Orthopedics and Surgery for the General Practitioner with Gary Thompson, DVM, DABVP
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Register Online Now

Dr. Thompson is a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and is the only Board-Certified Specialist in Canine and Feline Practice in Northwest Ohio. He practiced in Northwood and Perrysburg before opening the West Suburban Animal Hospital in 2001.

His areas of professional interests are Orthopedics and minimally invasive surgery (Arthroscopy). Dr. Thompson has advanced training in complex fracture repair and corrective osteotomies (AO/ASIF), including bone plating and interlocking nail techniques. He is the only veterinarian performing the Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) and the Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA) for cruciate injuries in dogs in Northwest Ohio and has successfully performed thousands of these procedures on a wide variety of patient sizes.

Topics Will Include: 

• Polyarthritis: What About More Than One Sore Joint
  
• What’s New in Cruciate Management
  
• Disorders of the Thoracic Limb
  
• Developmental Orthopedic Diseases
  
• Complications: What To Do When Things Go Bad

View the 2018-2019 Brochure and Registration Form

January 25-27, 2019 • Lansing Center • Lansing, Michigan

Register Online Now
View the 2019 MVC Program
Print a Registration Form
Make Your Hotel Reservation

Thank You to Our Sponsors - Meet the 2019 Exhibitors!

Platinum    

 

Gold

Silver

Equinosis
Royal Canin
Sophie’s Seminar, Inc.

Bronze

Animal Neurology & MRI Center, a MedVet Partner
Aurora Pharmaceutical
Oakland Veterinary Referral Services
United Dairy Industry of Michigan

Meet the 2019 Michigan Veterinary Conference Exhibitors!

Abaxis  -  511
AKC Reunite  -  202
New Exhibitor! American Profit Recovery  -  615     *American Profit Recovery is an Approved MVMA Business Partner - Learn More!
Animal Neurology Rehabilitation & ER Center  -  313
Antech Diagnostics  -  213
Aratana Therapeutics  -  510
Aventix  -  113 
Banfield Pet Hospital  -  508
Bank of America Practice Solutions  -  414 
Bayer Animal Health  -  315 
Blue Buffalo  -  515
BluePearl Veterinary Partners  -  708-710
Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health  -  301-400 
Boggs Specialties LLC  -  415
CareCredit  -  500 
Carr Healthcare Realty  -  602
CEVA Animal Health  -  413-512 
New Exhibitor! CryoProbe  -  702
New Exhibitor! Dalcoma Specialty Pharmacy  -  101 
Dechra Veterinary Products  -  203 
Doctor Multimedia  -  412
New Exhibitor! Eisner Gohn Group  -  314
Elanco Animal Health  -  609-611 
Elsevier  -  501-600
Faithful Companion Pet Cremation Services  -  200 
FUJIFILM SonoSite  -  211
Futrell & Futrell Builders, Inc.  -  403
Great Lakes Imaging, Inc.  -  503
Henry Schein Animal Health  -  513 
Heska Corporation  -  208
Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc.  -  109
Hospital Network Healthcare Services  -  222
IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.  -  409-411 
New Exhibitor! Innovative Pet Food Manufacturing  -  121
K-Laser  -  320
New Exhibitor! Kindred BioSciences, Inc.  -  612
Luea Pharmacy  -  712
Marshfield Lab  -  210
MassMutual Michigan Metro  -  608
Merck Animal Health  -  308-310
Michigan Humane Society  -  623
Midwest Veterinary Partners  -  115
Midwest Veterinary Supply  -  214
MSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory  -  601-700
MSU Veterinary Medical Center  -  201-300
Multimin USA  -  402
MWI Animal Health  -  311
Nutramax Laboratories Veterinary Sciences, Inc.  -  220
Oakland Veterinary Referral Services  -  302
Partridge Enterprises, Inc.  -  321-323
Patterson Veterinary Supply  -  421-423
Pawsitive Steps Rehabilitation & Therapy for Pets  -  509 
Penn Veterinary Supply, Inc.  -  309
PNC Healthcare Business Banking  -  221
New Exhibitor! Premier Payment Solutions  -  228
Radtech X-Ray, Inc.  -  514
Ralph C. Wilson Agency, Inc.  -  408-410     *RCWA is an Approved MVMA Business Partner - Learn More!
Rose Micro Solutions  -  603
Sedecal USA  -  401
Simmons Great Lakes  -  212
Total Practice Solutions Group  -  312
New Exhibitor! Unicom Solutions  -  614
Universal Imaging, Inc.  -  111 
Vetamac Inc.  -  215
VetCor  -  420
Veterinary Books by Success Concepts  -  303
New Exhibitor! Veterinary Vision of Rochester  -  520
VetMatrix  -  209
Virbac Animal Health  -  103
Vortech Pharmaceuticals  -  502
Zomedica  -  613

