Welcome! In this issue. Conference Calendar. Guerrilla Marketing's Golden Rule # 50: Take Control. AUGUST 2004 Volume 14

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AUGUST 2004 Volume 14 Abaxis, Inc. 3240 Whipple Road Union City, CA 94587 Tel. 800.822.2947 Fax 510.441.6151 Welcome! visit us on the web at www.abaxis.

Data 4 VetScan News & Special Offers 4 Abaxis Contact Info 5 VetScan Authorized Distributors Welcome to the August 2004 issue of VetCom.

This is made available for those interested in reviewing the accuracy and precision of our second-generation hematology system, as compared with the recognized standard in automated veterinary

1 AUGUST 2004 Volume 14 Abaxis, Inc Whipple Road Union City, CA Tel Fax Welcome! visit us on the web at A BI-MONTHLY ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER FOR THE VETERINARY COMMUNITY In this issue 1 Welcome 1 Golden Rule #50 1 Calendar 2 In the Trenches: Canine Heartworm 2 Noteworthy Events 3 HMII Performance Data 4 VetScan News & Special Offers 4 Abaxis Contact Info 5 VetScan Authorized Distributors Welcome to the August 2004 issue of VetCom. In this issue, as mentioned in June, we will be providing an overview of the VetScan HMII performance data from our CSU evaluation. This is made available for those interested in reviewing the accuracy and precision of our second-generation hematology system, as compared with the recognized standard in automated veterinary hematology, the Advia 120. (Please see page 3.) Our In the Trenches article this month was originally published in our first VetCom issue and focuses on Canine Heartworm. We are including this encore in support of our collaboration with Synbiotics Inc. to offer qualified VetScan customers the opportunity to purchase Witness HW for $3.00 per test*. Please see the VetScan News & Special Offers of this issue (page 4) for additional details. Guerrilla Marketing's Golden Rule # 50: Take Control If you don t take control of your marketing, your company s (clinic s) future will be in the hands of your competitors. You can devote serious marketing energy, utilizing multiple weapons and solid common sense to produce results, or you can simply put out your shingle, or even do a little advertising and think that means marketing Guerrillas take life, circumstances situations, misfortunes and good fortune into their own hands. They take control. They manage to achieve results here s how: Encourage employees to set goals (make them quantifiable) and reward them for achieving those goals. Set goals for yourself as well. (educational goals, techniques goals, customer satisfaction goals, etc) Be a coach, not a commander (employee-centered, not just productivity centered management) Give extra attention to people who perform extra well (these are the people who make your clinic shine) Reward employees with excellent attendance records (cuts down on absenteeism) continued on page 2 Calendar August 8-10 Northeast Veterinary Providence, RI August Association of Avian Veterinarians New Orleans, LA August Central Veterinary Kansas City, MO Sep 3-5 Puerto Rico VMA Rio Grande, PR Sep 8-12 IVECCS San Diego, CA Sep Florida VMA Lake Buena Vista, FL Sep Southwest Veterinary Symposium Grapevine, TX Oct 6-10 Wild West Veterinary Reno, NV

transmitted from dog to dog in every state except Alaska.

2 2 L3 and L4 larval stages are very susceptible to monthly macrolides heartworm prophylactics. IN THE TRENCHES Canine Heartworm Disease Although once considered problematic only in the southeastern states, Dirofilaria immitis, the filarial nematode causing heartworm disease, is now known to be transmitted from dog to dog in every state except Alaska. Furthermore, there is growing sentiment that dogs throughout the country should be kept on year-round heartworm preventive as a result of increased disease incidence and inter-state travel of dogs to and from highly endemic states. Heartworm is transmitted by mosquitoes and is not very particular about which mos- take control, continued from page 1 Hire on the basis of attitude, not just aptitude (it s easier to teach skills than change personalities) Concentrate on what you do best and promote it! Develop great public relations (with the community and your own employees!) Share your progress with your employees (they want to know how well the clinic is doing-and where things can improve) quito so long as it will bite a dog on at least two occasions once to become infected with microfilariae and once to transmit infective larvae to the next dog. After the mosquito takes a blood meal from an infected dog, the microfilaria develop through the L1 and L2 to the infective L3 stage over a period of some days, depending upon ambient temperature. Once the L3 deposited under the skin of the next dog, they molt to the L4 stage after some 3-14 days, migrate to the muscle fascia of the abdomen and thorax, and mold to the L5, or immature adult stage Keep all your promises Maintain the highest standards of quality Focus on client needs and provide MORE than expected Running your business this way requires extra energy on your part, that s for sure but if you don t expend the energy someone else will! Good Luck! Guerrilla Marketing Excellence Jay Conrad Levinson Houghton Mifflin some days after infection. L3 and L4 larval stages are very susceptible to monthly macrolides heartworm prophylactics. About days after infection the L5 enter the circulatory system, make their way to the pulmonary artery (right heart) and complete development into sexually mature adults and produce microfilariae. The prepatent period is ~6-7 months, during which time the heartworms are not reproductive, and are not detectable by either a test for microfilariae or antigendetection tests. continued on page 4 NOTEWORTHY EVENTS Sunday, September 26, 2004 Loomis, CA Loomis Basin Veterinary Center Large Animal Services Fall Symposium For more information contact Susan Kelly at: (916) Or visit: Sunday, Oct 10th Lancaster, PA Best Practices in Avian Medicine Speaker: Dr Don Harris Sponsored by Penn Vet Supply & Abaxis for more information contact: Diane Evanosky at: (800) or visit:

