PetMed Express Reports ‘Challenging’ First QuarterJuly 19, 2010 PetMed Express Inc. of Pompano Beach, Fla., reported net income of $7.2 million on revenue of $74.4 million for its first quarter ended June 30, compared to net income of $8.1 million on revenue of $77.2 million in the year-ago period. Unaffordable television ads coupled with consumer’s change in buying habits were the major factors in the quarter drop, said Menderes Akdag, chief executive officer and president of PetMed Express. “It has been a challenging quarter due to a reduction in our advertising exposure, which is attributed to the lack of availability of television remnant space at affordable prices, combined with consumers giving greater consideration to price and reducing their usage,” he said. PetMed Express’ online sales increased by 1 percent to $52.3 million for the first quarter, compared to $51.8 million in the year-ago period. About 70 percent of the orders were generated from the company’s website during the quarter, compared to 67 percent in the year-ago period, Akdag said. <HOME>
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VetPartners’ August Meeting To Focus On Industry Hot TopicsJuly 16, 2010 VetPartners is inviting all veterinary professionals to attend its Mid Year Meeting Hot Rocks program, to be held Aug. 26-27 in conjunction with CVC in Kansas City, Mo. The program is a collection of what VetPartners members are seeing and experiencing as the hottest issues in the profession. “VetPartners’ mid-year meeting is an excellent opportunity for VetPartners members, as well as non-member veterinarians, practice managers, veterinary technicians and industry professionals, to get on top of the hot issues,” said Linda Workman, DVM, executive director of VetPartners. “Our speakers and topics have been carefully selected to provide the timeliest veterinary business information in the industry.” There will be 11 Hot Rocks sessions covering topics ranging from communication technology to practice insurance. These sessions will include about 15 minutes of presentation time, followed by a discussion, for a total time of 30 minutes per topic. The program will also include several 1-hour Expanded Topic presentations, which will examine current practices in veterinary practice management and include audience discussion opportunities. Issues to be discussed include discounting in a down-turn economy; financial and operational trends in companion animal practices; and understanding practice valuations.
Hearing Examines Use Of Antibiotics In Animals And Impact On Human HealthJuly 15, 2010 Veterinarians, professionals in human and animal medicine, government officials, drug industry representatives and researchers came together yesterday at a hearing put on by the U.S. House of Representative’s Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health to discuss the use of antibiotics in animals. This was the third hearing in the subcommittee’s series to examine “the growing and serious problem of antibiotic resistance,” according to Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the committee. In his opening statement, Waxman pointed out that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued draft guidance which recommends that antibiotics not be given to animals to promote growth, and when these drugs are used, they should be administered only under the supervision of a veterinarian. “This is a good first step,” he said. “But we must do more to tackle this piece of antibiotic resistance puzzle. And we must do so as part of a comprehensive strategy designed to safeguard the vitally important public health tool that is our antibiotics. “It is critical that we encourage the development of new drugs. But it is also essential to preserve the antibiotics we already have. That means we must move expeditiously to slow …
Update: Feline’s Pride Expands Recall Of Raw Cat FoodJuly 15, 2010 Feline’s Pride of Buffalo, N.Y., has expanded a voluntary nationwide recall of its Natural Chicken Formula raw food for cats and kittens to include product produced on June 21, because it may be contaminated with salmonella. The recalled product was packaged in 2.5-pound uncoded plastic containers and shipped frozen to private consumers from June 21 to June 26. Once thawed, the pet food has a shelf life of about one week. Earlier in the month, the company issued a voluntary recall of its Natural Chicken Formula raw food that was produced on June 10. At that time, the recall affected only orders placed and shipped from June 10 to June 17. Feline’s Pride and the FDA are investigating the matter to determine the source of the problem. Neither Feline’s Pride nor the FDA has received reports of salmonella infection relating to the recalled product, according to the company. Pets with salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans, according to the company. Cat owners are …
Merial Enters Into Research Agreements With Infectious Disease Research InstituteJuly 14, 2010 Merial Ltd. of Duluth, Ga., and the Infectious Disease Research Institute, a Seattle-based nonprofit biotechnology organization, reported today that they are collaborating on the research and development of certain animal vaccines. Under a new license option agreement, Merial can use IDRI’s proprietary subunit antigens and adjuvant in a vaccine. Merial would then be responsible for any vaccine development and commercialization. Merial has also agreed to sponsor research at IDRI to evaluate the combination of IDRI’s and Merial’s vaccine technologies for second-generation vaccines. Laurent Fischer, DVM, Ph.D., of Merial and Ajay Bhatia, Ph.D., of IDRI will lead the research. In addition, the agreements include global access provisions whereby resulting licensed products are guaranteed to be used in developing countries. These particular terms are meant to align with IDRI’s nonprofit charitable mission — “to apply innovative science to the research and development of products to prevent, detect and treat infectious diseases of poverty,” according to IDRI. The nonprofit is also developing human vaccines, separate from this arrangement with Merial. <HOME>
