Informed pet owners more likely to give heartworm preventativesApril 24, 2019Pet owners who have regular and open discussions with their veterinarian are more likely to consistently give their animals preventatives. Not only that, but according to a new study by Ceva, those clients have fewer issues with their cost and actual administration. "Our research showed the most consistent users follow their veterinarian's recommended steps for preventing the disease," says Ceva's senior director of veterinary services and pharmacovigilance, Charles Johnson, DVM. "They also value and rely on their veterinarian's recommendations more than inconsistent and non-users." The study's goal was to look at why consumers don't use preventatives consistently. The results point to lack of education as the main culprit. Respondents reported they are often left uninformed about the risks and health issues their pet could experience by contracting the disease, and they are confused about how preventatives work in general. The other findings of the study are: • only 25 percent of dogs receive heartworm preventives on a regular basis; • only 33 percent of users have purchased heartworm preventives during the past year; and • one in four dog owners think they are giving a heartworm preventive, but are really just providing flea and tick protection. …
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Mars Petcare launches tech-enabled pet health studyApril 5, 2018Mars Petcare has announced the launch of Pet Insight Project, a three-year study of more than 200,000 dogs across the U.S. to uncover important links between pet activity, behavior, and health. Through its pet tracker business, Whistle, and Banfield Pet Hospital, Mars Petcare is looking to discover insights to enable a new era of proactive, preventive care for pets. Using machine learning, rich data science, and deep veterinary expertise, the aim of the longitudinal study is to better understand when behavior may signal a change in a pet's health and make it possible for pet owners to better partner with their veterinarian on treatment, according to a company statement. The study will continuously capture behavior data from hundreds of thousands of participating pets and correlate that information with repeat wellness visits. Pet Insight Project is one of the largest tech-enabled studies of pet health, in which participating pet owners agreed to have their pets take part in this revolutionary study. One of the key focus areas relies on repeat wellness visits to Banfield hospitals, where veterinarians will update electronic health records with relevant health changes. These records will then …
