Five trends that will double the U.S. pet health insurance market by 2022October 5, 2018 The U.S. pet health insurance industry, estimated at slightly over $1 billion in 2017, will nearly double to reach $2 billion by 2022, according to Rockville, Md.-based Packaged Facts market research firm. The findings were featured in the recently published report, Pet Insurance in the U.S., 6th Edition. The pet insurance market will grow more than 14 percent per year, supported by a number of trends in both this emerging market and competitive ones, according to company experts. Increased consumer awareness will be crucial to growth. "Consumers are increasingly aware of the available pet insurance plans in the U.S. marketplace," said David Sprinkle, research director for Packaged Facts. "Through marketing efforts and consumer education by pet insurance companies and associations, consumers are learning the benefits that pet insurance can offer when a pet becomes ill or injured. "For example, pet insurance companies use social media and their websites to grow consumer awareness of their offerings by sharing information on pet health, dog and cat breeds, and how pet insurance works. As market penetration remains low, these efforts are crucial to continued growth in the number of policies in force." Packaged facts targeted …
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VolitionRx tests nucleosome diagnostic for veterinary space applicationsOctober 5, 2018 VolitionRx Ltd., a multinational Belgium-based life sciences company with offices in Texas, London, and Singapore, announced it is entering the veterinary market after "very encouraging" preliminary results from a study using its NuQ diagnostic blood tests for canine cancer testing. NuQ, currently used to screen for colorectal and prostate cancers, works by measuring and analyzing irregular levels of nucleosomes—a section of DNA wrapped around a core of proteins—in the blood to identify cancers. According to the company, the proof-of-concept study showed that blood nucleosomes also can be detected in dogs. With the promise of veterinary medicine applications, VolitionRx said it will now move NuQ into larger trials to answer the question of whether the method will work with animals. The company said it intends to outsource much of the veterinary clinical trial work through a partnership with Heather Wilson-Robles, DVM, DACVIM, associate professor and Fred and Vola N. Palmer chair in comparative oncology with Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences in the Small Animal Clinical Sciences department. "The Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine Oncology Department is excited for the opportunity to collaborate with Volition," said Dr. Wilson-Robles. "Its innovative work in …
NC State CVM student wins Walkin' Pets scholarshipOctober 5, 2018Walkin' Pets by HandicappedPets.com announced that Kelly Hood, a fourth-year veterinary student at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, has been awarded the 2018 Walkin' Pets Veterinarian Scholarship. Hood, from Asbury, N.J., is an unconventional veterinary student who first worked in the entertainment business in New York City and Nashville for many years. She and her husband Charles relocated to Miami, where Kelly had difficulty finding a job in the entertainment industry. She eventually took a job at a kennel, which kindled a desire to redesign her life and become a veterinarian, necessitating a return to school to get her science degree before applying for veterinary school. Upon graduating from NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine in May 2019, Hood intends to enter the field of small animal veterinary forensics. She also has completed veterinary mission trips to the Navajo Nation in New Mexico and Arizona, and the Cherokee Nation in North Carolina. On one of her last trips, she brought her six-year-old son Alex. While she was helping to spay and neuter dogs, Alex saw a person drive by and throw a dog out the car window. "Tracker" has joined the family, which also includes …
Companion Animal Health targets mast cell tumors with nanomedicineOctober 4, 2018Companion Animal Health (CAH) in Newark, Del., has secured an exclusive partnership with Nanospectra Biosciences Inc., a medical device company focused on the use of nanomedicine in selective thermal ablation of solid tumors. In 2017, CAH initiated clinical trials in the treatment of canine mast cell tumors using a combined laser and nanoshell therapy procedure that has the ability to destroy solid tumors without damaging adjacent healthy tissue. "Initial results are very encouraging and we anticipate publishing trial outcomes in the near future," said Brian Pryor, PhD, CEO, LiteCure LLC. "We believe this approach will deliver superior efficacy compared to commonly used cancer treatments and will extend pets' quality of life and longevity without harmful side effects." Visit companionanimalhealth.com for more information.
