Weekly companion animal news: February 21, 2022

With little oversight, the for-profit service dog market is the ‘Wild West’

A for-profit service dog industry has risen in parallel with increasing demand for service dogs. But with little oversight, it risks subjecting people with complex medical issues to huge financial barriers, poorly trained dogs and outright fraud, Kaiser Health News reports. While nonprofit service dog trainers typically donate dogs to patients for at most a small application fee, they can’t meet the growing need. Without regulations, backyard trainers are selling their services even though they may not be qualified to train service dogs, said Lynette Hart, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of California, Davis. “It’s kind of a Wild West issue,” she said. This also means families who are taken advantage of have little recourse to take action.

Baltimore County veterinarian urges pet owners to stop abandoning their pets on his doorstep

A Baltimore-area veterinarian is urging pet owners to stop leaving their pets at his office door in the middle of the night, warning that it’s abusive and hurting the animals. Dr. Parbodh Sharma, who runs Randallstown Animal Hospital with his wife, Aneeta, said that in some cases, dogs’ leashes were tied so tightly to the door that it was nearly impossible for them to breathe. One dog died on their doorstep, and they found another wandering their property after chewing through his leash. They also received a cat with no note. “This is totally animal abuse and is not acceptable,” Dr. Sharma said. They’re advising pet owners that if they need to give up their pet, they should take them to an organization prepared to handle them, like the Baltimore Humane Society or the Maryland SPCA. CBS Baltimore reports.

Gene editing could help stop the spread of Lyme disease: study

New methods of genome editing in ticks could help mitigate the spread of Lyme disease and other pathogens, researchers announced. The team at Penn State University, the University of Nevada, Reno, and the University of Maryland used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to edit genes in tick eggs and adult ticks. They say this is the first study to demonstrate genetic modification in ticks. “The methods can be used to develop new control methods for diseases, such as Lyme disease, and also to further understand the biology of ticks,” said Penn State professor Jason Rasgon.

Heatstroke in pets will likely rise with climate change, researchers say

Heatstroke cases in pets are likely to rise as climate change leads to warmer weather, U.K. researchers say in a new study. The research team at Nottingham Trent University looked at five years of data from a network of veterinarians in the country and found 146 cases of heatstroke in dogs (flat-faced dogs were at higher risk), 16 cases in cats and some cases in other small animals. Still, “there’s a misconception that heatstroke in pets only relates to dogs in hot cars,” said Anne Carter, one of the researchers. “We need to do more to raise awareness of risk factors not only for dogs but in the wider pet population. Owners of small animals such as rabbits, ferrets and guinea pigs may need to review their pet’s housing and take steps to keep their pets cool in the warmer months.” The BBC reports.

Detroit veterinarian hopes to bring more Black youth to the profession

A Detroit veterinarian hopes she can serve as an example to encourage more Black young people to enter the profession. Dr. Marcy McKeithen in November opened Motor City Vet Care, an at-home veterinary service for preventive, hospice and palliative care and euthanasia. McKeithen went to high school in Detroit, a predominantly Black city, and then went to a Historically Black College before going to veterinary school at the University of Florida, which she said was a culture shock. People “said lots of different things to me that were extremely ignorant,” she said. About 2.6% of the nation’s veterinarians are Black, according to a 2020 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. “I think that it needs to be brought to attention that this is a very, very, very homogenous field, and we (people of color) need more representation,” McKeithen told the Detroit Free Press.

Virbac enters U.S. pet food market with food designed for spayed and neutered pets

Virbac has entered the U.S. pet food market with the launch of Veterinary HPM, a pet food line designed for spayed and neutered pets. The dog and cat foods are available in six formulas meant to meet nutritional needs based on species, age and size. “We’ve seen remarkable success with this product in European markets, and we believe in its ability to provide pet owners with the best resource for their pet’s health,” said François Fournier, president and CEO of Virbac North America. According to the announcement from Virbac, while 90% of U.S. pets are spayed or neutered, most continue eating the same diet after the procedure despite an increased risk of obesity. The new pet food will be distributed through veterinarians and through Virbac’s e-commerce platform, from which pet owners can purchase directly.

Pet owners plan to continue shopping online in high numbers after the pandemic: survey

Many pet owners say they’re likely going to continue purchasing products online even after the pandemic ends, shifting the pre-pandemic balance more toward online purchasing, a recent survey shows. Twenty-two percent of pet owners said they plan to continue purchasing products online for home delivery after the pandemic—double the pre-pandemic figure but down from the 26% who say they buy online now, according to a survey by the American Pet Products Association conducted in November. Forty-seven percent of owners said they usually shop in-person now and plan to do so after the pandemic, down from 66% who did so before the pandemic. Twelve percent plan to usually browse in-store and buy online after the pandemic ends, up from 9% before, Petfood Industry reports.

California animal shelters can apply for grants to help improve care for homeless pets

The $50 million California for All Animals program is now open for grant applications from eligible shelters. Municipal shelters and private shelters with a municipal contract in California will receive a $5,000 grant upon acceptance into the program. The application is available online and requests shelters’ historical data from 2017-2021. Shelters can also apply for grants that allow them to improve their animal housing. The five-year initiative, passed into law last year, is administered by the Koret Shelter Medicine Program at the University of California, Davis Center for Companion Animal Health. The program is meant to help communities realize the state’s policy that “no adoptable or treatable animal should be euthanized,” according to UC Davis.