AVMA Chooses 3 Congressional FellowsMay 12, 2015Two veterinarians won’t have far to travel as they prepare to become Congressional Fellows under a program sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Rachel Cumberbatch, DVM, of Washington, D.C., and Honorata “Kuki” Hansen, BVMS, MPH, Dipl. ACVPM, of Silver Spring, Md., were among three professionals selected to participate in the 2015-2016 AVMA Congressional Fellowship Program, the organization announced today. The third member, Lauren Stump, DVM, of Baton Rouge, La., will join Drs. Cumberbatch and Hansen in late August when they go to work in Washington as full-time employees to their members of Congress, AVMA reported. The trio will serve as scientific advisers rather than AVMA employees or lobbyists as they “represent the veterinary profession in the legislative branch of government,” according to AVMA guidelines. The women, selected from among 15 applicants, will receive a $79,000 stipend and $6,000 toward health insurance costs. Cumberbatch, a 2011 graduate of Purdue University, is interested in the human-animal bond, health care services, workforce development and the role of public veterinary medicine in health policy, according to AVMA. Her last job was as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Hansen, from Edinburgh, Scotland, graduated …
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Trupanion Enjoys Spike in Customers, SalesMay 12, 2015The number of pets enrolled with health insurer Trupanion has jumped by 14 percent since the start of the year to more than 250,000 animals. CEO Darryl Rawlings, in an update issued today, called the quarter-million figure “a true milestone.” “Our growth [over the past 15 years] has been fueled by our unique approach to the market,” Rawlings said. “We leverage our exceptional team of territory partners to build strong relationships with veterinary hospitals across North America and ultimately enroll member pets in a cost-effective manner.” A recent report from the market research firm IBISWorld identified Seattle-based Trupanion as the second-largest competitor in the United States after Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI). Trupanion holds a 16 percent share compared with VPI’s 53 percent, the report noted. Trupanion’s 2014 financial report showed 218,684 dogs and cats enrolled at year’s end in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Revenue for the year totaled $115.9 million, a 38.3 percent increase over the 2013 figure. The company launched strategic partnerships earlier this year with the VCA animal hospital chain and with product distributor MWI Veterinary Supply Inc. in a move to further grow sales. IBISWorld found that Trupanion customers are very …
Blue Buffalo Faults Supplier for Wide Use of Byproduct MealMay 12, 2015Blue Buffalo Co., one of the world’s largest pet food makers, admitted in a courtroom May 6 that a substantial portion of its products at one time contained poultry byproduct meal, and the company blamed the situation on a supplier’s “mislabeling scheme.” The acknowledgment came as the Wilton, Conn., manufacturer asked a U.S. District Court judge in St. Louis to interrupt proceedings in a lawsuit filed by competitor Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. The judge granted a three-month delay to give Blue Buffalo time to sue Wilbur-Ellis Co. and draw the San Francisco animal feed supplier further into the case. Blue Buffalo and Purina have engaged in a long-running war of words and legal fight over allegations that some Blue Buffalo food was made with poultry byproduct meal contrary to the company’s labeling and advertising. A countersuit filed by Blue Buffalo accuses Purina, the world’s No. 2 pet food manufacturer, of defamation, unfair competition and false advertising. Both companies verbally attacked each other in the days after the court hearing. “Despite this admission, Blue Buffalo still has not informed consumers of the presence of poultry byproduct meal in Blue Buffalo pet food, refuses to accept responsibility for the product it …
UC Davis Begins Expanded Vaccine Field Trials for Foothill AbortionMay 12, 2015The University of California, Davis, has begun its expanded field trials on a vaccine that researchers hope will treat a tick-borne bacterial disease which kills cow fetuses. The disease, also known as foothill abortion, is endemic in California’s coastal range and the foothill regions of California, Southern Oregon and Northern Nevada. It is a major cause of economic loss for California beef producers, according to UC Davis, annually causing the death of about 45,000 to 90,000 calves. The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the expansion of ongoing field trials in November for an experimental vaccine, developed by UC Davis veterinary researchers, after it was shown to be effective in preventing foothill abortion in more than 2,000 cattle. The expanded trials began in April and will further establish the vaccine’s effectiveness in varied conditions as well as provide relief to ranchers, according to the university. “Our Western cattle producers are desperate for some relief to stop their losses resulting from this disease,” said Professor Jeff Stott, Ph.D., a UC Davis veterinary immunologist. Stott has led the effort in collaboration with the California Cattlemen’s Association, the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics, the Animal Health Branch of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the …
Idexx Responds to Outbreak With H3N2 Dog Flu TestMay 11, 2015Learn About CIV A one-hour webinar focused on canine influenza virus and the newly emerged H3N2 strain will take place Friday, May 15 at noon Eastern time. The session is intended for veterinarians and veterinary technicians. The webinar is sponsored by veterinary drug maker Zoetis Inc. and will be presented by Richard E. Goldstein, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, the chief medical officer at Animal Medical Center in New York. Registration is available at http://bit.ly/1G0D4a3 and will close 30 minutes before the start. Idexx Laboratories Inc. has released a diagnostic test for the H3N2 canine influenza virus less than four weeks after an outbreak began in Chicago and spread to a handful of states. The new H3N2 Influenza Virus RealPCR Test uses throat and eye swabs to determine whether dogs are infected with the uncommon strain. The test is available by itself or, at no additional cost, with other Idexx Comprehensive Canine Respiratory Disease (CRD) RealPCR panels, the Westbrook, Maine, company reported. H3N2—first identified in Asia nearly a decade ago—arose in more than 1,000 Chicago-area dogs beginning April 12 and later was found in Alabama, California, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New York, Texas and Wisconsin. A small number of dogs died from the …
