Petco Buying Drs. Foster and SmithNovember 20, 2014Retail heavyweight Petco will begin selling prescription veterinary drugs over the Internet upon its acquisition of Drs. Foster and Smith, one of the nation’s largest online sellers of pet medications and supplies. The transaction, announced Wednesday, will mark a major milestone—but not the end—for a company that started as a veterinarian-owned mail-order business in 1983 and morphed into a website operation in 1998 and a prescription drug seller in 2003. Co-founders Race Foster, DVM, and Marty Smith, DVM, will still run the company, which employs 500 people at offices, a warehouse and an outlet store in rural Rhinelander, Wis. Dr. Foster, who will hold the title of CEO, said the moment was right for a sale. “We’re been at it 31 years,” he said. “We’re busier than we’ve ever been. I think it was time, as we move into the big leagues, that we partner up with people that have more expertise, and I think the synergies we will gain with Petco will help both of us expand our health and wellness platforms.” The terms of the sale were not announced. Petco did not report any changes, and Foster doesn’t expect a shakeup. “I think the plan will be …
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Better Running Robots May Stem from Research on BirdsNovember 20, 2014Running robots of the future may get its leading edge from birds, according to a new study by researchers at Oregon State University and the University of London’s Royal Veterinary College, among other collaborators. The study outlines how running birds have achieved “an impressive ability to run while minimizing energy cost, avoiding falls or injury, and maintaining speed and direction.” Studying these qualities, according to the researchers, could help design better running robots. “Birds appear to be the best bipedal terrestrial runners, with a speed and agility that may trace back 230 million years to their dinosaur ancestors,” said Jonathan Hurst, an associate professor in the OSU College of Engineering. Running birds range in size, from tiny quails to an ostrich that has 500 times as much body mass. Most, but not all, can fly, but spend most of their lives on the ground, and they don’t always look the most graceful when they run, the researchers noted. Still, the birds are able to maximize results, like saving energy and not breaking a leg. “These animals don’t care that they appear a little unstable or have a waver in their gait,” Hurst said. “Their goal is to limit peak forces, …
AVMA Helps Cat Owners With Declaw DecisionNovember 19, 2014A free client handout designed to help practitioners talk to cat owners about declaw surgery is available through the American Veterinary Medical Association. The new document, available at www.avma.org/declaw, acknowledges that declawing cats is controversial and points out that scratching is normal feline behavior and that nail caps, frequent trims and positive reinforcement training are among the alternatives to an onychectomy. The AVMA House of Delegates this past July updated the organization’s policy on the declawing of domestic cats. The policy encourages client education about the surgery and its risks and urges that the owner make the final decision in consultation with a veterinarian. The handout, titled “Declaw …. or Not?” was produced by the AVMA Animal Welfare Committee. “The AVMA hopes to help veterinarians connect with cat owners to make the best decision for their cat and household,” Animal Welfare Division director Gail C. Golab, DVM, Ph.D., wrote on her AVMA@Work blog. The website also features assistant director Cia Johnson, DVM, MS, narrating a five-minute video about declawing.
Zoetis Takes Action Amid Takeover ThreatNovember 19, 2014Facing a possible hostile takeover, veterinary drug maker Zoetis Inc. has authorized a $500 million stock buyback program and the sale of preferred shares to stockholders at a discount. Neither action is guaranteed to happen. The first is at the discretion of the Zoetis board of directors, and the second—a so-called “poison pill”—would kick in if an investor acquires a 15 percent stake in the company. Pershing Square Capital Management and its hedge fund manager, William Ackman, reported acquiring an 8.5 percent interest in Zoetis, the world’s largest animal health company. The investment was valued at $1.5 billion at the time of the Nov. 12 announcement. The right to issue preferred stock is structured to protect shareholders and the company should the board of directors oppose a takeover offer, Zoetis reported Nov. 14. The option expires Nov. 16, 2015. Chief Financial Officer Paul Herendeen called the stock repurchase program “an important tool for managing our allocation of capital, and it gives us additional flexibility to return capital to shareholders when it is not needed in the business.” The financial news company Bloomberg reported that Ackman sees an opportunity to cut costs at Zoetis and improve shareholder dividends, perhaps …
Bright Future Forecast for Veterinary ServicesNovember 19, 2014Originally published in the November 2014 issue of Veterinary Practice News Who says the veterinary business is stagnant? Not IBISWorld, an international industry research firm whose new report on U.S. veterinary services projects average revenue growth of 4.5 percent a year through 2019, more than double the expected rate of inflation. A growing U.S. pet population, heightened interest in pet health insurance and client willingness to pay for specialized treatments are chief reasons for optimism despite a slump in how often individual animals show up at veterinary clinics. Profits, as a share of revenue, won’t rise much above 12 percent in the veterinary services sector, IBISWorld reported, as consumers tighten their embrace of online and brick-and-mortar stores for ancillary products such as pet food and supplies. On the inside, veterinary professionals can expect continued consolidation as corporate and private owners of multiple practices gobble up independent clinics and cut redundant administrative and marketing costs. All in all, IBISWorld stated in its September report, the profession is, and will stay, healthy. “The veterinary services industry remained resilient over the past five years largely due to many pet owners regarding their pet expenditures as vital, thereby boosting revenue,” the analysts noted. Veterinary …
