Fur Flying in Los Angeles Over Dog License Drive

A recent news report on KTLA TV, featured on L.A. Times video, reported that the cash-strapped city is going to the dogs — literally.

The Los Angeles City Council voted February 23, 2010, to have two departments share information in order to track down people who haven't licensed their pets.

The City of LA estimates that two-thirds of the city's canine are unlicensed. Licenses cost $15 for a sterilized dog and $100 for an unaltered pet. Getting all dogs licensed would mean at least an additional $3.6 million in fees to the city.

The Department of Animal Services has eight full-time people whose job is to find and license dogs. The Department of Water and Power keeps a meter-reader database of homes with dogs. The council ordered the departments to coordinate to find (and license) those dogs that are currently not bylaw compliant.

Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor

Chihuahuas Cause for Concern in Calaifornia

In January 2010, the American SPCA Adoption Centre welcomed 15 Chihuahuas that had been flown in from California to New York with the hope of finding forever homes for them.

Apparently, California shelters have seen a dramatic increase in the number of Chihuahua intakes -- this toy breed now make up 30% of the state's shelter dog population.

These dogs may be tiny... but this is a big problem for state shelters!

Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor

The First Blood Test for Cancer Detection in Companion Animals

BioCurex Inc., a biotechnology company developing products based on patented technology in the areas of cancer diagnostics, recently announced that it has launched 
the commercialization of its OncoPet RECAF test for cancer detection in dogs. The Company expects to expand this testing service to other companion 
animals, notably cats, in the second half of 2010.



BioCurex Inc. believes that this launch represents the first commercialization of a blood-based test for the universal detection of cancer in companion animals. 

The test detects the presence of RECAF, a universal marker for malignant cell growth in humans and animals. BioCurex developed and patented the RECAF technology for cancer applications.

 The new testing service will be offered to veterinarians and animal clinical laboratories through BioCurex's new wholly owned subsidiary OncoPet Diagnostics Inc.

OncoPet Diagnostics will assume responsibility for marketing and commercialization of the testing service on a global basis, both directly and through local and international distributorships. Depending on their location, veterinarians will be 
requested to send samples either directly to the OncoPet testing 
facility or to regional collection centers.




The processing capacity of OncoPet's current testing facilities is estimated to be 500-1,000 OncoPet RECAF tests per day. In North America, the OncoPet RECAF test will be marketed to distributors at
approximately U.S. $40 per test. In British Columbia alone, with a population exceeding 4 million, over 120,000 routine blood tests are carried out on pets every year.



For more information about OncoPet Diagnostics Inc., visit:
 http://www.oncopetdiagnostics.com.


 
Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor