Dr. Levy

American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture Lifetime Achievement Award

GaryLevy — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 01:11:52 +0000

AAVA Lifetime Achievement Award Presentation March 3, 2012

Left to Right- Dr. Kevin May(2009 AAVA Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient), Dr. Gary Levy, Dr. John Limehouse (2008 AAVA Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient), Dr.Chris Cahill (AAVA President)

The American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture (AAVA) awarded Gary Levy DVM ABVP FAAVA, of Jackson New Jersey with the AAVA Lifetime Achievement Award. This award was established by the AAVA Board of Directors to recognize and honor an individual for years of work in promoting veterinary acupuncture.

Dr. Levy received his DVM degree from the Ohio State University in 1981, became a Diplomate of American board of Veterinary Practitioners in 1993, and 1995 completed his initial training and certification in veterinary acupuncture by the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS).

He was a teaching assistant for the IVAS basic veterinary acupuncture training course in 1995 and 1996. Dr. Levy was the case report coordinator and a member of the IVAS certification examination committee from 1997 to 1999.

In 1998, Dr. Levy was one of the nine founding members of the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture( AAVA). In the past 14 years Dr. Levy has been involved in many aspects of the AAVA including: chair of multiple committees; co-editor of the AAVA newsletter, the Meridian; and annual meeting committee program chair for eight years. He has been a member of the AAVA board of directors for six years including two terms as President (2000-01, 2006-07).

Dr. Levy was the chair of the initial AAVA advanced certification committee as well as the primary author of the Guidelines for AAVA advanced certification in veterinary acupuncture. In 2007, after many years of work with Dr. Levy as committee chair, the first advanced veterinary acupuncture examination was given to qualified applicants and resulted in awarding of the first Fellows of Veterinary Acupuncture (FAAVA). The following year Dr. Levy resigned from the advanced certification committee and began the peer reviewed application process and completion of the advanced veterinary acupuncture exam and was awarded the distinction of FAAVA in 2009 by the Academy.

On March 3, 2012, at the annual AAVA meeting in Charleston, South Carolina the Academy presented to Dr. Levy the AAVA Lifetime Achievement award for his dedicated and outstanding service in the field of veterinary acupuncture.

Flint River Ranch Update

GaryLevy — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:55:52 +0000

Flint River Ranch Newsletter

February, 2012

In one of the various industry periodicals I read, an article stated that a company who specializes in developing palatability for pet food, (yes, there are companies that don’t make pet food, just find ways to get pets to eat it!) has now teamed up with a perfume and flavoring company. They are going to launch a new “Feel Good” program that will allow pet food manufacturers to make products that have perfume applied so that will be more pleasing to pet owners as well as the pets. Apparently, they are going to be able to inject a masking perfume into finished product like roasted chicken, beef and Italian seasoning.

It appears that the intention is to add a pleasing aroma for the benefit of the customer, but has no added nutritional value for the pet. So obviously, if the customers didn’t like the smell of the original product, then they were naturally placing a negative opinion on the product that it might not be good. Or maybe rather, the manufacturer could not (or would not) make a product that naturally smelled fresh, clean and had a favorable aroma. Like the formulas Flint River Ranch has been successfully making for over 18 years!

Another issue is that these aromas are going to be able to last all the way through to the end of the bag. That’s a pretty vigorous perfume to last for weeks or more, and I wonder if they are going to be natural or chemical in their origin? I’m betting that to stay that potent it will be chemical in origin. Low quality meat ingredients of limited nutritional value are still limited in nutritional value regardless of any aroma being added. Moldy grain sprayed with perfume is still moldy grain.

Folks, this is just another way that some in the pet food industry continue to misrepresent their products. If they wanted to make a food that always smelled welcoming and fresh; like Flint River Ranch does, they would. They could, but most don’t. There are still companies that will misrepresent, confuse and trick consumers into thinking that what they are feeding to their pets is good and wholesome. Some do it with cute, colorful, fun-shaped kibbles that trick the consumer into thinking that they are feeding real vegetables like carrots, peas, meat bits and such. In reality, it’s just another dry kibble that’s been dyed a color. Others do it with their impressive graphics and marketing on their bags, full of flashy colors, happy, healthy-looking pets, pictures of supposed fresh, whole meats and vegetables put into the kibbles. It’s a misrepresentation and mainly marketing hype just to get people to buy the product. They only want to move product; not make a positive & permanent positive impact on a pet’s health. Now they’re going to use these powerful aroma additives to further trick the consumers and make the pets key in on the smell and flavor over producing a quality food!

It’s just wrong and again this is another reason why I’m so proud of what Jim started over 18 years ago. We stand by what we do and how we make it and always will. Yes, I know we’re a premium-priced food in the marketplace, but our pricing is competitive even with the included shipping. There is a reason we will not skimp on the quality of the ingredients or our oven-baking process. We stand by the performance that we know our formulas will provide. There’s an old adage that you can get by eating fast food all day, every day. But knowing the health impact, why would you want too? Masking the aroma of the finished product to the consumer is just wrong and this type of practice and the marketing surrounding it continues to frustrate me because there is always a trickle-down effect to those of us who are trying to do this business correctly. Just want to keep you informed.

Thank you for being involved!

Jay P.

Jay P. Margedant, President

www.frrco.com

AAVA Annual Meeting 2011

GaryLevy — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:46:04 +0000

I just returned from the AAVA 2011 annual meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. This is a three day continuing education seminar which offers member veterinarians some 20 plus hours of advanced lectures on veterinary acupuncture. This year the meeting was attended by over 150 veterinarians from the US and abroad. I take great pride in serving as the annual meeting program chairperson. My duties include the speaker selection, seminar topics, and conference site selection.

