November 2001

Anthrax Newsletter

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ANTHRAX is the timely feature this month as well as the story of the blind man surviving the WTC bombing. Please go to the Newsletter archive at the web site to view previous newsletters including MICs for DUMMIES. Also, please look at http://www.dermapet.com to see our many updates, Protocols including Malassezia Dermatitis, the popular TrizEDTA Bacterial Otitis Protocol, the Pruritic Clinical Trial, and articles. THE NEW BROCHURE IS ON LINE.

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. In the last month we have added Henry Schein and Midwest Vet Supply. We can now provide you a dominant distributor anywhere you may be in the USA (including Alaska and Hawaii). We are also available in Canada via CENTRAL SALES (central@ica.net), Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Central America and soon in Europe.

The SHELF LIFE of the TrizEDTA has been questioned since we originally had a 21 day expiration date on the label. We are RECOMMENDING SIX MONTHS after reconstitution despite data from Wooley indicating stability of at least 3 years. It also does not need to be refrigerated after reconstituting. The point is that the TrizEDTA is very stable.

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 San Antonio at the Dental meetings Oct 25-27, Maui at the GEORGE MULLER DERMATOLOGY MEETINGS in MAUI November 1-8. We will also be at the NORTH CAROLINA meeting in RALEIGH from November 1-3.

SALES REPS HIRED

DermaPet is proud to announce the hiring of CHRISTINE SAYED as a sales rep in the Northeast, MEREDITH MILLER in the Southeast and SUSAN ACKERSON on the West Coast. In future issues, we will tell you a little about them. JACK WHITE is still serving Texas and GARY BOUGE has now completed his move to Tucson. PLEASE warmly welcome them in your practices as you would me. Remember, they (we) are here to serve your needs.

MedRx is offering CE doing their EAR Seminars on the road next in SALT LAKE CITY on November 11, MEMPHIS on November 18, NEW YORK CITY on December 2 and ORLANDO on December 9. 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 888-392-1234 to register or find out when one is coming near you.

GEMISH Information

Many people have said they cannot get Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate (DSP) and want to know what to substitute. As long as the corticosteroid is of a similar strength and water soluble, it should be OK. However, one should not need to shake it, as is often the case with many injectable corticosteroids. Although I have a supply of DSP, one substitute others are using is Azium (Schering). The antibiotic selection may vary, as well.

Guille advised that anthrax was found in Buenos Aires from a US posted letter. CDC posted details from a 10-18 bulletin at http://www.medscape.com

Carnivores are usually infected by ingesting raw meat; dogs are relatively resistant to infection. Infection in dogs and cats is usually manifest initially by local inflammation, necrosis, and edema of tissues of the upper GI tract, which first contact the swallowed organism. Swelling of the head and neck tissues is usually apparent. Subsequent spread to local and mesenteric lymph nodes, spleen, and liver usually occurs. Necropsy is not advised (causes sporulation); he recommends examination of stained smears from blood or FNAs. Treatment of choice is penicillin. (Greene, Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat)

In another reference (Control of Communicable Diseases in Man), it says the incubation period is 2-7 days. In people, (and probably in pets that may be exposed to aerosolized powder rather than by eating infected meat), the disease usually causes skin lesions: itching starts first followed by papules, vesicles and then in 2-6 days a black eschar surrounded by mild to moderate edema, sometimes with secondary vesicles. Pain is unusual, and if present, is due to edema or secondary infection. Untreated infections can spread to lymphatics/ blood and cause septicemia; untreated cutaneous anthrax has a fatality rate of 5-20% in people.

In people, initial symptoms of inhalation anthrax are mild and nonspecific, resembling a common URI. Acute symptoms of respiratory distress, radiographic
evidence of mediastinal widening, fever and shock follow in 3-5 days, then death. Treatment in people is penicillin for 5-7 days, tetracycline, erythromycin, or chloramphenicol (and Cipro). Articles and soil contaminated with spores can remain infectious for years, and spores require steam sterilization/autoclaving. The book recommends "drainage/secretion precautions for duration of illness for cutaneous and inhalation anthrax," and
disinfection/autoclaving of articles soiled with such discharges. Good learning issue! Hope we don't ever have to use this info!

YADA, YADA, YADA

We survived working 3 trade shows simultaneously. For historic purposes, this is how we did it.

