Today's Veterinary Business

AUG-SEP 2017

Today’s Veterinary Business provides information and resources designed to help veterinarians and office management improve the financial performance of their practices, allowing them to increase the level of patient care and client service.

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6 Today's Veterinary Business News Briefs News Briefs Clients save money if they keep pet weight down Banfield Pet Hospital veterinarians are seeing more chunky canines and full-figured felines than ever before. One-in-three animals that visited a Banfield hospital last year was diagnosed as overweight or obese, according to the Vancou- ver, Wash., company's "2017 State of Pet Health Report." The extra weight can be a financial drain on clients. "Owners of overweight dogs spend 17 percent more on health care costs and 25 percent more on medications," Banfield stated. "Owners of overweight cats spend 36 percent more on diagnostic procedures compared to owners of healthy-weight cats." The full report is available at http://bit.ly/2ufPhJj. McClure joins AVMA in governmental relations The American Veterinary Medical Association hired Kent McClure, DVM, JD, as chief of governmental relations, a new position at the Schaumburg, Illinois, organization. Dr. McClure will focus on federal and state advocacy efforts. He pre- viously served as general counsel at the Animal Health Institute in Wash- ington, D.C. In other AVMA news, Ashley Morgan, DVM, was promot- ed to director of state advocacy. Bayer parasiticide plant to undergo expansion Germany-based Bayer plans to spend more than $100 million to upgrade its factory in the northern city of Kiel as part of a strategy to grow the company's animal health business. "The rising de- mand for collars against fleas and ticks requires further investments into new production facilities and sophisticated filling and packaging lines," the company stated, "An- other focus lies on expanding the production of pipettes with liquid parasite protection for pets." Nextmune buys allergy products maker Spectrum Spectrum Labs is now Spectrum Veterinary LLC after its purchase by the Swedish company Next- mune. Spectrum, based in Phoenix, provides tests and treatments for allergies in pets. The transaction terms were not disclosed. Spec- trum founder Mervyn Levin, Ph.D., will leave the company within the next year. With the addition of Spectrum, "Nextmune goes from a European No. 1 to a global leader in allergy with sales in almost 80 countries worldwide," Nextmune CEO Magnus Kjellberg said. Mesa Labs cuts prices for AAHA member hospitals Mesa Laboratories Inc. will provide discounts to American Animal Hos- pital Association members under the Lakewood, Colorado, organi- zation's Member Values Program. Mesa, also headquartered in Lake- wood, offers spore-testing services. Kansas veterinary hospital launches boarding facility McPherson Veterinary Clinic, in central Kansas, is preparing to open a luxury boarding and day care center one block away, the McPher- son Sentinel reported. McPherson Pet Resort will accept up to 50 dogs and exercise them in nearly four dozen 4-by-8-foot runs. Five luxury suites will have an at-home feel. New Zealand vet erases 'parenting' comment A New Zealand veterinarian looking for an internal medicine resident edited a help-wanted advertise- ment that stated the position would not suit "someone who plans to take long periods of time off for parent- ing." Clinic owner Mark Robson, BVSc, DACVIM, deleted the offend- ing line on the New Zealand Veter- inary Association jobs web page. Left in place was the statement that "strong preference will be given to applicants who are intending to stay in Auckland long-term." Panacea feature enables Facebook appointments Users of the cloud-based practice management system Panacea can accept real-time online bookings through their clinic website and Face- book page. "Over 50 percent of vet clients surveyed indicated that they would book more appointments with their vet if it was more conve- nient to do so," the New Zealand company stated. Florida hospital workers volunteer at SPCA shelter A veterinary team from Day and Evening Pet Hospital and Surgical Center in Palm Harbor, Florida, assisted for a day at the financially distressed SPCA Suncoast shelter, Fox 13 reported. Dozens of dogs and cats received everything from sterilizations and vaccinations to mi- crochips and other veterinary care. Phibro to make vaccines in India for domestic market Phibro Animal Health Corp. of Teaneck, New Jersey, is extending its 20-year partnership with In- dia-based drug maker Zydus Cadila. Phibro poultry vaccines will be man- ufactured at a new plant in India for sale in the nation's poultry market. 300 eye doctors team up to screen service animals About 7,450 animals, ranging from dogs and cats to horses and alpacas, were screened during the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmol- ogists' 10th annual National Service Animal Eye Exam Event. A record 300 board-certified veterinary oph- thalmologists in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico donated their time and equipment. The event was sponsored by Stokes Pharmacy. Sikka permits vets to talk their way through records "Alexa, open my practice" is the command that awakens Sikka Software's new Practice Assistant. Paired with the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot smart speakers, Practice Assistant permits veterinarians to access and track key practice data, according to the San Jose, Califor- nia, company. The product, part of Sikka's Platform Cloud, is compati- ble with nearly all practice manage- ment systems, the company added. Vet's student loan debt over half-million dollars If you think your student loan debt was crazy, check out what Pennsyl- vania veterinarian Alyssa Savage still owes: $517,000, she told the host of the WNYC podcast "Death, Sex and Money." It wasn't all tuition costs for the 37-year-old Royal Veterinary College graduate. She also attribut- ed her sky-high debt to a divorce while she was in vet school and the need to pay bills. A transcript of the interview is at http://bit.ly/2ubcxY2. Pennsylvania shields vets who report animal abuse Pennsylvania's governor signed a bill that grants civil immunity to veterinary professionals who report suspected animal cruelty in good faith. "This should end any legal con- cerns [veterinarians] may have when spotting an abused animal," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Mark Keller. The Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association applauded the action. Another vet clinic closes in northwest New Mexico New Mexico's San Juan County and its 123,000 residents lost their third veterinary clinic in three years, leav- ing the 5,538-square-mile area with a handful of hospitals. One owner, Shayna Whitaker, DVM, told the Farmington Daily Times that north- west New Mexico and its low-in- come towns take some getting used to. "You have to have another reason to move here," she said. Northwest Vet Clinic marks century of service Northwest Veterinary Clinic in Stan- wood, Washington, this summer celebrated 100 years in business. The practice, founded in 1917 by large-animal veterinarian Carl Hjort, is 65 percent small animal today, co-owner Dan Haskins told the Stanwood/Camano News. Pet shelters eligible for free ThunderShirts Thunderworks, maker of the anxi- ety-reducing ThunderShirt pressure wrap for dogs and cats, is donating garments to at least 100 animal shel- ters nationwide. The Durham, North Carolina, company's Summer Drive Donation campaign allows custom- ers to help select the recipients. The campaign runs through Aug. 31 at www.thundershirt.com/donate.

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