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 …
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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.
USDA lifts bovine TB testing requirement for Manitoba cattle exportsJuly 19, 2018Breeding cattle and bison shipped to the United States from Manitoba, Canada, no longer require pre-export bovine tuberculosis testing under the United States Department of Agriculture.
John Howe, DVM, named AVMA president-electJuly 18, 2018John Howe, DVM, of Grand Rapids, Minn., has been named president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Wedgewood Pharmacy, Diamondback Drugs compounding pharmacies mergeJuly 18, 2018Two animal-health compounding pharmacies, Wedgewood Pharmacy of Swedesboro, N.J., and Diamondback Drugs of Scottsdale, Ariz., have merged to "increase the breadth of medications available, to improve the speed of delivery to veterinary practices and patients, and to evolve the service and quality available to the market today," the companies said in a joint statement. The new company, which will operate as Wedgewood Pharmacy, will employ more than 500 and serve more than 40,000 prescribers. Marcy A. Bliss, Wedgewood Pharmacy's president and CEO, will lead the combined organization. "Combining our two pharmacies will provide more capabilities and enhanced service for all of our customers," Bliss said. "Our deep, combined expertise in compounding medications, together with best-practice prescribing tools, will enhance our customers' experience of doing business with us. We look forward to sharing new preparations, services and tools as they are rolled out. During the process, our integrated pharmacist, customer care, and sales teams will allow us to stay connected with the unique needs of each veterinarian and patient we serve." "Our two organizations have a great deal in common, both historically and in serving the unique needs of veterinary medicine today," said Fabian McCarthy, president …
Injectable anesthetic Alfaxan Multidose approved by FDAJuly 17, 2018A new product registration of the intravenous injectable anesthetic Alfaxan has received approval by the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. Alfaxan Multidose contains the same formula as the original product, but with an added preservative to extend product shelf life to 28 days after the vial has been broached.
