Archive of Newsletters
June 2001
Malassezia Derm Protocol
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Please look at http://www.dermapet.com to see our many updates, Protocols including
Malassezia Dermatitis (in this newsletter), the popular TrizEDTA Bacterial Otitis
Protocol, the Pruritic Clinical Trial, previous Newsletters and articles. THE NEW BROCHURE
IS ON LINE.
We are proud to announce that Gary Bouge, formerly General Manager of IVD, is our Vice President, Sales, effective May 1. We are equally pleased to add Jack White, formerly VP Sales for DVM, based in Texas, as a consultant and in charge of a Regional Territory in the South Central United States.
Please go to http://www.dermapet.com or call 800-755-4738 for DIRECT sales. We
also sell via select distributors such as Burns
, Columbus Serum, NLS, MWI, Penn Vet, PVP, Merritt, Premier, R
& S Pharma, R. Weinstein (Hawaii), TW Vet Supply, Vet Med Supply and Vetpo. We now can
provide you a dominant distributor anywhere you may be in the USA (including Alaska and
Hawaii). We are also available in Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, Central
America and soon in Europe.
EUROPEAN VETS (and others worldwide): We are shipping TrizEDTA for $11.99 (per 4
ounce/cases of 12) INCLUDING SHIPPING BY FEDEX.
We will be in Boston for the AVMA June 14-17. Next will be the World Small Animal
Veterinary Association (WSAVA) meeting in Vancouver on August 8-11.
MedRx is offering CE doing their EAR Seminars on the road next in BALTIMORE on July 8 and
SEATTLE on July 29. Be there to hear LOU GOTTHELF teach you the latest, state of the
art otology. Ears represent the #1 complaint of pet owners to vets (VPI insurance
claims, 2000). Call Kenny Keith at 888-392-1234 to register or find out when one is coming
near you.
YADA, YADA, YADA
Back at last from trips to San Diego, Denver and Myrtle Beach.
San Diego was a distributors meeting where DermaPet VP Sales, GARY BOUGE, proudly shot a
91 at the legendary Torrey Pines in his first time playing the course. This is where the
manufacturers and distributors sales managers and owners meet in a playful setting.
Denver/ACVIM
ROD ROSYCHUK (CSU) was quite happy but slightly worried that Colorado was playing in the
finals against New Jersey. He must be quite pleased the Avalanche won. I must admit it was
slightly difficult to get a ride to the airport unless we agreed to leave early enough so
the driver could see the first game.
WALLY HOFFMAN (UI), who was a gracious host during my derm residency at UI. Was on hand to
tell Gloria a few stories. He promises to help us find some fluoroquinolone resistant
Pseudomonas for our TrizEDTA studies.
The VIN gang was seen at Hooters one night. YAEL MARA looked great on a Harley; NIKKI
MASTIN claims she was there because "she liked the wings" (and she's sticking to
that story); JOHN TINGUS, JEFF McMAHON and NATE LISSANT also enjoyed the wings, the
basketball game and the brew.
Myrtle Beach/The SouthEast Vet conference
Run by RALPH and MARTHA LEE this conference is the best one that you haven't attended. RON
WHITFORD runs the program bringing in the likes of PETER IHRKE, PETER EMILY, DEB HORWITZ,
LOU GOTTHELF, CHUCK WILLIAMS and many other first rate experts in their respective fields.
This was a family oriented, laid back weekend with all meals covered and plenty of
entertainment. Thursday night we went to the Medieval Nites show with DEB HORWITZ and
PETER IHRKE (who I actually watched eat with their hands!) and Friday nite was the famed
and delicious Pig Roast (sorry Alex). Further entertainment was provided on the pier,
where some very large sharks that fortunately, did not favor the humans, were quite
visible in the ocean. In fact, when I threw in a corn cob, one particularly large shark
came up, looked at it and swam off causing shark dentition expert, PETER EMILY, to be
quite upset. These Sand Sharks are the least aggressive sharks although that's a little
like saying a snake in the !
grass is not poisonous before you identify it. If either approaches me, I'm not staying
around long enough for an ID provided my heart can take it.
How laid back was it? Ties were just about outlawed, as were long pants during the day.
There were also a vast array of restaurants and bars. In fact, our party of 4 went to
"Dick's Last Resort" to watch Game 2 of the Philly-Lakers series where we met up
with quite an entertaining bachelorette party. Details will not be forthcoming.
Did you know that Myrtle Beach is the #1 Golf destination in the US?
MALASEB RECALL UPDATE
We continue to hear reports from vets all over the country about the recall of Malaseb.
According to the memo that DVM sent they received numerous "membrane"
sensitivity reactions. Since this is designed and labeled for the skin only, we suspect
'membrane' means "skin." We still have not seen a copy of a general recall
letter sent to vets; Bill Craig (capnbilly@aol.com), a veterinarian in San Antonio,
likened their recall to distributors only to Firestone only recalling tires to dealers;
leaving the ones that were sold on cars. This is on the heels of Malaseb pledget
"unavailability" which we now hear is back on the market. We have been asked
what solution they are using to saturate the pledgets and if it is the same solution that
was recalled. We certainly hope not. Others have asked what product they used in Europe
and Australia to obtain their research where, oddly enough, no side effects were
mentioned. Is it the same as the one made in the US?
Should veterinarians be looking for a replacement product, we believe our 2% acetic/2%
boric acid Ear/Skin Cleanser and MalAcetic Wet Wipes, both with labeling to be used in
EARS, are superior and safer alternatives. Please visit http://www.dermapet.com for
details.
