Reading Time: 5 minutes Producers, do you have a Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship? As of Dec. 1, all antimicrobials used in animals will require a prescription from a registered veterinarian — and vets can only write a prescription if the four conditions that define a Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR) are met. Some producers may be wary of this new set of regulations, […] Read more

Livestock producers and vets need to communicate in the new VCPR world
The days when you could just phone a vet and ask for a prescription are now done and dusted
Vet award winners announced
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Veterinary Medical Association has announced the recipients of its 2018 ABVMA awards. Dr. Robert (Bob) Jones has been named Veterinarian of the Year while Dr. Peter Martin will receive the Meritorious Service award when the association holds its awards banquet in February. The Young Veterinarian of the Year award will go to Dr. […] Read more
Opening up use of preg check ultrasound
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Veterinary Medical Association is again surveying its members on whether registered veterinary technologists should be allowed to conduct beef cattle pregnancy detection using ultrasound. In 2012, the association’s food animal advisory committee recommended such a move, but ABVMA members were not supportive. Last year, the committee again recommended allowing veterinary technologists to use […] Read more

It’s a new era when it comes to livestock medication
Don’t wait until the new rules go into effect in December — the time to get ready is now
Reading Time: 3 minutes Having a professional relationship with your veterinarian has never been more important. New regulations passed by Health Canada that come into effect Dec. 1 will require that all medically important antimicrobials (MIA) — including those that are injected, dissolved in water, fed in feed, or administered as a bolus — will need a prescription. Just […] Read more

Young Albertan aims higher thanks to mentoring program
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not every day you meet a person who can lay claim to being Canada’s only something-or-other. However, Ashley Gaudet will gladly tell you she is Canada’s sole registered veterinary technician with a veterinary technician speciality in clinical practice specific to production animal medicine. What does that full mouth mean? Equated to human medicine, the […] Read more

Duane Landals named 2017 Carl Block Award recipient
Reading Time: < 1 minute An Alberta veterinarian has been named the recipient of a national award for outstanding contributions to animal health. Dr. Duane Landals of Onoway has been given the 2017 Carl Block Award by the Canadian Animal Health Coalition. For more than 37 years Landals has “contributed significantly” to veterinary medicine, both in Canada and internationally. He […] Read more

Veterinarian school funding decision creates controversy
School’s dean says it makes sense to consolidate in Calgary but association says it’s capping training in the midst of a vet shortage
Reading Time: 3 minutes The dean of the province’s vet school is defending the NDP government’s decision to consolidate veterinarian education in Alberta — but the association representing the profession says it’s short sighted. The province announced last month it will be pulling its $8 million in funding from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon to expand […] Read more

Vets decry province’s plan to redirect school funding to Calgary
Province will pull funding from Saskatoon’s veterinary college to expand its Calgary counterpart
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Alberta Veterinary Medical Association says the province is making a mistake by pulling its $8 million in annual funding from the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine to expand the vet school at the University of Calgary. The association said it supports the expansion of U of C’s veterinary medicine program to […] Read more

Horse owners and riders urged to take survey
Survey closes Oct. 31
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada is conducting a survey to gauge awareness, implementation, and compliance with the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines. The code, released in 2013, is a comprehensive guideline covering basic food and water needs; shelter; freedom of movement; companionship; veterinary and farrier care; husbandry practice; and […] Read more

Put antimicrobials, traceability, and biosecurity on your to-do list
All three areas are undergoing changes that producers should be aware of, says the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association
Reading Time: 2 minutes There are things that beef producers need to look out for in the coming months when it comes to herd health and biosecurity. “We do know that there are changes in play that will require all medically important antimicrobials to become prescription only,” said Rob McNabb, general manager of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. Some medically […] Read more