Vaccine purchases up, revenues rise in June

Canine core vaccine purchases rose among veterinary practices in the middle of June, showing a positive overall national average of 0.6%. This is the first positive result in that category since mid-March, when the coronavirus pandemic first escalated, according to VetWatch. (VetWatch is a data analytics service from Vet Advantage publisher NAVC, Animalytix and others.)

The growth is encouraging since it suggests a continued upturn in wellness appointments, which are a primary driver of practice revenue. Although purchases of feline core vaccines, surgical supplies and chronic care medications remain below last year’s levels, they’re still rising.

Overall parasiticide purchases also increased in the week of June 13-20, with net purchasing volumes rising 1.5% over 2019 results, according to the data from more than 32,000 practices and shelters. Results varied depending on the treatment: Canine heartworm preventives were up 11%, for example, while feline products were down 5.2%.

About 6,000 practices submitted data on visits and revenue. In Atlanta, practices began posting positive year-to-date net revenues, similar to trends in Denver, Houston and Phoenix. In other places, like Boston, Detroit and Baltimore, revenues were still down from last year.

Overall, 200 of 213 reporting zones posted net revenue growth over last year for the week of the 13th through the 20th.  This made the week the strongest reporting period since the outbreak began in March.

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