Greetings and Happy New Year from the SFVMA!

We hope that everyone is hanging in there and getting vaccinated with the start of 2021. It’s dues time again! 

Whether you are a potential new member or renewing your membership, please take a moment to be sure that your contact information is up-to-date with us (especially the email address to which the newsletter should be directed) by completing a membership application. The membership form may be submitted electronically on our website: www.sfvma.net/membership

Dues are $120 per year (for 4 quarterly meetings) per member for 2021. Dues payments may be made with either check, or by PayPal through the invoice forms available on the website. If payment is made for more than one application, please clearly indicate which individuals are included in the payment (this option is also available online, or a list of individuals to be covered may be emailed to the treasurer). Each member should complete an application regardless of payment method so that their contact information is updated. Payment is due by April 15th. After this date, payments will be on a “per meeting” basis. No exceptions! 

SFVMA members’ names will be listed on the website with hospital affiliation. Email addresses will be confidential and used only for the purposes of communicating with the membership regarding matters related to the organization.  

We look forward to “seeing” you at our online CEs! 

Sincerely,

2021 Membership Information and Application Forms

A MESSAGE TO SFVMA MEMBERS

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to offer a free virtual meeting on Thursday, September 17, 2020. Dr. Wailani Sung, MS, PhD, DVM, DACVB, of the San Francisco SPCA Behavior Speciality Service, will present “Emerging Behavior Issues During COVID”, hosted by Purina. There will be a fifteen minute question and answer session after her presentation. Connection details and instructions for the meeting will be posted to the Upcoming Meeting page, as well as emailed to members.

We are actively seeking a volunteer to join the SFVMA Executive Board as President. The Executive Board meets four times a year In addition to the quarterly SFVMA General meetings. The SFVMA President is responsible for presiding at all General meetings and Executive Board meetings, arranging speakers and sponsorship for quarterly General meetings, and writing a President’s Message for the quarterly SFVMA Newsletter. You will be joining a lively and experienced Executive Board who are dedicated to advancing the science and art of veterinary medicine, including its relationship to public health and the biological sciences. …

Continue reading this article and more in the
Fall 2020 SFVMA Newsletter (PDF)

A MESSAGE TO SFVMA MEMBERS

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for continuing to care for the animals and families of San Francisco though the middle of a pandemic. You have continued to adapt on a daily basis to the latest recommendations by government and veterinary organizations to help keep our workers and clients as safe as possible. You have continued to try your best to provide quality veterinary care through masks, telephones, and parking lots with clients experiencing a new level of stress and anxiety.

You have navigated trying to figure out telemedicine on the fly and continued to fight to help the veterinarians of this state loosen telemedicine restrictions so that we can help vulnerable pet owners at home. It has been a trying time to say the least, but I am extremely impressed by how adaptable and committed the veterinarians and veterinary staff members of this city have been and will continue to be. …

Continue reading this article and more in the
Summer 2020 SFVMA Newsletter (PDF)

PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT

UNIONIZATION OF VETERINARY TECHNICIANS

We have spoken before of the changes to veterinary medicine including global corporatization, the sophistication of care, increasing costs and the impact of pet insurance. Some of us may benefit from these changes. In fact, it is likely that if you have sold a practice recently that you did benefit financially. However, we have also spoken of the increasing costs of veterinary education while the average remuneration for the veterinarian has remained somewhat static over the last 10 to 15 years. The comparatively poor remuneration may arguably be the reason that we seem to be one of the least ethnically diverse professions and with a significant reduction in the number of males applying for veterinary medicine. However, there is a signification problem looming that is in dire need to be addressed and that is the conditions and salaries of our veterinary technicians and support staff.…

Continue reading this article and more in the
Winter 2019 SFVMA Newsletter (PDF)

FeLV/FIV testing at SF ACC & SF SPCA

San Francisco Animal Care and Control (SFACC) and the San Francisco SPCA (SF SPCA) recently changed their protocols regarding retroviral testing. The following describes the issues considered in the decision for the change.

