2024 Spring Town & Country Call Newsletter

VIRGINIA VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION // SPRING 2024

TOWN &COUNTRY CALL

MEET THE 2024 OFFICERS - 06 2023-2024 VMF RESEARCH PROJECTS - 07 2024 VIRGINIA VETERINARY AWARD RECIPIENTS - 09 LEGISLATIVE SESSION WRAP UP - 11-13

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TOWN & COUNTRY CALL O F F I C I A L

P U B L I C A T I O N

VVMA STAFF

VIRGINIA VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

Talya George

3801 Westerre Parkway, Suite D Henrico, VA 23233

Executive Director

(804) 346-2611

talya@vvma.org

Victoria Staples Associate Director victoria@vvma.org

Samantha Teunis Association Coordinator admin@vvma.org

(804) 346-2655 info@vvma.org vvma.org

OFFICERS Nathaniel Burke, MS, DVM President Brian Neumann, DVM President-Elect Sherri Field Gard, DVM Vice President Courtney Conroy, DVM Secretary-Treasurer Lauren Maxey, DVM Immediate Past President

DIRECTORS

Rebecca Beamer, DVM

SUBMISSION DEADLINE The deadline for receipt of copy to be included in the next issue of

Southwest VA & VASART

Abbegail Bingaman, DVM Northern VA

Laura Chretien, DVM Fredericksburg

Town & Country Call is:

Edward Fallin, DVM

JUNE 5, 2024

Sherri Field Gard, DVM

Central VAEP

MEMBER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM & WORK-LIFE SERVICES The VVMA has partnered with McLaughlin Young and offers a wonderful benefit for VVMA members. The Member Assistance Program & Work-Life Services are available to VVMA members and their immediate family.

Reasons to use the MAP include: financial planning, marital difficulties, parenting, stress, depression, work-related concerns, alcohol and drug use/abuse, grief and loss, or preventative.

FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL ASSISTANCE is available 24/7/365 at 800-633-3353

Bom Harris, DVM VAFAP

Christopher Hussion, DVM Loudoun

Courtney Wiegard, DVM Roanoke Valley

Joseph May, DVM Southside VMA

Stuart Morse, DVM Prince William

Rachael Nuzzo, DVM Shenandoah

Nolan Prock, DVM Coastal

Cheryl Simpson-Freeman, DVM Piedmont

Allison Sparks, DVM Appalachian

NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE The Lifeline is a free, confidential, 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. If you or someone you know is feeling desperate, alone, or hopeless, please call:

(800) 273-8255

Jamie Stewart, DVM Blacksburg Area

STUDENTS

Bret VanLear, DVM

(540) 231-6557

Garrett Wood, DVM

If you are concerned about yourself or any Virginia Tech student being (or becoming) suicidal, please call the Cook Counseling Center.

This number can be used during regular office hours or after-hours to speak with a counselor.

Blue Ridge Jefferson

Virginia Newman Student Representative

AVMA REPRESENTATIVES Dianna Thornton, DVM Delegate

Lauren Maxey, DVM Publication of materials in this newsletter does not imply endorsement by the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association

Alternate Delegate

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President’s Message

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n iel B u r k e, D

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Greetings, It’s hard to believe, after what felt to be but a brief respite, spring is burgeoning. Abbreviated as it seemed, your association had a fruitful winter season marked by an especially active legislative session and punctuated by a successful annual conference.

Legislatively, we monitored or opined on a record number of bills that had the potential to directly impact your day-to-day practice. Ranging from ensuring continued, appropriate use of Xylazine for veterinary purposes, to registration of satellite premises for the purpose of DEA inspections, your lobbyist, executive committee, and legislative committee toiled away with the chief goal of protecting your ability to practice in mind. Though legislative issues are not always solved in the exact way we desire, I learn more every year about the value of give-and-take, and can honestly say that you all have an association you should be proud of. We are truly looked to as experts in health professions, animal welfare, and those making the rules genuinely listen and value our opinions. This is a reputation that is not innate, but has been built by those who put in the work and those who put in the effort before us.

Our annual conference was, as usual, a hit, with over 300 veterinarians and 150 LVTs in attendance. I had a great time and enjoyed meeting or revisiting with so many of you. We are excited to announce that the Virginia Academy of Food Animal Practitioners voted at the conference to merge with the VVMA, and become an umbrella organization within the VVMA. I’m a big believer that we are all stronger together, and am happy that two organizations that are near and dear to my heart have decided to join forces.

