Shelters Get 1.9 Million Doses of NexGard Plus
The Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation donated 1.9 million doses of NexGard Plus chews to U.S. animal shelters. The donation is valued at $42.6 million. Boehringer Ingelheim partnered with Greater Good Charities to distribute the parasiticide product.
AAFP Offers Chronic Pain Education Toolkit
The American Association of Feline Practitioners released the Chronic Pain Education Toolkit at bit.ly/43bV3tg. According to AAFP, the free tool “provides veterinary professionals with an easy-to-access and easy-to-use resource for understanding, diagnosing, and managing chronic pain in cats.”
Digitail Software Includes Stripe Payment Service
Practice management software developer Digitail partnered with payment processor Stripe to launch Digitail Secure Payments. Veterinary hospitals “can collect payments seamlessly through an integrated terminal on-site or send invoice links via text, email or the Pet Parent App,” Digitail reported.
CityVet Expands Into Virginia
The 36-hospital CityVet network plans to open its first Virginia location in Virginia Beach in the first half of 2024. “As we open new locations, we are continuously looking for markets where we see a much-needed consumer and veterinarian demand,” said the Texas-based company’s CEO, David Boguslawski.
L.A. Gets Another Modern Animal Hospital
Modern Animal’s new West Hollywood veterinary hospital is the company’s 10th location in metropolitan Los Angeles. The practice, led by Dr. Daniel Chang, provides primary and urgent care for dogs and cats.
Vetigel Maker to Pay for Surgeries
Cresilon Inc., the maker of Vetigel hemostatic gel, launched a philanthropic program to provide life-saving animal surgeries. Cresilon plans to sponsor two pro-bono surgeries each month. Patient nominations through the Vetigel Gives program may be made at bit.ly/3Tlz4vi.
Mars Forms Medical Affairs Science Team
Mars Veterinary Health established the Medical Affairs Science Team, led by Dr. Dottie Brown, the vice president of science and health care innovation. According to Mars, the team “brings together a mix of veterinary scientists with decades of collective experience in veterinary research and clinical care to focus on owner-centered health care delivery with patient outcomes as a primary measure of success. The team’s focus on design, execution and management of high-quality, efficient clinical studies is intended to enable Mars Veterinary Health to advance clinical science and research for the profession at large, ultimately helping veterinary professionals better diagnose, treat and predict pet-related conditions.”
Small Door Veterinary Enters Maryland
The membership-based Small Door Veterinary chain opened its first Maryland hospital in Bethesda under the management of Dr. Heidi Heller. The company, which now operates 11 clinics, charges $169 a year for each pet, providing owners with one free exam, same or next-day appointments, and around-the-clock telemedicine consultations.
BluePearl to Train Army Veterinarians
The BluePearl Pet Hospital network introduced the Vet-TROMA program in partnership with the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps and the U.S. Army Office of the Surgeon General. BluePearl specialists will train U.S. Army veterinarians to provide specialty and emergency care to military working dogs in combat zones.
College Deans Are on the Move
Dr. Willie Reed will step down June 30 after 17 years as dean of the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. The search for his replacement is underway. In other news, former Western University veterinary dean Dr. Phillip Nelson was named the founding dean of the proposed Chamberlain University School of Veterinary Medicine in Stockbridge, Georgia. Also, Dr. Christina Tran was appointed the founding dean of Hanover College’s proposed School of Veterinary Medicine in Hanover, Indiana.
WVC and VMX Set Attendance Records
Viticus Group reported a record-breaking attendance of 20,072 at the WVC Annual Conference in Las Vegas in February. Meanwhile, the North American Veterinary Community, publisher of Today’s Veterinary Business, counted a record 27,273 attendees at its VMX conference in Orlando, Florida, in January.
Veterinary Innovative Partners Appoints CFO
Matt Earnest was named chief financial officer at Veterinary Innovative Partners, a network of 40 hospitals in nine states. He previously served as the CFO at QualDerm Partners, a multisite dermatology physician management company.