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  • 24 Mar 2024 14:40 | Erik Fausak (Administrator)

    Dear EBVMA members,

    I feel fortunate to be President of the EBVMA during its 20-year anniversary and have many other colleagues to thank for helping to create and keep the EBMVA alive. The current EBVMA, all-volunteer, Board devotes countless hours every month to the organization. It is their vision, creativity and motivation that has allowed the organization to develop and pursue initiatives that should make the organization even more relevant and exciting in the future. An ever- improving website, initiatives such as an EBVMA Journal Club, a partnership with VetPrescriber, a resource that critically evaluates drug claims made by pharmaceutical companies, and a collaboration with VIN where experts take on some of the most asked clinical question on VIN message boards are all in the works. Our bimonthly Vet Practice News articles have been well received and cover a wide range of clinically relevant topics.

    Like many of you, I have often found evidence-based medicine to be inextricably linked to statistical competencies that I was never taught in vet school or during my residency. Despite my attempts to fill this gap in my knowledge base, I often found myself glossing over the stats information in the materials and methods sections of veterinary journal articles, believing I had no way of knowing whether the authors appropriately utilized the Kruskal-Wallis test or Bonferroni correction. Until getting more involved in the EBMVA I simply assumed that any paper published in a peer-reviewed journal was, by definition, free of design, execution, and interpretation errors, as there was no chance that reviewers and editors would allow a flawed manuscript to get past their screening processes. While ignorance may have been bliss, I now know that these assumptions were, unfortunately, incorrect. However, one need not be a PhD statistician or epidemiologist to make some conclusions about the methodology used in scientific papers, and the EBVMA is an excellent resource for providing basic but important tools for ensuring that the information and conclusions in the studies you are reading actually support their claims. Examples of useful resources on the EBVMA website include our “Evidence Anxiety Series” podcasts, as well as a range of links for practitioners to help them practice EBVM. I encourage members to check out these and other resources at https://ebvma.wildapricot.org/ebvma-resources.

    You all should have previously received our updated “rebranding letter” that noted the expanded efforts of the EBVMA to take on the issue of how sources of information get filtered

    through other sources - advertisements, online webinars, drug reps, conference speakers, etc. - that can intentionally or unintentionally modify the information to fit their own narratives or goals, leaving practitioners trying to sort through confusing or conflicting information.

    With active growth of the EBVMA will come growing pains. However, one of the best salves for these pains is to encourage members to get involved and contribute a little bit of time to the organization. Whether that means participating in the upcoming journal club initiative, offering to write an article for Vet Practice News, or volunteering for a committee or Board position, member engagement will help keep the momentum we have created moving forward. If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at GBYLC@AOL.com or our Executive Secretary, Dr. Thomas Doker at info@EBVM.org. Thank you for your continued support.

    Gary Block DVM, MS, DACVIM President EBVMA


  • 15 Sep 2023 14:50 | Erik Fausak (Administrator)

    If you use citation management software, it can search online for full-text articles (including free copies) for you

    Published September 15, 2023 at https://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/




    Members of the Evidence-Based Veterinary Medical Association (EBVMA), www.ebvma.org, have exclusive online access to the VetLexicon point of care reference and CABI VetMedResource, the most comprehensive veterinary database in the world.

    Practicing evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM) requires finding published evidence. Fortunately, there are some solid techniques that can help you find many full-text articles even when you are not affiliated with an institution.

    There is not one, central place to look for all relevant information in veterinary medicine, so what you should look for is a guide where to look.

    Read the full article here.  Written by EBVMA members, L.M. Rey, MSLS, and Heather K. Moberly, MSLS, AHIP(D), FHEA, PgCert (Vet Ed) 


  • 7 Aug 2023 14:39 | Erik Fausak (Administrator)

    Independent research is needed to answer questions about telemedicine

    Published August 7, 2023 at https://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/


    Telemedicine is difficult to define, and, as such, may be difficult to form specific clinical questions for investigation. How does it compare to being in the clinic? Are there benefits? Downsides? What is it like for the patients? For clients? Veterinarians? Even wearable devices are considered telemedicine, but currently, the field is largely undefined.


    Veterinarians are busy, and not always with animals. Emails, voicemails, and our EMR worklist grows like a field of foxtail grass in the spring. However, while technology is often sold to make life or work easier, things can also go awry.

    One of the big “disruptors” in contemporary veterinary medicine seems to be the looming specter of telehealth. This term does not really have any standardized definition, but in general, means “medicine at a distance.” The patient and the provider are connected in different locations through technology. In fact, at some level, if you have ever been emailed a photo of a cat’s rear end and asked, “Are these tapeworms?” you have already practiced telemedicine!

    Read the full article here! Written by EBVMA Member, Greg Bishop, DVM
  • 24 Jul 2023 14:19 | Erik Fausak (Administrator)


    While current evidence hints at improved health outcomes when animals and humans interact positively, we need more vigorous studies.  