The VVMA is in continued talks with the Virginia Association of Licensed Veterinary Technicians regarding a similar merger proposal, and we look forward to further representing all that encompasses our great profession within the state of Virginia.

The Veterinary Memorial Fund committee had their annual meeting at this year’s conference and, again, awarded funds to support research projects that are directly and clinically applicable to our beloved patients. Established as a collaborative effort between VM-CVM and VVMA in 1985, this fund is an amazing tool to furthering the practice of evidence-based medicine. (continued on next page)

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President’s Message

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n iel B u r k e, D

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It is also a great way to memorialize those special patients of your endeared clients. If you have never heard of the VMF before, or perhaps have forgotten its importance, please take a few minutes to peruse the topic under the resources tab on the VVMA website, or read about the research this effort has funded, which is readily viewable on the VM-CVM clinical trials website. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all of you who have served on this special committee over the years.

I’d like to also give a special thanks to all of you who donated to the food bank at the VM-CVM while attending the conference, as well as those who contributed to the DVM Student Emergency Fund. I’m excited to announce that almost $10,000 was donated, which was generously matched by Dr. Bob Brown! This is paramount in ensuring that none of our future colleagues goes hungry, without housing, or without any other essential need during their time in veterinary school.

Moving forward, we are excited to see what the spring and summer seasons will bring. I look forward to continuing the wonderful relationship we have with students, and encourage you all to consider the value of mentorship to the profession. Our organization has a history of fostering an environment favorable to this, and I would encourage all of you to actively consider how you can be involved. Teach students now the value of organized veterinary medicine. Take them into your clinics and put them in the passenger seats of your trucks. You are their heroes, and what they strive to become. Now is the time to instill within them the values you wish to see carried forward in your organization in years to come. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at graduation in May, when we welcome our newest set of colleagues into this most wondrous profession. Then, join me again this fall at Mentor Day and Connect 2024 to welcome the new matriculants, as we start the process over again.

May your spring be luscious and your summer vibrant. See you all in the fall!

Nathaniel Burke, MS, DVM 2024 VVMA President

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MEET YOUR 2024 OFFICERS PRESIDENT

Nathaniel Burke, MS, DVM

PRESIDENT-ELECT Brian Neumann, DVM

VICE PRESIDENT

Sherri Field Gard, DVM

SECRETARY-TREASURER Courtney Conroy, DVM

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Lauren Maxey, DVM

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Veterinary Memorial Fund Research Projects (VMF) Since its founding, the Veterinary Memorial Fund has supported over 100 different projects to foster improved veterinary medical care.

2023-2024 Research Projects Lead Investigator: Herring, Ian Study Title: Indocyanine green photodynamic therapy as a potential treatment for fungal keratitis: An in vitro investigation of antimycotic effect Purpose: To determine the ability of indocyanine green photodynamic therapy to inhibit the growth of Aspergillus fumigatus, a common fungus that can lead to series eye infections in horses.

Proposal Amount: $8,574 Lead Investigator: Menciotti, Giulio Study Title: Real-time three-dimensional evaluation of the feline heart; feasibility and reference intervals Purpose: To assess the feasibility of performing real-time 3D echocardiography in healthy cats and provide reference intervals for the four cardiac chambers in the feline species.

Proposal Amount: $27,710 Lead Investigator: Paranjape, Vaidehi Study Title: Influence of Body Position Maneuvers on Hemodynamics in Euvolemic and Hypovolemic Dogs Undergoing General Anesthesia Purpose: To determine how hemodynamic variables change when leg position is altered in isoflurane-anesthetized, healthy, adult dogs with and without blood loss.

Proposal Amount: $26,150 Lead Investigator: Tuohy, Joanne Study Title: A pilot study utilizing patient-derived organoids to develop high-frequency irreversible electroporation for osteosarcoma Purpose: To evaluate in-vivo ablation of pulmonary metastatic osteosarcoma using high-frequency irreversible electroporation (HFIRE) and develop the use of patient-derived organoids (PDOs) to predict clinical response to H-FIRE ablation.

Proposal Amount: $30,000

Give to the Veterinary Memorial Fund

2024 VVC RECAP Thank you to all of our attendees, speakers, vendors, and sponsors for a wonderful 2024 Virginia Veterinary Conference!