Pre-Registration For Discounted Human Rabies Booster At AVMA Ends July 15July 13, 2010 The Apothecary Shops is offering low-cost rabies booster shots for veterinarians and veterinary staff attending the upcoming American Veterinary Medical Association conference in Atlanta on July 31 and Aug. 1. AVMA attendees who pre-register by Thursday, July 15 will be able to receive a single booster rabies vaccine for $189. The vaccine can normally run about $250 to $300, according to Brett Cordes, DVM, director of animal health for The Apothecary Shops, a chain of independent full-service pharmacies with nine specialty areas including veterinary medicine. The company is offering the vaccines at cost to help draw attention to the importance of vaccination. “Rabies is a serious problem for veterinarians, their staff and animal-care workers,” Dr. Cordes said. “Veterinarians and public officials have done a tremendous job protecting the public from rabies by vaccinating animals. But they, themselves, are not as well protected as they need to be.” To date, the response has been very good, according to Julie Mystrom, marketing director for The Apothecary Shops. More than 30 pre-registration applications have been filled and paid for, and they continue to receive phone calls requesting more information, she said. Pre-registration is important because once the vaccines …
BluePearl Veterinary Partners Gains 2 Specialty PracticesJuly 12, 2010 Georgia Veterinary Specialists (GVS) and Michigan Veterinary Specialists (MVS) have joined BluePearl Veterinary Partners. There are now 12 BluePearl veterinary specialty, referral and emergency facilities in seven states. GVS, which was founded in 1995, employs about 150 veterinarians, technicians and support staff. The Atlanta-based facility has more than 10,000 annual patient visits. “This partnership represents a unique opportunity for us at GVS to collaborate with some of the veterinary industry’s best and brightest around the country,” said Mark Dorfman, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, medical director of GVS. “Because BluePearl is owned and operated by veterinarians and veterinary industry professionals, we share a focused commitment to improving outcomes for pets. “Another unique strength of BluePearl is the operating structure. Each hospital retains and operates with existing local leadership enabling the team, which knows its patients, pet-owning community and referring veterinarians best, to continue to provide quality medical care efficiently and effectively.” MVS, which was founded in 1990, includes three hospitals in the state, one in Southfield, one in Auburn Hills and another in Grand Rapids. Collectively, MVS has a staff of 120 doctors, technicians and support staff, and sees more than 15,000 patients each year. “The …
Forum On Animal Disease Traceability Scheduled For AugustJuly 9, 2010 The U.S. Animal Health Association and the National Institutes for Animal Agriculture will host a Joint Strategy Forum on Animal Disease Traceability on Aug. 30-31 in Denver. The forum follows the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision this year to redirect its efforts on animal identification to developing a framework for animal disease traceability. Under the new framework, the USDA will determine the rules for the interstate movement of animals, while states and tribal nations will be responsible for the traceability within their boundaries. The forum will bring together state and tribal animal health officials, animal producers, livestock marketers and handlers, and meat processors. They will provide input on the preliminary standards being developed by the USDA’s Traceability Regulatory Working Group. The standards are scheduled to be released in mid-August. Organizers hope the forum leads to a white paper that will document the issues and potential solutions surrounding animal disease traceability. “This forum will allow for the open flow of ideas and concerns,” said Richard Breitmeyer, …
FDA Requests MUMS Grant ApplicationsJuly 8, 2010 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is accepting applications for a grant program that supports the development of new animal drugs. The applications are due Sept. 3. The program was established by the Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Health Act of 2004. The MUMS act helps make more medications legally available to veterinarians and animal owners to treat minor animal species and minor uses in major animal species. Major species include horses, dogs, cats, cattle, swine, turkeys and chickens. All other animal species, except humans, are considered minor species. In accordance with the statute, a MUMS grant must be for the purpose of “defraying the costs of qualified safety and effectiveness testing expenses incurred in connection with the development of designated new animal drugs.” The grants are good for up to $50,000 a year for up to two years for routine studies and up to $100,000 a year for up to two years for studies of unusual complexity, duration or size. A third year of funding may be available for long-term toxicology studies. Click here for details. <HOME>
The Art And The Science Of Proper BandagingJuly 8, 2010 Applying a bandage is an art form. Too much padding? It won’t immobilize the limb efficiently. Photo by Dr. Phil Zeltzman Open wounds from a tight bandage in a 6-year-old Setter’s hind leg. Not enough padding? Be prepared for pressure sores. Too tight? We are not discussing tourniquets here! Too loose? Be ready for an unhappy client when the bandage falls off. Placing a bandage is also a whole science.1 It’s much more complicated than it looks. And like everything else in life, there is a right way and a wrong way to place a bandage. A modified Robert-Jones, arguably the most common bandage, is made of three layers, unless, of course, you count your technicians’ creative decorations as a separate layer. Stay in Contact The first step in bandaging a limb is the placement of tape stirrups. As long as the health of the skin and the location of the open wound allow, strips of tape are placed laterally, medially or cranially to the leg. It is better to avoid placing a stirrup caudally, as it could damage …