University of Surrey to Build a Model of the Horse’s HindgutNovember 19, 2014Researchers at the University of Surrey’s School of Veterinary Medicine, in collaboration with colleagues from Reading and Liverpool universities, have been awarded about $157,000 in funding to create a laboratory model of the horse’s hindgut. The funding was presented by Petplan Charitable Trust, one of United Kingdom’s largest animal welfare charities. In spite of their huge importance to health and performance, very little is known about the horse’s gut bacteria and how this vital microbial community varies in health and disease, according to the university. Disturbances in gut bacterial populations are known to affect not just digestion but immunity, risk of cancer, bodyweight and even behavior, the university further noted. The model sets out to discover new ways of preventing disease and maintaining health through dietary intervention. The research team will employ nuclear magnetic resonance technology at the University of Reading to evaluate changes in the bacterial metabolites, and next-generation gene sequencing at the University of Liverpool to characterize bacterial populations. The project is expected to take two years “Bringing the horse’s gut into the laboratory will allow us to characterize gut bacterial populations and to measure how these change in response to changes in diet and to medication such …
N.J. Hospital Provides Free Care to Military K9sNovember 18, 2014Four-legged military veterans are eligible for free specialty veterinary care under a partnership established between a New Jersey hospital chain, the American Humane Association and the United States War Dogs Association. The arrangement, announced Nov. 11 in honor of Veterans Day, recognizes the dogs’ months or years of service overseas on behalf of the U.S. military. Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, which has five New Jersey locations, will provide free specialty care to retired military working dogs and contract working dogs. The latter group is made up of canines supplied to the military by contractors. “For more than 25 years, Red Bank Veterinary Hospital has been a leader in providing veterinary care to the animals of New Jersey, but we now want to be known as the leader in veterinary care for our veteran dogs,” said hospital co-founder Anthony DeCarlo, VMD. The sponsors estimated that each dog saved the lives of up to 200 soldiers by uncovering bombs and weapons caches while working in war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan. “Dogs are as essential to the military as humans, but unlike humans, these dogs are not guaranteed medical care following their retirement,” said Ron Aiello, president of the War …
Abbott, Merck, Purina Team Up on Diabetes CampaignNovember 18, 2014Cats and dogs diagnosed with diabetes during a visit to a participating veterinary clinic in March 2015 will receive a gift bag designed to help their owners manage the disease. The giveaway is part of the new Diabetes Pet Care Alliance, a campaign created by Abbott Animal Health, Merck Animal Health and Nestlé Purina PetCare to raise awareness about diabetes in pets and encourage more screenings. The sponsors say the incidence of diabetes—1 in 250 cats and 1 in 500 dogs—is rising and that pets are underdiagnosed. Veterinary hospitals that enroll in the program at www.usa.petdiabetesmonth.com will receive materials designed to educate clients and local pet owners about the clinical signs of diabetes. The hospitals—up to 1,000 can participate—are encouraged to dedicate time to diabetes screenings in March. Pets newly diagnosed with the disease will go home with a free diabetes management kit containing: An AlphaTrak blood glucose monitoring system from Abbott Animal Health. A 10 mL vial of Vetsulin (porcine insulin zinc suspension) from Merck Animal Health. A bag of Purina Veterinary Diets food—either DM Dietetic Management Feline Formula or DCO Dual Fiber Control Canine Formula. November is National Diabetes Month.
St. George’s Expands 3-Year Degree OptionNovember 17, 2014One Caribbean veterinary school is helping students earn their DVM a year early, while a second is investing $9.5 million in the construction of a research building. St. George’s University School of Veterinary Medicine, on the island of Grenada, has added Regis College of Weston, Mass., to a handful of partner institutions that allow students to transfer to St. George’s for their final undergraduate year. After completing their bachelor’s curriculum at St. George’s, the students begin three years of veterinary studies, rather than four years, en route to a combined BS/DVM degree. Students who enroll in St. George’s school of human medicine may earn their M.D. the same way. “This agreement creates a direct acceptance into St. George’s and gives our undergraduates a tremendous opportunity to continue his or her educational path into medical or veterinary school while having a global experience,” said David Gilmore, associate dean of undergraduate academic affairs at Regis. Undergraduate students must maintain a competitive grade-point average, score well on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and meet other qualifications to enroll in the veterinary school, St. George’s reported. On the island of St. Kitts, the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine broke ground Nov. …
Researchers Hope to Lick Canine Gum DiseaseNovember 17, 2014The American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation has awarded more than $25,000 for studies of two potential solutions to periodontal disease in dogs. Paola Massari, Ph.D., of Boston Medical Center will investigate a vaccine that would use a dog’s immune system to fight the bacteria responsible for gum disorders leading to tooth loss and pain. Django Martel, DVM, of the Animal Medical Center in New York will work with colleagues to determine whether antibiotic gel therapy can reduce periodontal disease, the Raleigh, N.C.-based foundation reported. Periodontal disease is a common condition in adult dogs. Most canines show evidence of periodontal disease and associated discomfort by age 3, the foundation noted. “Just like … in humans, periodontal disease in dogs is a painful condition that profoundly affects quality of life and can lead to a multitude of health problems,” said the foundation’s chief scientific officer, Shila Nordone, MS, Ph.D. “We have strategically funded research that will have immediate impact by supporting the evidence-based use of antibiotic gels to treat progressive disease, while also funding research that will provide a long-term solution by developing an effective vaccine to prevent the disease from occurring in the first place,” she said. Each …
