Weekly Companion Animal News: February 24, 2025

CareVet announces Premier Centers

CareVet, a network of more than 200 veterinary hospitals, has introduced its Premier Centers, described as a “distinguished group of hospitals recognized for their clinical excellence.” Each center is staffed by veterinarians and medical teams across multiple disciplines, including dermatology, dentistry, internal medicine and advanced surgical procedures.

Veritas partners with San Francisco emergency and specialty care facility

Veritas Veterinary Partners, a specialty and emergency veterinary services organization, announced its expansion in California with the opening of an emergency and specialty care facility operated by Pet Emergency and Specialty Center of Marin (“PESCM”) in the San Francisco Bay Area. PESCM’s new 28,160-square-foot facility opened on Feb. 10. The current location in San Rafael will remain open to provide urgent care services.

NH bill would allow raccoons and squirrels as pets

New Hampshire Rep. James Spillane introduced a bill to allow raccoons and gray squirrels to be kept as pets without a permit if a wildlife rehabilitation facility determines the animals could not survive in the wild and are up to date on vaccines. The bill would forbid people from buying the animals at a pet store, breeding them, or capturing them from the wild. It’s unclear whether the bill will make headway in the legislature.

Report examines 10 years of industry growth

The valuation of the top 10 animal health companies tripled from 2013 to 2023, according to the 10th anniversary conference report from Animal Health, Nutrition & Technology Innovation Europe (AHNTI). The report, by Stonehaven Cozmix Group, examines the core industry (i.e., R&D, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals and biologicals for companion and farm animals) as well adjacent sectors (e.g., diagnostics, nutritional health and genetics).

Weighing AI’s risks and rewards

Artificial intelligence is here, so how do veterinary professionals adopt it further into their practice? Petra Harms, DVM, CEO of VetMaite and a practicing veterinarian, offers needed guidance for the profession on how to safely engage AI tools. Without guidance, some professionals may hesitate to engage with AI and others may jump in blindly without addressing the risks, he says.

Relief practice just the ticket for some veterinarians

Relief medicine has risen in recent years, reports dvm360. Relief veterinary work refers to short- or long-term temporary employment. Relief doctors support practices by providing patient care and maintaining operational continuity, either through an agency or as independent contractors. They may cover for veterinarians on family leave or vacation, assist with increased workload demands, or respond to urgent situations requiring general or specialized skills.

Akston named Best Start-Up for 2024 in S&P Global Animal Health Awards

Biotech developer Akston was awarded the Best Start-Up for 2024 by S&P Global Animal Health at the Animal Health, Nutrition, and Technology Innovation Europe 2025 conference in London. After pivoting its focus from human health to animal health in 2022, the company is working to improve protein therapeutics with its Ambifect Fc-fusion protein platform, which enables pets to make their own antibodies.

PetVivo signs sales and marketing agreement with VetStem for PrecisePRP

PetVivo Holdings, Inc. has entered into an exclusive license and supply agreement with VetStem Inc. to commercialize VetStem’s allogeneic orthobiologic products, PrecisePRP canine and PrecisePRP equine. Precise PRP is a leucoreduced, allogeneic, pooled, freeze-dried PRP intended to provide a source of concentrated platelets in plasma for intra-articular administration in dogs and horses.