The Official Site for the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association
HVMA’s Pet Expo 2024 will be held on May 4-5, 2024 from 10am-4pm each day at the Neal Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Join us for a wide range of informative booths and pet merchandise, keiki crafts, contests, and more! Please bring a few canned goods for donation to the Hawaii Food Bank in lieu of an admission fee.
To register as a vendor for the event, please call 808-845-1762 or send an email.
Cordell W. J. Chang, 78, of Mililani, passed away in Honolulu, Hawaii on Friday, January 19, 2024. Celebration of Life Service will be held on Feb 28, 2024 at 9 am at the Diamond Head Memorial Park.
Dr. Chang served as the HVMA’s AVMA Delegate for many years after Allen Miyahara retired. He worked as a small animal practitioner with the Naito Animal Clinic group before and after its sale to VCA. He was also known for raising high quality canaries.
Dr. Chang was also instrumental alongside Allen Miyahara in relighting the fire for the Honolulu Veterinary Society, which at that time had fallen into inactivity after Darryl Allison passed. They recreated a vibrant active group led by their younger colleagues.
We remember Cordell as always having a smile on his face and time for friends. He kept in touch with many friends and family of veterinarians, including Sue Miyahara and Bob Young.
Michael Orean Woltmon was born on May 6, 1952 in Virginia to Jack and LaCona Gene Woltmon. He graduated from Leilehua High School in 1970. In 1974, he graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a with a B.S. in Tropical Agriculture. In 1978, he obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Washington State University – College of Veterinary Medicine.
In 1979 Dr. Woltmon opened Kauai Veterinary Clinic, Inc. in Puhi, Kauai, doing primarily large animal medicine out of a mobile unit, while his partner managed the small animal end of the practice. In 1984 he built, managed, and did husbandry for Production Improved Genetics, Inc (PIG, Inc) with a hui of investors. However, Hurricane Iniki totally damaged it in September 1992, but Dr. Woltmon managed to clean up and rebuild PIG, Inc. without the aid of their bankrupt insurance company. The swine production farm survived over 20+ years. Though, with encroachment of residential properties in the area, the farm was depopulated and became a commercial orchid farm. Dr. Woltmon bought out his business partner and managed KVC, Inc. until it was sold in 2021.
He passed away at home with his family present on October 9, 2023, he was 71 years old. Dr. Woltmon is survived by two daughters: LaCona Woltmon, married to Francisco Barron, with son, Francisco III; and Michelle Perry, married to Jarred Perry, with daughter, Ryenne Perry.
From our veterinary colleague in Japan:
Dear All,
I trust this message finds you well and enjoying the festive season. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones! I wanted to drop you a quick note and share some exciting updates from my recent trip to Colorado.
Covid-19 conditions have eased up, allowing me to revisit Colorado State University for the first time in five years. Despite the torturous long flight, the joy of reconnecting with old friends and professors was truly heartwarming. During my visit, I had the pleasure of witnessing the impressive new facilities at CSU, including TMI, a state-of-the-art center for continuing education, SPUR, a place dedicated to citizen learning about animals, soil, and water, and the recently established Dam Friends League, an animal shelter that was the highlight of my trip.
It was incredibly fulfilling to see firsthand the construction and operation of these facilities, especially learning that their existence relies heavily on generous donations. This experience made me realize the importance of fostering a donation culture in Japan and aspiring to build facilities comparable to those at TMI.
In November, we had the honor of inviting President VandeWoude of CSU to Japan. Our courtesy visit to Hokkaido University provided an excellent opportunity for engaging discussions with various professors, fostering valuable exchanges that will contribute to the development of veterinary medicine and science in Japan. Our goal is to establish a Japanese version of TMI and continue our efforts for the betterment of our field.
On a personal note, I turned 91 years old just last year.
Despite the ongoing challenges of Covid-19, I hosted another grand birthday party, and I am sincerely grateful to the many people who attended.