Interested in exhibiting or sponsoring at the Michigan Veterinary Conference? Contact the MVMA today! 

MVMA has been hearing more lately about unexpected  outcomes when dealing with pharmacies. While it is appropriate at times for veterinarians to write prescriptions the client then takes to a pharmacy, what do you do when pharmacy actions do not meet your expectations? MVMA is preparing frequently asked questions (FAQs) to address various scenarios. Here is an example:

I believe a Michigan pharmacy changed the medication dose for a prescription I wrote. What should I do?

The pharmacy should not change the dose of a medication on a prescription unless the pharmacist contacts you first to get your approval. In the event of a pharmacy error, your first responsibility is to your client to provide guidance on the correct dose to administer to your patient. This probably will involve contacting the pharmacy to request they correct their error and fill the prescription correctly. Subsequently, you have additional follow-up options ranging from education/outreach with the pharmacy to filing a complaint with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).

The profession of pharmacy (pharmacies and pharmacists) is regulated by LARA. There is a pharmacy practice and drug control section in the Michigan Public Health Code as well as a set of rules by the Michigan Board of Pharmacy. The Board of Pharmacy General Rules are 33 pages long compared to 8 pages for the Board of Veterinary Medicine Rules (veterinary rules will be longer once the section on continuing education is added). These documents, though primarily focused on the profession of pharmacy, are worth a read since veterinarians are mentioned in a few places. Specifically, veterinarians are included in the definition of “prescriber” and there are responsibilities of “prescribers” stated in both documents.

The specific section in the Michigan Public Health Code that covers pharmacists dispensing prescription drugs is MCL 333.17751. This section says, in part:

333.17751 Dispensing prescription drug or device requiring prescription; requirements.

(6) After consultation with and agreement from the prescriber, a pharmacist may add or change a patient's address, a dosage form, a drug strength, a drug quantity, a direction for use, or an issue date with regard to a prescription. A pharmacist shall note the details of the consultation and agreement required under this subsection on the prescription and shall maintain that documentation with the prescription as required in section 17752. A pharmacist shall not change the patient's name, controlled substance prescribed unless authorized to dispense a lower cost generically equivalent drug product under section 17755, or the prescriber's signature with regard to a prescription.

To help assure that the prescriptions you write are appropriately filled at a pharmacy, consider taking the proactive actions below. The focus here is noncontrolled substances. As you know, there are special requirements for controlled substances.

·         As suggested by one MVMA member, put your prescriptions in writing; do not rely on telephone communication.

·         Review requirements for submitting prescriptions to pharmacies to help assure you are ameliorating the process of filling the prescription. For example, if you print out a prescription from your computer, be sure you manually sign the prescription rather than relying on an electronic signature. See MCL 333.17754.

·         Be sure you understand the pharmacist’s ability to provide generic equivalents. If you do not want a generic equivalent provided, be sure your “dispense as written” provision is done correctly. See MCL 333.17755. This section is newly amended as of September 26, 2018.

·         Review the detailed rules for information that needs to be part of the prescription. See R 338.479b Noncontrolled prescriptions.

·         If you find that clients are using certain pharmacies, consider a meet and greet with pharmacy staff. Here is what AVMA has to say as part of their policy on Writing Veterinary Prescriptions:

The AVMA encourages prescribing veterinarians to exercise initiative and establish strong collegial relationships with pharmacists in their sphere of practice. Proactively establishing open lines of communication will establish the pharmacist as part of the veterinary health care team, promote education and foster consultations to address issues and questions that ultimately will arise.