"Heard on the Street"
This is a section that we want to relate stories related by practitioners using our
products and about other company's products. If requested, your name, practice and
location will appear. Several vets came to us this month and thanked us for our
informative newsletter. Many shared experiences which would be considered bashing if I
were to write them. Oddly enough, one or two competitive manufacturers have cried foul to
our distributor colleagues. Ironically, these are the same ones that have large sales
forces who have distributed troubling misinformation about DermaPet. My response is that
credibility is most important; readers need to be sure that if they read it here that it
could be relied on.
Congratulations to Ft. Dodge for finally getting the FDA's approval for their ProHeart(R)
6 For Canine Heartworm Protection. This product promises to be a blockbuster judging by
the way distributors are pushing it. I just hope sales reps find a brief moment to mention
our current specials.
Chlorhexidine has no place in otic or ocular therapy. Readers are encouraged to read
Mansfield's article at the www.dermapet.com web site under ear articles.
For Malassezia and Bacterial Otitis PROTOCOLS please go to the web site and read Seven
Steps to Treating Ears or look at the 6-01 Newsletter.
Malassezia Dermatitis (MD) Protocol
Malassezia Dermatitis (MD) is a common, most often pruritic, disease that has many
recommended therapies. The following is a 3-phase MD treatment plan. Conventional
therapy has been to treat with drugs, which often cause severe side effects especially
affecting the liver, ideally requiring lab tests to assure liver function. This method
allows for the practitioner to treat the majority of cases at a limited expense without
using those risky drugs or doing liver function testing.
STEP 1. Topical Therapy.
MalAcetic Shampoo, Conditioner and/or Wet Wipes. The use of our acetic acid/boric acid
shampoo has proven effective in-vivo in treating Malassezia Otitis (Gotthelf and
Young, Vet Forum, 8/97) and in-vivo (Benson, ACVD Proceedings, 1998). <Readers
note: both papers are on our web site. http://www.dermapet.com >
The selection of the product will depend upon the severity and location of the lesion. For
generalized MD the use of a shampoo and conditioner is required. For focal MD, topical Wet
Wipe application should be adequate. In both cases, clipping the patient to allow better
access to the skin is imperative.
Others have used the more expensive ketaconazole and miconazole shampoos, rinses and
conditioners that have no effect on the concurrent Staph pyoderma that is almost always
present. Still others have suggested tar or benzoyl peroxide shampoos, which, if
effective, seem to work by desiccation.
Systemic Therapy.
Antibiotics. I like cephalexin 10 mg/#/bid/minimum 21 days or 10 days post symptoms.
STEP 2 The same Topical and Systemic therapy as Step 1.
Plus Systemic Antifungal Therapy
Ketoconazole 5-10 mg/kg/qd/3-4 weeks. Give with an acid meal for best absorption. The side
effects, especially hepatotoxicity, of this drug are legend. Since it is now generic, it
is a much less expensive alternative. I treat most cases for a 10-day trial period
to test efficacy before continuing the prescription for 4 weeks total. One
beneficial side effect of ketoconazole is it's anti-inflammatory effect, which sometimes
quickly leads the patient to be less pruritic.
Step 3
Although not universally accepted as having efficacy against Malassezia, Sporonox
(iatraconazole) is a much more expensive alternative at 5 mg/kg. One beneficial effect of
Sporonox is it's epithelial persistence.
Plus the same Topical and Systemic therapy as Step 1
Remember: Do NOT be misled by various forms of misinformation as to why certain companies
do not use boric acid with acetic acid. The reality is that DermaPet holds a patent on
this combination.
SPECIALS
NEW *** BUY 12 DentAcetic and Receive SIX FREE.
Reports from the field indicate Breath Freshening/deodorizing has been a major positive
for this new product.
Buy 10 new Laser Wipes and get 2 FREE
Mix and match any of our gallons - Buy 3 get 1 FREE -
Plus Buy 3 cases of any 2 Products and receive a FREE Book, Skin Diseases of Dogs and
Cats.
Buy 5 cases of anything and receive the FREE book (one time only) and a FREE Gallon of
MalAcetic Shampoo.
DermaPet IS the largest veterinary dermatologic company in "virtual
reality"-cyberspace, for those who might otherwise misunderstand the phrase- and the
fastest growing. Our Newsletter list, NOW APPROACHING 13,000 is the largest in the
industry with another 8,000 posted indirectly and countless more that read it reposted in
newsgroups or lists. Those who receive this newsletter and wish to pass it along to
colleagues, please do.
Steve Melman VMD
http://www.dermapet.com
dermapet@aol.com
800-555-4738 US order line
301-983-8387 outside US
301-365-0191 fax
And from our good friends at VIN
"Don't forget to look for DermaPet as a Featured Company on VIN's Industry Partners
Site, an electronic exhibit hall providing 6,000 plus VIN members and all online
veterinarians, access to current information from over 900 companies, manufacturers and
distributors of the products and services they use daily."
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Archive of Newsletters
| Steven Melman VMD DermaPet Animal Dermatology and Behavior Clinics Potomac, MD 20854 |
dermapet@aol.com http://www.dermapet.com 800-755-4738 fax 301-365-0191 |
8909 Iverleigh Court 
Potomac, Maryland
20854
301-983-8387 800-755-4738 Fax 301-365-0191
E-mail dermapet@aol.com