Pet Owners Ready to Spend More in 2016March 17, 2016Americans are expected to spend nearly $16 billion on veterinary care in 2016, according to a report issued today at Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Fla. The $15.92 billion total would be a record, the American Pet Products Association stated, and would represent 25 percent of all pet-related spending in the United States. Veterinary revenue stands to grow even more when ancillary sales of pet food and other products are taken into account. Food makes up the largest piece of pet owner spending—about 38 percent overall—while supplies and over-the-counter medications combine for just under a quarter slice. Altogether, spending on veterinary care, food, supplies, live animal purchases and other pet services is expected to hit $62.75 billion in 2016, a 4.1 percent increase over the $60.28 billion total last year. “The pet humanization trend is alive and well and continues to drive growth at the premium end of the market,” said Bob Vetere, president and CEO of the American Pet Products Association. “As millennials prepare to take the reins from the baby boomer generation as the primary demographic of pet owners, they stand to further develop this trend.” Certain segments of the pet market do better than others. …
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Pet Obesity Shows No Sign of ShrinkageMarch 17, 2016The overweight pet problem is getting bigger. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention reported Tuesday that the number of U.S. cats and dogs classified as overweight or obese inched upward to 58 and 54 percent, respectively, in 2015. The evaluation of 1,224 veterinary patients brought calls for a better understanding of what constitutes obesity—to eliminate confusion—and for a standardized scale measuring an animal’s body condition score (BCS). Three major BCS scales are used worldwide, said Julie Churchill, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVN, an associate clinical professor at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and an Association for Pet Obesity Prevention board member. “We need a single standard to ensure all veterinary health care team members are on the same page,” Dr. Churchill said. The organization is consulting with European veterinarians to develop a global scale and has proposed numerical scores of 1 to 9. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention noted that veterinary professionals often don’t agree on definitions of overweight and obese and that pet owners see things differently, too. According to the association, clinical obesity is defined as 30 percent or more above ideal weight. The words obese and overweight “have significant clinical meaning and affect …
Michigan’s Large Animal Services Welcomes Dr. Melissa EsserMarch 17, 2016Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine recently welcomed Melissa Esser, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM (large animal), to its internal medicine team for large animal services. Dr. Esser’s research has focused on submaximal endurance exercise in horses, as noted in her publication “Serum immunoglobulin concentrations in horses racing a multiday endurance event” and master’s thesis, “Serum biochemistry and immunoglobulin dynamics in multi-day endurance racing horses.” However, she is inspired by the investigation of overall health and wellbeing of hospitalized horses, according to the college. Collaborative publications include: “The effect of infusion of equine plasma and 6% hydroxyethyl starch (600/0.75) on the plasma colloid osmotic pressure of healthy horses,” and “Nasal Adenocarcinoma in a Horse with Metastasis to Lung, Liver, and Bone and Review of Metastasis in Nine Horses with Sinonasal Tumors.”
Veterinarian Treats Cat Thrown From Car on HighwayMarch 16, 2016We see all kinds of things when we’re driving. Much of it we may just shake our heads at. But there are some things we see that we just can’t shake off. For one Good Samaritan the sight that couldn’t be shaken off was that of another driver tossing a cat out of the car window while driving on the freeway in Mobile, Ala. The woman stopped, got out of her car and retrieved the cat. She subsequently took the injured feline to Rehm Animal Clinic where Chris Rehm, DVM, has since been treating her. “She’s lucky she wasn’t hit by another car,” Dr. Rehm told Local 15. “The car was traveling at a high-rate of speed. [They] threw her out and she landed on her jaw and her foot. Those areas got what we call ‘de-gloved’ where the skin gets pulled away from the bone and the underlying tissues.” Rehm and his team have treated the cat for shock and physical injuries. They are still monitoring her for any changes to her appetite or sense of smell, Fox 10 TV reports. The cat, however, appears to be …
Veterinarian Saves Puppy That Weighed Only Half a PoundMarch 16, 2016March 1, 2016 marked the day that a 0.5-pound female puppy was brought into the San Jose Animal Care Center in Calif. She was cold to the touch, had pale to gray gums and was barely responsive. She was hypothermic, hypoglycemic and dehydrated. Unfortunately, without the puppy’s mother to provide warmth and frequent feedings, the puppy’s likelihood of survival was slim. Sharon Ostermann, DVM and the rest of the veterinary team feared the puppy wouldn’t even live another half hour. In her Tails of a Shelter Vet blog, Dr. Ostermann wrote that she and the veterinary team gave the puppy heat support and prepared an intraosseous catheter. The team, however, had never done one before and didn’t have the specific medical supplies needed for one. Instead, they used a spinal needle as a catheter. “The area over the puppy’s left hip was shaved, a local anesthetic was injected into the area, and the skin was scrubbed as if prepping for surgery. The needle was placed into the femur, and it was determined to be in the correct position.” Tales of a shelter vet The veterinary team ensured the correct placement of the intraosseous catheter. …