Nancy Frank, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
Staff Veterinarian
Michigan Veterinary Medical Association

Have a specific question on this topic? Contact us at mvma@michvma.org.

Register Now for the 2018-2019 Series!

View the 2018-2019 Brochure and Registration Form

Practice Management with Wendy Hauser, DVM
Practice Managers are welcome and encouraged to attend!
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Register Online Now

The president and founder of metro Denver-based Peak Veterinary Consulting, Dr. Wendy Hauser brings decades of in-the-trenches, real-world experience owning and operating a highly successful veterinary practice to her veterinary practice management consulting services.

Dr. Hauser consults with veterinarians and veterinary practice managers nationwide to help them improve the management, operations, and profitability of their veterinary practices and veterinary hospitals.

Topics Will Include: 

• What is a Leader?
  
• Culture: Every Practice has One … But is it the One You Want?
  
• How “Healthy” is Your Hospital?
  
• Critical Conversations and Accountability: Taking Healthy Hospitals to the Next Level
  
  Dr. Hauser is Generously Sponsored by
  

Dr. Ryan Carpenter and MVMA CEO Karlene Belyea explain how to rEFRESH - RECHARGE - RENEW YOURSELF & YOUR PRACTICE LIFE

Register Now for "Getting the Most Out of Your Career: Success Strategies for Personal and Professional Growth" 

Presented by The Michigan Veterinary Medical Association and the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine

What is it? This program is modeled after our very popular Power of 10 Leadership Academy for recent graduates and is designed for veterinarians, technicians, assistants, practice managers and others who work in the veterinary profession in any capacity and need a refresh, recharge, or renewal of their passion for veterinary medicine. This program features two one-day sessions, two online video trainings and monthly links to leadership and wellness videos/content/tips to educate and inspire your career. In addition to the great content being offered, you will connect with colleagues and learn from them as well!

Register Online Now!
View the Certification Brochure

ISSUE ILLUMINATORS

Karlene Belyea, MBA, CEO, Michigan Veterinary Medical Association, Certified DiSC Trainer & National Speaker
One of Karlene’s passion is working with groups on improving communications in the workplace. She is a certified Everything DiSC® Trainer and presents sessions on behavioral styles, generational differences, body language, leadership, dealing with negative mojo, brain training/neuroscience, happiness and work/life integration. Karlene focuses on how to work together more effectively through understanding and appreciating the differences in people, while working to improve communications, team building, customer service and conflict resolution. Karlene has been the CEO of the Michigan VMA since 2003 and has more than 29 years of experience in association management. She also serves as Executive Director of the Michigan Animal Health Foundation. She holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a BA in Telecommunications from Michigan State University so she can cheer for whoever is winning! She speaks to a wide variety of groups nationally including AAHA (speaks at all their Indispensable Association workshops around the country), AVMA and numerous state and local VMAs. For fun, she sings and plays keyboards for a band called Rear View Mirror.

Regina Carey, Life Coach, Consultant and Speaker
Regina Carey is the founder of Carey On, LLC. She is an educator. She is a creative. She is a leader. In her own words: “Everything I do, I do to lift others UP, move them forward, and INSPIRE them to use their unique voices. The way I do that is by challenging, questioning, and motivating people to jump outside their comfort zones. I’m a Coach, Consultant and Passion Instigator – what do you want to do with your life?” Veterinary Medicine has been a part of her life’s work, as she has been with her husband of 26 years through his pre-vet, veterinary, internship, residence and Ph.D. training. Regina has been a part of Michigan State University’s CVM programming for over 15 years. The goal of her work is to educate and empower those who are stuck, struggling, and ready for positive change. Regina customizes her approach to meet the needs of each unique situation. Her methods focus on MOVING FORWARD, using positive feedback, and embracing all that comes with that journey.

