Greenies Contest Focusing On Pet Dental Health LaunchesApril 27, 2010 On April 26, the Greenies Brand kicked off its second annual “Show Us Your Pet’s Healthy Smile” contest, which aims to educate pet owners on preventive measures they should take to promote their pet’s oral health. Such measures include twice yearly oral assessment and treatment as necessary by the veterinarian and daily oral care at home. The contest runs through June 18. “It’s important that pet owners understand how significant a healthy mouth is for the overall health of their pet,” said Jan Bellows, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, Dipl. AVDC. “Many veterinary dental specialists believe that a clean, healthy mouth can actually prolong a pet’s life.” To participate in the contest, pet owners can upload a picture of their pet showing off their teeth to www.greenies.com and then encourage their friends and family to vote. Veterinarians can promote the contest to their clients with free “Show Us Your Pets Healthy Smile” materials. To receive the veterinary promotional package, call 641-228-4045, ext. 11. Prizes will be awarded to the top three finalists and to their veterinary hospitals. The first place winner will receive a year’s supply of free Canine Greenies Dental Chews, …
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New Revenue Source Just Under The SurfaceApril 27, 2010 Veterinarians interested in adding a modality to boost practice revenue may want to consider aquatic medicine. Aquatics is the fastest-growing discipline in veterinary medicine, says David Scarfe, DVM, Ph.D., assistant director of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Scientific Activities Division. Despite the growth, veterinarians hesitate to add fish to their patient list because they’re uncomfortable treating an animal that lives underwater, experts say. They may have questions about anatomy, drugs and how to perform surgery. “To begin treating fish, all veterinarians need is a working knowledge of water quality and how aquariums work,” says Michael Stafford, DVM, of Fair Grove Veterinary Service in Fair Grove, Mo. “They need a continuing education course or a university class on basic fish health, a water testing kit, a few basic drugs and a client. Procedures are very similar to small-animal medicine.” A client base is an obvious necessity. Communicating to potential clients that you have the expertise can be done by joining a local garden group and through online listings and the practice’s website. Proper communication with the client is important, says Helen Roberts, DVM, of Aquatic Veterinary Services of Western New York in Orchard Park, N.Y. …
ImproMed Launches Buyback Protection PlanApril 27, 2010 ImproMed Inc. of Oshkosh, Wis., has created a buyback protection plan, which gives its customers the chance to obtain a guaranteed rebate for ImproMed to buy back workstations or servers purchased from the company. “Customers will now be able to use the ImproMed Buyback Protection Plan rebate toward the purchase of an upgrade unit in the future,” said Scott Koch, ImproMed’s director of hardware production. “In an ever-changing technology market, this four-tiered plan provides the customer with the ability to advance to the latest hardware when they’re ready, at a reduced cost.” Customers with the plan are entitled to a future credit up to 25 percent of the original purchase price, no matter the timeframe after the initial purchase. For details, call 800-925-7171 or email sales@impromed.com. <HOME>
VCA Antech’s Same-Store Revenue Dips 1.6%April 26, 2010 VCA Antech Inc.’s animal hospital division recently reported revenue of $246.7 million for its first quarter ended March 31, an increase of 3.5 percent from the year-ago period of $238.4 million. Same-store revenue declined by 1.6 percent. The Los Angeles-based company acquired four animal hospitals during the quarter with combined annual revenue of $9 million. VCA Antech’s laboratory division reported $78.2 million for the quarter, up 0.4 percent from $77.9 million in the year-ago period. VCA Antech’s Sound-Eklin saw a 79.8 percent increase in revenue in the first quarter, from $8.8 million to $15.8 million. Overall, VCA Antech reported net income of $32.9 million on revenue of $330.7 million for its first quarter, compared to net income of $32.9 million on revenue of $315.9 million in the year-ago period. “We experienced relative improvement in our revenue growth rate in comparison to the previous four quarters,” said Bob Antin, chairman and chief executive officer of VCA Antech. “We continued to recover from the effects of the economic recession; however, we were confronted with record snowfall throughout the East Coast during February which impacted both our animal hospital and laboratory business segments. As the economy …
Why Heartworm Preventive Sales Should Not Go Over The CounterApril 26, 2010 The current monthly oral and topical heartworm preventives, as well as ProHeart6, the injectable six-month formulation for dogs, are all members of the same pharmaceutical class: the macrocyclic lactones. These are compounds or chemical derivatives of compounds produced by various soil-dwelling species of actinomycete bacteria within the genus Streptomyces. Ever since the introduction to small animal veterinary medicine of the first member of the class, ivermectin (as Heartgard), these compounds have become the mainstay of heartworm prevention in the United States and around the world. These are amazing compounds with efficacy at remarkably low doses against internal and external parasites. With the exception of the well-known blood-brain barrier problem in certain collie breeds, this drug class poses almost no significant safety concerns. These compounds have moved heartworm prevention from the world of the daily into the monthly (or semi-annual with ProHeart6) and, either on their own or in formulations with other products, also provide concurrent protection against internal parasite infections. All in all, from the point of view of the dog and cat, health care now is similar to that of people after World War II when penicillin and related antibiotics jumped onto the scene and …
