Weekly companion animal news: April 8, 2024

CAPC warns parasitic pet diseases will spread further in 2024

The Companion Animal Parasite Council is warning of the continued expansion of heartworm, Lyme disease and other tickborne diseases throughout the United States in 2024. “Over the past 12 years, we have seen the movement of parasitic diseases and the vectors that carry them expand to new areas, signaling the need for pet owners to test their pets every year and protect them year-round,” said Heather Walden, president of the CAPC board. In its 2024 “Pet Parasite Forecast,” CAPC reports that ticks and mosquitoes remain the principal transmitters of pet and human vector-borne diseases. The risks of contracting Lyme, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and heartworm diseases are increasing due to various factors, according to the announcement, such as rehoming of pets, urbanization and climate change.

Banfield survey shows low heartworm preventive uptake among pet owners

Banfield Pet Hospital surveyed 1,000 U.S. dog and cat owners and analyzed its pet medical record database to gain insights on the state of heartworm prevalence in pets, including seasonal and local trends. According to the American Heartworm Society, more than a million pets in the United States have heartworm, and cases are on the rise. But despite the growing prevalence, the new survey findings from Banfield indicate nearly 40% of dog and cat owners don’t believe their pet is at risk of getting heartworms and nearly 30% said their pet is not on heartworm prevention. Furthermore, 21% of pet owners said they don’t believe mosquitos in their state carry the parasite, despite heartworm cases being diagnosed in all 50 states.

Nonprofit veterinary care providers report staff shortages

A national veterinary care shortage is having an especially large impact on animal shelters and nonprofit veterinary clinics, according to a new study of more than 200 shelters and nonprofit clinics across the country. The study, led by Petco Love and the Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida, found that 73% of animal sheltering organizations reported being short-staffed for veterinarians. Ninety-one percent of these organizations said they’re experiencing backlogs in spay/neuter surgeries. Seventy-two percent of access-to-care clinics reported shortages in both veterinarians and support staff, according to the study, which is in preprint.

Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry launches shelter dentistry grant program

The Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry is launching the Make Me Smile Program Shelter Dentistry Grant Initiative, aimed at improving the oral health of shelter animals in the United States. The initiative will provide grant funding to eligible shelter organizations with the goal of enabling them to acquire essential dental equipment and enhance the adoptability of pets in their care. The grant amount in 2024 will be $20,000, and the application deadline is May 1.

New Colorado law aims to address veterinarian shortage

The Veterinary Technician Scope of Practice Law, scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2026, will direct Colorado’s state board of veterinary medicine to make rules allowing the supervision and delegation of certain tasks to veterinary technicians, veterinary technician specialists or other personnel. Under the new law, a licensed veterinarian may delegate tasks that align with the board’s rules after first establishing a veterinarian-client-patient relationship with an animal or group of animals and their owner. The licensed veterinarian is required to provide an appropriate level of supervision of the veterinary technician or veterinary technician specialist in accordance with applicable rules of the board. Dr. Sue VandeWoude, dean of the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, said the legislation will greatly help ease the veterinarian shortage in the state, The Coloradoan reports.

Kansas State University Olathe launches ‘Data Analytics and Insights in Animal Health’ graduate certificate

Kansas State University Olathe this fall will begin offering a graduate certificate for students who want to pursue a career in animal health data and technologies. Data Analytics and Insights in Animal Health is a 15-credit hour graduate certificate meant to give animal health professionals “the skills and tools they need to approach consumer problems, navigate product challenges and develop new solutions in an interdisciplinary manner through the power of data,” according to the announcement from Kansas State University.

Veterinarians hope to overcome pet owner vaccine hesitancy

A recent study indicates over 37% of dog owners believe canine vaccinations could cause their pets to develop autism. Vaccine opposition among humans is nothing new, but it’s picking up steam, according to a 2023 study on human attitudes toward vaccines, and it’s spilling over into domestic pet care. Veterinarians agree some pets may react to vaccines, much like humans react to their annual flu shots. In both cases, there’s no reason to forgo getting vaccinated. “All vaccines can pose some degree of risk, but this is where a conversation with one’s local veterinarian can be very helpful,” said Dr. Robert Causey, associate professor of animal and veterinary sciences at the University of Maine. “One can have a discussion, based on the pet’s age and lifestyle, which vaccines are necessary to protect against severe disease and which may be considered elective.” The Bangor Daily News reports.

Canine cancer vaccine shows promise, scientists say

Canine EGFR/HER2 Peptide Cancer Immunotherapeutic, a recently developed cancer vaccine for dogs, has shown promising results in clinical trials, which have been running since 2016, a research team at Yale University says. There is also hope that some of the benefits of the vaccine could be translated into human cancer treatments. More than 300 dogs have been treated with the vaccine to date, and the 12-month survival rate for canines with certain cancers has increased from about 35% to 60%. Tumors in many of the animals have also shrunk. The vaccine is designed to get the immune system to attack cancer rather than the body’s own tissue. For now, the vaccine remains a post-diagnosis treatment option rather than a preventative measure, although it’s already helping some dogs, ScienceAlert reports.