ATLANTIC CITY

It appeared people in the NYC vicinity where ready to get away, if not by plane then by car to nearby Atlantic City. This being our Northeast rep,CHRISTINE SAYED and our Southeast rep, MEREDITH MILLER's first trade show, Administrator CHRIS VON STEIN and I trekked up to AC by car leaving DAVE BROWN, our CFO at home alone to run the business. You could cut the attitude in Atlantic City with a knife.

We found KEN KWOCHKA there doing the derm and ear lectures. Generally, Ken finds a way to diplomatically make as many companies happy as possible; we were pleased with his talks. He tried to calm me about our golf match in Kapalua, Maui by saying he hasn't played much. Never heard that before.

DEB HORWITZ (St Louis) was there doing her behavior lectures. DermaPet has found her quite entertaining (this time not totally because she shared her and Karen Overall's drink tickets with me) in various ports where seminars are divined. VIN's NATE LISSANT spread the word that "Don't Cell Me Francis" was playing at the Pasta party. Regular newsletter readers may recall Nate being reported in this space as doing a version of the Gator last year. This year he was much more conservative on his feet.

And, lucky me walked by a Genie machine, wished for a jackpot and got one. And it took me 35 minutes and 3 trips to the cashier to cash in 1853 NICKELS!

Amazingly, we did not stop for my normal White House Sub sandwich until leaving town. And it was delicious.

RENO

SUSAN ACKERSON, our West Coast rep, worked her first show with GARY BOUGE.

CAROL FOIL (LSU and the "Dean" of VINs derm folder) lectured on derm and ears. Not one to promote companies, Carol's comments were appreciated so much by us that GARY BOUGE went looking for her in vain. KEITH POULIOT of MedRx made his return after a leave of absence. DermaPet recalls many a memorable moment with the affable and sometimes boisterous MedRx salesman.

BOSTON (TUFTS)

The first convention since 911 in the Hines Convention Center had very poor attendence.

GLORIA MELMAN would not take a cab in Boston since she read that the leader of the hijackers was a Boston taximan. She took a shuttle in and had KEVIN STEWART (one of our Japanese agents) take her back. She did find Abe and Louie's food quite delicious. DAN SCOTT (Mr. Tonopen) and DANIEL FIELDS (ESC/Sharplan) were also seen at the bar there although no one can recall actually seeing them eat.

LOWELL ACKERMAN (Waltham, MA) and GARY LANDSBERG (Toronto) came by to say hello to Gloria who worked the booth alone. Gary's lecture was attended by 10 people.

The following story was forwarded by a AMY SHOJAI, world class dog and cat writer. JOSHUA LISS, super fundraiser from Penn, my alma mater and daughter Jessica's current haunt, sends us to the Larry King Transcript. He adds that Mr. Hingson works at Quantum ATL.

Blind Man And His Guide Dog Among Those Who Escaped
BY DAVID MONTERO (SCRIPPS-McCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE) 9/15/01

The California native knew there was trouble when his 78th-floor office began rocking and he smelled jet fuel. The first thing greeting Michael Hingson and his guide dog, Roselle, was the choking stench of jet fuel wafting down the north tower of the WTC. Hingson hadn't seen what happened: The 51-year-old has been blind since birth. But it wasn't hard to figure some sort of aircraft had struck the building with tremendous force at 8:45 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

Quickly, he told the few people in his office to get out and suggested they take the stairs because he believed the elevators surely wouldn't be working. He had no idea what was happening. The Palmdale native, well-versed in earthquakes, said he only knew the rocking skyscraper was in terrible trouble, and that he was pretty much alone. On the 78th floor.

"The office was empty except for myself, (co-workers) David, Frank and Roselle," he said. "I took a moment to call my wife and tell her there was an explosion at the World Trade Center and that I'd be home as soon as I could." With that, he hung up the phone, grabbed the harness for Roselle and began issuing the commands that told the yellow Labrador retriever it was time to go to work. But the dog, who had only been his guide for nine months, was already raring to go. She had been, in fact, since the initial impact that jarred her from an early-morning slumber under Hingson's desk. "She had already jumped up from there," Hingson said.

"Usually she doesn't even stir when the wind shakes the tower." While Frank described to Hingson how flaming chunks of debris tumbled past their window, Roselle led him through the disheveled office and, eventually, to the stairwell. "The crowds weren't huge at first," Hingson said. "But as we started making our way down, they got bigger." It was getting hot, too, with temperatures in the stairwell climbing higher than 90 degrees. Hingson was sweating and Roselle was panting.

