Client toolkit: AVMA offers Check the Chip Day resourcesJuly 27, 2018Aug. 15 is national Check the Chip Day, a reminder for pet owners to check and update their companions' microchip registry information. Sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association, Check the Chip Day helps veterinarians extend client relationships by working with them to ensure their families will be reunited if pets become lost. To help educate clients about microchipping and the importance of keeping chip registration current, the AVMA is offering a Check the Chip Day Toolkit with a range of materials to promote and prepare for the day. The toolkit offers: A client handout to help owners keep track of their pet's microchip information and know when the chip registry was last checked Suggestions for stress-free ways to observe the day and for sharing information with clients Ready-to-use social media posts and images A full-size version of a microchipping infographic for website or social media use A newsletter article for email or print A sample proclamation that can be personalized for use by your local or state government A customizable
SPONSORED CONTENTSee what precise nutrition can do.Get to the bottom of tough gastrointestinal cases and recommend diets precisely designed to meet your patients' unique needs. + Find out more
ISU to lead national antimicrobial research, education centerJuly 26, 2018Iowa State University has been charged with establishing and hosting a new national Institute for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research and Education. The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) chose ISU to lead the institute, which will utilize a One Health approach to comprehensively tackle the AMR problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, antibiotic-resistant bacteria cause at least 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths in the U.S. every year, costing approximately $20 billion a year in direct health care costs and up to $35 billion in lost productivity. The new institute is the result of a joint task force on antibiotic resistance in production agriculture created by AAVMC and APLU in 2014, which released a report offering research and education recommendations designed to address the AMR problem. "The misuse of antibiotics is a major reason why antimicrobial resistance is a rapidly growing threat to human, animal, and environmental health," said Ian Maw, vice president, Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources, APLU. "While the problem is well understood, the path to advancing solutions has been blurry. It's clear we need a coordinating body to organize …
PetSmart seeks independent veterinarians to fill coverage gapsJuly 26, 2018PetSmart is seeking independent veterinary operators (IVO) in an effort "to bring the best in pet care to more pet parents," the company stated. The first IVO within PetSmart has opened in Las Vegas. Because the mass retailer's current veterinary presence through its Banfield chain of practices doesn't reach all of the locations where the company seeks to provide customer care, it is now seeking independent veterinarians to fill these gaps. "Every day, there are pet parents who come to our stores to ask questions for the overall health of their pets," said Jennifer Freeman, DVM, PetSmart's resident veterinarian. "An IVO will have the opportunity to connect with these pet parents and help grow their client base, while PetSmart associates will be able to suggest customers discuss a certain pet concern with our IVO if it is a more detailed health concern. This partnership aligns perfectly with PetSmart's ongoing goals to offer thoughtful, educated and heartfelt expertise to our customers." According to the company, the ideal candidate is an independent veterinarian or group who currently owns/operates less than 50 locations and wants to grow their business by operating a full-service veterinary clinic inside the retail chain. Professionals interested in …
The tricky dynamics of running a family veterinary businessJuly 26, 2018I've always been struck by the number of families in the veterinary profession: practices that include parents, uncles or aunts, siblings, or cousins in their management or ownership structure. Maybe this isn't surprising; children are nearly twice as likely to follow in their parent's footsteps as to choose another occupation, and this steps up to nearly 20 times as likely when you compare daughters of doctors (see the General Society Survey). This generational commitment is a source of strength for the profession and reflects the mission-driven perspectives that nourish and sustain us. In the current environment, however, practice valuations and corporate inroads can present new problems for that intergenerational transfer of practice control. I've had the opportunity in the past few years to talk to a number of parents whose children are practice associates. It's been interesting to see how the size of the check that a corporate consolidator is willing to write has affected the conventional family dynamic. Deserving a piece of practice ownership due to your status as a son or daughter or through sweat equity can start to look like a gift too large to comfortably make as a parent. This feeling can …
