Maddie's Fund grants $2.8M to aid access to veterinary careJuly 31, 2018Millions of pets across the United States and their owners will soon have access to affordable veterinary care, thanks to a $2.8-million donation from Maddie’s Fund.
SPONSORED CONTENTOne dose protects for 12 months.One ProHeart® 12 (moxidectin) injection puts compliance in your control. + Get started
Perrigo, Piedmont partner to provide pet medsJuly 30, 2018Perrigo Animal Health, a global healthcare supplier, and Piedmont Animal Health, a companion animal veterinary pharmaceutical company, announced a partnership to bring companion animal drugs to the market. Piedmont will develop and gain regulatory approval; Perrigo will commercialize and distribute the products via its global network. Piedmont already has several new drug applications and generic drugs in development. Perrigo manufactures PetArmor and Sentry flea and tick preventives brands, as well as Petrodex enzymatic toothpaste brand. "Perrigo delivers high-quality pet health products to consumers through its portfolio of leading brands such as PetArmor, Sentry, and Petrodex," said Neal Wilmore, vice president and general manager of Perrigo Animal Health, a division of Perrigo Co. plc in Dublin. "We are committed to accelerating category sales by increasing retailer and consumer access to new and innovative products. The strategic partnership with Piedmont Animal Health is another example of our efforts to invest in and deliver new products to consumers searching for vet-quality solutions with the convenience and affordability of a retail purchase." "Piedmont has been one of the most successful pharmaceutical companies in the industry in developing and gaining regulatory approval for animal health products," said Roland …
Toto Pet Insurance enters the market with a social missionJuly 27, 2018Toto Pet Insurance Inc., which launched today in more than 30 states, stated it will donate $1 out of every $5 it earns from carriers and provide benefits that can be customized to fit pet owners' monthly budgets. "We believe Toto not only has the responsibility to be the best pet insurance in America, but also the best for America," said Bruce Trowbridge, CEO and co-founder of Richmond, Va.-based Toto Pet Insurance. "Our main mission is to inspire pet parents to use pet insurance not only for their own dog or cat, but also to 'pay it forward' for pets in their communities that otherwise would be put down too soon." Coverage varies by state and will be available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., within the coming months. Toto Pet Insurance is differentiating itself in the market by bucking the recent "one-size-fits-all" trend of most pet insurance organizations, the company stated. Toto's benefits include: A customizable insurance plan to fit the specific needs of pets and their owners' monthly budgets A wide range of options up to unlimited benefits and 90 percent reimbursement Total protection available, including illness, injury, and preventive care Claims processed fast …
University of Florida 3-D printer gives patients new chance at mobilityJuly 27, 2018Chance, a greater Swiss mountain dog abandoned with a severe limb deformity, is walking better. Bebop, a pot-bellied pig is back to rooting in his yard after a painful shoulder injury stopped him. Chance and Bebop are the first two clinical cases treated over the past six months at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine through a state-of-the-art 3-D printer that uses high-performance plastics and offers numerous advances in patient care, teaching, and research, according to UF veterinarians. Among the printer's capabilities are the ability to create bone models with which veterinarians can "practice" a surgical procedure prior to actual surgery, as well as patient-specific surgical guides that improve accuracy and reduce surgery time, according to the university. "We have the Rolls Royce of 3-D printers," said Adam Biedrzycki, BVSc, Ph.D., an assistant professor of large animal surgery at UF, who purchased the printer with startup funds when he was hired by the UF College of Veterinary Medicine three years ago. "It can not only print parts that are approved in the aerospace industry to go into aircraft but also parts that are biocompatible for medical applications. That is, they can be used in live tissues." …
WVC announces second Oquendo Center vet tech symposiumJuly 27, 2018For veterinary technicians who are looking for more ways to increase their knowledge, sharpen their skills, and experience unparalleled networking to collaborate and collect new ideas, WVC Annual Veterinary Conference has announced a second veterinary technician symposium for 2018. The sold-out June 25-27 symposium, "Behavior, Anesthesia, Ultrasound," sponsored by Banfield Pet Hospital, the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA), Pathway Vet Alliance, and Fuji Sonosite, precipitated the need for an additional session. The next symposium, "Surgery, Pain Management, and Rehabilitation" sponsored by Banfield Pet Hospital, NAVTA, and Pathway Vet Alliance, is set for Aug. 6-8. Each event offers 24 hours of continuing education credits through stand-alone, hands-on sessions specifically designed for veterinary technicians. The symposia are led by fellow veterinary technicians and leaders in the field. These expert-led sessions share innovative instructional approaches and technology-present, skill-based training in critical practice areas, according to WVC. Participants work in small groups and rotate through active learning stations in order to benefit from authority-centered lectures and cooperative, small-group interaction. Hands-on labs round out the curriculum as individuals work with state-of-the-art equipment under the guidance of veteran instructors and knowledgeable equipment representatives. The symposia take place at the 70,000-square-foot Oquendo Center …
