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Sergeant’s Introduces Topical Flea/Tick ProductsMarch 16, 2011 Sergeant’s Pet Care Products Inc. is introducing its new flea and tick products FiproGuard and FiproGuard Plus this week at Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Fla. The products will be available through pet specialty retailers nationwide this spring. They are the first approved generic topical products for fleas and ticks containing the same active ingredients as Frontline Top Spot (fipronil) and Frontline Plus (fipronil and s-methoprene), at the same concentrations, according to the Omaha, Neb.-based company. Frontline, a brand of Merial of Duluth, Ga., is only available through veterinarians. FiproGuard and FiproGuard Plus are both indicated to kill adult fleas and ticks, as well as chewing lice in dogs and cats. The dog formula is also indicated to kill mites that may cause sarcoptic mange. FiproGuard Plus contains an insect growth regulator (IGR), which prevents re-infestation by addressing all stages of the flea life cycle, according to Sergeant’s. Sergeant’s acquired the rights to the patented pest-control formula from Sumitomo Chemical Co. of Japan in mid January. The deal allows Sergeant’s to manufacture and sell spot-on pesticide compositions that combine fipronil with an IGR, such as methoprene or pyriproxyfen. Generic formulations are gaining popularity …
Bissell Homecare Pledges Up To $50,000 To Support Pet SheltersMarch 16, 2011 Bissell Homecare Inc. of Grand Rapids, Mich., reported today a pledged of up to $50,000 to the Petfinder.com Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to end the euthanasia of adoptable pets by providing resources and support services to animal adoption organizations. “We are so pleased to continue Bissell’s long history of supporting pet causes by joining forces with the Petfinder.com Foundation this year,” said Rich Sorota, senior vice president and general manager of global marketing and sales for Bissell. “As a company, we are passionate about supporting the pet community, and this expansion of our 10-year relationship with Petfinder.com will allow us to educate even more Americans about one of the major barriers to adoption—cleaning up after pets.” About 38 percent of Americans would add a pet to their home if cleaning up after them were an easy job, according to research conducted by Bissell. The effort will take place on Bissell’s Facebook page beginning this summer. A specific date had not been determined as of press time. For each new fan that registers on Bissell’s Facebook page, the company will make a donation to the Petfinder.com Foundation in order to reach its goal of contributing …
Eli Lilly Makes Offer To Buy Janssen Animal HealthMarch 14, 2011 Eli Lilly and Co. of Indianapolis has offered to acquire Janssen Animal Health, a division of Belgium-based Janssen Pharmaceutica NV. The division, which has operations in 11 countries, focuses on targeted disease segments in companion animals and livestock with special focus on pigs and poultry. The deal would provide European expansion and portfolio diversification for Lilly’s animal health division, Elanco, the company reported today. “The addition of Janssen’s animal health business will strongly support a number of strategic growth priorities for Elanco, while providing synergies with our current operations,” said Jeff Simmons, Lilly senior vice president and president of Elanco. “Through this transaction, we intend to further expand our European presence, bolster our growing portfolio of companion animal medicines and diversity our food animal portfolio with new swine and poultry products. We are excited about these new opportunities to improve animal health, food safety and food animal production while delivering greater value to our customers.” Under the terms of the aquisition offer, Elanco would obtain a portfolio of about 50 marketed animal health products, manufacturing licenses, distribution rights, as well as the related intellectual property and marketing authorizations. The transaction would not include any manufacturing …
Abaxis Veterinary Reference Laboratories Names Executive TeamMarch 11, 2011Abaxis Veterinary Reference Laboratories (AVRL), a fairly new division of Abaxis Inc., has named Mark Patterson as its president. Patterson was previously president of Heritage Labs, a commercial laboratory business he co-founded in Olathe, Kan. Other executive team members include Bill Roberts, Ph.D., vice president and laboratory director; Gene Hart, vice president of information services; and Ilya Frumkin, vice president of commercial operations. Dr. Roberts and Hart were also founders of Heritage Labs, while Frumkin was previously vice president of marketing at the company. Gary Anderson, DVM, Ph.D., director of Kansas State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, will serve in a consulting capacity for AVRL. Abaxis announced its plans to enter the commercial laboratory market with AVRL in late January. While AVRL will be a full service commercial laboratory, it will focus on specialty and esoteric testing and analysis, according to Martin Mulroy, vice president of sales and marketing for North American Animal Health. Related article: Abaxis to Form Commercial Laboratory for Vets
