Companion News for July 9

FRONTLINE® named ‘Brand of the Year’ 2019-2020 in World Branding Awards

Boehringer Ingelheim announced that its FRONTLINE® brand was named global ‘Brand of the Year’ 2019-2020 in the Animalis Edition of the World Branding Awards, according to a release. The organizer of the World Branding Awards, World Branding Forum, headquartered in London, UK, is a non-profit organization, dedicated to advancing branding standards for the good of the branding community as well as consumers. It organizes and sponsors a range of educational programs, including collaborations with leading universities and museums. The winners are judged through three streams: brand valuation, consumer market research and public online voting. Over 95,000 pet and animal lovers from around the world voted for their favorite brand, in 38 countries, across six continents for the 2019-2020 Animalis Edition of the Awards.

Zoetis earns FDA approval of ProHeart 12

According to Today’s Veterinary Business, Zoetis Inc. has earned U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of ProHeart 12 (moxidectin), an injectable heartworm preventive with a 12-month duration of action. The extended-release prescription drug is indicated for dogs at least 1 year old to prevent heartworm disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis and to treat existing larval and adult hookworm infections. The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine announced the approval of ProHeart 12 but did not say when the drug will go on the U.S. market. A Zoetis spokesperson said only that a formal announcement is pending. ProHeart 12 contains three times the concentration of the moxidectin compound used in ProHeart 6, which has six months’ efficacy

Compassion-First Pet Hospitals welcomes two new hospitals; Brad Runge to leadership team

Animal Emergency Hospital of North Texas (AEHNT) in Grapevine, Texas, and Florida Veterinary Referral Center & 24-Hour Emergency Hospital (FVRC) in Estero, Florida, have joined Compassion-First Pet Hospitals, according to a release. AEHNT is a veterinary practice providing emergency and critical care 24/7/365 to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, including avian and exotic species. AEHNT is part of a larger referral hospital that includes another Compassion-First Hospital, Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center, which joined in 2017. Florida Veterinary Referral Center was founded in 2006 by Dr. Joshua Parra and Dr. Laura Breunig-Parra and is the premier specialty hospital in southwest Florida. The specialty referral and emergency hospital provides critical care, internal medicine, radiology and surgery for area pets.

Compassion-First Pet Hospitals also welcomed Brad Runge as the new group president of Compassion-First Pet Hospitals overseeing its eight hospitals in Texas. Runge will begin his new role on July 1. Before joining Compassion-First, Runge served as the Midwest Director of Operations for Envision Physician Services, a national healthcare company, where he oversaw 43 healthcare practices with 315 full-time physicians. He understands specialty and emergency care, as he has worked across the spectrum of human medicine.

Dog daycare company opens 100th franchise

Pet Product News reported that Dogtopia has opened its 100th dog daycare center. The new Dogtopia, located in Deer Park, Ill., is owned by Kara Ferguson and Rob Gillman. The Phoenix-based franchise company has seen a 35 percent increase in store numbers over the course of one year, and a 300 percent increase since current ownership and management took control of the company in 2015, officials said. About 250 additional locations are in the pipeline, they added.

FDA continues investigation into potential link between certain pet food diets and canine heart disease

USA Today reported that The Food and Drug Administration announced it is continuing to investigate a potential connection between certain diets and cases of dilated cardiomyopathy, known as DCM or canine heart disease, which can result in congestive heart failure. The agency first announced the investigation in July 2018. Thursday’s announcement named 16 pet food brands most frequently identified in 524 reported cases, which included 515 dogs and nine cats. “We know it can be devastating to suddenly learn that your previously healthy pet has a potentially life-threatening disease like DCM,” Steven M. Solomon, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in a statement. “That’s why the FDA is committed to continuing our collaborative scientific investigation into the possible link between DCM and certain pet foods.” The report says 119 dogs and five cats died from the disease.

Florida inmates comfort shelter dogs during Fourth of July fireworks

CNN reported that Brevard County (Florida) designed a program to comfort the dogs as well as “help add purpose to the lives of inmates incarcerated at the Brevard County Jail.” Inmates on the jail’s chain gang and other work crews read to, played with and gave treats to dogs at the Animal Care Center during the peak hours of celebration on Thursday, Sheriff Wayne Ivey said in a statement on Facebook. “Our goal is to not only help calm the dogs but also to help build and instill a sense of purpose and compassion in the inmates that will hopefully aid them as they transition back into society once they have served their time,” Ivey said.