Lena Beck

Missoula

Staff Reporter at VIN

Food systems journalism. (She/Her). From PDX, currently in MSO by way of SEA. In a complicated relationship with the Em Dash. Staff writer at Modern Farmer.

Articles

For dairy veterinarians, is bird flu a work hazard?

2 days ago | news.vin.com | Lena Beck

When Dr. David Hernke attended a conference for bovine practitioners in Ohio last year, he was asked to roll up his sleeve for science. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was collecting samples of blood from veterinarians who work with cattle to determine the prevalence of a highly virulent form of avian influenza that's been infecting a wide variety of animals besides birds — including dairy cows, seals, sheep and cats. Hernke was a good research candidate.
Recovery continues months after Hurricane Helene

4 weeks ago | news.vin.com | Lena Beck

Three weeks after Hurricane Helene blew through, Dr. Otto Sharp stood outside the animal hospital he owns in western North Carolina, flanked by his staff. Situated near the Swannanoa River, the clinic's fence and landscaping had been swept away and its foundation damaged. Brown water and mud had oozed under the door into the reception area. But Sharp wasn't there to lament their lot. Instead, he read a statement he'd prepared in advance, not wanting to wing such an important moment.
N. Carolina veterinarians must report dispensing gabapentin

1 month ago | news.vin.com | Lena Beck

Starting Saturday, veterinarians in North Carolina are required to report when they dispense the drug gabapentin in quantities greater than a 48-hour supply. A March 1, 2025, reporting date for veterinarians was established in a law passed in 2023 as part of an effort to reduce harmful interactions of gabapentin and opioids in people. Pharmacies were required to report on gabapentin starting in 2024.
A Washington Cohousing Project Could Help Preserve Farmland

2 months ago | modernfarmer.com | Lena Beck

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Want to republish a Modern Farmer story? We are happy for Modern Farmer stories to be shared, and encourage you to republish our articles for your audience.
Pet microchip company goes missing

2 months ago | news.vin.com | Lena Beck

Shutterstock-Canto microchip cat Someone was just trying to do the right thing by a lost dog when the staff at Sewell Animal Hospital in Oklahoma made a dismaying discovery about a pet microchip company called Save This Life, Inc. In January, a client found a schnauzer mix and brought the stray in to check whether it had an identifying microchip. It did. Dr. Ashley Sewell, the hospital owner, said such scenarios usually unfold this way: "Staff contacts chip company. We reunite dog with home.
Pet microchip company goes missing

2 months ago | news.vin.com | Lena Beck

Shutterstock-Canto microchip cat Someone was just trying to do the right thing by a lost dog when the staff at Sewell Animal Hospital in Oklahoma made a dismaying discovery about a pet microchip company called Save This Life, Inc. In January, a client found a schnauzer mix and brought the stray in to check whether it had an identifying microchip. It did. Dr. Ashley Sewell, the hospital owner, said such scenarios usually unfold this way: "Staff contacts chip company. We reunite dog with home.
Avian flu comes home to cats

2 months ago | news.vin.com | Lena Beck

While talking to a pet owner about their cat's diet recently, Dr. Liz Grauer was asked a question that stumped her: Is freeze-drying pet food an effective way to kill pathogens in raw food? A practitioner in Washington state, Grauer turned to colleagues at the Veterinary Information Network, an online community for the profession, for an answer. No, she learned, freeze-drying doesn't necessarily kill germs in raw food.
Veterinarians share their LA wildfire stories

Jan 24, 2025 | news.vin.com | Lena Beck |Lisa Wogan

Whether treating pets for smoke inhalation, finding homes for displaced animals or donning a firefighter suit to protect a clinic, veterinarians are very much in the thick of the wildfire disaster gripping Los Angeles. The wildfires, many still blazing, have been among California's most deadly and destructive.
Sham veterinarian caller 'Dr. J' returns

Jan 16, 2025 | news.vin.com | Lena Beck

Dr. J is back. The purported colleague who left odd voicemails for veterinarians across the country in 2023 is showing up again with the same message: He says he's "in the process of retiring" and wants to pass along patient files. "If you could have the doctor give me a quick call back," he continues, "I'd appreciate it." The caller explains that he's reaching out because he's located "not too far from you." But veterinarians all over the country are receiving the same call.
Nonprofit seeks to boost sustainability in veterinary realm

Dec 15, 2024 | news.vin.com | Lena Beck

Deadly wildfires that tore through Dr. Diccon Westworth's Northern California community in 2017 drove home to the veterinarian the potentially brutal effects of a changing climate on his patients' lives. "We had burned animals come to us; lots of cats with burned paws," recalled Westworth, who practices at a hospital in Sonoma County. Some of his colleagues were evacuated from their homes.