Introduction to Veterinary Acupuncture Lecture at Rutgers

GaryLevy — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:27:47 +0000

I will be giving a lecture at Cook College Rutgers University ” An Introduction to Veterinary Acupuncture in Cats and Dogs “ to the undergraduate animal science class Toninght (5:35-6:55pm). The Course Instructor informed me that there will be room for non -students (the general public) to attend. The lecture will be in Loree Hall room 024 at 72 Lipman Dr in New Brunswick.

Noise reactivities & phobias in Dogs: Behavior modification strategies

GaryLevy — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 02:51:50 +0000

Here is a recent article I read about Noise reactivities and phobias in dogs that I thought would be informative and interesting.

go to http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Behavior360/Noise-reactivities-and-phobias-Behavior-modificati/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/698406

Kroger Pet Food Recall

GaryLevy — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:49:42 +0000

Please be advised of a pet food recall for certain brands sold at Kroger Food Stores. Please go to http://www.kroger.com/services/Pages/recall_information.aspx for more information

New Jersey Rabies Update

GaryLevy — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 19:57:34 +0000

Rabies is still a disease to be aware of and to continue proper vaccination and protection for your pet. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) published a report on September 15, 2010 summarizing the incidence of confirmed cases of rabies in animal species in 2009. Here in New Jersey there were 288 cases of confirmed rabies infection in animals. There were 189 raccoons, 32 bats, 37 skunks, 5 foxes, 5 other wildlife species, and 20 cases of rabies in domestic cats!

What is Rabies? it is a viral disease of mammals which if contracted and the virus infects the central nervous system is almost always fatal. Fortunately vaccination is highly effective prevention for the disease.

What can I do to be proactive? Some general safety tips are:

Never handle sick or injured wildlife, leave that to the professional at your local animal control office or police department
If your pet has an encounter with wildlife (is attacked by or bites a wildlife species) wear rubber gloves when cleaning your pet and contact your veterinarian about getting a booster vaccine for your pet; if you are bitten by a wildlife species contact your physician or local health department or emergency room for assistance
Finally keep you pets current on their rabies vaccines. Contact us to schedule your appointment.

Other Resources:

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Holiday Season Safety For Your Pets

GaryLevy — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 17:18:54 +0000

Summary
Follow this post to prepare for tips on best practices in caring for your pet this winter. Whether you are planning a holiday party or just prepping the car for winter, remember to keep your pets in mind!

Safety Tips

Cats and kittens like to nap in warm places, this can include under cars and in car engines. To scare away any napping pets, knock on the hood of your car or truck or honk the horn, then wait a few minutes before starting the engine. If in doubt, open the hood and look.
Antifreeze smells good and tastes very sweet. Very small amounts can kill your pet. If a cat walks through it and then licks its paws, it can ingest enough to be lethal. The chemicals in antifreeze crystallize in the kidney, so symptoms may not show up for 12-48 hours and then it may be too late. Thoroughly clean up any spills, store antifreeze in tightly closed containers and store where pets and children can not get to them. Do not dispose of antifreeze by pouring into the gutter and never let your pet drink from the gutters. There are “pet-safe” brands of antifreeze on the market today.
The use of rodenticides increases in the fall as rodents seek shelter from the cooler temperatures by attempting to move indoors. Rodenticides are highly toxic to pets—if ingested, the results could be fatal. If you must use these products, do so with extreme caution and put them in places inaccessible to your pets.
Holiday foods, alcoholic beverages and candy can all lead to serious problems for your pet. Keep your pet on its regular diet. Many animals may enjoy an occasional treat, but many times rich foods that your pet is not used to can lead to serious illnesses such as pancreatitis, gastroenteritis, toxicities and other digestive upsets.
Many plants, including Christmas rose, holly, mistletoe, philodendron, and dieffenbachia are toxic to your pet. Keep them out of your pets reach.
Also keep in mind when decorating; electric cords, tinsel, glass ornaments, candles, spray on-snow (some are non-toxic-read the label), ribbons, plastic or foil wrapping, etc. can be dangerous to your pet. Cover up or hide electric cords so your pet can not chew on them. Do not tie ribbons around pets’ necks or limbs. Watch out for rubber bands too.

More Resources

When should someone consider acupuncture for their pet?

admin — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 04:01:22 +0000

Acupuncture is known to have good therapeutic effect in a wide variety of animal diseases. Pain modification is an important application of veterinary acupuncture, but there are much wider applications. Examples of clinical conditions where veterinary acupuncture may be used are: Gastrointestinal disorders- gastritis, enteritis, colitis, vomiting, rectal prolapse, megacolon; Respiratory problems- rhinitis, asthma, chronic cough, epistaxis; Neurological disorders- epilepsy, deafness, chronic pain, pinched nerves; Urinary disorders- incontinence, cystitis; Musculoskeletal disorders- chronic degenerative joint disease, disc disease, hip dysplasia, tendonitis, muscle spasms; and Dermatological problems- chronic skin disease, lick granulomas, allergic dermatitis. These are just a sampling of how acupuncture can benefit veterinary patients.

How should I choose an acupuncturist for my pet?

GaryLevy — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 04:03:13 +0000

Two important criteria: First your veterinary acupuncturist must be a licensed veterinarian. In most states, provinces, and countries veterinary acupuncture is consider a surgical procedure that only licensed veterinarians may legally administer. Second your veterinary acupuncturist should have some formal training in the practice of animal acupuncture. The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) has a formal training and certification program, as well as the Chi Institute of Florida, Ask your veterinarian about her or his training. To locate a veterinary acupuncturist near you contact the AAVA office at 1-860-632-9911 or go online to www.aava.org.