Client toolkit: AVMA offers Check the Chip Day resourcesJuly 27, 2018Aug. 15 is national Check the Chip Day, a reminder for pet owners to check and update their companions' microchip registry information. Sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association, Check the Chip Day helps veterinarians extend client relationships by working with them to ensure their families will be reunited if pets become lost. To help educate clients about microchipping and the importance of keeping chip registration current, the AVMA is offering a Check the Chip Day Toolkit with a range of materials to promote and prepare for the day. The toolkit offers: A client handout to help owners keep track of their pet's microchip information and know when the chip registry was last checked Suggestions for stress-free ways to observe the day and for sharing information with clients Ready-to-use social media posts and images A full-size version of a microchipping infographic for website or social media use A newsletter article for email or print A sample proclamation that can be personalized for use by your local or state government A customizable
ISU to lead national antimicrobial research, education centerJuly 26, 2018Iowa State University has been charged with establishing and hosting a new national Institute for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research and Education. The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) chose ISU to lead the institute, which will utilize a One Health approach to comprehensively tackle the AMR problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, antibiotic-resistant bacteria cause at least 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths in the U.S. every year, costing approximately $20 billion a year in direct health care costs and up to $35 billion in lost productivity. The new institute is the result of a joint task force on antibiotic resistance in production agriculture created by AAVMC and APLU in 2014, which released a report offering research and education recommendations designed to address the AMR problem. "The misuse of antibiotics is a major reason why antimicrobial resistance is a rapidly growing threat to human, animal, and environmental health," said Ian Maw, vice president, Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources, APLU. "While the problem is well understood, the path to advancing solutions has been blurry. It's clear we need a coordinating body to organize …
PetSmart seeks independent veterinarians to fill coverage gapsJuly 26, 2018PetSmart is seeking independent veterinary operators (IVO) in an effort "to bring the best in pet care to more pet parents," the company stated. The first IVO within PetSmart has opened in Las Vegas. Because the mass retailer's current veterinary presence through its Banfield chain of practices doesn't reach all of the locations where the company seeks to provide customer care, it is now seeking independent veterinarians to fill these gaps. "Every day, there are pet parents who come to our stores to ask questions for the overall health of their pets," said Jennifer Freeman, DVM, PetSmart's resident veterinarian. "An IVO will have the opportunity to connect with these pet parents and help grow their client base, while PetSmart associates will be able to suggest customers discuss a certain pet concern with our IVO if it is a more detailed health concern. This partnership aligns perfectly with PetSmart's ongoing goals to offer thoughtful, educated and heartfelt expertise to our customers." According to the company, the ideal candidate is an independent veterinarian or group who currently owns/operates less than 50 locations and wants to grow their business by operating a full-service veterinary clinic inside the retail chain. Professionals interested in …
The tricky dynamics of running a family veterinary businessJuly 26, 2018I've always been struck by the number of families in the veterinary profession: practices that include parents, uncles or aunts, siblings, or cousins in their management or ownership structure. Maybe this isn't surprising; children are nearly twice as likely to follow in their parent's footsteps as to choose another occupation, and this steps up to nearly 20 times as likely when you compare daughters of doctors (see the General Society Survey). This generational commitment is a source of strength for the profession and reflects the mission-driven perspectives that nourish and sustain us. In the current environment, however, practice valuations and corporate inroads can present new problems for that intergenerational transfer of practice control. I've had the opportunity in the past few years to talk to a number of parents whose children are practice associates. It's been interesting to see how the size of the check that a corporate consolidator is willing to write has affected the conventional family dynamic. Deserving a piece of practice ownership due to your status as a son or daughter or through sweat equity can start to look like a gift too large to comfortably make as a parent. This feeling can …
Veterinary device manufacturing start-up praised for innovationJuly 26, 2018Veterinary sterilization device manufacturing company Plasma Bionics has been named 2018's Most Promising New Business by the Oklahoma Venture Forum (OVF). "Being recognized as the Most Promising New Business by the OVF is a distinct honor for Plasma Bionics," said Kedar Pai, company president. "It is reassuring and encouraging having our hard work recognized as we strive to bring a rapid, portable, rugged, environmentally friendly sterilization technology to the veterinary market." Founded in 2012 by a group of researchers at Oklahoma State University, Plasma Bionics utilizes a proprietary cold plasma generation technology to quickly and safely sterilize veterinary instruments with no water or added chemicals; instead, the technology uses just air and electricity, making it ideal for mobile applications. The Stillwater, Okla.-based company's first product, the PZ100 Air Plasma Sterilizer, is a low-heat, low-pressure portable sterilization device, which can be powered by a car or mobile clinic, as well as in a hospital. The device reduces veterinary operating costs by sterilizing in less time than traditional sterilizers, reducing the need for extra instruments, and minimizing damage caused to sensitive instruments by heat and chemicals. The device is expected to launch by the end of the summer. OVF's Most Promising …
