Weekly companion animal news: October 18, 2021

Veterinary school applications continue to increase, AAVMC says

Veterinary school applications increased 5.5% from last year in the most recent admissions cycle at schools operating under the standardized application system. According to the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges, 10,834 qualified applications had been received by colleges and schools throughout the VMCAS (Veterinary Medical College Application Service) system by the September 29 deadline. This compares to 10,273 applicants last year. The number of applicants seeking admission to veterinary college has been growing steadily in recent years, according to AAVMC. The reasons for the increase are unclear but may include an extended application cycle and “growing awareness and appreciation for the veterinary profession,” AAVMC said.

Educators say they can’t graduate veterinary professionals fast enough to fill the shortage

While the veterinary industry faces a shortage of professionals, one school is warning it’s impossible to graduate students fast enough to make an impact on the workforce. Nicholas Raimondi, an instructor at the New England Institute of Technology and a board member of the Rhode Island Veterinary Technician Association, said the school he teaches at is the only veterinary technician program in the state of Rhode Island. Before the pandemic, the school took in a maximum of 24 students per cohort, but Raimondi said it now has permission to increase that number to 36. Students typically graduate from the associate degree program in 18 months. “We can’t graduate students quick enough to meet the need in the state,” Raimondi said. “I can’t see us anytime in the near future meeting the demand for vet techs nationally….Every practice is looking for technicians.” A Tufts University dean added that an increase in veterinary school class sizes would take several years to have an impact on the profession. WPRI reports.

California law will allow more community blood banks for pets

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill that will allow veterinarians to run community blood banks where pet owners can bring their pets to donate blood. The facilities will be able to sell and transfer their blood supplies to clinics that need it. The law also creates a plan to phase out closed colony banks, where dogs are kept in facilities while their blood is repeatedly drawn. While community banks are common in other states, California until now has only allowed closed colony operations or let veterinarians draw blood from pets at their own clinics. The new law requires the state to phase out closed colony banks 18 months after officials determine community banks are selling at least as much canine blood as the closed banks sold in a year. The policy change comes as demand for blood, already high, has been rising in recent years, the Associated Press reports.

Curbside care, medication shortages and a limited supply of doctors: Experts offer their predictions for the future of the veterinary industry

Veterinary experts speaking with Indiana’s South Bend Tribune weigh in on new trends they think are here for the long term. “There’s a real trend that owners don’t want to come back in the exam room, or they want to be able to pick and choose when they come,” said Dr. Lori Teller, professor of telemedicine at Texas A&M. “For routine wellness things, vaccines, they seem to be very happy dropping their pet off.” Some popular medications for heart disease and pain relief have been in short supply, a shortage that could stick around due to supply chain challenges. Veterinarians themselves are in short supply as well, and it takes a long time to increase the number of caregivers in the industry.

Small dog breeds are at higher risk for dental disease than large ones, study shows

Smaller dog breeds, like dachshunds and toy poodles, are generally more predisposed to periodontal disease than larger breeds like German shepherds and boxers, a new study shows. In the study, conducted by Mars Petcare and published in The Veterinary Journal, researchers reviewed more than 3 million medical records from Banfield Pet Hospital across 60 dog breeds in the United States. They found that periodontal disease, including gingivitis and periodontitis, occurred in 18.2% of dogs overall (517,113 cases). Extra-small breeds were up to five times more likely to be diagnosed with periodontal disease than giant breeds, the researchers found. Additional risk factors were a dog’s age, being overweight and the time since last scale and polish, VetSurgeon.org reports.

More than 30 veterinary professionals earn the VHMA’s Certified Veterinary Practice Manager credential

Thirty-two veterinary management professionals recently earned the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association’s Certified Veterinary Practice Manager credential. According to the VHMA, the voluntary credential “is recognized as the sign of professional achievement and excellence and is awarded to those who demonstrate the knowledge and experience necessary to successfully manage the ever-changing operations of today’s veterinary practices.” The CVPM exam tests management knowledge in human resources, law, ethics, marketing, practice organization and finance. Applicants must meet practice management experience requirements and demonstrate they’ve earned sufficient formal education and continuing education credits. The full list of new certified practice managers is available in the announcement from VHMA.

Bond Vet hospital chain receives $170 million investment from private equity firm Warburg Pincus

Bond Vet, an eight-clinic veterinary hospital chain based in New York, has received a $170 million investment from private equity firm Warburg Pincus to fund further expansion. This comes nearly a year after the private investment firm Talisman Capital Partners gave $17 million to Bond Vet, Today’s Veterinary Business reports. Bond Vet has seven general practices in New York City and one on Long Island, which have seen more than 40,000 pets since the first clinic opened in June 2019. The new funding from Warburg Pincus, as well as the original investment from Talisman Capital, “will help accelerate our growth and enable us to provide the best experience for our pets, pet parents and our veterinarians in New York and beyond,” said Bond Vet co-founder and CEO Mo Punjani. Warburg Pincus acquired pet health insurance provider Petplan in October 2019.

DVMPro releases Clarity Ultrasound

DVMPro has released the Clarity Ultrasound, which the company says is its most accessible and user-friendly veterinary ultrasound imaging machine. The device can be used for all applications and species including canine, feline, bovine and equine. According to DVMPro, the ultrasound “utilizes cutting-edge technology, which includes a variety of frequency and transducer options. The Clarity is powered by next-gen ultrasound software such as Tissue Adaptive Imaging (TAI), which allows providers to accurately capture harmonic information generated by state-of-the-art probes.” Additionally, DVMPro says, the Clarity offers multiple data management methods such as DICOM and USB data transfer. “Its sleek, easy-to-use interface makes the Clarity ultrasound the most accessible and affordable ultrasound in the veterinary market,” according to DVMPro.