Chandra Grabill, PhD, Assistant Dean for Student Wellness and Engagement
Chandra Grabill is the Assistant Dean for Student Wellness and Engagement in the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine (MSU-CVM). She is responsible for several programs that support student success in the college, including new student orientation, tutoring, the House System, and other wellness-related activities. Dr. Grabill has been at MSU-CVM since 2004. Before moving into her current administrative role, she provided counseling to students in the DVM and the Veterinary Technology programs, as well as mental health-related consultation services for the MSU-CVM community. Dr. Grabill received her Masters and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Kent State University. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Emory University School of Medicine. She is a fully licensed psychologist who has worked in a number of academic, inpatient, and community-based mental health settings. Dr. Grabill is a founding member and Chair of the Veterinary Mental Health Practitioners group of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC).

Hilda Mejia Abreu, PhD, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, Michigan State University CVM
Hilda Mejia Abreu, joined MSU CVM as assistant dean for the Offices of Admissions, Scholarships, Diversity and Inclusion in January 2016. Dr. Mejia Abreu received her Baccalaureate and Master of Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts and her Ph.D. from MSU’s College of Education. She served as associate dean at the University of Texas Health Science Center for the School of Nursing where she developed a recruitment strategy that increased enrollment and was responsible for the strategic direction of the Committee on Faculty and Student Matters (Diversity Committee). After her time at the University of Texas, Dr. Mejia Abreu joined Liaison International, the leading provider of centralized application services for veterinary medicine, nursing, dental, and other health professions, as their executive director for program partnerships and higher education content expert. Hilda knows that leadership is the ability to collect the strengths of all team members and organize these in a way that will ensure success. She sees her role as nurturing the team, as well as internal and external stakeholders. Hilda’s philosophy is to grow and nurture strong relationships from local to global. For fun, she loves taking care of her animals (3 horses, 2 goats, 1 dog and 1 cat), spending time with family and paddle boarding.

Joe Grimm, Editor in Residence, School of Journalism, Michigan State University
Joe Grimm is visiting editor in residence in the Michigan State University School of Journalism. His course in career branding won an ATT innovative technologies award. Grimm prepared for his teaching career with 30 years in newspapering, 18 of those years as the recruiting and staff development editor at the Detroit Free Press. Teaching as an adjunct helped him make the career change. He is also a book author and freelance writer, which helps keep him and his career fresh. Joe relaxes in the summer by teaching 84 high school students journalism and living in a dorm with them for five weeks.

Betsy Charles, DVM, MA (online video trainings), Executive Director, Veterinary Leadership Institute
Dr. Charles combines a wide variety of professional experiences with her love of veterinary medicine in order to help others be the best they can be. After graduating from Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine she completed a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership where her thesis dealt with implementation of change efforts within veterinary practices. To that end, she loves helping veterinary professionals understand how the principles of emotional intelligence can help facilitate implementation of change initiatives in practice. She has been involved with the Veterinary Leadership Experience as a speaker for 9 years and is now the Executive Director of The Veterinary Leadership Institute. Dr. Charles is also an Assistant Professor at Western University of Health Sciences where she teaches radiology, leadership, and serves as a content expert in equine medicine and surgery. Her role as Executive Director of the VLE allows her to continue to combine her passion for veterinary medicine, leadership development, teaching, and communication. When she is not trying to make a difference in the veterinary profession, you can find her at the barn riding, Lenny, the best horse ever.

This is a year-long course, and if you do not sign up to attend the October 2018 seminar you must wait and register for the 2019 program. Please contact us at 517/347-4710 or mvma@michvma.org with questions.

Boosting Your Financial IQ to Maximize Fiscal Performance

MVMA Members Invited to Register for FREE Webinars Designed to Elevate Financial Literacy of Veterinary Practice 

For veterinary practices to thrive, those in leadership and management positions must be proficient in financial management. If financial management is not your forte, Boosting Your Financial IQ to Maximize Fiscal Performance will bolster your skills and increase your confidence in addressing a range of key financial topics. 

This FREE, comprehensive, straightforward series dives into the essentials of financial management equipping participants to develop a deeper understanding of the financial statement, participate in real-world applications of KPIs, become better at budgeting, and gain insights into how to improve practice profitability.

Speakers Terence M. O'Neil, CPA, CVA and Beth Scott, CPA from Katz, Sapper & Miller's Veterinary Services Group provide veterinary hospitals with business, financial, and tax advice to assist with the growth and management of their businesses.