3 PERFORMANCE REPORT VetScan HMII Performance Correlation with a Reference Method: Advia 120 Location: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO Completed: March 2004 The VetScan HMII was evaluated

3 3 PERFORMANCE REPORT VetScan HMII Performance Correlation with a Reference Method: Advia 120 Location: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO Completed: March 2004 The VetScan HMII was evaluated at the Colorado State University, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Clinical Pathology Department Jan-March The goal of the evaluation was to determine the performance of the HMII as compared with the established reference methods: Bayer Advia 120 and manual slide review, for canine, feline and equine species. The CSU clinical pathology laboratory provides a challenging environment for such performance evaluations due to the unique samples tested, often including seriously ill patients. VetScan HMII Evaluation Excerpts SPECIES: FELINE 44 WBC % Lymphs % Grans RBC Hgb.95 SPECIES: CANINE 85 WBC % Lymphs % Gran RBC Hgb.99 SPECIES: EQUINE 19 WBC % Lymphs % Grans RBC Hgb.97 INTRA-INSTRUMENT CORRELATION HMII 335 V HMII % Grans RBC.97 HMII 331 V HMII % Grans RBC.98 HMII 303 V HMII % Grans RBC.97 PRECISION/REPRODUCIBILITY INTER-ASSAY: 12 subsequent runs (12 total runs): dog sample %CV 12 WBC.18 3% 12 % Lymphs.11 6% 12 % Grans.14 4% 12 RBC.07 2% 12 Hgb.12 1% 12 MCV % INTRA-ASSAY: 3 subsequent runs, over 3 consecutive days ( 9 total runs): control n Parameter SD %CV 9 WBC.1 1% 9 % Lymphs.1 1% 9 % Grans 4.5 2% 9 RBC 3.6 1% 9 Hgb 1.2 1% 9 MCV.7 1% INTRA-INSTRUMENT: 7 subsequent runs, on 3 independent instruments (21 total runs): control n Parameter SD %CV 21 WBC.3 3% 21 % Lymphs.5 5% 21 % Grans 1.1 1% 21 RBC.2 3% 21 Hgb.3 2% 21 MCV.5 1%

3 Valerie Campbell, Manager direct orders, local representative and VetScan distributor information Sales Eastern Area Sales Director Marty Mulroy, ext.

