Weekly companion animal news: February 28, 2022

Owners were stressed by their pets during the pandemic, survey shows

Pets were a source of stress for most owners during the early months of the pandemic, according to a study recently highlighted by the AVMA. Owners’ concerns included meeting pets’ social and behavioral needs, frustration over pets’ desire for attention and repeated interruptions during work, and changes to how veterinary services were delivered. About 3,670 U.S. pet owners were surveyed between April and July 2020 for the study, which appeared in the journal Animals in October 2021. The study’s authors said it was possible the human-animal bond was compromised because of owners’ challenges during the pandemic. They said owners should be directed to resources that can address issues they faced during the pandemic to prevent pet relinquishment or abandonment. Preliminary results from an AVMA study showed people who work remotely were eight times as likely to get a new pet in 2020. Other people likely to get a new pet in 2020 were homeowners with a household income over $100,000, those who were financially the same or better off since the pandemic began, and those under 45 who were married with children.

Veterinary consolidator’s acquisition raises U.K. regulators’ concerns

U.K. regulators in an investigation have raised concerns about CVS Group’s acquisition of Quality Pet Care. CVS, a consolidator with 475 veterinary practices in the United Kingdom, last August acquired Quality Pet Care, which owns eight practices. The purchase price was 20.4 million pounds ($27.8 million). But the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation, delaying integration of the businesses. After completing a “Phase 1” investigation, the CMA announced February 18 that the acquisition raises competition concerns in several geographic areas in England. “The CMA has received a number of complaints in recent years about higher prices or lower quality services as a result of too many vets’ practices in the same area being under the control of a single company,” said Colin Raftery, CMA senior director of mergers. In their statement, regulators noted that the market share of independent practices in the United Kingdom fell from 83% in 2013 to 45% in 2021, mostly because of purchases by large corporations. CVS was given a chance to address regulators’ concerns before they advance their investigation. The VIN News Service reports.

Pet food diets are following human trends, worrying some animal health professionals

Pet owners are carefully considering the foods their dogs, cats, hamsters and even goldfish eat, with raw-food, gluten-free, grain-free, vegan and vegetarian diets among the options they’re choosing. But some animal health experts warn diets that follow human health trends aren’t always science-based or even safe for pets. The market for “nutritious pet food”—higher-priced products that claim to contain premium or nutritionally enhanced ingredients—is expected to reach $17.9 billion by 2026, according to a 2021 report by the analytics company Pet Insight. Fad diets can perpetuate generalizations about health, promote regimens that aren’t backed by research and capitalize on people’s anxieties about not doing enough for their animals, said Brandi Hunter Munden, vice president of communications at The American Kennel Club. But perceptions of expertise in the pet health field are changing as distrust of veterinarians grows, and some critics argue the pet food industry has too much influence on the veterinary profession, The New York Times reports.

Elanco appoints new leader of U.S. pet health

Elanco announced the appointment of Rajeev (Bobby) Modi as executive vice president of U.S. pet health and global digital transformation. He will join the company March 14 and will serve on Elanco’s executive committee. Modi most recently served as a vice president at Conagra, where he was responsible for the company’s grocery business. He previously led J.M. Smucker’s pet portfolio marketing and had responsibility for its pet strategy. “Bobby’s proven track record of accelerating and expanding growth of existing portfolios and knowledge of our customers and pet owners make him ideally suited to lead the U.S. pet health business capitalizing on this attractive, growing market,” said Elanco Animal Health President and CEO Jeff Simmons.

When trying to correct pet owner misinformation, try a ‘truth sandwich’

When trying to correct false information about pets, it’s best to emphasize the truth and only mention the misinformation briefly, psychologist Zazie Todd writes in Psychology Today. Todd recommends using the “truth sandwich” strategy to get the facts across to pet owners. In this strategy, the veterinarian starts with the truth, mentions and debunks the lie, then returns to the truth. The owner is more likely to remember the first and last items. For example, when discussing how to interact with cats, a truth sandwich might look like this: 1) The truth: Enrichment is good for cats, and interactive play with a wand toy is a great way to provide it. 2) The lie: Despite the stereotypes, cats aren’t loners who will always occupy themselves. 3) The truth again: Making more time to engage your cat in interactive play is linked to more positive behaviors in the cat.

As tick range expands, so does disease risk

The range of tick-borne pathogens that affect humans and dogs has been increasing in recent years, generally causing nonspecific illness in dogs characterized by fever, lethargy and lack of appetite. While different conditions may require the same treatment, accurate diagnosis is still important from an epidemiological perspective, Michael J. Yabsley writes in an article in Today’s Veterinary Practice that’s been updated from NAVC’s 2020 VMX conference. Several tick species are expanding their ranges, taking their pathogens with them and making diagnosis even more difficult. “It seems veterinarians are constantly bombarded with annual warnings that ‘this year will be a bad tick year’ or ‘Lyme disease cases are increasing’ or ‘tick-borne diseases are on the rise,’ but importantly, the data do support a concern that tickborne diseases are getting worse in people and pets,” Yabsley says. Pet owners and veterinarians should try to prevent exposure to ticks as much as possible, Yabsley says.

Animal abuse can be domestic violence, Washington Supreme Court rules

The Washington Supreme Court has unanimously confirmed that animal abuse can constitute domestic violence under state law. The court issued its ruling in the case of a man convicted of animal abuse with a domestic violence designation for savagely beating his girlfriend’s dog to death in a Seattle parking lot in 2018. The justices unanimously held that the purpose of the domestic violence designation is to enforce existing criminal statutes in a way that ensures victims are protected. It allows courts to issue a post-conviction no-contact order between the perpetrator and the victim, the Associated Press reports.

Core strengthening could help reduce the risk of knee injury in dogs, study shows

Core strengthening exercises like balancing activities could help reduce the risk of a common knee injury in dogs, new research shows. The study found that dogs participating in agility training and competition have a higher risk of a cruciate ligament rupture (similar to an ACL tear in humans) when they lack core strength. “We found fitness matters for dogs just like it does for people,” said Dr. Deb Sellon, a Washington State University veterinarian and lead author of the study. Sellon said that balance exercises, wobble boards and “anything that improves the core strength of the dog” seemed to lower risk of injury. In addition to dogs in agility training, those that play flyball also appear to be at a higher risk of injury, the study found, as well as certain breeds, including Labrador retrievers and Rottweilers.