50-Year-Old AAVMC Embarks on ChangesMarch 16, 2016The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges celebrated 50 years of service by reminiscing about the past and swiftly looking to the future. The 50th anniversary gala, held March 5 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., was the highlight of the organization’s annual conference. The dinner drew more than 300 people from the worlds of veterinary, business and government, including U.S. Sen. Al Franken, who received the inaugural AAVMC President’s Award for Meritorious Service for his championing of One Health. AAVMC, which represents 49 accredited veterinary medical colleges worldwide, announced several changes. Among them: Establishment of the Council for International Veterinary Medical Education, a group that will “inspire higher quality academic veterinary medicine in developing areas of the world,” AAVMC reported. The renaming of the AAVMC Recognition Lecture as the Billy E. Hooper Lecture Award for Distinguished Service to Veterinary Medical Education. Hooper, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVP, was AAVMC’s first executive director and is a former editor of the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education. The recognition lecture was delivered by Ralph C. Richardson, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, the former dean of the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. The move of AAVMC headquarters from a building on …
NAVC, WVC Conferences Present AwardsMarch 16, 2016The U.S. veterinary industry’s two largest conferences have wrapped up for the year, but not before announcing a variety of awards. The NAVC Conference, organized by North American Veterinary Community, named its Speakers of the Year. They are: Equine: Amanda House, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, a clinical associate professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. Exotics: Doug Mader, DVM, MS, Dipl. ABVP, the owner of Marathon Veterinary Hospital in Marathon, Fla. He won for the third year in a row and sixth time overall. Food animal: Cindy Wolf, DVM, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Practice management: Andrew Roark, DVM, MS, of Greenville, S.C. Small animal: Justine Lee, DVM, Dipl. ACVECC, Dipl. ABT, the CEO and founder of VETgirl. Veterinary technician: Kara M. Burns, MS, MEd, LVT, VTS, of Wamego, Kan. NAVC was held in mid-January in Orlando, Fla., and drew record-breaking attendance of 17,328. Taking place in early March in Las Vegas was WVC, formerly known as Western Veterinary Conference. Honored at the 88th annual WVC meeting were: Randall G. Ezell, DVM, a past WVC president, treasurer and board member, who received the Conference Program Dedication Award. Richard Simmonds, DVM, …
Veterinarian Helps Dogs Injured in Iditarod Snowmobile CrashMarch 15, 2016Many veterinarians volunteer every year to lend their services to Alaska’s annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. One such volunteer, Lynel Tocci, DVM of Lauderdale Veterinary Specialists, was on duty at the Nualto checkpoint when dogs were brought in for treatment. It was 2 a.m. on Saturday. It was also Dr. Tocci’s first year as an Iditarod veterinary volunteer. The dogs, belonging to two of the race’s top competitors, were struck by Arnold Demoski, a 26-year-old who had been out drinking. He crashed into the sled dogs at “speeds up to 100 mph,” SunSentinel reports. One dog was killed. The other two, which were brought to Tocci, needed her help. One had been unconscious and was now in shock. The other was suffering from a leg fracture and will receive surgery this week. Tocci gave the dogs fluids and hydromorphone. Demoski has since apologized and has been charged with “assault, reckless endangerment and reckless driving,” according to SunSentinel. A devastating incident, but one that could have been a lot worse had it not been for Tocci. As she told SunSentinel, “it’s fortunate the Iditarod makes sure qualified …
Dechra to Buy U.S. Drug Maker PutneyMarch 15, 2016Putney Inc., a manufacturer of generic veterinary drugs, is being sold for $200 million to a subsidiary of U.K.-based Dechra Pharmaceuticals. The deal was announced today and is expected to close in April. The acquisition comes 10 years after New England native Jean Hoffman established the company in Portland, Maine. Today Putney produces 11 generic veterinary drugs and three medications for people, generating $49.6 million in net revenue in 2015. “The sale underscores the success of Putney’s commercialized product portfolio and our robust development pipeline, which we have built from the ground up since I founded the company in 2006,” Hoffman said. “Putney is the leader in pet generic drugs by any measure: revenues, pipeline, FDA approvals and market share.” What the sale means for Putney’s Portland operation and its 62 employees is unclear, spokeswoman Susan Hanley said. “Since the sale hasn’t closed, we don’t know,” Hanley said. “Dechra hasn’t told us about their future plans. They’re committed to the same vet professional that we serve.” Sharing in the sale proceeds is the investment firm Safeguard Scientifics Inc. The Radnor, Pa., company owns 28 percent of Putney and expects to walk away with at least $58 million, a nearly 400 …
Despite Losses, Aratana Focused on FutureMarch 15, 2016Drug developer Aratana Therapeutics Inc. lost $84.1 million in 2015 but reported having plenty of cash on hand to support planned launches of osteoarthritis, inappetence and pain medications for dogs. The net loss, more than twice the size of 2014’s red ink, didn’t dishearten CEO Steven St. Peter, M.D., who in the company’s financial report Monday pointed to “significant progress on our late-stage product candidates.” Awaiting approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine are three products that Aratana expects to begin selling in late 2016: Galliprant (grapiprant tablets), for the control of pain and inflammation in dogs with osteoarthritis. Entyce (capromorelin oral solution), for appetite stimulation in dogs with inappetence. Nocita (bupivacaine liposome injectable solution), for local pain relief in dogs recovering from cranial cruciate ligament surgery. Galliprant also was submitted to the European Medicines Agency for review and could launch across Europe in 2017. St. Peter told financial analysts in a conference call today that his Leawood, Kan., company hopes to partner with a larger company, perhaps a pharmaceutical manufacturer, to bolster international sales. “We seek a ... big company, small company collaboration,” he said. “What we’re looking for is a partner …