Best practices for viral testing cats in shelters has been evolving over time to reflect the practicality of testing given the inherent problems with the screening test in obtaining meaningful results. Historically, all kittens and cats in our care were tested for FeLV/FIV using an in-house ELISA test; however, research has shown that less than 2.5% of the North American feline population test positive for either FeLV or FIV. This low seroprevalence also affects the positive predictive value of our retroviral tests (i.e. if the prevalence of a disease is low, then the accuracy of the test decreases and more false-positive results may occur).…

Continue reading this article and more in the Summer 2019 SFVMA Newsletter (PDF)

PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT

I was trying to do some work at home but was constantly being interrupted by Kui, my 5 year old dachshund cross who was pawing at me to be picked up. Or at least that is what I thought. He seemed anxious to get down whenever I picked him up. After several times doing this, he seemed to give up and then proceeded to go over to his water bowl and nudged that around on the floor and then proceeded to scratch at the floor. I finally cottoned on that the water bowl was empty and as soon as I filled it he immediately drank and went back to the couch for a nap, seemingly satisfied that he had been able to communicate with his not so smart human companion.

I thought how smart he is. I compared this to his house mate, Billy who is a beaglelab cross who probably would have died of thirst had I not filled the bowl. This was also the dog that when he first heard a siren and began to bay for the first time could not work out where the sound was coming from: not the siren but his own bay. Every
time he made the noise, he ran around furiously appearing as if he was looking for the dog that made it. So it is apparent that dogs differ in their innate intelligence. Kui may have a future in astrophysics but Billy may be my stay-at-home freeloader for life.

So it did make me think. HOW SMART ARE DOGS? …

Continue reading this article and more in the Winter 2018 SFVMA Newsletter (PDF)

Latest News from SFAfA

SFAFA has had a very successful year helping save 75 pets and distributing over $45,000 through our Grants-in-Aid program.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

May 31: Last day to submit your paperwork if you wish to participate in the Grant-in-Aid program for FYE 2019 (July 1, 2018–June 30, 2019). If you miss the deadline to send in your paperwork and wish to participate please immediately contact Dr. Anne Marie Benfatto (AnneMarie@sfaidforanimals.org).

June 15, 2018: Last day to submit paperwork for any FY18 Grant-in-Aid funding that you awarded to a client. Any unused Grant-in-Aid funds will be rolled over to the Grant-in-Aid program for FYE19.

July 1, 2018: Welcome letters will be sent out announcing grant amounts for the FYE19 Grant-in-Aid program.

The Ingrid Tauber Fund for Animals (TFA) will be available in FYE19: For those special cases where the anticipated costs are high and the client is in need of financial assistance please remember the TFA program. The animal must have an urgent need for veterinary care, a reasonably good prognosis and the client must have exhausted all other financial options. Funding of up to $5,000 per case will be considered provided that you make a matching donation of in-kind services or discounts equivalent to 25% of the TFA funding. More information is available on the “For Providers” page at sfafa.org or by emailing requests@sfafa.org.

Greetings and Happy New Year from the SFVMA!

It’s dues time again! We are a little behind this year due to a change in many board members (please bear with us)!

Whether you are a potential new member or renewing your membership, please take a moment to be sure that your contact information is up-to-date with us (especially the email address to which the newsletter should be directed) by completing a membership application. The membership form may be submitted electronically on this website.

Membership Application Form (online via PayPal)

Dues are $230 per year (for 4 quarterly meetings) per member. Dues payments may be made with either check, or by PayPal through the invoice forms available on the website. If payment is made for more than one application, please clearly indicate which individuals are included in the payment (this option is also available online, or a list of individuals to be covered may be emailed to the treasurer). Each member should complete an application regardless of payment method so that their contact information is updated. Payment is due by April 15th. After this date, payments will be on a “per meeting” basis ($75 per meeting). No exceptions!

SFVMA members’ names will be listed on the website with hospital affiliation. Email addresses will be confidential and used only for the purposes of communicating with the membership regarding matters related to the organization.

We look forward to seeing you at the Cliff House on March 15th for the first meeting of 2018!

Sincerely,