Get the most value out of your IDEXX VetLab® system

Announcing the VetTest® Certificate Course
One purchase, infinite users*

The New IDEXX VetTest® Chemistry Analyzer Certificate Course is a fun and interactive online training tool. The course is designed to help increase productivity and streamline workflows through best practices in sample collection and preparation and more on the VetTest analyzer. Stay updated on the latest enhancements to the VetTest analyzer, such as no slide warm-up, results in eight minutes, the Urine P:C Ratio and much more! Best of all, the program allows the entire staff to take the course and receive three continuing education (CE) credits. Train where and when it’s convenient—once it’s purchased, the course will always be available for new and existing staff members to use.

For more information on the VetTest Certificate Course, visit www.idexx.com/vettestcourse

*Unlimited users for three years.

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Long-term drug study uncovers 35% abnormal test results
by Ernie Ward, DVM

In a recent IDEXX study* of 2,943 pets receiving at least one long-term medication, 34.6% were found to have at least one abnormal laboratory test result. This finding underscores the importance of performing routine monitoring blood tests on patients receiving long-term medications. The most commonly prescribed medications included in this study were carprofen, etodolac, methimazole, phenobarbital, enalapril, furosemide and levothyroxine sodium. The study found no single drug elicited an unusually high number of abnormal test results. Rather, the even distribution of abnormal findings among all drugs tested suggested pets undergoing long-term medical treatments often had secondary or emerging diseases that were only identified when blood tests were performed.

The majority of pets that had abnormal laboratory findings were seven years of age and older. This corroborates other scientific data indicating that older patients receiving long-term drug treatments must be closely monitored to ensure normal organ function. Older pets have a higher likelihood of decreased liver or kidney function, increasing their risk of drug-related adverse events. This study also suggests that organ function may potentially decline over time and any changes must be recognized as early as possible to prevent any drug-related issues. Routine follow up blood and urine tests every three to six months is generally accepted as adequate to recognize any developing organ system compromise.

One of the interesting highlights of the study indicated that older mixed-breed dogs were as likely to have an abnormal laboratory test finding as older pure-breed dogs. This reinforces the longstanding belief that most drug-related issues are as much age-related as breed-predisposed. The benefits of testing all pets receiving long-term drugs, regardless of breed, were well-substantiated in this study. If a doctor chooses to test only breeds reported to be at risk for certain medications, they may place their mixed-breed patients at risk.

As more and more medical treatments for chronic diseases become available for pets, veterinarians must ensure they are performing due diligence in protecting the health and welfare of their patients. This study proved that more than one-third of the pets receiving at least one long-term medication had an abnormal laboratory test result. Through early recognition of a change in organ system function, the veterinarian can alter the treatment course to avoid potential adverse drug events. Failure to recognize a drug-related problem can result in irreversible organ damage, and even death. The veterinarian can often improve the quality of life of their patients by diagnosing secondary emerging diseases early in their course, improving the chances of successful treatment.

Accompanying each new medical advance is the revelation that new monitoring protocols must be created. We are now well into the age of long-term medical treatments in veterinary medicine. This new era in treatment has brought about the need to perform routine followup blood and urine testing to help prevent any inadvertent harm. Today’s pets are living longer, healthier and more comfortable lives than ever before thanks to medical breakthroughs. We owe it to them to follow the Hippocratic Oath and “do no harm.” Long-term drug monitoring can help us fulfill that promise.

*On file at IDEXX.

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Meet David Duguay
Process Calibration Technician III

David joined IDEXX in 1993 when he heard about the young biotech company that was making significant inroads into the veterinary market. He brought experience in semiconductor and jet engine manufacturing and CAD-CAM computers.

David worked on the (then much smaller!) SNAP line, then joined the IQA (Incoming Quality Assurance) Department. Seven years ago, he joined the VetTest Slide Calibration Department. David’s department receives approximately 100 new lots of VetTest slides every 12 weeks. Every lot is characterized on the VetTest Chemistry Analyzer to ensure customers’ results are consistent, regardless of which lot their slides are from. David manages several processes to ensure a new VetTest software version can be released at the end of each 12-week period.

“IDEXX has set the standard for veterinary medicine,” David said. “We offer new and innovative products, have a strong history of supporting our products in the field and are always striving for above-and-beyond customer satisfaction. This shows in the Slide Calibration Department, where we maintain an atmosphere in which anyone can stop any process if they feel it could cause a bottleneck or a quality-compromising situation.”

David lives in Lyman, Maine, with his wife Julie, their children Emily, Adam and Audrey, three guinea pigs named Charlotte, Rodney and Harvey, and an eight-year-old mixed-breed dog named Molly (bird dog extraordinaire). A certified hunter safety instructor and map and compass instructor, David enjoys off-trail hiking, mountain climbing, hunting and fishing. He also trains flushing dogs for bird hunting.

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Improvements to the SNAP® T₄ Test product insert

We’ve eliminated gray zones and added equine reference ranges to the SNAP T₄ product insert. (415 KB).

• These new ranges align SNAP T₄ results more consistently with IDEXX Reference Laboratories’ guidance on interpreting T₄ test results.

• Our new SNAP T₄ Testing Guide is now available through Customer Support at
  1-800-248-2483.

• These changes were prompted in part by data published from a study at Auburn University; authored by Kemppainen RJ, Birchfield JR. Measurements of total thyroxine concentration in serum from dogs and cats by use of various methods. Am J Vet Res 67:259,2006.

• The new expanded species menu adds equine ranges in addition to canine and feline

The new chart in the SNAP T4 kit insert looks like this:

For more information on the SNAP T₄ Test or results, call 1-800-248-2483.

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Special Offer Through July 31, 2007

Get IDEXX's Long-Term Medication Monitoring Client Education Kit FREE when you buy two boxes of the new NSAID Monitoring Panel!

You get these useful tools to help you get started:

• Client brochures to help you talk to your clients about the importance of monitoring their pets while on medication

• Facts about common, long-term medications that you can share with your clients

• Stickers to make sure no one forgets medications

• Drug Monitoring Chart to help you identify appropriate blood-monitoring protocols

• A Forms CD-ROM so you can print your own forms, such as consent documents and
  re-check questionnaires

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IDEXX Customer Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Toll-free: 1-800-248-2483
Fax: 1-800-248-3010

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