Pets Best Begins Selling Pet Insurance In JapanSeptember 16, 2009 Pets Best Japan is starting sales as the ninth pet-health insurance company approved to do business in Japan. More than 400,000 pets are believed to be insured in Japan, which has an estimated dog and cat population of 25 million. About 1.25 million pets are insured in the U.S., which is estimated to have a dog and cat population of 172 million. Pets Best Insurance of Boise, Idaho, introduced the Pets Best Japan licensing agreement last year and has been working to gain government approval. In Japan, pet insurance is regulated similarly to in the U.S. Previously, such insurance in Japan was provided through unregulated mutual-aid associations. Iwao Nonaga, CEO and founder of Pets Best Japan, said he spent 20 years trying to provide pet health insurance in Japan, ever since he met Jack Stephens, DVM, founder and president of Pets Best Insurance, the oldest and largest pet insurance company in the U.S. “Fortunately, I have had Dr. Stephens’s assistance and encouragement in my efforts to provide pet insurance for Japanese pet owners," Nonaga said. "I now look forward to fulfilling my dream of insuring Japanese pets.” Pets …
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Cat Rabies Cases Up 12 Percent In 2008September 15, 2009 Despite an overall 3.1 percent decrease in the number of animal rabies cases in 2008, the number of rabies cases in cats increased 12 percent, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, citing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics. In 2008, 6,841 cases of animal rabies were reported in the United States and Puerto Rico, according to a CDC report published in the Sept. 15, 2009, edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. That was down 3.1 percent from 7,060 rabies cases in animals reported to the CDC in 2007. The number of human rabies cases doubled, from one to two, from 2007 to 2008. The CDC said 294 cases of rabies in cats were reported in 2008, up 12 percent from 262 cases in 2007. In contrast, dog-related rabies cases fell about 19 percent from 93 in 2007 to 75 in 2008. Wild animals, especially raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes, accounted for 93 percent of all rabies cases reported in 2008, the report stated. Jesse Blanton, an epidemiologist at the CDC, said cats are more likely to be bitten by a …
FDA Moves Against Teva, Citing Manufacturing PracticesSeptember 14, 2009 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported July 31 that it has taken action against Teva Animal Health Inc. because of the company’s failure to adhere to current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations. The company said in a written statement: “Teva Animal Health regrets the deficiencies in our manufacturing practices, and we have already initiated corrective actions to ensure that we will swiftly meet all regulatory requirements. These actions include conducting a complete analysis of each individual product, retraining of our employees, and revalidating our equipment, processes and methods.” The decree of permanent injunction that was filed prohibits Teva Animal Health, its president and two principals from its parent company from manufacturing and distributing adulterated veterinary drugs. The injunction, once entered by the court, will prevent the defendants from manufacturing and distributing veterinary drugs until they achieve compliance with cGMP and obtain FDA approval, according to the statement released by the FDA. The FDA reported that it found “significant cGMP violations” at the company’s facilities, located in St. Joseph, Mo., during inspections from 2007 to 2009. The FDA said it will inspect Teva Animal Health’s facilities as needed before authorizing the company …
Campaign Warns ‘Leaving Pets In Hot Car Is A Crime’September 11, 2009 The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has launched a campaign to remind pet owners that it’s against the law to leave pets unattended in hot cars. To help get the word out, the office is distributing free posters to veterinarians, business owners and residents. The poster depicts a dog named “Bilby” sitting on a pan in an open oven that reads, “Hot Oven, Hot Car…It’s the Same Thing. Leaving an animal in a hot car is a crime.” “Leaving your dog in a hot car, even one parked in the shade, can be both a deadly mistake and a crime,” said Deputy District Attorney Deborah Knaan, animal cruelty case coordinator. “If you love your dog, leave it home where it’s safe.” Under California state law, pet owners who leave their animals unattended can be charged with a misdemeanor animal endangerment and face up to six months in jail. If the animal dies, the owner could be charged with felony animal cruelty and face up to three years in state prison. Even on mildly warm days, when the temperature is 72 degrees or hotter outside, the temperature in a car can be more than 100 …
New Government Consumer Website Includes Pet Food Recall InfoSeptember 10, 2009 The United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Health & Human Services on Sept. 9 launched a food safety consumer website that will include pet food recall information. “We want to protect pets and animals so we will include information as it comes up,” said Vicki Rivas-Vazquez, a spokeswoman for HHS. The new website features information from all the agencies across the federal government that deal with critical food and food safety information. The goal is to provide a “one-stop online shop for all the latest information [consumers] need to reduce the danger of food-borne illnesses,” said Jerry Mande, deputy under secretary for Food Safety at USDA. The website will include information on food safety, food recalls (human and pet), preventive tips about how to handle food safely and news from the key agencies. Visitors can also sign up to receive email and RSS alerts on recalled or potentially unsafe food. The website will eventually include recall feeds for texting and mobile phones as well as a foodsafety.gov widget that the public and media can download and promote on their websites and social networking sites. The widget will instantly …