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Congratulations to our 2024 Virginia Veterinary Award recipients Veterinary Team Member

Mentor of the Year

Commercial Representative

Michele Pevahouse

Dr. Sherrie Clark

Hannah Stickley

Veterinary Service

Friend of the VVMA

Early Career Leadership

Dr. Cassie Wagner

Trent Davis

Dr. Jamie Stewart

Distinguished VA Veterinarian

Paul F. Landis VA Veterinarian

Dr. Melinda McCall

Dr. Marty Betts

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LEGISLATIVE WRAP UP from Susan Seward, VVMA Legislative Consultant

The General Assembly adjourned their 60-day long session as scheduled on Saturday, March 9. A total of 2,737 pieces of legislation were introduced between the House and Senate, a staggering number considered in the four weeks leading up to Tuesday, February 13th’s midnight crossover deadline.

There were a record number of directly impactful bills that could potentially affect the daily operation of veterinary practices.

We also saw the expected return of measures related to animal welfare, including updates to the animal cruelty statute and additional reporting of data relative to animal testing at universities. The following are bills we supported/opposed or monitored on behalf of the association.

Legislation Directly Impacting Veterinary Practice HB 1354, Prohibition on Cat Declawing (Delegate Marty Martinez, D-Loudoun) The introduced bill would have levied a civil penalty of $500 for the first violation, $1,000 for the second violation, and $2,500 for the third or any subsequent violation if a veterinarian performed a declaw procedure. Any animal control officer, humane investigator, or state or local law-enforcement officer could have brought a civil action for a violation, based on a complaint. The civil penalties assessed would have been paid into the treasury of the locality where the action was brought and used to help defray the costs of local animal control.

The VVMA worked with the patron and the Board of Veterinary Medicine to place the statutory authority for enforcement of this bill under the Board (not the Office of the State Veterinarian as introduced). Any complaint about a declaw procedure being performed for “cosmetics, aesthetics or reasons of convenience in the keeping or handling of a cat" will be handled by the Board through its disciplinary process.

There is an exemption for performing the procedure for a “therapeutic purpose,” defined in the bill as any action intended (i) to address an existing or recurring infection, disease, injury, or abnormal condition in an animal's claw, nail bed, or toe bone that jeopardizes the animal's health, and for which addressing the infection, disease, injury, or abnormal condition is a medical necessity, as documented by a licensed veterinarian, or (ii) to protect the owner's life or health, as documented by a licensed physician, when such owner has been diagnosed with an infection, disease, disorder, or similar condition that could reasonably be expected to worsen if such owner were to be scratched by a cat. For purposes of this definition, "owner" includes members of the owner's household.

This bill passed the House of Delegates on a bipartisan but fairly narrow vote of 54 Y - 44 N. Once amended in the Senate at VVMA's request to expand the human medical exemption, it passed that body on a 25 Y - 13 N - 1A vote. The Senate amended bill passed the House 58 Y - 41 N. VVMA supported the Senate substitute and worked hard to get that language.

Given the Democrat patron and his party's majority in both the House and Senate, we negotiated as much as we could get on this bill in the current political climate. We have spoken with the Governor's policy team about this legislation and encouraged him not to veto the bill. We are not clear at this time what, if any action, he will take.

He may elect not to sign the bill and let it become effective July 1 without his signature. We will keep you posted on any action by the Governor.

HB 1306/SB 663, Satellite Veterinary Sites (Delegate Bobby Orrock, R-Spotsylvania) (Senator Travis Hackworth, R-Tazewell) These companion bills require the Board of Veterinary Medicine to regulate, inspect, and register all satellite offices where veterinary medicine is practiced. The bill directs the Board to adopt emergency regulations within 280 days to implement the provisions of the bill.

The purpose of the bill is to promulgate emergency regs to create a new satellite DEA drug registration category that tracks to individual mobile practice vehicles and for those practitioners who are truly ambulatory and have their office at home/on their home property to allow them to legally receive drug shipments to their home office to stock their mobile units. Ambulatory vets not attached to a brick and mortar establishment are getting dinged on inspections because the current DEA regs don’t allow for drug shipping and drug record keeping to actually attach to vehicles/home offices.

After working with DEA over the past year, the decision was made to pursue a solution through emergency regs for this new satellite registration.

Both bills passed the committee process in their respective houses on unanimous votes. While SB 663 passed the Senate on a unanimous vote, HB 1306 was pulled from the uncontested block on the floor on crossover day and killed on a party-line vote. This maneuver was done by the Democrats to Delegate Orrock in reaction to his comments on an abortion bill he made on the floor the day before. We were assured the Senate bill would receive better treatment when it reached the House floor, and that was indeed the case. It passed the House on a unanimous vote and is awaiting the Governor's signature.