The schedule of webinars is as follows:

Why Budgeting Can Prevent Problems and Relieve Stress
Wednesday, October 3, 2018, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm ET
Click for more details and registration.

Trends at the Most-Profitable Veterinary Hospitals
Wednesday, January 9, 2019, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm ET
Click for more details and registration.

These events are free of charge. The Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) will issue a one (1) hour continuing education certificate to attendee for each session for a maximum of four (4) continuing education hours. RACE approval TBA.

Terence M. O’Neil, CPA, CVA

Terry O’Neil is the partner-in-charge of Katz, Sapper & Miller’s Veterinary Services Group. Terry provides veterinary hospitals with business, financial, and tax advice to assist with the growth and management of their businesses. He aids clients with tax and strategic planning, forecasting, budgeting, mergers and acquisitions and/or sales of businesses, debt structuring, employment incentive contracts, financing, business valuations, buy-sell agreements, and other business and accounting services. In addition, Terry is responsible for the preparation and review of financial statements and tax returns. Terry often speaks at conferences regarding profit improvement, veterinary business valuation, succession planning, financial benchmarking, and other business topics. Terry was previously the CFO for a group of eight veterinary medical practices and was a stakeholder in the business. He was also a regional financial analyst for a national veterinary medical practice. Terry is responsible for the management of the Veterinary Study Groups’ database of veterinary hospital financial data for over 400 hospitals across the country. Leading this database allows Terry to identify trends and opportunities.

Beth Scott, CPA

Beth Scott is a director in Katz, Sapper & Miller’s Business Advisory and Veterinary Services Groups. She has been with the firm since 2004. Beth advises clients in accounting, tax, and business matters and has extensive experience in tax planning, tax compliance, financial statement analysis, forecasts and projections, accounting systems implementation, and key performance indicator reports. As a member of the Veterinary Services Group, Beth provides hospitals with benchmark and profit-enhancement consulting to help increase their profit and practice values. In addition to the day-to-day management of one of the largest national veterinary benchmarking databases, Beth actively participates in speaking engagements and industry membership groups. Beth was instrumental in working with the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and Veterinary Management Group (VMG) to combine their chart of accounts that was subsequently released to the veterinary industry in June of 2017.

Learn More Here

The DEA strongly recommends employers run a pre-employment screening or background check on any employee who has access to controlled substances in the practice. They define “access” as anyone who might in any way have contact with controlled substances within the practice; this includes the opportunity to walk through a room where they might be kept.

DEA Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations

PART 1301 — REGISTRATION OF MANUFACTURERS, DISTRIBUTORS, AND DISPENSERS OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES

EMPLOYEE SCREENING — NON-PRACTITIONERS

§1301.90 Employee screening procedures.

It is the position of DEA that the obtaining of certain information by non-practitioners is vital to fairly assess the likelihood of an employee committing a drug security breach. The need to know this information is a matter of business necessity, essential to overall controlled substances security. In this regard, it is believed that conviction of crimes and unauthorized use of controlled substances are activities that are proper subjects for inquiry. It is, therefore, assumed that the following questions will become a part of an employer's comprehensive employee screening program:

1. Within the past five years, have you been convicted of a felony, or within the past two years, of any misdemeanor, or are you presently charged (formally) with committing a criminal offence? Do not include any traffic violations, juvenile offences or military convictions, except by general court-martial. If the answer is yes, furnish details of conviction, offense location, date, and sentence.
2. In the past three years, have you ever knowingly used any narcotics, amphetamines, or barbiturates, other than those prescribed to you by a physician? If the answer is yes, furnish details.

Advice: An authorization, in writing, that allows inquiries to be made of courts and law enforcement agencies for possible pending charges or convictions must be executed by a person who is allowed to work in an area where access to controlled substances clearly exists. A person must be advised that any false information or omission of information will jeopardize his or her position with respect to employment. The application for employment should inform a person that information furnished or recovered as a result of any inquiry will not necessarily preclude employment, but will be considered as part of an overall evaluation of the person's qualifications. The maintaining of fair employment practices, the protection of the person's right of privacy, and the assurance that the results of such inquiries will be treated by the employer in confidence will be explained to the employee.