California Spay/Neuter Fails AssemblySeptember 9, 2009 California Senate Bill 250, which would require spay or neuter surgery for most of the state’s dogs and cats, failed on the Assembly floor 28-42 on Sept. 8. Reconsideration was granted, allowing the bill to be voted on again Sept. 9. Results had not been announced by press time. The bill had been amended on the Assembly floor Aug. 31. SB 250, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez, calls on cat owners to spay or neuter their cats at 6 months of age if the cats are allowed to roam at large. The bill also requires the sterilization of all dogs at 6 months old unless the owner gets an unaltered dog license. The bill also now would require anyone who sells or adopts out an intact dog, regardless of the dog’s age, to provide the licensing agency with the name and address of the new owner within 10 days. Any existing unaltered dog’s license number and microchip number for the dog must appear on the document transferring ownership of the dog to the new owner. The bill also provides that an intact dog with a current intact license will not be required to …
Pethealth Signs Licensing Agreement With PetSmart CharitiesSeptember 8, 2009 Under a new license agreement, Pethealth Inc. will provide PetSmart Charities access to its animal shelter data, as well as technical and IT support, for analyzing trends in animal welfare throughout the United States. The non-exclusive license runs through Dec. 31, 2011. The data will come from Pethealth’s PetPoint animal management system, which is used by more than 1,200 animal welfare organizations in the United States and Canada. The Ontario-based company has aggregated data on more than 4.2 million animal intakes and 1.5 million pet adoptions since the product was first launched in March 2005. PetSmart Charities will use the information to assist it in planning and evaluating its various programs to animal welfare organizations at city, state and national levels. The data will also help PetSmart Charities strategically grant funds and assess the impact of funding on saving the lives of homeless pets, said Susana Della Maddalena, executive director of PetSmart Charities. Pethealth said it expects to generate a minimum of $400,000 over the life of the contract with PetSmart Charities. “We are pleased to announce our partnership with PetSmart Charities,” said Mark Warren, president and chief …
Advanced Animal Diagnostics Names New PresidentSeptember 4, 2009Advanced Animal Diagnostics has named Joy Parr Drach as its president. Parr Drach is a founder and senior partner of Entira, a management and marketing consulting firm for agribusiness companies. She will continue in an advisory role at the firm. “We are excited to have Joy join AAD at this important time for our business,” said Rudy Rodriguez, who will remain as the company’s chief scientific officer. “She brings a unique combination of expertise in agribusiness and new product introductions that will benefit AAD as we move toward commercialization of the first generation of our technology platform products.” Rodriguez is also the founder of Advanced Animal Diagnostics and a member of the board of directors. The Durham, N.C.-based research and development company was founded in 2001 to commercialize exclusively licensed proprietary technology for the diagnosis of farm-animal diseases. <HOME>
California Intact Animal Cap Bill Passes SenateSeptember 3, 2009 California Assembly Bill 241, which would limit the number of intact dogs and cats any person could own for breeding and selling as pets, passed the Senate on Sept. 2 and now moves to the Assembly for a concurrence vote. The bill had been amended on the Senate floor Aug. 24 to read, “No person or business entity, as defined, shall own, possess, control or otherwise have charge or custody of more than a combined total of 50 adult unsterilized dogs and cats, in the state, at any time used for the purpose of breeding or raising dogs or cats for sale as pets.” The bill previously did not include the term “business entity,” which is defined as any company, firm, association, partnership, business trust, corporation, limited liability company or other legal entity. This does not apply to public animal control agencies, shelters, rescue groups, veterinary facilities and research facilities. In addition, AB 241 would make it a misdemeanor to act in concert with another person or to voluntarily assist a business entity in violating these provisions. Those who possess too many dogs or cats would have to spay or neuter the excess animals or …
Actress Hilary Swank To Promote Pet Adoption During Iams Home 4 The Holidays CampaignSeptember 2, 2009Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank has been selected to serve as the 2009 ambassador for Iams Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption campaign. Home 4 the Holiday’s founding partner, the Helen Woodward Animal Center, and nearly 3,500 participating animal organizations plan to help 1.5 million pets find homes during this year’s adoption drive, which runs Oct. 1 to Jan. 4, 2010. As the 2009 ambassador, Swank will share her personal experience with adoption and rescue in an effort to help educate the public on how they can help homeless pets. According to Iams, the Million Dollar Baby star has adopted many pets throughout her life, including her two dogs Karoo and Rumi. “I’m proud to be working with Iams Home 4 the Holidays to help raise awareness about the importance of pet adoption,” Swank said in a statement. “Last year, the program’s adoption goal was to get 1 million pets adopted in just three months, but this year the goal is even bigger.” The Iams Home 4 the Holidays program started in 1999 and has since helped more than 3.2 million pets find homes. “Now more than ever orphaned animals need our help, and who better …