UC Davis study applies human cancer differentiation analysis to dogsOctober 4, 2018The University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine (UCDSVM) is conducting a clinical trial to study the potential application for canine cancer screening using cancer differentiation analysis (CDA) liquid biopsy technology from Anpac Bio-Medical Science Co. Studying at least 186 dogs in a blinded clinical trial, Anpac Bio and UCDSVM are investigating CDA's ability to identify cancer in blood samples from dogs confirmed with sarcomas or carcinomas versus healthy control blood samples from dogs of similar age and breed. Following the initial screening, UCDVSM will then test if CDA levels also correlate to treatment response (i.e. if the dogs' cells are responding to cancer treatment such as surgery or radiation) and monitor remission/potential recurrence. "Dogs are just like people; the sooner we identify disease, the better chance we have in treating and curing it," said John Reddington, DVM, PhD, Anpac Bio's chief advisor for veterinary and comparative research. "Unfortunately, dogs can't tell us when they don't feel well, so, we often catch diseases like cancer late stage. [Anpac Bio's] cancer differentiation analysis liquid biopsy technology has proven to be very useful in detecting over 20 human cancer types with just a single …
Penn Vet doctors receive NIH grant to target canine autoimmune diseaseOctober 4, 2018Nicola J. Mason, BVetMed, PhD, and Aimee S. Payne, MD, PhD, have received the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's Transformative Research Award, part of the institute's High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, for their work in targeting autoimmune disease in dogs. Under the grant, Drs. Mason and Payne are looking to evaluate a genetically engineered cell-based therapy to treat dogs with naturally occurring autoimmune skin disease known as pemphigus. Dogs are one of the few other species to develop pemphigus, a condition that mirrors pemphigus in human patients. Evaluation of this approach to treat pet dogs with the disease may ultimately lead to breakthrough therapies for humans. According to the Autoimmune Disease Research Center at Johns Hopkins, at least 10 million Americans suffer from the more than 80 illnesses caused by autoimmunity. "The successful treatment of autoimmunity in the family dog using this unique approach would not only be a breakthrough in veterinary medicine, but could also change the way autoimmune disease is treated in humans," said Mason, associate professor of medicine and pathobiology at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Penn Vet. "We believe that this work may facilitate the translation of cellular immunotherapies for a broad range of canine …
Morris Animal Foundation funds three equine medicine pilot studiesOctober 4, 2018 The Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) will fund three pilot studies in horse health focusing on parasitic worms and equine metabolic syndrome. The studies, which collectively awarded more than $30,000 in grants, are in addition to eight large-animal research projects the foundation announced in April. Identifying Drug Resistant Parasites, University of Delaware Uses molecular methods to identify which species of equine parasitic worms come back first after deworming. Understanding drug sensitivity and specific resistance mechanisms will help researchers develop more effective and targeted deworming strategies. Evaluating New Equine Metabolic Syndrome Test, Murdoch University, Australia Investigates a new laboratory test to improve diagnosis of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), a metabolic and hormonal disorder in horses. A new efficient and cost-effective EMS test will help veterinarians better diagnose and manage this complex disease in horses. Understanding the Role of the Microbiome in Equine Metabolic Syndrome, Utrecht University, the Netherlands Studies the potential relationship between the bacterial composition of the microbiome and the development of EMS in Shetland ponies. Understanding how EMS develops, and the role of gut bacteria in this process, might provide new opportunities to intervene in early stages of disease and help prevent horses and ponies from …
VCP behind new AAHA Pet Wellness ProgramOctober 3, 2018Veterinary Care Plans (VCP) has partnered with the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) to bring to market the AAHA Pet Wellness Plan program, a comprehensive wellness plan management solution for AAHA-accredited member veterinary practices. The program combines the practice of wellness, for successful program design, pricing, launch, and management of a wellness plan program, with the business of wellness, for continued growth, real-time analytics and program insight, increased compliance, and ongoing wellness program success. "Our relationship with AAHA opens the door for veterinarians to deploy wellness plans in a way that allows them to use best practices, driving long-term growth for their practice, building lifelong relationships with clients, and a lifetime of improved health for their patients," said Bob Richardson, president of VCP. "To be truly successful, it is imperative to understand the two sides of wellness—the practice of wellness and the business of wellness—and their roles in ensuring both short- and long-term success." "As veterinary professionals, it is important to make routine wellness care more manageable, both to help ensure optimal health care for pets while enabling pet owners to fit veterinary care into their budgets," said Michael Cavanaugh, DVM, DABVP (Emeritus), AAHA CEO. "We believe offering tools like …
WSAVA elects Australian veterinarian as its new presidentOctober 3, 2018Shane Ryan, BVSc, MVS, CertVetAcupuncture, GradDipAnimChiro, MChiroSc, MRCVS, an Australian veterinarian practicing in Singapore, has been appointed president of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA). Dr. Ryan, a member of the WSAVA's executive board and former chair of its Animal Wellness and Welfare Committee, will take over from Walt Ingwersen, DVM, DVSc, DACVIM, and will serve a two-year term. After graduating from the University of Queensland, Ryan worked and traveled in Australia, the U.K., and Europe before moving to Singapore in 1984. In 1989, he opened his own practice in Singapore, Companion Animal Surgery, which is now a 24-hour veterinary facility with 10 veterinarians and 15 auxiliary staff. He first became involved with the WSAVA while a member of the Singapore Veterinary Association (SVA) Committee and played a part in developing its bids to host WSAVA World Congress in 2018. He also helped develop WSAVA's new Animal Welfare Global Guidelines for Companion Animal Practitioners and the Veterinary Team, which were launched during this year's WSAVA World Congress. "I will build on his efforts to strengthen the sense of community across the association and I'll be engaging with our members and working with our leadership team to …
Study: "Dog cognition does not look exceptional," researchers findOctober 3, 2018 Dogs may be smart cookies—just not quite the braniacs that many believe they are, according to research published in Learning & Behavior. In a study that examined more than 300 papers on the intelligence of dogs and other animals, researchers reviewed evidence that compared dogs' smarts with other domestic animals, other social hunters, and other carnivorans, such as wolves, bears, lions, and hyenas. What scientists from the U.K.'s University of Exeter and Canterbury Christ Church University discovered were that dogs' cognitive abilities were at least matched by several species in each of these groups as well as several cases where dogs' mental abilities suffered from "over interpretation." "During our work it seemed to us that many studies in dog cognition research set out to 'prove' how clever dogs are," said Stephen Lea, PhD, the study's principal author, from the University of Exeter. Lea went on to say that dogs' correct responses or actions are often compared to those of chimpanzees, but researchers found "in each and every case … other valid comparison species that do at least as well as dogs do in those tasks." The review focused on sensory cognition, physical cognition, spatial cognition, social cognition, and …