Veterinary device manufacturing start-up praised for innovationJuly 26, 2018Veterinary sterilization device manufacturing company Plasma Bionics has been named 2018's Most Promising New Business by the Oklahoma Venture Forum (OVF). "Being recognized as the Most Promising New Business by the OVF is a distinct honor for Plasma Bionics," said Kedar Pai, company president. "It is reassuring and encouraging having our hard work recognized as we strive to bring a rapid, portable, rugged, environmentally friendly sterilization technology to the veterinary market." Founded in 2012 by a group of researchers at Oklahoma State University, Plasma Bionics utilizes a proprietary cold plasma generation technology to quickly and safely sterilize veterinary instruments with no water or added chemicals; instead, the technology uses just air and electricity, making it ideal for mobile applications. The Stillwater, Okla.-based company's first product, the PZ100 Air Plasma Sterilizer, is a low-heat, low-pressure portable sterilization device, which can be powered by a car or mobile clinic, as well as in a hospital. The device reduces veterinary operating costs by sterilizing in less time than traditional sterilizers, reducing the need for extra instruments, and minimizing damage caused to sensitive instruments by heat and chemicals. The device is expected to launch by the end of the summer. OVF's Most Promising …
Petco brings PetCoach offline with full-service shopJuly 26, 2018A PetCoach store has opened in San Marcos, Calif., bringing Petco's previously online-only veterinary-led platform to life in a retail setting. "With PetCoach, we are reinventing the idea of a traditional pet store by providing complete care experiences that simply cannot be delivered by mail or by a mass retailer," said Ron Coughlin, CEO of Petco. Advertised as an essential one-stop shop for animal care needs, the location's on-site services include grooming, training, veterinary care, nutrition consultations, day care, self-wash stations, mobile veterinary house calls, and dog walking. Subscribers who pay a $9 monthly membership fee receive discounts on goods and services. "Pet parents tell us they want expert advice they can trust and easy, seamless access to everything they need to take the best possible care of the pets they love," said Coughlin. Digitally, pet owners can create custom profiles and view their pets' health and vaccination records, book in-store service appointments, and sign up for tailored reminders. The service also offers immediate access to pet health advice from veterinarians. "The new PetCoach location serves as an innovation lab where we can test and learn more about what pet parents want and need to live their best lives …
Purdue vets perform total hip replacement on Bengal catJuly 25, 2018 The orthopedic team at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine had high hopes for Fridgey, a two-year-old Bengal cat brought in by his owner in 2017 for left hip issues. The orthopedic team performed a femoral head ostectomy (FHO), but Fridgey's problems then shifted to his right hip, and his owner again brought him to Purdue. This time, Mark Rochat, DVM, MS, DAVCS, clinical professor of small animal orthopedic surgery, department of veterinary clinical sciences, and Sarah Malek, DVM, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery, performed a total hip replacement. The procedure had never been performed on a feline patient at Purdue. Hip replacements have been performed on larger dogs for almost 40 years, but smaller dogs and cats had to hold off until the last 10 to 15 years, waiting for the technology to catch up, according to Dr. Rochat. "The technology has been around for years; it's just that the availability of the systems and training for the people performing the procedures weren't as commonplace in the past," Dr. Malek said. "Now it's much more commercially available and technically feasible." The first human hip replacement was inspired …
Eli Lilly to spin off Elanco Animal Health unitJuly 25, 2018Eli Lilly and Co. is taking public a minority stake of its Elanco Animal Heath unit, the company said Tuesday. The Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company announced in October of last year that it was reviewing its animal health business, including spinning it off. The move will allow the company to provide an "even greater focus on the human pharmaceutical business to pursue [its] purpose of creating life-changing medicines for patients," said David Ricks, Lilly's chairman and CEO. Lilly said it expects to offer a less than 20 percent stake in the new company in an initial public offering. Following the IPO, the company said it plans to divest its remaining ownership through a tax-efficient transaction. The company expects to complete the IPO process during the second half of 2018. "Based on our strategic review, we concluded that after-tax value for Lilly shareholders would be maximized by pursuing an initial public offering of Elanco," said Ricks. "We believe this will allow Elanco to efficiently deploy its resources to those growth opportunities that best serve its customers." Founded in 1954, Elanco's portfolio supports the beef, dairy, poultry, swine, and aquaculture industries, as well as companion animals. …
Client checklist: Tips for traveling with petsJuly 20, 2018Whether traveling by plane, train, or automobile, there are many factors to consider when vacationing with a pet.
Increase in DCM in dogs may be linked to dietJuly 19, 2018Instances of canine dilated cardiomyopathy may be correlated to specific ingredients in pet foods, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