Missouri’s VMTH Helps Clients Afford Care for Pets with Payment OptionMay 9, 2015The University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) and Universal Guardian Acceptance (UGA) of St. Joseph, Mo., have been able to offer nearly 400 pet owners financing for various treatments and procedures over the past 10 months. UGA, which considers itself a non-traditional financing company, announced the progress of the partnership in late April. After providing an in-house payment plan for many years, the teaching hospital wanted to increase financing options available to avoid having to turn away clients who did not have the available funds necessary to pay for their animals’ medical care. VMTH and UGA partnered last year in an effort to bring new payment options for owners. “Now that we have UGA on our side, our clients and prospective clients don’t have the stress of worrying how they will pay for care their animal needs added to any anxiety they may already have worrying about their animal’s health,” said David Wilson, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, director of the VMTH. “Our staff, freed from the time commitment involved in arranging financing, is better able to focus on providing excellent customer service.” Dr. Wilson noted that UGA’s financing program alleviates the problems families face when their pet encounters a …
Vets More Likely to Suffer From Mental Illness, Study ShowsMay 8, 2015Originally published in the April 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News U.S. veterinarians suffer higher rates of suicidal thoughts and depression compared to the general adult population, a government study has found. An online questionnaire completed by more than 10,000 working veterinarians found that 7 percent of men and just over 1 in 10 women displayed signs of serious psychological distress. In addition, about 1 in 6 respondents had entertained suicidal thoughts since graduation from veterinary school. The subject of suicide and depression in the veterinary profession was brought into focus again in September 2014 when animal behaviorist Sophia Yin, DVM, MS, killed herself in her Davis, Calif., home. Colleagues reported seeing few or no signs of mental distress in Yin in the weeks leading up to her death. The government study, released Feb. 13, was conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in cooperation with Veterinary Information Network and other partners. The findings also showed that among veterinarians, 1.1 percent of men and 1.4 percent of women had attempted suicide. The percentages were lower than those for U.S. adults in general, but for a tragic reason. Kimberly A. May, DVM, MS, the American Veterinary Medical Association’s …
UC Davis Names Dr. Pam Hullinger Director of Large Animal ClinicMay 7, 2015The University of California, Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital has named Pam Hullinger, DVM, Dipl. ACVPM, as director of the Large Animal Clinic. The appointment became effective April 27. Dr. Hullinger joins UC Davis from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where she served as chief veterinary officer of the Agricultural Security Program. She will also maintain her previously held position at UC Davis in the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Medicine and Epidemiology as a specialist/clinical diagnostic epidemiologist and lecturer. “I am honored to be returning to UC Davis to work with such an esteemed team of veterinarians and patient care technical specialists,” Hullinger said. “I look forward to working with the faculty and staff to implement a strategic planning effort that will improve on the Large Animal Clinic’s already excellent level of clinical equine and livestock programs.”
Lincoln Memorial Partners with Daemen CollegeMay 5, 2015Under a new agreement, students from Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y., will be able to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree through an accelerated program at Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine. The memorandum of agreement—the first like this that LMU-CVM has established with another institution—was signed on April 20. “We are excited to enter into this agreement with Daemen College,” said Glen F. Hoffsis, DVM, dean and vice president of the college. “LMU is proud of its new College of Veterinary Medicine and we are pleased to provide an opportunity for Daemen students to follow their dream of becoming a veterinarian.” Under the agreement, Daemen students will attend the Amherst-based college for three years and then apply to advance to the four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at LMU in Harrogate, Tennessee. Upon completion of their first year at LMU, students will earn a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences from Daemen and continue with their veterinary studies that will lead to a DVM from Lincoln Memorial University. The program will launch in fall 2015.
Patterson to Buy Animal Health InternationalMay 4, 2015Two leading distributors of veterinary products—Patterson Companies Inc. and Animal Health International Inc.—have agreed to a $1.1 billion merger that would double Patterson’s veterinary business. Patterson’s takeover of Animal Health International was announced today and is expected to close by late July. The deal came less than three months after another major acquisition in the veterinary channel: AmerisourceBergen Corp.’s $2.5 billion purchase of MWI Veterinary Supply Inc. Patterson, a St. Paul, Minn., company that also distributes products in the dental and medical rehabilitation fields, announced that it would try to sell its smaller rehabilitation subsidiary. “We believe concentrating Patterson’s resources and management on growing our closely aligned dental and veterinary units—both organically and through acquisitions—will enrich our ability to maximize the return on the capital we invest,” said chairman and CEO Scott P. Anderson. The company’s Devens, Mass.-based subsidiary, Patterson Veterinary Supply, generated more than $1.2 billion in sales in fiscal 2014 across the United States and United Kingdom. Doing business primarily with small animal hospitals, Patterson distributes veterinary consumables, equipment, software, vaccines and drugs. Animal Health International, based in Greeley, Colo., reported sales of $1.5 billion in the 12 months ended …
