March 17 , 2006

Volume III, No. 18

ISVMA Holds Successful LOBBY DAY

The ISVMA Board of Directors and Legislative Committee were joined by a few other ISVMA members in a directed lobby effort to support issues important to the veterinary profession in Illinois. The veterinarian/lobbyists spent four hours at the State Capitol building support for our position on key issues including:

• The ISVMA sales tax amendment
• State funding for the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine
• Animal Control/Vicious Animal Legislation

The results of the lobby effort were immediately apparent. Several senators and representatives asked to co-sponsor the ISVMA sales tax amendment after their veterinarian constituents briefed them on how veterinary practices have been unfairly treated by the Illinois Department of Revenue. One state representative was so motivated that she called the DOR and insisted they send an agency official to her office immediately to defend their audit practices.

Several legislators were educated on the critical role veterinarians play in public health and protection. The veterinarian/lobbyists impressed legislators with the need for investing in the infrastructure, diagnostic laboratories and faculty at the college of veterinary medicine so that they can continue to provide the highest quality training and preparation for veterinarians who will be on the front lines in the prevention and control of public health disasters. Describing the role of veterinarians in helping to control avian influenza helped legislators iunderstand that veterinary medicine has a public health role that goes far beyond vaccinations and spay/neuters.

This was the Second Annual ISVMA Lobby Day. Every ISVMA member veterinarian was invited to participate and will be invited again next year. It was amazing how effective the group of 20 veterinarian/lobbyists was today. It is exciting to imagine how compelling a group of 200 veterinarians would be! We hope that you'll consider participating in next year's Lobby Day. You'll enjoy the experience and you'll be feel an overwhelming sense of satisfaction for the contribution you will have made to your profession.

Please take the time to thank your colleagues that represented you today on Lobby Day:

Spring Seminar Series Needs a Boost!

You cannot afford to miss this ISVMA Spring Seminar Series!

Registration for the ISVMA Spring Seminar Series has been disappointing and we are requesting you register to attend this outstanding program with your associates and key staff.

Veterinarians are aware of the growing number of complaints filed by clients with state licensing boards. If you haven't had a complaint filed against you, it is likely just a matter of time before you will be forced to defend your medical judgment and/or actions. Many pet owners are reluctant to accept that their pets die without negligence or malpractice on the part of the veterinary professionals in whom they trusted the care of the pet. Encouraged by lawyers and extremist organizations, an increasing number of pet owners are filing lawsuits to recover not just the value of their lost property but damages for loss of companionship and emotional distress.

We have retained Charlotte Lacroix, DVM, Esq. to help you avoid liability and disciplinary proceedings by reviewing the legal and practical implications of issues faced daily in your practices. This seminar was developed specifically for veterinarians, practice managers, technicians and veterinary assistants with important legal and management information you will DEPEND UPON to protect yourself against liability and disciplinary proceedings!

Why Should You Attend the ISVMA Spring Seminar Series?

There are many reasons you should attend this outstanding program including:

• Dr. Charlotte Lacroix is one of the most outstanding and popular speakers on the veterinary circuit. She is typically available only at large, national seminars at a substantially higher cost.
• Clients are filing record numbers of complaints with licensing boards and lawyers are filing malpractice suits that are threatening the economic viability of the profession. This program is designed specifically to help veterinary professionals avoid liability, lawsuits and disciplinary proceedings.
• This seminar deals with issues that generate the vast majority of questions posed by veterinary practitioners to the ISVMA.
• This seminar's low registration cost is the result of the sponsorship of Ft. Dodge Animal Health. In order to continue receiving financial support from our vendors that allow ISVMA to offer top-notch education programming, we have to provide consistently high registration numbers!
• Your support of the high quality ISVMA education programs (the Annual Convention and the Spring Seminar Series) is important for the economic stability of your state association. The ISVMA depends upon your participation!

ISVMA Spring Seminar Series - REGISTER NOW!

The ISVMA Spring Seminar Series offers you and your staff an affordable opportunity to experience a nationally-recognized speaker addressing issues that are important to both your practice and practice staff. This year's seminar will be offered twice:

April 9, 2006 at the Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, IL (west-suburbs of Chicago)

April 30, 2006 at the Northfield Inn & Suites in Springfield, IL

Charlotte Lacroix, DVM, Esq. will address three important issues that generate the most member inquiries to the ISVMA:

1. What Constitues Good Medical Recordkeeping?
   
   
2. Internet Pharmacies, Drug Compounding and the Boogie Man - What They Have in Common.
   
   
3. Ethical Practice - It Ain't Easy and It's Getting Tougher.

ISVMA is fortunate to be able to give our members an opportunity to participate in a top-notch educational program with one of the most sought after speakers in the country. For more information and to register for this seminar please click here. Registration is limited, so register early!

About the Photo in This Issue...

The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is one of the most wide-spread of all land birds. They are found on all continents (except Antarctica) and large islands and occur over the whole of Australia, including Tasmania. They occur throughout most of Britain and Europe and across many parts of Asia, Africa, and in much of North America. In South America they are found in areas of suitable grassland, as well as on oceanic islands such as the Galapagos. They were introduced to Hawaii in 1958.

Barn Owls are in a different group of owls than all others in North America, belonging to the Tytonidae family instead of the Strigidae family. The differences can be seen in their heart-shaped face, square tail, small eyes and long legs, which are feathered to the toes. Another distinctive feature is their ear placement. They are assymetric so they can more easily triangulate the position of their prey. One ear is level with the forehead and the other is level with the nostril. This makes them the most accurate bird at locating prey by sound.
Barn owls' upperparts are light grey with numerous fine dark lines and scattered pale spots on the feathers. There are buff markings on wings and on the back. The underparts are white with a few black spots, occasionally none. Feathering on the lower legs may be sparse. The heart-shaped facial disc is white with a brownish edge, with brown marks at the front of the eyes, which have a black iris. Its beak is off-white and the feet are yellowish-white to brownish. Males and females are similar in size and colour, females and juveniles are generally more densely spotted.

Barn Owls are generally nocturnal, although it is not uncommon to see this species emerge at dusk or be active at dawn, occasionally being seen in flight during full daylight. They are closely associated with humans because of their traditional use in the Old World of barn lofts and church steeples as nesting sites.

Barn Owls are short-lived birds. Most die in their first year of life, with the average life expectancy being 1 to 2 years in the wild. In North America the oldest known Barn Owl in the wild lived to be 11 years, 6 months.

Although widespread throughout the world, the Barn Owl is listed as an endangered species in Illinois. Habitat loss is primarily responsible for the dramatic decline of the species in Illinois.

I photographed this Barn Owl in the Sulphur Springs Valley, Arizona in January 2006.

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