As the year comes to a close, I am eagerly looking forward to the prospect of seeing you again.
Wishing you a bright and joyous New Year filled with prosperity and happiness!
Warm regards,
Gen Kato, DVM
FaceBook：www.facebook.com/gen.kato.566
Daktari Animal Hospital Tokyo Medical Center
Shirokanedai Apt 2F, 5-14-1 Shirokanedai, Minato, Tokyo 108-0071 JAPAN
Submitted by Michelle Barbieri, DVM
The HVMA is providing a landing page for resources for veterinarians, technicians, and pet owners called Pono Pet Parents. This information campaign currently focuses on cats, but the hope is that in the future, it can be expanded to dogs and more. Cat owners can learn about how to raise their beloved pets in a thoughtful way that strengthens their bond with their cats, keeps them happy and healthy, and benefits wild animals and our island home.
Resources are grouped by the following sections:
Pet owners can then take the Pono Cat Pledge, which includes a commitment to these activities. These pages are the result of a combined effort of humane society representatives on Oahu and Kauai, and local, state and federal conservation groups hoping to realize the shared goals of responsible pet ownership and wildlife and ecosystem health.
Please share this resource with your clients and colleagues. And if you have any feedback or want to help get involved with future steps in this information campaign, contact Michelle Barbieri.
The USDA has provided a pet travel bulletin with key tips, an APHIS pet travel website for USDA accredited veterinarians, a Veterinary Export Health Certification System (VEHCS) help page, and more valuable information for veterinary professionals to use when preparing and issuing health certificates.
The following resources have been made available by the AVMA in light of several critical issues that have the potential to make a significant impact on the delivery of care to patients, the structure of the veterinary profession, and veterinary medicine as a whole. These resources include:
Links:
Applications are currently being accepted for the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association 2024 Scholarship. Full-time students enrolled in any AVMA-accredited doctoral program of veterinary medicine that have graduated from a high school in Hawaii are eligible for the $1000 scholarship. Applications due by March 15, 2024. Download the application here.
The Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association’s Annual Business Meeting (HVMA Hui) will be held on Saturday November 11, 2023 from 12-1pm at the Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel Prince Jonah Room. All veterinarians are welcome to attend, though only active members are permitted to vote. You do not need to be a conference attendee to come to the Hui.
The Bylaws Committee has proposed a change to Article 3, Section 3, regarding Special Meetings. This section currently reads:
“Special meetings may be called by the Chairman or by any three Members of the Board by submission of written notice to each Member of the Board at least fifteen days prior to each meeting. A majority of the Executive Board shall constitute a Quorum for the transaction of business.”
To allow for more timely response to emergency situations and acknowledge technological advances in modes of communication, the proposal is to change Article 3, Section 3 to read:
“Special meetings may be called by the Chairman or by any three Members of the Board by submission of uniform written notice, including electronic communication, to each Member of the Board at least 24 hours prior to each meeting. A majority of the Executive Board shall constitute a Quorum for the transaction of business.”
The Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association would like to thank Adjutant General Kenneth Hara and Brigadier General Steve Logan with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency for their efforts working with MEMA (Maui Emergency Management Agency) and Maui Humane Society to help Animal Search and Rescue teams gain access to previously restricted areas on Saturday August 26th. We acknowledge that efforts to search for pet animal survivors are necessarily secondary to ensuring the safety of personnel entering the burn zone and safely securing human remains.
It is important to clarify that steps to provide for animal survivors in the burn zone were taken even when Animal Search & Rescue teams were not allowed access. A FEMA veterinarian has been stationed in the burn zone supporting the canine search teams, and she oversees the delivery of any animals found alive by first responders to the Maui Humane Society for medical care. Food and water were left in various areas throughout the burn zone for any other animals that were hiding from the response teams.
We encourage all who want to provide care to animals in this or future disasters to complete the free FEMA training (ICS 100/200 & IS 700/800) and Community Emergency Response training so they can understand how to best participate in response situations and help their communities.
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