State veterinarian unites agencies against bird flu

By Linda Breazeale
MSU Ag Communications
PEARL, Miss. -- The Mississippi Board of Animal Health will not be alone in the battle to protect the state’s poultry industry from bird flu this winter.
“Now is the time to make sure our response plans are in place to minimize bird losses and economic damage when migratory birds return from infected nesting grounds,” said Dr. Jim Watson, state veterinarian with the Mississippi Board of Animal Health.
Watson recently invited university poultry experts, agriculture officials and representatives of Mississippi poultry companies to a meeting at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine Poultry Diagnostic Laboratory in Pearl to address concerns.
“Of the 21 states with highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks from last December through June, some of them handled their responses without external forces coming in from the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” Watson said. “If Mississippi has an outbreak, we must be prepared to handle the response ourselves because USDA may be deployed to other states experiencing outbreaks.” read more....

Health Officials: Rabies Case Came From Bat

News from the MS Department of Health: testing confirms the rabies case is a bat variant. Please remember to vaccinate your animals and always use caution around unknown animals and wildlife.
Posted by Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine on Friday, August 21, 2015

Mississippi State vet students help military dogs

STARKVILLE, Miss.—When the retired war hero arrives for his physical rehabilitation session at the Mississippi State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, he typically draws an audience as he enjoys some welcoming treats.
Dog treats, that is.
A large, handsome German shepherd, Maci served as a military working dog for almost six years, including three tours in Afghanistan and one in Oman with his handler, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Karl Stefanowicz. During active service, he was credited with multiple explosive finds.
Maci now resides at Columbus Air Force Base...read more...