Weekly companion animal news: December 21, 2020

Washington clinic reaches homeless people through their pets

Leaders at a University of Washington health clinic hope that by treating the pets of homeless people, they’ll be able to reach the owners as well. The free twice-a-month clinic is typically held at a youth shelter in downtown Seattle, but the pandemic has taken it outside. “A lot of times people come and they say, ‘I need care for my animal because I know my animal needs care,’” said Peter Rabinowitz, a physician and professor at the university. When people visit the clinic with their pets, a volunteer—usually a medical student—greets them and gets the pet’s history. They may ask if the person would like medical care as long as they’re there. The clinic also helps address mental health issues, like anxiety, that people may be dealing with, KNKX reports. The University of California, Davis also recently opened a new clinic to treat pets whose owners are homeless.

Dogs and owners may share similar risk of type 2 diabetes, study shows

People whose dogs have type 2 diabetes appear to have a higher risk of getting the disease themselves, according to a new study. Previous studies hinted that overweight owners tend to have heavier pets, possibly because of shared health behaviors such as overeating or not taking regular exercise. To investigate whether this extended to a shared risk of type 2 diabetes, scientists looked at anonymized insurance data from Sweden’s largest pet insurance company. They found that owning a dog with diabetes was associated with a 38% higher risk of having type 2 diabetes compared to owning a healthy dog. Personal and socioeconomic circumstances couldn’t explain the link. The same shared risk wasn’t found for cat owners, The Guardian reports.

Group works to develop new model for pet insurance regulation

A new model law could change the pet insurance industry and how veterinarians discuss pet insurance with clients—that is, if states choose to adopt it. The Pet Insurance Working Group of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners is working on the model law. “The goal of the model law is to establish clear rules for the sale of pet insurance and provide important disclosures to pet owners purchasing this product,” said Ray Farmer, NAIC president. Its potential to affect the industry depends on states’ decisions to adopt it. They don’t have to do so, and they can choose to adopt only portions, according to the AVMA.

Michigan lawmakers pass bill to allow veterinarians to discuss CBD with pet owners

The Michigan legislature has passed a bill that would allow veterinarians in the state to consult with pet owners about products containing CBD oil or THC, MLive reports. Representative Greg Markkanen, who sponsored the bill, said he did so after hearing from veterinarians in his district that while clients often have questions about how CBD or THC could affect their pets’ health, state law doesn’t explicitly allow veterinarians to discuss the pros and cons of the products with pet owners. Veterinarians also aren’t technically allowed to initiate discussions about whether a pet has been exposed to marijuana, which experts say can pose problems for treating animals, since THC can interact with other medications or cause medical issues in the event of an accidental overdose.

Airvet launches one-tap curbside check-in

Telemedicine company Airvet has launched a curbside check-in feature through its online portal to help hospitals and pet owners “cut check-in times in half without needing a single phone call,” according to the company. With many pet hospitals and clinics using curbside service during the pandemic, facilities are being overwhelmed with phone calls and increased wait times due to inefficient check-in accommodations, the company said. Airvet says its one-tap curbside check-in feature eliminates those issues.

Six growing issues in the veterinary profession

Veterinary industry experts Karen E. Felsted and Peter Weinstein discuss in fellow NAVC publication Today’s Veterinary Business six areas in which the world is changing dramatically that will affect the profession. “Each topic is critical by itself, but when you look at all of them together, you can see why our profession must embrace change to further a successful future,” they write. “COVID-19 is now top of mind for most people, but it’s not hindering these new changes and, in some cases, is spurring them on.” The issues are a lack of diversity, the need for veterinarians to expand beyond just companion animal care, the importance of the One Health concept, barriers in accessing care, changing employee and client needs, and the pandemic.

Russia trials COVID-19 vaccine for cats, mink and other domestic animals

Russia is close to completing clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine for domestic animals and mink. The country expects to begin the regulatory approval process in February, according to Russia’s agricultural safety watchdog. The Federal Centre for Animal Health began developing the vaccine in spring after authorities established the virus could be passed from humans to some domestic animals. The vaccine is aimed at rabbits, mink, cats and some other animals. The World Health Organization has expressed concern over the transmission of the virus between humans and animals, Reuters reports.

Veterinarians worry after wild mink catches COVID-19

A wild mink in Utah that tested positive for the coronavirus has worried officials, who say this could be a sign of the virus’ ability to spread back to wildlife before it mutates and spreads to humans again, Vox reports. “To our knowledge, this is the first free-ranging, native wild animal confirmed with SARS-CoV-2,” the National Veterinary Services Laboratories reported. A genetic analysis of the virus suggested the wild mink picked it up from a nearby mink farm, perhaps via wastewater runoff from the farm. It’s “very unlikely they swabbed the only wild mink with SARS-CoV-2,” said Stephanie Seifert, a researcher at Washington State University’s school for global animal health. Now scientists need to figure out which animals—in addition to cats, dogs, lions, mink and others that have already been infected—can catch the virus, how they’re affected, and how it might affect people.