Weekly companion animal news for February 3, 2020

U.S. reps introduce legislation to create ‘Petfax’ report for sellers of dogs and cats

Two members of the U.S. House have introduced a bill that would create a Petfax report for buying a pet, which would detail the conditions in which the animal was bred and raised, WTAE reports. Under the proposed law, sellers of dogs and cats would have to divulge Animal Welfare Act violations by the breeder and the health history of the animal. The Petfax Act would also establish new penalties for sellers and breeders who have been involved in animal abuse or deceptive sales practices. In addition to ensuring consumers can make informed decisions about the pets they buy, the bill aims to reduce the likelihood of repeat offenders by enacting serious penalties for people found to be abusing animals or using deceptive sales practices. The bill would create a digital database that includes information about violations of the Animal Welfare Act or the Horse Protection Act.

Michigan lawmakers consider letting vets discuss CBD with clients

Pending legislation in the Michigan House of Representatives would add language to the state’s public health code explicitly allowing veterinarians to discuss marijuana or CBD with pet owners—specifically, to discuss pros and cons of the substances and whether the pet is being exposed, mLive reports. Michigan has allowed medical marijuana use since 2008, and hemp and recreational marijuana were legalized in 2018. Veterinarians weren’t included in those changes, though, so they’re not legally allowed to initiate discussions with owners about CBD or marijuana, or recommend the products as possible treatment. This causes challenges for veterinarians, since CBD and marijuana can interact with other medication, supporters of the legislation said. “I have to wait for the client to ask me what I think,” said Dr. Kellie Holmstrom. “Without the correction, it holds our hands behind our backs in properly advocating what would be proper for their pet.”

Two Washington pet insurers must repay $4.7M to consumers

Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued a $950,000 fine against ACE American Insurance Co. and Indemnity Insurance Co. of North America for overcharging 18,000 Washington consumers $4.7 million for nearly five years, Property Casualty 360 reports. The insurers sold pet insurance policies through the Healthy Paws Pet Insurance agency beginning in 2013. Investigators found tens of thousands of law violations between the two companies, including rate increases that weren’t disclosed to customers, even though state law requires insurers to notify consumers about rate increases 20 days before the policy renewal date. Indemnity was found to have overcharged 6,515 policies by $121,000 in addition to charging customers based on their pet’s age, which violated rules approved by Kreidler. The companies, which committed several other violations, will have to pay back the $4.7 million, including interest, to policyholders by April 15, 2020.

Customer sues Blue Buffalo over dog food carbs

A dog owner filed a class action lawsuit claiming Blue Buffalo dog food caused her pet’s obesity, Petfood Industry reports. In legal documents, Shannon Walton’s lawyers claimed her seven-year-old Labrador-Beagle mix “gained significant weight and now requires medical attention for canine obesity.” Veterinarians also diagnosed the dog with diabetes. The dog ate Blue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe’s red meat and bison flavors. Walton’s lawyers noted Blue Buffalo markets its dog foods as healthy and inspired by grey wolves’ natural diets. They cited marketing terms including “inspired by the diet of wolves,” “ancestors in the wild” and “Nature’s Evolutionary Diet,” adding that Blue Buffalo’s “claims are deceptive because their Blue Wilderness products all contain high levels of dietary carbohydrates, which are neither healthy for dogs nor a meaningful part of the diet of grey wolves.”

Patterson Foundation awards more than $300K in grants to animal and oral health organizations

The Patterson Foundation, a grant-making organization funded by current and former employees of distributor Patterson Companies, announced it awarded $323,000 in fourth quarter grant funding to 17 nonprofit organizations in the oral and animal health fields. The organizations were selected based on their commitment to help people and animals in their communities. Grants went to six animal health organizations, specializing in providing animal services for people with disabilities and providing service dogs for veterans.

Midmark announces equipment sale promotion

Device manufacturer Midmark announced its 2020 “More” promotion campaign, which offers rebates on almost all of Midmark’s 2020 animal health equipment catalog—products such as anesthesia, dental equipment, exams and surgery tables, lighting and scales, and seating. The promotion runs through March 31.

NAVC announces Vetty Award winners

NAVC, publisher of Veterinary Advantage, announced the winners of the fourth annual Vetty Awards, honoring “the best advertising, design, digital, experiential and public relations campaigns in animal health,” according to the announcement. The competition is open to products and services available through veterinarians or supporting the veterinary community, including pharmaceuticals, pet foods, diagnostic equipment, professional associations and advocacy organizations. This year’s winners included Zoetis, MightyVet, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck and others. For the full list of winners and the work they produced, visit the Vetty website.

Scientists say it’s important to find animal source of coronavirus

As China continues dealing with the coronavirus, scientists are urging officials to find the animal source of the infection. This virus seems most closely related to coronaviruses in bats, and many of the patients in the city of Wuhan, the center of the outbreak in China, had a link to a large seafood and live animal market, the CBC reports. “We always worry about bats as the original source, but what made it go from a bat to a person?” said Dr. Scott Weese, a veterinary professor at the Ontario-based University of Guelph. “Is there an animal in between and is that something we need to be paying attention to, or is it just human-to-human transmission?” Kerry Bowman, a bioethicist who teaches at the University of Toronto, went about 18 months ago to the market in Wuhan linked to the virus and counted about 50 species, including snakes, turtles, wild rabbits, foxes, Asian palm civets and frogs. “You’ve got these extremely stressed animals in really tiny, contained spaces that are clearly unwell,” Bowman said. “You’ve got high-powered hoses blasting water constantly and so you’ve got urine and feces—everything is merging between species sitting in the sun. You can imagine the potential for recombination of viruses.”