[40 FR 17143, Apr. 17, 1975]

https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/21cfr/cfr/1301/1301_90.htm

Michigan Law

Under Michigan law, employers may not ask an applicant about a misdemeanor arrest that did not result in a conviction. Employers may ask about felony or misdemeanor convictions or felony arrests which did not result in a conviction. Some employers are required to conduct criminal history background checks on potential hires. However, unless required by law, it is a violation of Title VII of the US Civil Rights Act for employers to have a blanket policy of not hiring or accepting applications from anyone with a criminal conviction.

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdcr/Preemploymentguide62012_388403_7.pdf

Recommended Employment Screening Providers

The DEA requires employers to focus on issues related to controlled substances. If criminal activity not related to controlled substances and/or other drugs is shown on any report, they consider this a judgement call for the employer and not necessarily a reason to deny employment.

Federal reports are not required to complete a reasonable background check or basic pre-employment screening, but can be a helpful tool for employees who have the highest level of contact with controlled substances within the practice, or have just relocated to the area.  

Local Police Department: Cost Variable

You can get a background check, or criminal record or criminal reference check, at your local police department. These reports often contain a wealth of information, such as misdemeanor and felony convictions, open arrest warrants, sex offender status, and existence of any concealed weapon licenses. You can also contact your state’s Justice Department or county’s Clerk of Courts office for a certified copy of the background check.

Call your local police department or courthouse to find out the specific fees and requirements for obtaining a background check. In most cases, you will need two forms of picture ID, an authorization form from your employee and a fingerprint card. You will likely be required to pay for the background check and a fingerprinting fee. Fingerprinting is required to prevent identify theft.

Michigan State Police: $10/report
https://www.michigan.gov/msp/0,4643,7-123-1878_8311---,00.html

The Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT) allows the search of public criminal history record information maintained by the Michigan State Police, Criminal Justice Information Center. All felonies and serious misdemeanors that are punishable by over 93 days are required to be reported to the state repository by law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and courts in all 83 Michigan counties. Suppressed records and warrant information are not available through ICHAT. Also not included are federal records, tribal records, traffic records, juvenile records, local misdemeanors, and criminal history from other states. A search for a record that may be in another state requires that you correspond with that state directly.

• Pro: Cost and ease of use.
• Con: Does not include federal records.

Sterling Talent Solutions: $29.99/report + cost of add-on verifications
*MVMA Members Receive a Discount of 54%
https://savingcenter.net/sterling-talent-solutions/

Sterling Talent Solutions is an extensive online background screening tool recommended by the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association. They offer many levels of screening, including verification options for educational credentials, resume items, and professional licenses.

• Pros: Ease of use, includes federal records and options to add-on educational credentials and license verification.
• Cost: Initial fee listed above does not include set-up charged at time of service.  

MVMA members can use coupon code "BYDEC31" by December 31, 2018 for a 40% discount on the enrollment rate! 

Michigan law now requires veterinarians to complete 45 continuing medical education (CME) hours and 15 CME hours for veterinary technicians every three years. Of the 45 hours, veterinarians will be required to complete one hour of education on medical records and one hour on state veterinary law and/or federal or state controlled substance law. Learn more about mandatory CME and when or if the new CME rules apply to you here.

The MVMA can help! MVMA member, Sarah Babcock, DVM, JD (MSU CVM, 2004) has created online trainings to satisfy these new requirements. Enroll Now!

Your time is valuable and limited. So when you need to invest time for training it should improve your practice and patients. We get it and agree. With the new Michigan law requirements, online courses are available to help. They can be taken when it works for you, without the cost of travel or time away from work.

Please contact us with any questions.

Recap and Thoughts on Next Steps

Canine influenza, a reportable disease in Michigan, continues to be a topic of interest for Michigan companion animal veterinarians though the incidence of cases has substantially decreased since the July/August peak. As of August 31, 2018, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) reported 147 confirmed cases in 12 counties. As of September 10, the case count was slightly up at 151. Most cases are in Oakland, Macomb and Kent Counties. Anecdotally, boarding kennels have been particularly hard hit. The majority of cases with strain type results have been H3N2. MDARD posts case numbers online and updates numbers periodically. You can track reported confirmed cases of canine influenza in Michigan (tracking is by number and county) on MDARD’s website.

