional veterinary care, and the willingness to treat patients and clients in a respectful and compassionate manner.Weoffercompetitivewages,medical/dentalbenefitsandCEallowance.Interestedapplicantsshouldforwardresume/CVandletterofinterest to [email protected].

ASSOCIATE VETERINARIAN part or full-time for 2 doctor small animal practice in Erie PA. Excellent team and technology. After hours emergencies

referred to emergency clinic. Positive attitude, excellent communication skills, and dedication to customer service required. Strong interest in surgery a plus. Resume and letter of interest to Scott Johns VMD, Fairview Veterinary Hospital, 7733 W Ridge Rd. Fairview, PA 16415, or [email protected].

Veterinary TechnicianFULL-TIME VETERINARY technician: An experienced anddedicatedfull-timecertifiedveterinarytechnician needed to join our great team. Visit www.leesportanimalhospital.com and Facebook. Interested? Fax cover letter and resume to 610.926.3860.

NEEDED FOR busy, growing small animal practice in Burgettstown, PA (20 minutes west ofPittsburgh.):Veterinarytechnician/assistant/receptionist. Family-like atmosphere requires a friendly, kind, caring individual. Experience very helpful. Please respond via email to [email protected].

Practice ConsultantPRACTICE SALES and appraisals—Why pay 8-10% in commissions to help you sell your practice? Our company has the knowledge and experience to produce significantsavingsforyou.Calltoinquireaboutourrates. No obligation. Practice valuations starting at $2500. Ark Business Consulting. Alan Glassman, VMD; David Cherst, CPA, MBA. 610.283.3476.

Relief VeterinariansENERGETIC VETERINARIAN relocated to the area looking for part-time or relief work in small animal practices in Lancaster, Berks, and Lebanon areas, as well as portions of Dauphin, York, Schuylkill, and Lehigh counties. Comfortable providing both routine and emergency care to small animals, including birds and pocket pets. Please contact David J. Henzler, DVM, PhD, at 717.341.4357, [email protected].

S. RAE BRAUDAWAY, DVM. OSU 2007, internship trained (University of Minnesota), 4+ years in small animal referral emergency practice. Available for relief and part-time work in small animal clinics within100milesoftheWilkes-Barre/Plainsarea.Competent medical and surgical skills, practices progressive high-quality medicine. 517.599.1221, [email protected].

RAJU KACHAM BVSc, veterinarian with 5 years of experience in small animal medicine and surgery. Licensed and available for relief veterinarian services in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey states. Please contact me at 484.560.7714 (cell) or by email at [email protected].

SAFI CHAND, DVM. Compassionate, productive small animal veterinarian, strong interpersonal, medical and surgical skills, >5 year experience in referral/ER,exotics,availableweekends,weekdaysand nights. 413.636.9209; [email protected].

EXPERIENCED, SURGICALLY-COMPETENT veterinarian available for relief employment. York, Adams, Lancaster, Dauphin, Cumberland, and Franklin Counties. Allan Hill, VMD, 717.723.6559.

BONNIE J. MILLER DVM. Veterinarian with 25+ years experience in small animal, pocket pets, avian, reptile and exotics. Licensed in MD and PA. APHIS certifiedandhaveacurrentDEAcertification.Proficientinsurgeryaswell.York,Lancaster,Gettysburg, Harrisburg, and surrounding areas in PA. Northern Baltimore County and some parts of Hartford and Frederick Counties. 717.739.8400.

DONALD W. STREMME, VMD. Experienced veterinarian (35+ years) available for small animal and exotic (birds, pocket pets, reptiles) relief work in Philadelphia area and South Jersey. Will consider other areas where licensed, too. Licensed (including DEA and USDA-APHS) in PA, NJ, NY, FL and CA. Email to [email protected].

KATHRYN WEST, DVM, UF ‘94. Small animal andexotic/non-traditionalpetwork,includingsx.Central and SE PA. [email protected].

EXPERIENCED VETERINARIAN, 1987 Penn grad seeks part-time employment within 30-45 minutes ofthePottstown/Quakertownarea.Specialinterestsin surgery, diagnostic imaging, exotics. Professional, reliable, neat appearance. Call Jacqueline Burke, VMD at 610.754.1155 or email [email protected].

LOOKING FOR relief: Veterinarian needed for Tuesday and or Thursday evenings. Approximate hours are 4 hour weekly with opportunity for further relief (vacations) Contact: Providence Veterinary Hospital, Chester, PA. 215.620.2407.

MJ POTTER, UP 97. Experience in small animal internal medicine, critical care, oncology, and general surgery. Available for long or short term relief in Delaware, Chester, Lancaster, and surrounding counties. 610.357.5275 or [email protected].

WILLIAM KEER, DVM, Wisconsin ‘99 Providing veterinary relief services and improving colleagues’ quality of life in eastern Pennsylvania. Please contact me via email at [email protected] or phone at 484.560.4338 for more information.

