Weekly companion animal news: March 11, 2024
Former CEO of ASPCA: National groups should do more for local pet shelters
The Center for the Environment and Welfare announced the appointment of Ed Sayres, former CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, as its newest senior adviser. In concert with the announcement, CEW has released a three-part video series in which Sayres shares his experience overseeing ASPCA’s revenue growth as former CEO. Sayres criticizes today’s ASPCA and Humane Society of the United States for what he says is the exceedingly small number of grants provided to local shelters considering their massive resources. “What’s happened with the ASPCA grants program is that it’s now down to about $5 million a year for pet shelters when you have revenue of $390 million per year,” Sayres said. “In 2020 and 2021, the ASPCA finished with an operating surplus of $50 million or $80 million, and those resources could really be used to be helping shelters.”
MySimplePetLab launches MinuteClinic-style walk-in pet clinics
MySimplePetLab CEO and President Jen Hagness announced the company has opened two small-format clinics inside a pair of PetSmart locations in the Denver suburbs. The company says the walk-in clinics are similar to CVS MinuteClinics. Branded as MySimplePetExpress, the clinics are operating in the Denver metro area for now, Twin Cities Business reports. MySimplePetLab’s primary business comes from a line of mail-in test and care kits for dogs and cats. Customers use the kits to test for common pet ailments like ear infections or digestive issues and to help address symptoms.
Packaged Facts to release U.S. pet market outlook on March 13
Packaged Facts’ pet research professionals will release their first annual ‘state of the pet market’ video webinar on March 13. Webinar speakers will include Shannon Landry Brown, pet brand manager for Packaged Facts; David Sprinkle, former publisher and research director at Packaged Facts; and David Lummis, president of Marigny Research Group and pet industry market analyst for Packaged Facts. “The pet market is a dynamic sector that faced notable economic challenges and consumer shifts in the past year,” Brown said. “It’s time to take a deep breath and see where things stand.”
Veterinary visits and practice acquisitions decline after pandemic boom
With the pandemic largely in the rearview mirror, veterinary visits appear to be declining, the VIN News Service reports. Dr. Trae Cutchin, an Atlanta veterinarian, said he’s stopped requesting the services of a relief veterinarian and laid off a support staff member. The moderation in veterinary visits is a trend being closely monitored in finance circles, as higher interest rates make it more expensive for would-be buyers to acquire veterinary practices. Deals are down: Private equity firm purchases of U.S. veterinary businesses totaled 52 last year, down from a peak of 210 in 2021, according to consulting firm KPMG.
Indiana bill would eliminate local ordinances banning dog sales at pet stores
Pet stores will be able to sell dogs anywhere in Indiana— including in communities where those sales are banned by local ordinances—under a bill Governor Eric Holcomb recently signed into law. The controversial measure, HB 1412, eliminates nearly two dozen such ordinances. It establishes new care standards and requires pet stores to register with the state in order to sell canines. Proponents have argued it will enhance quality and safety for dogs by requiring breeders to adhere to a canine care certification program developed at Purdue University. Those guidelines aren’t accessible to the public and smaller breeding operations don’t have to follow them, Indiana Public Media reports. The bill requires pet stores to only accept dogs from breeders that follow the Purdue standards and, starting in July 2025, the stores must be inspected by the state Board of Animal Health.
Chewy expands focus on serving veterinary clinics
Chewy is expected to report around $11 billion in full-year net sales in 2023 when it completes its financial results later this month; almost three-quarters of these sales are for consumable products such as pet food. The company can attribute its success to several reasons: First, pet owners are increasingly shopping online. Second, this e-commerce platform offers automatic shipments on a schedule. Third, the company prides itself on customer service. Moving forward, Chewy will expand its focus on a new target customer: about 30,000 veterinary clinics across the country. Chewy’s management announced it’s launching an operating system software for veterinarians called Rhapsody—a cloud-based software that allows veterinarians to manage their business—together with Practice Hub, an e-commerce portal for ordering products. The result: Chewy’s software business could create a new recurring revenue stream, as well as catalyze growth for its e-commerce business, The Motley Fool reports.
To plan your veterinary hospital marketing, use AI to create a content calendar
Developing a successful veterinary practice marketing strategy can be overwhelming. The best way to organize content across channels and stay on track with marketing goals is to keep a content calendar, according to the American Animal Hospital Association. And new artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT mean creating this tool requires significantly less effort than it used to. AAHA offers advice on how hospitals can plan their marketing content effectively.
12th annual ‘Fit Pets for Rescues’ fundraiser kicks off March 30
The 12th annual “Fit Pets for Rescues” ideal weight contest will be held virtually using the Healthy Pet Connect telemonitoring platform. The seven-week fundraiser will kick off March 30 with seven contest divisions, prizes and donations to rescues. According to the announcement, with telemonitoring by HPC and myBalto handling donations, any pet, clinic and rescue can participate. The FPR contest has raised more than $25,000 for rescues over 11 years in Madison, Wisconsin, according to the announcement.
