Weekly companion animal news: May 4, 2020

‘Boosting Your Bottom Line’: NAVC podcast offers sales tips for distributor reps

A new podcast offers strategies to help distributor sales reps improve value for their customers. “Boosting Your Bottom Line,” sponsored by Ventyv, features Steve Sewell, senior sales development director at Clipper Distributing. Sewell shares insights so reps can help customers run a more effective and profitable practice, and, in turn, boost their own bottom line. The podcast is available here.

North Carolina dog tests positive for coronavirus

The pet dog of a family taking part in a study at Duke University is evidently the first in the country to test positive for the new coronavirus, CBS reports. “To our knowledge, this is the first instance in which the virus has been detected in a dog,” Dr. Chris Woods, lead investigator of the Molecular and Epidemiological Study of Suspected Infection, said in a statement to CBS. “Little additional information is known at this time as we work to learn more about the exposure.” A local news outlet reported that some family members tested positive for the virus, while others, and a pet cat, didn’t test positive. The dog was reported to have mild symptoms of COVID-19.

AAHA releases employee handbook guidelines, including COVID-19 resources

The American Animal Hospital Association has released an updated guide to help practice owners and managers create effective employee handbooks. The guide offers instruction for managers to establish workplace safety and emergency procedures; address practice culture and diversity; create antiharassment and antidiscrimination policies, and more. Updates account for the most recent developments in federal law and human resource management. The new guidelines also include access to a website with HR resources to manage staff through emergency and pandemic situations like COVID-19. They help managers establish safety and paid leave protocols.

Zoetis launches new pet insurance venture

Zoetis announced it’s entering the pet health insurance market. The new venture, Pumpkin, will compete against more than a dozen providers, including industry leader Nationwide and upstarts like Spot and Prudent Pet, Today’s Veterinary Business (also published by NAVC) reports. Pumpkin has a unique feature: Preventive Essentials, a policy add-on that covers an annual wellness exam for an enrolled dog or cat, one or two vaccines, and a monthly flea, tick and heartworm preventive—either Simparica Trio or Revolution Plus—mailed from Zoetis to a client’s home twice a year. Pumpkin officials spoke with Today’s Veterinary Business about the new offering. “Pets who have insurance tend to visit their veterinarians 50% more per annum than the pets who do not have insurance, and clients who have insurance tend to spend more as well,” said Alexandre Douzet, Pumpkin’s CEO. “[W]e wanted to create immediate value for veterinarians and pet owners.”

Q&A: Dr. Jennifer Ogeer discusses Antech’s coronavirus surveillance program

Antech’s SARS-CoV-2 surveillance program detected the recent cases of the new coronavirus in two New York cats. Dr. Jennifer Ogeer, Antech’s vice president of medical affairs, speaks here with Today’s Veterinary Practice (also published by NAVC) about the program, which began in early March. “We have actually processed over 2,000 samples from dogs and cats,” Ogeer says. “These are samples that originated from veterinarians and were submitted to our reference laboratories from the United States and some from Canada. They were submitted for routine respiratory and gastrointestinal PCR—polymerase chain reaction—analysis. So we felt that the surveillance testing that we started would be important because it would help us understand the dynamics, the emergence of this virus, and, very importantly, the frequency of virus transmission that is happening from humans to animals.”

Rayne Clinical Nutrition offers supplemental income and CE to vet staff

Rayne Clinical Nutrition has introduced a new program, Partners in Nutrition, to provide participating veterinary nurses, assistants and other staff with supplemental income and free continuing education during the pandemic. The incentives, which are provided either as free pet food or as a monetary stipend, are planned to last through October 31. “The vast majority of veterinary practices are privately owned small businesses that, even during normal times, operate on very slim profit margins,” said John Phelps, Rayne’s CEO. “COVID-19 protocols are only exacerbating the issues and practices aren’t able to invest in staff and client education, technology, and even hours of operation. The bottom line is knowing that these financial hardships could negatively impact the care and wellbeing of pets.”

Researchers study impact of COVID-19 on exposure to tick-borne illnesses

Professors from several universities are studying whether the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the time people spend outdoors, and whether that could result in increased exposure to ticks or tick-borne diseases, Virginia’s WHSV reports. “We’re examining whether people are spending more time outside due to COVID-19 restrictions and whether this might be affecting them, their families, and/or their pets’ (if they have any) risk of contracting a tick-borne illness,” said Hollins University assistant professor Elizabeth Gleim. Researchers are inviting anyone over the age of 18 who lives in North America to fill out a survey.

Scientists will train ‘animal disease detectives’ to help prevent another pandemic

A group of Australian veterinary experts will train overseas veterinarians and farmers in animal disease surveillance techniques. The goal is to prevent future pandemics, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports. Forty experts from veterinary schools across Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific will train animal workers in 11 Southeast Asian countries. Workers will be trained in methods of surveillance, tracking trends or changes in animals, and investigating outbreaks. “Essentially we will be training animal disease detectives, taking the knowledge of police detectives,” said University of Sydney associate professor Navneet Dhand.