THE VISITING VET! Experienced relief veterinarian available for quality coverage in Chester County, Northern Delaware, southern Lancaster County and southern New Jersey. Small animal and pocket pets. Soft tissue surgery and emergency coverage. Licensed three states and DEA current certificate. One day or regular short-term part-time. References available. Contact: Sandra Fargher, VMD '91, at 610.299.8593 or [email protected].

HOW DO you spell relief? Jerry Godfry, DVM! I have been a veterinarian for 38 years and have owned my own practice in Chester County for the past 30 years. I have sold my practice recently and I am currently available to work as a relief veterinarian in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. I am an experienced,reliabledoctorthatwouldfityourneeds.My experience ranges from cats and dogs to birds and reptiles. I am licensed and accredited in PA as well as federallyaccredited.Iworkwellwithnewstaffandam able to work a busy schedule. Available for day

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and evening shifts in addition to Saturdays and some holidays. Will travel 45-1 hour if needed. Please contact if interested. 610.506.6494.

Practices For SaleSMALL ANIMAL practice for sale in northwestern PA. 2400 sq. ft. with room to expand. Located on approximately 2 acres—nice facility designed and built as a veterinary hospital. Owner has limited open hours and services. Large animal potential (some equipment). Practice, equipment, inventory, computer system andrealestateoffered.PleasecontactBrianLangdon,DVM,at814.333.1313.

ClassifiedAdscontinued from page 36

PVMA Welcomes the Class of 2016 to Penn Vet at Our First Year Picnic

Top center: Members of the class of 2016 relax on the sidewalk; top right: Trixie and her dad; left: Dr. Mary Bryant gets to know a student.

Above: Vice-President Dr. Jim Holt, Dr. Ted Robinson, and Executive Director Charlene Wandzilak pose for a photo; right: Dr. Holt and Dr. Robinson get to know some of the students over lunch.

penn vet news

VETERINARY REAL estate, commercial and residential in Lancaster County, PA. This property has been a veterinary hospital for 39 years. Excellent location, one acre lot, barn, oversized two car garage, spacious two bedroom apartment. Real estate under $265,000. Equipment for sale separately. Email [email protected] or call 717.733.1078.

WEST VIRGINIA—Northern part of state. Grossing 750K with pristine real estate. Well-equipped with digital x-ray and lab. After hour emergencies go to nearby emergency clinic. Buyer makes over 100k after debt service. Call George at TPSG: 419.945.2408 or email: [email protected]. l

Penn Vet Students of V'14 Receive White Coats From PVMACongratulations to the third year students at Penn Vet on their achievement!

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february 2013February 20, 2013PVMA District 6 Dinner MeetingHershey Lodge, Hershey, PA5:30pm—Registration; 6:00pm—Dinner

PVMA will host a District 6 dinner meeting at the Hershey Lodge sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. District 6 includes Dauphin, Leba-

non, Lancaster, York, Cumberland, Perry, Adams, and Franklin Coun-ties. Speaker Dr. John Pantalo will talk on Canine Lyme Borreliosis: An Update including what is Lyme Disease?; clinical disease management –diagnosisandtreatment;andprevention–vaccinationimportanceand options. President-Elect Dr. Sherrill Davison and Executive Director Charlene Wandzilak will also host an interactive presentation on PVMA. Online registration is available at http://www.cvent.com/d/ccq423.

march 2013March 20, 2013PVMA District 4 Dinner MeetingBravo Cucina Italiana Restaurant, Cranberry Township, PA5:30pm—Registration; 6:00pm—Dinner

PVMA will host a District 4 dinner meet-ing at the Bravo Cucina Italiana Restaurant sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. District

4 includes Lawrence, Butler, Beaver, Armstrong, Indiana, Allegheny, Fayette, Westmoreland, Washington, and Greene Counties. Speaker Dr. John Pantalo will talk on Canine Lyme Borreliosis: An Update includ-ingwhatisLymeDisease?;clinicaldiseasemanagement–diagnosisandtreatment;andprevention–vaccinationimportanceandoptions.Online registration is available at http://www.cvent.com/d/ccq423.

may 2013May 20, 2013PVMA District 5 Dinner MeetingPenn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College, PA5:30pm—Registration; 6:00pm—Dinner

PVMA will host a District 5 dinner meeting at the Penn Stater. District 5includesClearfield,Centre,Mifflin,Juniata,Huntingdon,Fulton,Bed-ford, Somerset, Cambria, and Blair Counties. Speaker and topic will be available at www.pavma.org. Online registration is available at http://www.cvent.com/d/ccq423.

