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 …
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Careless Dog Owners Could Be in Mess of TroubleMay 4, 2015Dogs can run, but they can’t hide from PooPrints. BioPet Vet Lab, which specializes in canine genetic testing, is partnering with the appropriately named London borough of Barking and Dagenham to track down dog owners who fail to remove their pets’ public deposits. Starting in September 2016, people who don’t pick up after their dogs could be fined 80 pounds, or about $125. The registration of dogs’ DNA could become mandatory five months earlier if a pilot program proves successful. That’s where BioPet and its U.K. licensee, Streetkleen Bio, come in. Canine cheek swabs will be taken and sent to BioPet’s Knoxville, Tenn., laboratory for identification and registration of the dogs. When Barking and Dagenham party poopers come across a pile of dog doo, a sample will be shipped to BioPet in an attempt to identify the canine offender. “Wardens will patrol the borough’s 27 parks and open spaces and test any rogue mess,” the BBC news agency reportedly bluntly. Borough leaders decided to enforce a Public Space Protection Order, a quality-of-life measure that allows governments across the United Kingdom to crack down on anti-social behavior in public areas such as parks, cemeteries and beaches. The effort in Barking and …
AVMA: Pharmacists Need Veterinary SchoolingMay 4, 2015The American Veterinary Medical Association thinks pharmacists should learn more about veterinary drugs as online and brick-and-mortar stores capture a greater share of the pet medications market. The AVMA board of directors is recommending that the House of Delegates approve a resolution calling for veterinary pharmacology courses in pharmacy school and related continuing education classes for professional druggists. The idea, one of four resolutions scheduled for discussion in July at the AVMA convention in Boston, aims to reduce pet medication errors and improve communication between pharmacists and veterinarians. A 2012 survey conducted by the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association found many instances of pharmacists changing prescribed doses of pet medications or substituting a different product without the veterinarian’s authorization. In some cases, the actions led to an animal’s death, the survey found. The issue has become more pronounced as pharmacies large and small, including mass market retailers Walmart and Target, move into veterinary prescriptions. The market research firm Packaged Facts in 2013 reported that veterinarians still sold a majority of dog and cat medications—an estimated 58 percent—but that sellers on the human side were doing a brisk and growing business. Besides urging wider education of pharmacists, Resolution 8: Encourages pharmacists …
Longtime Pet Hospital Shutting DownMay 4, 2015That’s it. We’re done. The owners of Sparling Veterinary Clinic will walk away from their business and careers May 13, permanently closing a hospital that has served the residents of Chehalis, Wash., for 62 years. Anna Sparling, DVM, and her husband, Alan Sparling, DVM, are retiring without ever trying to sell the practice. They have advised clients to pick up their pets’ medical records and patronize nearby veterinarians. “After 37 years of providing veterinary service to Lewis County, we are retiring,” the couple stated candidly on their clinic’s Facebook page. Located halfway between Portland, Ore., and Seattle, Sparling Veterinary Clinic caters to low-income pet owners and is undoubtedly low tech. “The clinic is 62 years old and has changed very little in that time,” Anna Sparling said. “We heat with wood and do all of the woodcutting ourselves. We are not computerized, and we have one employee, who has been with us for 20 years. “We do everything ourselves, from taking blood, taking X-rays—and developing them in dip tanks—to bookwork and cleaning cages.” The practice has provided the couple with a very modest income—one that “We have learned to live with, so we have no debt,” Anna Sparling said. …
Survey: Clients Want to Know About ParasitesApril 30, 2015Originally published in the March 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Tens of thousands of dollars in additional revenue may be a series of phone calls away for U.S. veterinary hospitals. The Companion Animal Parasite Council and Bayer Animal Health in January released the results of a survey that found that 90 percent of U.S. pet owners want to hear about local spikes in pests such as disease-carrying ticks and heartworm-transmitting mosquitoes. Pet owners are willing to open their wallets, too, with 89 percent saying they likely would schedule an appointment to get their pet tested if a heightened parasite risk was communicated. The survey’s sponsors forecast that a two-doctor practice that informed clients about urgent parasitic risks in their home county and delivered related services could generate from $163,000 to $789,000 a year in extra revenue, depending on the level of pet owner response. “It’s amazing what some fairly simple changes can do financially for our profession,” said Karen E. Felsted, MS, DVM, CPA, CVPM, founder of president of PantheraT, a practice consulting firm in Dallas. She is the former CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues. Dr. Felsted was joined by CAPC leaders Susan E. Little, …