National PUPS Act Seeks To Regulate ‘High Volume Retail Breeders’March 10, 2011 Members of Congress have introduced a measure that seeks to amend federal animal welfare laws so as to regulate “high-volume” breeders who sell directly to the public. The bill, House Resolution 835, would also institute additional animal care standards. H.R. 835, referred to as the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety Act or PUPS Act, would amend the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) to require “high volume retail breeders” to be federally licensed and inspected regularly. A “high volume retail breeder” is defined as any person “who, in commerce, for compensation or profit, has ownership interest in or custody of one or more breeding female dogs, and sells or offers for sale, via any means of conveyance (including the Internet, telephone or newspaper), more than 50 of the offspring of such breeding female dogs for use as pets in any one-year period.” Currently, animal “dealers,” which includes pet breeders and pet wholesalers, among others, are required to be licensed under AWA. A number of exemptions are provided, including exemptions for retail pet stores and hobby breeders. The bill would also require licensees to follow new exercise requirements for all dogs at least 12 weeks old. Exceptions …
Vermont Mulls Animal Hoarding BillMarch 10, 2011 Vermont has introduced a bill that seeks to impose criminal penalties for animal hoarding. As written, House Bill 371 defines an “animal hoarder” as any person who: • Possesses five or more animals; • Fails to provide adequate food, water, shelter, rest, sanitation, or necessary medical attention or transports an animal in overcrowded vehicles; • Keeps the animals in a severely overcrowded environment; and • Displays an inability to recognize or understand the nature of or has a reckless disregard for the conditions under which the animals are living and the deleterious impact they have on the animals’ health and well-being. The state’s animal cruelty laws define animals as “all living sentient creatures, not human beings.” This could mean a wide array of animals, including cats, dogs, small animals, birds and reptiles. Violators would be guilty of animal cruelty and could face up to one year’s jail time, a fine of up to $2,000 or both. Second and subsequent violators could face up to two years in jail, a fine of up to $5,000 or both. Under state law, a “humane officer” may seize an animal without a search warrant if …
Label Mix-Up Prompts Recall Of Human Drug Prescribed For Animals ExtralabelMarch 10, 2011 The. U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine today warned veterinarians about a recent human drug recall for Phenobarbital tablets. The drug is prescribed by veterinarians as an extralabel use for treating seizures in animals. The voluntary recall was first announced by Qualitest Pharmaceuticals in early February and involved several lots of Phenobarbital 32.4 mg and Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets 10 mg/500mg due to a label mix-up between the two drug products. As a result, pets may unintentionally be given Hydrocodone and Acetaminophen tablets instead of the intended drug, Phenobarbital, according to the Center for Veterinary Medicine. The recall includes the following products: • Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets, USP 10mg/500mg, NDC 0603-3888-20, 60 count, Lot Numbers T150G10B, T120J10E and T023M10A • Phenobarbital Tablets, USP 32.4 mg, NDC 0603-5166-32, 1,000 count, Lot Numbers T150G10B, T120J10E and T023M10A These lots were distributed between Sept. 21, 2010 and Dec. 29, 2010 to wholesale and retail pharmacies nationwide, including Puerto Rico. Lot numbers can be found on the side of the bottle. Qualitest Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endo Pharmaceuticals, gave descriptions of each drug: Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets are …
University Of Florida To Hold Conference On Animal FightingMarch 10, 2011 A conference on animal fighting will be held at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine on March 12-13. “Combating Cruelty: Bloodsport Investigations” will focus on the role of veterinary forensics in animal fighting investigations. The conference, co-sponsored by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program, is open to veterinarians, animal welfare professionals and law enforcement agents. On Saturday, March 12, a series of presentations will aim to teach veterinary professionals and investigators to better recognize the signs of animal fighting; use advancements in forensic veterinary science to better respond to animal fighting investigations; and collect and process physical evidence, including blood samples, fighting wounds and analyzing animal remains. A workshop will be held on Sunday, March 13, to address the behavior evaluation of former fighting dogs. The workshop will be led by Pamela Reid, Ph.D., vice president of the ASPCA’s Animal Behavior Center, who evaluated dogs from the Michael Vick case. Dr. Reid will focus on how to conduct safe, valid assessments and discuss how animal behavior is used to decide appropriate outcomes for former fighting dogs. Other speakers participating in the conference …
Report: U.S. Pet Food Sales Up In 2010, Growth SlowsMarch 9, 2011 The U.S. pet food market continued to grow in 2010, although at a much slower rate than in the past several years, according to a report released last week by market researcher Packaged Facts. The report, Pet Food in the U.S., 9th Edition, analyzes trends in dog food, cat food and other pet food (birds, small animals, fish and reptiles, collectively) in mass-market outlets, pet specialty stores and other channels, such as veterinary offices and the Internet. It found that U.S. retail sales of pet food reached $18.4 billion in 2010, up 2.8 percent over 2009 sales. Although pet food sales were up, Packaged Facts reported that the 2.8 percent growth rate was the slowest the market has seen since the turn of the millennium. Still, despite the sluggish growth, the pet food category saw a number of significant investment deals in 2010: Procter & Gamble acquired Natura Pet Products, Nestlé Purina bought Waggin’ Train, and Del Monte, the maker of Meow Mix, Kibbles ‘n Bits and a number of other pet food brands, received a buyout offer by an investor group lead by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. The Del Monte deal is expected …