Events & Educationwhat’s happening

May 22-23, 201314th Annual Spring ClinicPenn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College, PA12 HOURS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT

The 14th Annual Spring Clinic is returning to Happy Valley. The program will include the following tracks: bovine, equine, integrative medicine, cervid, companion animal, practice management exotics, and veterinary technician. Full details and online registration will be available at www.pavma.org.

august 2013August 15-18, 20137th Keystone Veterinary Conference (KVC) Hershey Lodge, Hershey, PA

25 HOURS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITKeystone Veterinary Conference will again be held in Hershey, the Sweetest Place on Earth. The program will include the following tracks: companion animal, production animal, equine, exotics, veterinary technician, practice management, integrative medicine, and shelter medicine. Full details and online registration will be available at www.pavma.org.

october 2013October 27, 20134th Annual Bark in the Park 5k Run & 1 Mile Dog Walk City Island, Harrisburg, PAFetch your sneakers, dog, and dog leash or come alone and run! If you and your dog are both able to comfortably go the distance, dogs are welcome to jointheirownersonthe5krun.GetpledgespriortoracedaytobenefitTheLast Chance Fund (TLC) of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Foundation. The TLC Fund provides funds for the care of abused or neglected unowned companion animals. Full details and online registration will be available at www.pavetfoundation.org.

november 2013November 2-3, 20136th 3 Rivers Veterinary Symposium Omni William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh, PA12 HOURS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT

3 Rivers Veterinary Symposium will return to Pittsburgh in Novem-ber. The program will include the following tracks: companion animal dentistry, critical care, orthopedic, surgery, internal medicine, bovine, equine, veterinary technician, and practice management. Full details and online registration will be available at www.pavma.org. l

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team, the clients and the pets where anyone wanted to go.

Whether you are an owner already who is look-ing to improve and grow, or you are a future owner, these are the fundamental areas for self assessment. Improving your skills in these areas can help you reach your goals and be a dramatic boost in your ownership experience.

When an owner truly enjoys operating their practice,everyonebenefits—yourteam,yourclients, and most importantly the pets you are serving. l

David McCormick and Sherry Everhart are veterinary practice appraisers and practice management consultants at Simmons Mid-Atlantic. They can be reached at 888.881.7084 and by email at [email protected] and [email protected].

Practice Ownershipcontinued from page 13

The preferred samples for metal and mineral analyses are as follows:• Antemortem —Whole blood and serum —Liver biopsies for copper analysis

• Dead Animal —Fresh or frozen liver and kidney

• Suspect Sources and/or Environmental Samples —Feed (including mineral supplements), water,+/-bedding —Samples from other potential sources such as burn piles and paint chips can also be submitted for analysis.

Results are reported and interpreted using species-specificreferenceranges,butshouldalso be considered in light of the case his-tory, clinical signs, and the other diagnostic testing. Dr. Murphy can be reached for con-sultations at the PADLS New Bolton Center Toxicology Laboratory at 610.925.6217 or [email protected]. l

PADLScontinued from page 15

PVMA will keep you abreast of legislation and any call to action needed. We will also regularly poll you for your opinion on proposals tobeconsideredbyourLegislativeandRegulatoryAffairsCommit-tee. For information on how to become involved on the committee, contact Charlene Wandzilak, Executive Director at [email protected]. The Committee meets at least quarterly via

Legislative and Regulatory Reviewcontinued from page 17

phone conference on a weekday evening to discuss bills. Additional responsibilities including providing prompt feedback to emails about legislation and regulations that require quick turnaround time. If you arelookingforadifferentwaytogetinvolved,weencourageyoutoattend one of our capitol visits or participating in our Legislative Day. Legislative Day is on May 7, 2013, in Harrisburg. More information will follow. For dates of other capitol visits or on how to get involved, con-tact Charlene. Here’s to a successful year advocating on your behalf! l

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thegrandfinale

Laughter Is the Best Medicine

finalwordsofwisdom

Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we

think of it; the tree is the real thing.

—ABRAHAM LINCOLN

SAY CHEESE!

You Know You're a Dog Person When ...• You have more dog beds, chew toys, collars, leashes, harnesses, and dog crates than you

have dogs.

• You meet other people with dogs, and remember their dog's call name after 30 seconds, butdon'tgettheowner/handler'snameuntilyou'vemetthem2or3times.

• You don't think twice about trading licks of an ice cream cone with your dog.

• Your parents give up on grandchildren and start to refer to your dogs as "your kids" or your children." (Bonus: they start to call them "our granddogs.")

• 90 percent of your internet connection time goes to the dogs (seeing what's new when you enter your breed into the browser, reading up on multiple lists, checking out photos, sounds and FAQs, etc.).

• You have hundreds of pictures of your dogs on your desk at work, in your wallet, etc., but none of your family or yourself.

• No one wants to ride in your car because they know they'll get dog hair on their clothes.

• You reach into your pockets for change, and liver treats, dog kibble, and pick-up bags fall all over. (Bonus: you've done this in a classy establishment.)

• You've had long meaningful discussions with your friends on the best way to trim your dog's nails but have never had a manicure or pedicure in your lifetime.

• Books and movies are ruined for you if the dog references are incorrect.

• The highlight of your day is spending time with your dog.

•You watch simply awful movies because your breed is either featured in a cameo scene or there's a 3 second camera shot during a crowd scene.

•All of your clothes have dog hair on them, even when they come back from the laundromat or dry cleaners.

•The only thing your friends, colleagues, and passing acquaintances say to you when they see you is, "How are the dogs?" or "How many dogs do you have now?"

•Your photo Christmas cards feature your dogs (humans optional).

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8574 Paxton Street

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