4 4 ABAXIS CONTACTS VetCom Issues Pam Conboy, ext subscribe, unsubscribe questions, comments Technical Service ext. 2 Linda Lang, Manager technical issues, training rotor credits, software queries Customer Service ext. 3 Valerie Campbell, Manager direct orders, local representative and VetScan distributor information Sales Eastern Area Sales Director Marty Mulroy, ext Central Area Sales Director Randy Knick, ext Western Area Sales Director Jon Stern, ext canine heartworm, continued from page 2 TESTING Annual & Pre-Anesthetic Testing: Heartworm testing is recommended annually, prior to administration of preventative and prior to administration of anesthesia. Although reliable administration of preventative will eliminate the possibility of disease development, client compliance and actual ingestion can not be verified. VetScan News & Special Offers WITNESS HW CANINE HEARTWORM TEST All qualified* VetScan customers are eligible for a Witness HW Canine Heartworm Test preferred customer cash rebate on all Witness HW Tests (purchased in 25-test size packages)for a 12- month period following program enrollment. To enroll in the VetScan HW Rebate Program send your request by Nov 15, 2004 to: Abaxis VetScan/Witness HW Rebate Program 3240 Whipple Rd Union City, CA FAX: *VetScan customers (current, or newly purchased VetScan users) qualify with all new purchases of Witness heartworm tests made for up to 12-months following program enrollment, Qualified customers will be rebated for the difference between price paid and $3.00 per test (e.g. if purchase price is $3.50, customer will be rebated at a rate of 0.50 per test), with a maximum rebate of 0.75 per test. There is no minimum or maximum heartworm test purchase requirement to qualify. All rebates will be provided by check. Allow 4-6 weeks for processing. All qualified rebate requests will be honored through November 15, Requests will not be honored beyond that date. INDICATIVE CLINICAL FINDINGS: Signs: Cough Exercise Intolerance Abnormal Heart/Lungs Sounds Hepatomegaly Radiographic Abnormalities: Enlargement of Right Heart, Main Pulmonary Artery, Pulmonary Arteries in Lobes (lung) Blunting & Thickening of Pulmonary Arteries (turtosity often noted) APBCD We are working to upgrade our Abaxis Practice Builder CD program with a new, improved look and more educational forms for you and your clients. The updated APBCD is expected to be available this Fall at no-charge to VetScan customers. AVIAN & EXOTIC ANIMAL MEDICINE EXTERNSHIP Dr Miwa, the 2004 participant in the VetScan Summer Externship in Avian & Exotic Animal Medicine, will be completing the program this month. We ll share his feedback with you in the next issue. Please keep in mind that Abaxis & Avian and Exotic Animal Medical Center of Miami plan to continue to offer this specialty externship each summer. Please visit our web site for further detail and an application for next year! VETSCAN THINK TANK! We are extending an invitation to VetScan DVM customers to participate in discussions about new product development and other Lung Tissue Inflammation around pulmonary arteries Laboratory: Eosinophilia/Basophilia (variable) Microscopic Detection of Microphilaria (smear, concentration tests) Positive Antigen Detection Tests METHODS OF SEROLOGICAL TESTING: Antigen Detection: With the exception of necropsy, antigen detection is considered continued on page 5 related projects going on here at Abaxis. Members of the Think Tank can expect to be contacted a few times a year, as a rule, to complete a survey, participate in a teleconference, or simply discuss a particular topic. We are looking for general practitioners and specialists alike. Each Think Tank member will receive a quarterly shipment of rotors as thanks for your participation. Membership is limited, so please contact us if you are interested: pamconboy@abaxis.com TAKE A FREE TEST DRIVE As a result of the popularity of the VetScan Test Drive Program we have extended our offer. Test Drive the VetScan for 48 hours right in your clinic. We ll provide the training and the rotors-with no obligation*. Prove to yourself how simple accuracy can be! For further information, or to schedule a Test Drive contact your local Abaxis representative or abaxis@abaxis.com *non-vetscan customers only

5 canine heartworm, continued from page 4 Learn More For more detailed information regarding canine heartworm disease, a good start is the American Heartworm Society web site: http://www.

5 5 canine heartworm, continued from page 4 Learn More For more detailed information regarding canine heartworm disease, a good start is the American Heartworm Society web site: the most reliable method for screening and diagnostic confirmation of heartworm disease. Early efforts ( s) toward the development of a useful antibody detection test were unsuccessful due to a lack of specificity. The antigen detected is present at significant levels in sexually mature female worms. The presence of immature worms (~6-7 months patency), or male worms only will result in a false negative result. The presence of circulating microfilaria however is not requisite for accurate detection, therefore antigen tests will demonstrate a positive result with occult infections. SELECTING A TEST TO SUIT YOUR PRACTICE: The currently marketed antigendetection tests for canine heartworm all perform quite well in regard to sensitivity and specificity. In order to determine the best option for your practice, it is useful to consider all of the following aspects: Performance: Review performance data utilizing necropsy-verified samples. Evaluate the test in your own hands and compare with a reference method. Simplicity: Is the method simple, repeatable and comfortable for your techs? Storage: Is the test stored refrigerated or at room temperature, and do you have storage capacity? Shelf Life: What kind of shelf-life can you expect? Support: Can the manufacturer, distributor provide performance data, references, evaluation tests and discrepancy testing (should you find test discrepancies)? Value: Price. Quality Guarantees Replacement Policies for failures or damaged product, etc. TREATMENT OF CANINE HEARTWORM DISEASE: Adulticide: Hospitalized dogs are treated with Melarsomine (Immiticide, Merial) administered via deep IM injection into the lumbar muscles. Microfilaricide: Macrolide anthelminics (ivermectin, milbemyecin) are administered ~3-6 weeks following the adulticide regimen. CONFIRMATION OF TREATMENT EFFICACY: Clinical signs of improvement may be evident without the complete elimination of heartworms. It is therefore recommended that an antigen detection test be performed to confirm efficacy. Test results should be negative by 16 weeks post-adulticide therapy. Repeat treatment for dogs with persistent positive heartworm test results should be considered only after a thorough case review. This article was authored by Pam Conboy, and reviewed by Charles Courtney, DVM PhD (University of Florida) VetScan Distributors Distributor Telephone Distributor Telephone U.S. AVSC-American Veterinary Supply DVM Resources Henry Schein IVESCO-Iowa Veterinary Supply Merritt Milburn Distributions Miller Veterinary Supply Nelson Penn Vet TW Medical VMS-Veterinary Medical Supply Vetpo Western Medical Supply CANADA CDMV CDMV VetNovations Vet Purchasing

Heartworm Disease in Dogs

Customer Name, Street Address, City, State, Zip code Phone number, Alt. phone number, Fax number, e-mail address, web site Heartworm Disease in Dogs Basics OVERVIEW Disease caused by infestation with heartworms