Weekly companion animal news for December 9: student debt, dog rehab, new tech

Good news, bad news for educational debt, starting salaries

Veterinarians’ starting salaries are increasing, as is the number of full-time employees in the profession. But while many veterinary colleges have seen a decrease in graduates’ educational debt, many others have seen an increase in debt, some by as much as 29%, according to data from the American Veterinary Medical Association. Furthermore, U.S. graduates of two Caribbean veterinary schools have more debt than graduates of U.S. schools but still have the same starting salaries. Bridgette Bain, associate director of analytics at the AVMA, presented the data, from the organization’s survey of the 2019 graduating class, at the AVMA’s October economic summit. The mean educational debt of all 2019 graduates from U.S. veterinary colleges, including those without debt, was about $149,877. The real mean educational debt, in 2014 dollars, went from $133,086 in 2017 to $143,121 in 2018, then down to $138,000 this year. Bain estimates the mean educational debt among graduates could reach about $190,000 in 10 years. This story appeared in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Canine rehab is growing in popularity

Pet owners are increasingly turning to rehab for their dogs. The treatment is routinely recommended for dogs after debilitating surgery and injuries, and it’s also more often being used as an alternative to surgery and as a method to stimulate elderly dogs’ brains and give them a sense of renewed purpose, Karen Angel writes in USA Today. Veterinary colleges are emphasizing rehab training more in their programming, and stand-alone rehab facilities are sprouting up throughout the country. A growing body of research shows many similarities between humans’ and animals’ ability to recover, including the benefits of early treatment and patients’ ability to make gains over a sustained period of time. Human stroke victims’ recovery was once thought to peak within the first six months after the stroke, but recent research has shown that with intensive rehabilitation, stroke patients can continue to progress for decades; the same is true of dogs, Angel writes.

Catnip and cat grass offer health benefits for cats

Catnip is known to be safe and beneficial for cats, but as is the case with other pet products, owners may wonder what goes into the catnip products they buy. Millennial customers, for example, tend to be interested in manufacturing processes and ingredients. While many formulas use only the catnip plant itself (Nepeta Cataria), others use a blend of ingredients. For example, Cosmic Pet’s Mad Cat toys combine 100% catnip with silver vine, a natural vining plant that causes a similar reaction to catnip but affects more cats than catnip does, said Allie Hackett, Cosmic Pet’s product development manager for cat products. From the Field offers catnip with no additives included, as well as blends with valerian root or silver vine. Catnip and cat grass are not only appealing to cats; they also have health benefits. Manufacturers who spoke to Pet Business offered advice for retailers to drive sales of these products.

Senior facilities see success with animal-assisted therapy

Animal-assisted therapy is a growing field, as research increases showing the health benefits of interacting with animals, like lower blood pressure, stress reduction, lower cholesterol and muted pain sensations. This form of therapy is more and more a part of efforts to improve conditions for aging populations, including people with dementia. Alex Psirides, co-director of the intensive care unit at Wellington Hospital in New Zealand and a leading researcher in the field of animal-assisted therapy, told the Los Angeles Times it “jars [patients] out of where they are, and kind of removes them from the reality of where they are for just a brief period of time….It provides some respite from what’s happening to them.” Several California senior facilities are using therapy animals to help care for their patients. A manager at one pet therapy service provider said she’s seen nonverbal trauma patients begin speaking about their experiences for the first time when they interact with the therapy animals.

Bella is the top dog name this decade

Bella is the top dog name of the decade, according to My Dog’s Name, a website that helps users find the name for their new dogs. The name has topped the list of female dog names for the entire decade. “Bella skyrocketed to the top spot following the popularity of the ‘Twilight’ books and movies 10 years ago,” said Kyle Larson, founder of My Dog’s Name. “But what’s fascinating is that the name is still the number one pick today, long after the mania of the ‘Twilight’ series has subsided.” While other names, like Daisy and Bailey, stayed in the top 10 spot for female dog names for much of the decade, Bella is the only one to rank every year, and in the top position. The top male dog name has changed almost every year this decade, the most popular being Buddy, Charlie, Max and Bear. My Dog’s Name predicts that the new “Frozen” and “Star Wars” movies will inspire names in 2020.

Study finds dogs may help motivate kids to read

Researchers at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus have found that reading with a dog, regardless of breed or age, motivates children to read more and stay engaged, Tiffany Crawford reports in the Vancouver Sun. The study team recruited participants from first to third grades based on their ability to read independently, and gave them stories to read slightly beyond their level. They found that children spent significantly more time reading and showed more persistence when a dog was in the room as opposed to when they read without them. “In addition, the children reported feeling more interested and more competent,” said Camille Rousseau, a doctoral student and one of the study authors. Researchers concluded this type of program might be more relevant among young readers, children with a learning disability in reading, or struggling readers because they often improve their skills by partaking in challenging reading tasks.

Plano animal shelter uses facial recognition app to reunite owners with lost pets

The city of Plano, Texas, is partnering with Finding Rover, a service that uses facial recognition technology to help reunite pet owners with their lost pets. Owners upload their pet’s photo and other information to the service and use the website or app if their pet goes missing. The city shelter uploads a photo of each stray that’s brought in, and the owner is notified if their pet is identified. John Polimeno, Finding Rover’s founder and CEO, conceived of the service after looking at a flyer for a missing dog and wondering if the same facial recognition technology used to find people could be used for animals. He contacted researchers at the University of Utah, who helped apply the technology to animals. The app launched in 2014 for dogs, and the company added cats in 2017. Plano Animal Services is one of more than 600 animal shelters, including Dallas and Arlington, that have partnered with Finding Rover, LaVendrick Smith writes in the Dallas Morning News. In addition to connecting owners with lost animals, it works as an adoption service, through which prospective pet owners can search an animal shelter’s adoptable pets on the app.

Compassion-First announces new COO

Compassion-First Pet Hospitals, a hospital network, announced the promotion of Ryan Buck to chief operating officer. Buck is responsible for the operations of 47 hospital locations and the functions of business development, marketing, talent development, customer development, veterinary informatics and veterinary nursing development, according to the announcement. Prior to this promotion, he was a group president and was responsible for operations of Compassion-First’s Texas veterinary hospitals. Previously, Buck served as CEO for Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists and led the startup of MissionVet Specialty and Emergency and the Austin Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center. He played an important role in the rebuilding of GCVS after it was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

Mars Petcare research division announces new name

Mars Petcare’s research division, currently known as the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, is changing its name to the Waltham Petcare Science Institute. According to the announcement, the change “reflects the breadth of science undertaken at the Institute by scientists working on projects spanning several diverse research areas, including advanced pet nutrition, data science, biomarkers and microbiome.” The research center first opened in the United Kingdom in the 1960s; notable research has focused on the impact of obesity on dogs’ lifespans; communication skill improvements in children with autism who interact with a therapy animal; and development of a test that allows veterinarians to predict whether a cat will develop chronic kidney disease.