    Published July 24, 2023 on https://www.veterinarypracticenews.com




    The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) describe the human-animal bond (HAB) as a “mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals that is influenced by behaviors essential to the health and well-being of both.”1,2

    Various human and animal interactions can fall within the HAB purview. HABRI data suggest at least 85 million households in the U.S. benefit from the HAB annually.1,3 According to AVMA 2017-2018 data, about 60 percent of households have some type of pet. However, pet ownership only represents one aspect of the HAB.4 Human-animal connections can be almost endless and include:

    Pet and pet parent

    Zoo animal and zookeeper

    Jockey and horse

    Therapy pets and patients

    Animals involved in animal-assisted interventions/activities/therapies



    Read full article by EBVMA member Erica Tramuta-Drobnis, VMD, MPH, CPH

  • 30 May 2023 08:00 | Anonymous

    Cooperative efforts among physicians, veterinarians, and other stakeholders are essential to diagnose infectious disease cases more rapidly and accurately

    Published May 30, 2023 on https://www.veterinarypracticenews.com

    Have you ever asked a client presenting with a pet with vomiting or diarrhea if the animal is on heartworm prevention? Is it relevant? It should be. Intestinal parasites commonly afflict our patients, and those on monthly heartworm prevention may be at lower risk than those without.

    Asking clients about a pet’s exposure to other animals at dog parks, grooming, or daycare facilities for our canine friends and cats that go outside is paramount, but we need to take it further, evaluating the need for prevention with a One Health lens.

    Read Full Article

  • 23 May 2023 08:00 | Anonymous

    Knowing the challenges, how can we work together to build better and more robust grading schemes that are validated and reproducible?

    Published May 23, 2023 on https://www.veterinarypracticenews.com

    By Andrew D. Miller, DVM, Dipl. ACVP

    The time has come for all of us to have an honest discussion about grading in our profession. No, I do not mean exam grades, but rather those provided by veterinary pathologists on biopsy samples of cancer procured from our animal patients.

    Human cancer diagnostics are replete in tumor grading schemes, many of which are directly tied to patient outcome and/or response to therapy. However, veterinary medicine remains woefully behind in developing, validating, and applying grading schemes to cancer in our animal patients. We all want what is best for our patients, so how can we move our field forward and start better developing and utilizing grading schemes in cancer diagnostics?

    Read Full Article

  • 11 Apr 2023 21:19 | Anonymous

    Methodology of studies should be carefully assessed before accepting the association between being gonadectomized and lifespan reflects a causal relationship

    April 11, 2023 on https://www.veterinarypracticenews.com

    By Martin L. Whitehead, BSc, PhD, BVSc, CertSAM, MRCVS

    A Google search shows many veterinary and animal-welfare websites claim neutering prolongs the lifespan of male and female dogs. Certainly, many studies1-10 have reported a consistent association between canines being gonadectomized and longer average lifespan—several months to two years longer in females, and none to over a year longer in males.

    However, the methodology of these studies should be carefully assessed before accepting that the association between being gonadectomized and lifespan reflects a causal relationship (i.e. that neutering really does prolong lifespan).

    Read Full Article


  • 10 Mar 2023 08:00 | Anonymous

    In the U.S., each state defines minimum requirements for animal boarding facilities differently

    Published March 10, 2023 on https://www.veterinarypracticenews.com

    By Greg Bishop, DVM

    Small animal practitioners will recognize this scenario: a client hands you a list of vaccines like they are turning in a menu at a sushi restaurant. They are going out of town, and their pet’s boarding facility (aka kennel) has vaccine requirements. The client wants you to give these exact shots.

    For an animal health professional, especially one striving to be an evidence-based practitioner, this presents a dilemma. You are supposed to be the one with recommendations for preventive care based on good science. How and where is each kennel coming up with their specific requirements? Of course, mandatory vaccines are not unique to kennels, many veterinarians are familiar with standardized requirements for international animal transport. However, the standardization is the key difference.

    Read Full Article

  • 31 Jan 2023 08:00 | Anonymous

    For the general world population, rabies remains a key global public health threat

    Published January 31, 2023 on https://www.veterinarypracticenews.com

    By Erica Tramuta-Drobnis, VMD, MPH, CPH

    Rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) recommendations were recently amended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); they replace the previous three-dose PrEP schedule with a two-dose one. They, in part, base this decision on various risk categories, now divided into five subtypes. Further changes in the recommendations include titer monitoring, how often and for whom, and the minimum acceptable titer limit.

    Are these recommendations medically sound? Are they in the best interest of those at risk of exposure? What does the evidence say?

    Read Full Article

  • 18 Jan 2023 08:00 | Anonymous

    The fungal organism Microsporum canis is primarily spread through close contact

    Published January 18, 2023 on https://www.veterinarypracticenews.com

    By Lena DeTar, DVM, DACVPM, DABVP

    There were only a few percentages we were told to “memorize for boards” in veterinary school, a dozen years ago now. These included odds of malignancy in dog/cat mammary masses (50 percent/90 percent); canine splenic mass diagnoses (33 percent hematoma/hemangioma/ hemangiosarcoma); failure rates of TPLO versus TPP versus. lateral band in canine cruciate disease (now debunked); and, in dermatology, the sensitivity of the Wood’s lamp in diagnosing dermatophytosis: less than 50 percent.

    Where did “50 percent” come from, and why has it been lodged so firmly in our heads? So firmly that I recently ran across this same number in the crisp 2022 edition of a small animal textbook. That number is wrong, and my veterinary friends, colleagues, students still quote it. It is also possible the first percentages quoted here need updating—they probably do (See: “When in doubt cut it out! But by how much?” by Brennen McKenzie, MA, MSc, VMD, cVMA on VPN Plus+).


    Read Full Article


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The EBVMA (Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine Association) is an international non-profit [U.S. 501(c)3] professional organization founded to better organize the emerging research, training and practice of evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM) — the formal strategy to integrate the best critically-designed and statistically evaluated research available combined with clinical expertise as well as the unique needs or wishes of each client in clinical practice.

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