J. Yoshicedo, DVM | Hawaii VMA

Meet a Board Member: Brenda Smith, Treasurer

Dr Brenda Smith grew up ‘on the mainland’. Living in Louisville, Kentucky for most of her childhood, she developed a passion for horses and became very involved in Pony Club and dressage and eventing. The seeds for a career in Veterinary medicine were planted early. Moving to Texas in high school, she remained through school, graduating from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in 1995.

The next 11 years were spent in Oregon and Washington, working first at mixed animal and then small animal clinics and the Southwest Washington Humane Society. An interest in alternative medicine led to certification in acupuncture through IVAS in 2001 and several Chinese herbal courses in the following years. She got immersed in volunteer work as well, supporting and serving on the board of the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon as well as participating in international spay/neuter projects. Spare time was spent exploring. The hiking and trail-riding and rafting are amazing in the Pacific Northwest.

Dr Smith moved to Maui in 2006, then Oahu in 2010. Moving to Oahu, she began Cherished Pet, a home euthanasia service, as well as doing relief work. Horses and rafts were replaced with surfboards and sailing gear! Volunteer work continued as well, both internationally doing spay/neuter projects and locally with the Polynesian Voyaging Society. Sailing on canoes (Faafaite and Hikianalia) from Auckland to Papeete to Hilo was a huge adventure!

The volunteer work was so rewarding, that in 2013 Dr Smith moved to American Samoa to work on a large scale spay/neuter and dog overpopulation project. After two years and 5000 surgeries, the island dog population was much healthier. The island is beautiful, both above and underwater. Hiking and diving and outrigger paddling were spare time activities.

Last year, Dr Smith and her partner Tim moved back to Oahu and she resumed doing relief work and home euthanasia. She is currently working at Kailua Animal Clinic at their new Feline Wellness Center, paddling recreationally with Lanikai Canoe Club, and generally enjoying life biking and beach walking around Kailua. Her two cats have moved from Washington to Hawaii to American Samoa and then back. They have now been joined by four entertaining backyard hens.

AVMA Update Jan 2019

American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Winter Session and The Veterinary Leadership Conference (VLC)

Aloha to you all and a belated Happy New Year!

The House of Delegates convened for the Winter Session in combination with the Veterinary Leadership Conference in Chicago, Illinois, January 10-13. This years theme was Evolution of Leadership – Learn, Grow, Lead, Evolve your Leadership Journey. The purpose of the VLC was to provide veterinary professionals, at all stages of their career, personal and professional leadership that benefits the individual attendee and the Veterinary Profession. The conference included:

a) AVMA governance meetings

b) Continuing Education Sessions focused on leadership development

c) Network opportunities

At this conference, Rising Leaders are interacting with Experienced Leaders to expand leadership skills and gives everyone the tools to create a roadmap for our leadership journey.

Here is a summary of our AVMA House of Delegates Winter Session:

Membership

AVMA membership is strong with the association’s official membership at more than 93,400. AVMA retained a higher percentage of members to start the year. Three out of every four veterinarians are members of the AVMA.

Health Insurance is returning!

Beginning in July, members and their employees in the AVMA LIFE Trust, or a related entity, may be able to offer health insurance as an ‘association of employers.’ This means veterinarians who are employers – including those who are self-employed – might be eligible to purchase group health insurance for themselves, their families, and their employees through the AVMA family. The program is expected to build over time.

For more information and to sign up for the latest updates, go to: AVMALife.org or call 800-621-6360.

Enhancing the utilization of veterinary technicians

During the House of Delegates business meeting, the HOD’s Veterinary Information Forum was committed to the topic of enhancing the utilization of veterinary technicians. Prior to the forum, AVMA members were asked to provide their input on the topic to their House representatives, and more than 400 comments were received.

The value of veterinary technicians is certain and that efforts need to be made across the profession to increase technician use and boost job satisfaction. Members of the House of Delegate recommends that the AVMA Board of Directors convene a task force to design a plan to improve veterinary technician utilization and that a progress report be shared with the HOD within a year.

Governance: House of Delegate Actions

HOD members also acted on several resolutions and bylaws amendments, including:

Model Veterinary Practice Act: Refer to the AVMA Board of Directors
- Consideration of a revised version that incorporates input from HOD deliberations conducted during the meeting.

Membership Dues Increase: Approved
- A resolution submitted by the AVMA Board of Directors to increase annual membership dues $30 in 2020, and, if necessary, up to $10 in 2021 and 2022 for regular and affiliate memberships. Reduced dues memberships will be made equal to 50% of the annual dues of regular members.

Bylaw amendment expanding the composition of the AVMA Council on Veterinary Services to include a credentialed veterinary technician. Approved.

Bylaw amendment changing the name of the AVMA Council on Public Health and Regulatory Veterinary Medicine to the AVMA Council on Public Health. Approved

Bylaw amendment removing a statement of responsibility of the AVMA Council on Research. Approved.