Webster Veterinary Severs Relationship With Bayer Animal HealthApril 23, 2010 Webster Veterinary, a national distributor of veterinary products and pharmaceuticals, reported April 23 that it has discontinued its relationship with Bayer Animal Health of Shawnee, Kan., and will no longer represent Bayer’s companion animal health product line. The move is in response to Bayer Animal Health’s recent decision to sell its Advantage and K9 Advantix products directly to pet specialty retailers and pet specialty Internet sites. Previously, the flea and tick products were only available through licensed veterinarians. “Webster believes that veterinary professionals provide the highest level of care to our pets and are the best source for providing products, services, instruction and education to support this care,” said George Henriques, president of Webster Veterinary, a division of Patterson Companies of St. Paul, Minn. “We remain committed to supporting our industry and our veterinary professionals in every possible way. While we regret the need to discontinue our relationship with a business partner, we believe it is the right decision for Webster Veterinary and our industry.” Bob Walker, director of Communications and Public Policy for Bayer Animal Health, said that Webster Veterinary was very upfront about their decision to discontinue the partnership. “And we respect their decision,” …
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health Opens Vaccine Manufacturing FacilityApril 22, 2010 Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health on April 22 celebrated the opening of its new vaccine manufacturing facility at Biosciences Center Boxmeer in The Netherlands. Chris Buijink, secretary general of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, performed the official opening. The animal health company is investing $22 million in the new building, which has increased the floor space for the production unit from about 16,146 square feet to about 59,202 square feet. It will have four hi-tech production lines for bacterial vaccines with a media preparation capacity in fermentors ranging from 200 liters to 1,500 liters. The facility is compliant with current and anticipated regulatory requirements on Good Manufacturing Practices for veterinary medicines, with special sectors for bio-contained zones. In addition, the new facility allows production capacity to be expanded in order to meet the increasing demand for veterinary vaccines. Looking glass in fermentor, used for the visual inspection of the vaccine production process. The opening celebration included a scientific symposium titled, “Research and Technology in Bacterial Vaccine Development: Opportunities for a One Health Approach.” The symposium was organized in collaboration with Immuno Valley. Several industry leaders from Dutch universities and …
United Kingdom’s Safeguard Launches Pet Insurance PolicyApril 21, 2010 Safeguard, a provider of caravan and motorhome insurance in the United Kingdom, has launched a new pet insurance policy. Pets are a major part of family life, as well as a large component of the caravan and motorhome community, according to the company, a division of Swinton Group Ltd. “Pet ownership can be expensive,” said Rita Sadler, Safeguard manager. “If your pet has an accident or becomes ill, vet bills can soon add up. This pet insurance policy offers financial security should your pet have to go to the vet so that owners won’t have to make difficult decisions about whether or not they can afford the treatment. “Taking our pet insurance through Safeguard will also cover things such as advertising costs if your pet goes missing, boarding fees and third part liability. As with all insurance policies it’s vital to check small print. Look at the excess, whether there’s a cap on veterinary fees and what cover is given to individual medical conditions.” Safeguard’s pet insurance covers: Veterinary fees – up to a maximum of about $6,160; Complementary treatment – up to about $385 with no time limit; Emergency boarding kennel fees – up to …
New Orleans Considers Mandatory Spay/Neuter OrdinanceApril 20, 2010 The New Orleans City Council has introduced an ordinance that, if passed, would require owners or keepers to spay/neuter all dogs older than six months. The council plans to discuss, and possibly vote on, the ordinance at its meeting on May 6. Exemptions would extend to dogs younger than six months, dogs present in New Orleans for less than 30 days and dogs that are used by a government or law enforcement agency or an agent thereof for government, rescue, law enforcement or other government purposes. A licensed veterinarian may also certify that a dog should not be spayed/neutered for a specific health reason. Owners or keepers who have obtained or submitted an application for an “intact dog permit” may also be exempt. An “intact dog permit” would be available from the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In order for the society to grant the permit, owners or keepers would need to adhere to the following conditions: Submit appropriate forms and fees, including, but not limited to, a written description of the dog, a photo of the dog and a photo of the dog’s living conditions; Proof the dog has been microchipped; Proof …