By the time they got to about the 50th floor, United Airlines Flight 175 had slammed into the south tower of the World Trade Center, something he wouldn't know about until later. Instead, the smell of kerosene was getting stronger and soon he felt people bumping into him as Roselle, Frank and he continued downstairs. The problem was, the people bumping into him were going the wrong way.

"I heard applause and was told they were firefighters," he said. "I clapped a few on the back, but I was scared for where they were going." He should have been worried. Temperatures in the north tower were scorching the top part of the building at more than 1,000 degrees. And that heat was working its way through the stairwell each time people opened a door in an attempt to escape.

Others were worried, too. As news spread across the country about the terrorist attack on the twin towers, Kay and Ted Stern watched the news, horrified, from their Santa Barbara home. The Sterns knew Hingson worked in the World Trade Center and had met himin December 1998 when they went to visit him and Roselle, the puppy they had helped train for her eventual career as a guide dog.

"We had several friends in New York, including Hingson, and we sent e-mails immediately and asked for them to respond so we would know if they were OK," Ted Stern said.

At that time, however, Hingson wasn't even sure he would be all right.The stairs were thick with people clambering down the stairs, not stampeding, but moving quickly. And Hingson was worried about Roselle. The dog had begun panting heavily, her throat irritated by jet fuel fumes. No air was circulating and Hingson knew she was thirsty. Frank stayed with both of them and they finally reached the lobby of the building.

"A lot of pipes had broken and there were puddles on the floor," he said.

"Roselle was stopping to drink some of the water, so I knew she was very thirsty." It had taken them 50 minutes to get down the stairs and it took them another 10 minutes to actually get out of the building and onto the street. The plan was to get to Frank's car and drive away, but at 9:50 a.m. EDT, that plan was scrapped.

"I heard the second tower collapsing," Hingson said. "It sounded like a metal and concrete waterfall. We started running for the subway." He heard the shrieks of terror and yet Roselle remained focused on her task. He kept the commands simple -- left, right -- and a police officer steered them into the subway.

When they emerged, Hingson was told the north tower was gone and the south tower was smoldering near the top. "It was unbelievable," he said. "I felt lucky to be out of there. But I wondered about the firefighters." About 20 minutes later, while they were making their way from the WTC, the south tower caved in on itself, sending a rolling gray cloud of ash, glass and debris toward them." The air was filled with crud," he said. "A woman nearby couldn't see because she had stuff in her eyes, so Roselle and I helped her."

Everyone was coated with the soot of what had once been two 110-story buildings. If Hingson could have seen her, Roselle had become a gray Labrador. Because there were no trains operating that day, Hingson had to stay at
afriend's house in Manhattan on Tuesday night before going home to his wife in Westfield, N.J., on Wednesday. He then began the long process of e-mailing everyone who was waiting to hear from him. The Sterns finally heard from him Friday after Hingson contacted the San Rafael-based Guide Dogs for the Blind Inc. Joanne Ritter, spokeswoman for the nonprofit organization that supplies guide dogs around the country, said Roselle was the first puppy the Sterns had raised to be a service dog.

The Sterns, for their part, said Hingson's story has inspired them to continue working with service dogs. "We're training our fourth dog now," Kay Stern said. "But Michael's story sure gives us a lot of validation."

Factoids

Canine costs
According to the October, 2001 issue of Business 2.0, here are a few of the average costs involved in owning and caring for a pet in the US.

US$233.60¾ average amount spent to buy a dog.
US$59¾ average amount spent to buy a cat.
US$391¾ average annual amount spent to keep a dog, including vet bills and petfood.
US$850¾ price of a dog portrait.
US$79¾ annual premium paid by AT&T employees who opt for pet health insurance.
US$1.20¾ average daily cost of brand-name anti-anxiety drug for dogs.
US$400¾ average cost of burying a dog at a pet cemetery.

Colorado State University announced the birth of two foals produced from eggs harvested from a mare, frozen, and then thawed. The eggs were implanted in two mares that had already been inseminated. According to CSU, this is the first live birth of foals produced from frozen eggs. (DVM Newsmagazine)

For Malassezia and Bacterial Otitis PROTOCOLS and the Malassezia Derm Protocol please go to the web site and read Seven Steps to Treating Ears, visit the many articles at our website or look at archived Newsletters.

SPECIALS

We are still celebrating our "10th Anniversary." Contact your distributor to find out the Special they are offering.

To place your order, please contact your DermaPet Distributor or call 1 800 755 4738 for ordering information.

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 15,000 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

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