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LEGISLATIVE WRAP UP continued

HB 1187/SB 614, Xylazine (Delegate Keith Hodges, R-Gloucester)(Senator Todd Pillion, R-Abingdon) At the request of Attorney General Jason Miyares, the patrons introduced legislation to move Xylazine to a Schedule III drug with no veterinary exemption. The VVMA opposed the bill as introduced, and worked with the patron and the Boards of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy to create a substitute bill. The substitute criminalizes illicit human use and provides a veterinary exemption for the manufacture, distribution, possession and administration of the drug. The drug remains unscheduled in the Commonwealth.

The VVMA supported the substitute. The bill passed all committees and both the House and Senate unanimously.

This bill is also awaiting action by the Governor.

HB 848, Trainee Licenses (Delegate Will Davis, R-Pittsylvania) This Administration bill allows a veterinary medicine licensure applicant enrolled in a traineeship program to engage in the limited practice of veterinary medicine, as that term is defined by the Board of Veterinary Medicine, under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian. The bill directs the Board to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.

In effect, this bill will create, through the regulatory process at the Board of Veterinary Medicine, a temporary license for students who failed the initial NAVLE and are waiting to take the test again. The regulations will define the time period for this license and the conditions/parameters of practicing under supervision.

The VVMA supported this legislation and it passed both the House and Senate unanimously. It is also awaiting the Governor's signature.

HB 1387, Exemption from the Practice Act (Delegate Jay Leftwich, R-Chesapeake) The VVMA successfully opposed this legislation that would have provided an exception to the unauthorized practice of veterinary medicine for any law-enforcement officer, firefighter, or emergency medical services personnel who provides emergency treatment to any animal in his care that is injured in the line of duty.

There is already Board guidance on this issue as well as an appropriate exemption under the “owner exemption” in the Practice Act for law enforcement/first responders treating police/working dogs in an emergency situation.

The VVMA opposed this additional exemption to our Practice Act and we were successful in getting the bill effectively killed.

HJ 43/SJ 15, Veterinary Shortage Study (Delegate Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington) (Senator Travis Hackworth, R-Tazewell) These companion resolutions direct the Board of Veterinary Medicine, in consultation with the State Veterinarian, to complete a two-year study of the shortage of large animal veterinarians, with technical assistance provided by relevant stakeholders. This legislation was supported by the VVMA, the Virginia Farm Bureau, the Virginia Agribusiness Council, the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association, the Virginia Dairymen’s Association and the Virginia Horse Council.

Both of these resolutions passed their committees and the House and Senate floors unanimously. The first meeting of the work group is Monday, April 15 at the Virginia Farm Bureau offices.

Animal Welfare Legislation SB 412, Rabies Clinics (Senator Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax) The VVMA worked with various animal welfare organizations to create a substitute bill that allows veterinarians participating in a rabies clinic sponsored by a local health department to offer, at their discretion, microchipping and/or additional animal health vaccines.

This bill passed committee, the House, and Senate unanimously. VVMA supported the substitute bill. It is awaiting action by the Governor.

HB 62, Animal Cruelty Registry (Delegate Ellen Campbell, R-Rockbridge) This legislation requires the Superintendent of State Police to establish, no later than January 1, 2027, and to maintain the Animal Cruelty Conviction List. The List will be available to the public on the website of the Department of State Police.

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LEGISLATIVE WRAP UP continued

The bill specifies that the List include the names of persons convicted of certain felony animal cruelty offenses on or after July 1, 2024. In addition, the bill requires persons convicted of animal cruelty to pay a fee of $50 per conviction to fund the maintenance of the List. The bill also requires the Department to remove a person's name and information from the List 15 years after its listing if he has no additional animal cruelty convictions.

This bill passed committee, and the floor, with a number of Republican votes against it. The floor vote was 74 Y 26 N. The Senate amended the bill to conform to SB 93. This bill was sent to a conference committee when the House rejected the Senate amendments. The conference committee conformed HB 62 to Senator Stanley's bill below.

SB 93, Animal Cruelty Registry (Senator Bill Stanley, R-Pittsylvania) Taking a different approach from the House bill, SB 93 allows any locality to establish an animal cruelty registry for public access on the website of the locality or its local police department. The bill provides that the registry may include the names and relevant information of persons convicted of certain felony offenses for animal cruelty.

Similar to the House bill, a person on the registry may request removal of his name after 15 years, provided that he has no additional felony convictions of an animal cruelty offense. The bill directs that all costs relating to a locality's animal cruelty registry shall be borne by such locality.

