August News

U.S. tops in global veterinary services market
The United States is home to the world’s largest pet care veterinary services market, according to a new report from the international firm The Business Research Co. highlighted by Today’s Veterinary Business. The report, “Veterinary Services Global Market 2018,” set the U.S. segment at $13.5 billion in 2017. The pet care number was far short of the $27.5 billion U.S. market for livestock veterinary services. China’s livestock segment, by comparison, was worth $5.5 billion in 2017.

Zoetis launches VetVance® mobile application
Zoetis announced the launch of its VetVance® mobile application, a mobile version of the VetVance website. Vet-Vance, part of Zoetis’ Commitment to Veterinarians™, is a free educational resource that provides students and recent graduates with valuable online content relating to professional development, business skills, professional stewardship, financial literacy and personal wellness. Veterinarians, veterinary students and veterinary technicians now have the convenience of on-the-go access to the repository of online content offered through the VetVance platform. The new mobile application, available for use on iOS smartphones and tablets, and Android smartphones, features many of the tools found on the VetVance website including courses, course progress tracking and registrant profiles.

Henry Schein Veterinary Solutions launches new versions of AVImark and ImproMed software platforms
Henry Schein Veterinary Solutions (HSVS), a global provider of veterinary technology and practice management software solutions, announced that new versions of its AVImark and ImproMed software platforms are available to veterinary practices. Each version is loaded with updates designed to offer veterinary professionals new opportunities to improve the quality of care they deliver while enhancing the efficiency and profitability of their practices. The new versions of AVImark and ImproMed, which are based on the input of veterinary professionals, enhance the visibility of patient diagnostic information and improve the user experience and platform functionality, according to a release.

Support staff at two West Coast veterinary specialty hospitals vote to join labor unions
According to a VIN News Service report, support staff at two West Coast veterinary specialty hospitals have voted to join labor unions, an unusual development for a profession in which collective bargaining has been, up to now, almost nonexistent. The votes came seven months after fledgling efforts to organize workers first made headlines. At VCA San Francisco Veterinary Specialists, veterinary technicians, assistants, maintenance personnel and customer service representatives voted 56–20 in April to affiliate with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). In late May, workers representing the same job functions at BluePearl in North Seattle voted 46-4 to join the new National Veterinary Professionals Union (NVPU), with legal and organizing support from ILWU.

FDA: Potato-based foods may cause heart disease in dogs
According to TIME, potato-based pet foods may be causing heart disease in dogs, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration warned. The government agency is investigating a potential link between pet foods with peas, lentils, potatoes and other legume seeds and instances of canine dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs not typically vulnerable to the disease. “Highly unusual” reports of these dogs contracting the disease prompted the FDA to investigate their food sources, which, the agency notes, largely contained those certain ingredients. Found typically in larger breeds of dogs like Great Danes and Newfoundlands, canine dilated cacdiomypatohy enlarges the heart, thus weakening it and often leading to heart failure.

Virbac launches C.E.T.® VEGGIEDENT® FR3SH® tartar control chews for dogs
Virbac Corporation has announced the launch of C.E.T.® VEGGIEDENT® FR3SH® Tartar Control Chews for Dogs, which uniquely targets bad breath while supporting proper digestion. C.E.T. VEGGIEDENT FR3SH Chews are able to uniquely target bad breath and support proper digestion by a 3-way performance: Cleanse (addresses oral causes of bad breath), Freshen (freshens breath with every chew) and Balance (promotes proper digestion).