Over 700 veterinarians, veterinary technicians, vet tech students, vendors and speakers passed through the halls of The Meadows Conference Center at Prairie Meadows in Altoona February 8-9 resulting in record breaking attendance.

Thank you to all of the attendees, exhibitors and especially our sponsors for helping make this year's Winter Conference a huge success!

Thank You 2017 Winter Conference Sponsors!

Abaxis

Bayer Animal Health

Brown's Medical Imaging

Ceva

Elanco

ISU CVM

Merck Animal Health

Merial

Midwest Veterinary Supply

As we all have been informed innumerable times, the FDA's Veterinary Feed Directive requirement implemented January 1, 2017 requires a veterinarian to file paperwork on all medically important antibiotics used in feed for food animals.  Did you know that honeybees are considered food animals?  Beekeepers must contact their local veterinarians when the spring nectar flows begin and colony health indicates a need for medication. 

• Honeybees are in the "Invertebrates" species category.
• Use the best estimate of the actual number of bees as "Approx. Number to be Fed."  (Approximate number is 30,000 - 45,000 bees per colony x number of colonies kept by beekeeper.)
• Add multiple apiary locations in the Manager tab so they are permanently linked to the beekeeper if you are using GlobalVetLink's program.
• Use common sense when writing honeybee VFDs.
• Encourage the beekeeper to keep accurate records of everything (splits, colony movements, treatments, adding/removing honey supers, etc.).  Documentation provided to Compliance Investigators should assist in the understanding of logical management practices that affect the VFD details.
• Remember that VFDs can be written with expiration dates shorter than allowed by the drug in questions (if a beekeeper is migratory, for example).

Please contact the IVMA at 1-800-369-9564 or ivma@iowavma.org if you are willing to talk bees with other veterinarians when VFD questions arise.