This bill passed the Senate committee and floor on unanimous votes. Ultimately this approach prevailed after a House/Senate conference committee. Both the House and Senate bills are awaiting action by the Governor.

HB 223/SB 11, Animal Cruelty (Delegate Bobby Orrock, R-Spotsylvania) (Senator Barbara Favola, D-Arlington) These companion bills provide that any person convicted of felony cruelty to animals may be prohibited by the court from possession or ownership of animals for life and that any person convicted of misdemeanor cruelty to animals may be prohibited by the court from possession or ownership of animals for a period of up to five years.

The bill provides that any person who violates such prohibition shall be punished for contempt of court, and the court shall order that any animal possessed or owned by such person may be disposed of by a local governing body or delivered to another person with a right of property in the animal. Under current law, such prohibition is limited to companion animals and a period equal to the statutory maximum period of incarceration.

The bill further provides that any person who has his rights to possession or ownership of companion or equine animals prohibited pursuant to a felony conviction may petition the court where such conviction occurred for a restoration of his rights after five years from the date of conviction.

As amended to mirror each other, the Senate bill passed that body unanimously and the House bill passed 87 Y 11 N. The VVMA supported the amended bills. These are also awaiting action by the Governor.

HB 580/SB 411 (Delegate Shelly Simonds, D-Newport News) (Senator Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax) These companion bills were amended to require the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in collaboration with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, to convene the Task Force on Transparency in Publicly Funded Animal Testing Facilities. The Task Force will recommend methods and context for making information about testing facilities publicly available, including information pertaining to instances of noncompliance with federal animal welfare regulations, guidelines, or policies, as well as the care, use, and approximate numbers of animals used for research, education, testing, or other experimental, scientific, or medical purposes by each public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth, including animals not covered by the federal Animal Welfare Act. While the Senate bill passed that body unanimously, the House bill passed the house on a much closer 56 Y- 43 N vote. The VVMA took no position on these bills. This is also in the Governor's office awaiting action.

This was an extremely impactful and hectic Session for the VVMA! Thank you for your interest in and support of our legislative program.

Who’s My Legislator?

Search online for which legislators represent you!

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RELIEF VETS Kim Danoff, DVM

(571) 212-5024 | kimdanoff@gmail.com 1999 University of Florida graduate; Internship trained at Tufts Dogs, cats, birds and some exotics Northern Virginia, Prince William, Loudoun, Fauquier, and Rappahannock counties Available weekdays and weekends Current Virginia and DEA licenses

Matthew Kelcourse, DVM

(941) 416-8992 | vvrs2020@yahoo.com 1992 Tufts University graduate Virginia and DEA license in good standing Southeastern VA/Hampton Roads area; available Monday-Saturday for 6-9 hour shifts Long-term (2-3 weeks) considered, based on availability and location Experience in general/preventative medicine and routine surgery, complicated soft tissue and orthopedic surgery As a relief veterinarian, seamlessly blending in as part of your veterinary health care team is as important as experience, patient care, and client communication skills!

James Meister, DVM

(847) 344-0069 | prairiedvm@aol.com North Carolina State graduate; has been in private practice for 25 years Virginia, USDA, and DEA licenses in good standing Located in Shenandoah Valley—available for both small animal or equine work Available 7 days a week for short or long-term relief positions throughout VA For many years, I had my own sports medicine and equine surgery practice, with a clientele of show horses, primarily hunter/jumpers Small animal services include: routine surgical and medical care, dental care, radiology, limited orthopedic, and basic ultrasound Equine care includes: performance evaluations and treatments, pre-purchase examinations, radiology, ultrasound, and emergency care and surgical procedures

Tosha Starke, DVM

(540) 239-8714 | info@allfourpawsvetrelief.com "Exceptional Care When You Are Not There" is my relief business motto!

I have practiced veterinary medicine for 12 years. During that time, I have been Medical Director at two veterinary hospitals. I understand the importance of having a competent and compassionate clinician on duty while you are away!

2004 Virginia-Maryland graduate; Virginia license in good standing Available Monday-Saturday in Northern Virginia Professional references available

CLASSIFIEDS Click the buttons below to view our current classified ad postings As a VVMA member, you can post classified ads FREE of charge!

Veterinarians

Technicians

Practices for Sale/Lease

Assistants

Equipment for Sale

Advertising information can be found at vvma.org/advertising-opportunities

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VIRGINIA VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION // SPRING 2024

TOWN &COUNTRY CALL