Bylaw amendment removing a statement of responsibility of the AVMA Council on Biologic and Therapeutic Agents. Approved

Bylaw amendment that replaces the AVMA Judicial Council with an ad hoc hearing panel to adjudicate complaints of unethical conduct by AVMA members. Approved

Bylaw amendment related to the maintenance of House status for House of Delegates member organizations. Approved

Bylaw amendment expanding eligibility of membership on the AVMA Council on Public Health (formerly known as the AVMA Council on Public Health and Regulatory Veterinary Medicine). Approved

Keynote speaker Drew Dudley: Day One Leadership.

Leadership is more than money, power and influence. Drew’s message is to focus on the “everyday leadership.” We have all changed someone’s life — usually without even realizing it. Let us celebrate leadership as the everyday act of improving each other’s lives. Create those moments that have powerful impacts and growth and that can be life changing for you and your organization. To learn more about Drew’s message refer to his Ted Talk on Leadership or enjoy his book: This is Day One, A Practical Guide to Leadership That Matters.

Future VLC Meeting

January 9-12, 2020

VLC benefits veterinary professionals at all career stages to take on new challenges and leadership roles that benefit both the individual attendee and the veterinary profession. The benefits of attending the combined VLC and House of Delegates winter session are:

Evolve your leadership skills – Gain new insights, expand your personal tool set, and learn from those who’ve come before you.
Connect with a diverse network of leaders from across the veterinary profession.
Deepen your understanding of how the AVMA works and discover exciting opportunities to get involved!
Earn up to 8 hours of continuing education credit.

Please feel free to contact your AVMA Hawaii Alternate Delegate – Carolyn Naun, or myself – Leianne Lee Loy if you would like to learn more about this meeting (avma_delegate@hawaiivetmed.org).

AVMA Convention: A Monumental Experience

Save the date: August 2-6, 2019 in Washington D.C.

Aloha!

Leianne K. Lee Loy

Hawaii Delegate for AVMA

Rat Lungworm Disease in Hawaii

In November and December 2018, two young dogs in the Honolulu area were diagnosed with Rat Lungworm Disease, caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis. Both puppies presented with spinal hyperesthesia, hindlimb weakness, and proprioceptive ataxia. One dog had peripheral eosinophilia; all other hematology and serum biochemistry tests were unremarkable. Plain radiographs and computed tomography scans (with/without) contrast were performed but did not reveal a cause for the neurologic signs. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis in both patients revealed eosinophilic pleocytosis and real-time PCR testing for Angiostrongylus cantonensis on CSF was positive in both dogs, confirming a diagnosis of neural angiostrongylisias; PCR testing for other canine neural pathogens was negative.

Both dogs responded rapidly to treatment with corticosteroids and recovered clinically within 2 weeks. Neither dog was observed ingesting a snail or slug, but both dogs had environmental access to them. Dr. Richard Malik (University of Sydney) spoke on this topic in May 2018 and recommends treating with corticosteroids (up to 6 weeks), +/- anthelmintics (if early infection when the larvae are still small and not yet in the CNS), and pain medication or other symptomatic care as needed. He also recommends antibiotics to address the issue of translocated bacteria carried by migrating larvae.

If you have any suspected cases or have questions regarding diagnosing, treating, or preventing rat lungworm infection in dogs or other animals, please call Dr. Jenee Odani (Extension Veterinarian) at 808-956-3847 or email jsodani@hawaii.edu. She is especially interested in conducting post mortem testing on suspected cases.

Submitted by:
Jenee S. Odani, DVM, DACVP
Associate Specialist: Veterinary Extension
Pre-Veterinary Medicine Program Advisor
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources/HNFAS
University of Hawaii

Message from the President Jan 2019

Aloha HVMA members,

January is a time to reflect back on the accomplishments of the past and look forward to the goals of the future. Thanks to the hard work of the conference committee we had another highly successful annual meeting in November with internationally recognized speakers in internal medicine, exotics, dentistry, Fear Free practice, disaster planning and more. We are already beginning to plan for next year’s event so please let us know if there are any speakers or topics you would like to see in the future. At our annual meeting we elected new officers to the board and also updated our by-laws. More information on these can be found on the Member Resources page of our website.

As we move into 2019 we look forward to serving members and the community in many ways including disaster planning with HI-EMA, legislative advocacy, keeping you informed on topics of importance to veterinary medicine in addition to opportunities to participate in community outreach. Our website’s About us page has been updated with our purposes as stated in our charter with the state. Please take a moment to read about who we are.

Membership renewal season has begun and we encourage you to renew early. Please see here for all the benefits of membership.

Finally, we want to share our gratitude to Eric Ako for his many years of service to the HVMA as the Executive Vice President. Please be sure to thank him when you see him, as this organization would not be where it is today without his tireless efforts. We are very fortunate that Jill Yoshicedo has agreed to take the reins as EVP, and know she will continue to add value to your membership and advocate on behalf of veterinarians in Hawaii. We also say aloha to Cordell Chang after many years of service as the HVMA representative to the AVMA.

Save the date for the 66^th Annual Conference: November 7-10, 2019!

Aloha on behalf of the HVMA board,

Aleisha Swartz