There are a variety of educational resources available for veterinarians on canine influenza:

• The American Veterinary Medical Association has FAQ’s and comprehensive information on the disease, as well as handouts for clients (handouts are for members only and access requires a login).
• Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory has a news update with a number of reference links including a link to a client handout they developed and a link to the Cornell University Canine Influenza Virus Surveillance Network. The surveillance network site provides information from cooperating laboratories for case counts in multiple states.
• The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine has information from their state’s outbreak in 2017 including a client handout in Spanish.
• Canine influenza vaccine manufacturers, Merck and Zoetis, have information for veterinarians and pet owners. Merck recently posted a webinar, Get the Dog Flu Facts, to provide a good overview of canine influenza and influenza in general. Merck also has a YouTube video suitable for dog owners. The Zoetis dog flu sitehas information for both veterinarians and pet owners.
• You may want to revisit the information release from MDARD.

Overall, there is good medical information available about canine influenza. Starting with the information above can get you up to speed on the basics of disease spread, disease prevention and education for your clients. This is one of those diseases, though, where veterinarians may also benefit from thinking about population health in addition to thinking about individual patients. This is especially true when dealing with dogs that board, get groomed, attend doggy daycare and otherwise congregate and comingle, as so many of your canine patients probably do. Plus, do not forget about the triad of agent-host-environment when you look at the tools you have available to prevent and mitigate disease spread. Here are some thoughts to consider:

• Agent: Canine H3N2 is highly contagious. We should expect canine H3N2 to continue to spread in the United States with outbreaks occurring in dogs until mitigation practices become widespread and there is more widespread immunity in the dog population. Fortunately, this virus is not zoonotic; it has, though, been found in cats. The other canine influenza virus, H3N8, tends to be less contagious. H3N8 has a history of being an outbreak problem at race tracks.
• Host: “Social distancing” of dogs and vaccination are tools to protect dogs. Obviously, when dogs congregate, the virus has more opportunity to move from one dog to another. As with certain other diseases, widespread vaccination can be a major factor leading to population immunity.  As noted in the recent Merck webinar, Get the Dog Flu Facts, though, vaccinating in the face of an outbreak is not particularly effective. This is because there is not enough time for a dog to complete the series of vaccinations and develop a full immune response. When deciding whether or not to routinely vaccinate a canine patient, current recommendations to evaluate the lifestyle of a pet (including opportunities for indirect contact such as dog parks or stores that allow pet visits) and vaccinate before there is an outbreak in the are reasonable. The other thing to remember about vaccination for this disease is that it does not stop infection, but it is thought to reduce shedding and result in milder clinical signs.
• Environment: The theme here is minimizing the number of virus particles and their opportunity to spread. This means preventing virus introduction, taking steps to minimize virus movement (think fomites), and cleaning and disinfecting to eliminate virus particles.

Now that the Michigan canine H3N2 outbreak appears to be diminishing, you may have some time to consider how you will deal with this disease in the future.  Are there new or updated steps you can take in your practice to mitigate canine H3N2? Think about factors related to the virus, your canine patients, and the places you manage that house dogs. Veterinarians have been an integral part of curbing the recent H3N2 outbreak in Michigan and you can be even more prepared for future canine H3N2 incursions.

Nancy Frank, DVM
MVMA Staff Veterinarian

In April of this year LARA voted to change Gabapentin to a schedule V substance. MAPS and LARA have both indicated those rules haven’t been made public/enforceable yet. We are aware of the email sent by a drug company, but right now this ruleset it still awaiting action by JCAR (Joint Committee of Administrative Rules) and has not yet been completed.

Read the Full News Release Here

From MVMA's lobbyist: Rules have to go before JCAR for at least 15 legislative session days. Generally speaking, JCAR does not act within the 15 days and the rules go back to ORR (Office of Regulatory Reinvention) for a certificate of adoption before then being filed with the Secretary of State. The rules were presented to JCAR on August 31st. With that said, 15 session days will not likely occur until Mid-December. So in all likelihood, we are looking at mid to late December until the rule goes into effect.

Please let us know if you have any questions. MVMA will update our members as we learn more.