Penn Vet Names Recipients of New ScholarshipApril 30, 2015The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) has named the recipients to its inaugural Commonwealth One Health Scholarship: Allyson Elliott of Coudersport, Pa., Amy Kraus of Aliquippa, Pa., and Enoch Kraycik of Bethlehem, Pa. All three Class of 2019 recipients have demonstrated a strong commitment to food animal medicine, Penn Vet noted. “The Commonwealth One Health Scholarship recognizes the important role of veterinarians in production agriculture,” said Joan C. Hendricks, VMD, Ph.D., the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “We are thrilled to offer an array of scholarships to decrease student debt burden and recruit the best and brightest to Penn Vet. Allyson, Amy and Enoch were selected from a group of highly competitive applicants, and we look forward to watching them proudly serve Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry.” The scholarship provides full tuition subsidy for four years at Penn Vet. Penn Vet hopes more students can benefit from the scholarship in coming years. “We are aiming for up to five [students] if we can find meritorious applicants (Pennsylvanians with excellent credentials and a demonstrated commitment to rural large animal practice in Pennsylvania),” Dr. Hendricks said. “In the long run, with sufficient …
InstaVet Unveils NYC Mobile PracticeApril 29, 2015The doctors are in the house. A startup company, InstaVet, has brought veterinary house calls and around-the-clock emergency transportation to pet owners in the New York City boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. For $199, InstaVet offers a comprehensive examination and follow-up telephone consultation. Vaccinations, diagnostics and other services cost extra. For the same price, a licensed veterinary technician driving a van or SUV will transport an ill or injured animal to a veterinary office or emergency hospital under a service called Pet 911. Several veterinarians have joined the InstaVet roster, including Cindy Bressler, DVM, and Rob Proietto, VMD, both of whom have experience in house calls. Mobile veterinarians and pet owners are brought together under InstaVet’s business model. “We live in a world where you can get taxis or takeout on demand,” said Elijah Kliger, the company’s founder and CEO. “Why not offer the pets we love that same level of convenience? Now we can finally treat our pets the way we treat ourselves.” In-home, 45-minute appointments are available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week and may be booked at www.InstaVet.com or by calling or texting. A mobile app that …
Hill’s Unveils Combination Diets for Dogs, CatsApril 28, 2015Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. has launched two-in-one recipes for overweight dogs and cats. The Topeka, Kan., food manufacturer reported Monday the release of Prescription Diet Metabolic + Mobility Canine and Prescription Diet Metabolic + Urinary Feline. While both are formulated to help pets shed pounds, the canine recipe also is intended to support joint health and the feline version to enhance urinary health. Hill’s is marketing the two diets, which come in kibble and canned varieties, as the first foods designed for the treatment of common concurrent health conditions. “Concurrent conditions are difficult to manage successfully, often requiring multiple treatment options,” said Ellen Lowery, DVM, Ph.D., MBA, Hill’s director of U.S. professional and veterinary affairs. “Sometimes it creates the challenge of deciding which condition to focus on first, when really the only way to effectively treat both is to work together.” Both veterinary-exclusive recipes build upon the 2-year-old Metabolic Prescription Diet, which is formulated for weight loss and weight maintenance. The new canine diet adds attributes of the j/d Mobility formula and the food for cats utilizes c/d Multicare, which works to dissolve struvite stones. Both new recipes were tested in feeding trials. Metabolic + Mobility for dogs …
N.C. State Gets $16 Million From Longtime PatronApril 28, 2015Randall B. Terry Jr. keeps sharing his wealth with the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine long after his death. The late newspaper publisher and philanthropist’s foundation this month donated $16 million to support student scholarships, research work and faculty endowments. The gift follows millions he gave or raised before his 2004 death and the $20 million his foundation pledged toward construction of the Randall B. Terry Jr. Companion Animal Veterinary Medical Center, which opened in 2011. The R.B. Terry Charitable Foundation has agreed to match other donations, potentially doubling the latest gift’s impact, the university reported. “Randall always said he liked to use money to make money,” said Susan Ward, who serves on the university board of trustees and is a former president of the North Carolina Veterinary Medicine Foundation. “He’d say, ‘Let’s use it as a challenge gift, a matching challenge.’ We’d use that to attract other donors who would want to join in his efforts.” Terry initiated contact with the College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998, when one of his nine golden retrievers, Nike, became sick and was treated at North Carolina State. He later presided over the North Carolina Veterinary Medicine Foundation, …
Virginia Tech’s Marion DuPont Scott Equine Medical Center Names DirectorApril 28, 2015Michael D. Erskine, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (equine), has been named director of Virginia Tech’s Marion DuPont Scott Equine Medical Center. The center, located in Leesburg, Va., is a campus of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. Dr. Erskine’s new position became effective April 25. He had been serving as interim director since May 2013. “Over the last 18 months, I have worked closely with Dr. Erskine and others from the college to conduct a comprehensive review and planning process with the goal of developing a more sustainable business model for the equine medical center,” said Cyril Clarke, BVSc, Ph.D., dean of the veterinary college. “He has been instrumental in moving forward several high-priority projects that already are making a positive impact on the center’s performance and financial standing. I consider him to be very well-qualified to serve the college in his new position.” Erskine most recently practiced with Damascus Equine Associates in Mount Airy, Md., a group of private ambulatory equine practitioners who serve a wide variety of clients and their horses in Maryland and the surrounding area. He has a special interest in sport and pleasure horses. “He has been a veterinary practice owner for …
