Weekly companion animal news for January 27: Cardinal recalls surgical gowns

Cardinal Health recalls surgical gowns and packs

From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Medical device manufacturer Cardinal Health alerted its customers to potential quality issues affecting some of its Level 3 surgical gowns and PreSource procedural packs containing these gowns. Level 3 gowns provide moderate risk protection and are used in a range of surgical procedures, including open heart surgery and knee replacements. Cardinal and the FDA have advised that customers immediately discontinue use of all affected surgical gowns and PreSource procedural packs that include the gowns—which have been distributed to veterinarians—“because the manufacturer cannot provide assurance the products are sterile,” according to the FDA’s January 16 announcement. The agency said it was working to assess the cause and full impact of the situation.

Australia’s vets deal with stress from bushfires; VCA raises funds to support animal welfare work during fires

Veterinarians in Australia are experiencing a severe morale hit as bushfires burn in the country, The Advertiser reports. According to Julia Crawford, president of the Australian Veterinary Association, vets are dealing with the stress of having to euthanize injured animals, losing income during what would have been their busiest season, and in some cases repairing their own damaged clinics and communities. In a profession where mental health is an ongoing focus amid relatively high suicide rates, these stressors are especially concerning. A new phone and Skype service offering free psychological support for veterinary and wildlife caregivers was launched, led by the charity Love Your Pet Love Your Vet in partnership with the Australian Association of Psychologists. “The situation faced by our veterinary and wildlife carers as a result of the fires will no doubt be adding additional psychological stress, but there is support available,” said Nadine Hamilton, a psychologist and the charity’s founder. “Don’t suffer in silence when it’s not necessary.” Back in the States, VCA Charities and VCA Animal Hospitals have pledged to donate all funds raised this month to veterinary animal welfare organizations in Australia that are working to care for rescued pets and animals.

Patterson Vet partners with Vetology to offer radiology software

Veterinary product and software distributor Patterson Veterinary announced a partnership with Vetology to offer Vetology’s AI Radiograph Analysis Software to Patterson customers. The artificial intelligence software allows veterinarians to obtain remote radiograph read reports in approximately three minutes, according to the announcement. “We realize that waiting on a radiology report can be a frustratingly long process, especially at the end of the workday,” said Kevin Pohlman, president of Patterson Veterinary. “We chose to partner with Vetology because their solution is fast, accurate and cost-effective, allowing our customers to better utilize their time.”

Veterinary Study Groups selects Airvet as preferred telemedicine platform

Telemedicine platform Airvet has announced a partnership with Veterinary Study Groups in which Airvet will serve as the group’s telemedicine platform of choice for its members. Veterinary Study Groups is made up of more than 40 veterinary management groups, totaling more than 1,000 veterinarians who own more than 1,400 practices throughout the United States and Canada. Airvet will now offer its service to VSG’s member practices. “Veterinary telemedicine is rapidly evolving, with various platforms in the field,” said Dr. Lori Teller, a Texas A&M faculty member focusing on telehealth. “Airvet was designed by veterinary thought leaders who understand the importance of building and maintaining relationships with clients and patients, without the need to acquire additional resources.”

VitusVet seeks practices to participate in test of software’s payment installment feature

Veterinary practice management software developer VitusVet announced it’s begun accepting veterinary practices in the pilot of its new payment feature. Expected to launch later in the first quarter, the option automatically splits pet care payments into installments for clients on their credit card, to make it less financially stressful for them to pay for services. The aim is to improve compliance and increase client loyalty, according to the announcement. “The growing cost of pet care often forces pet owners to make difficult decisions, which can limit the ability of veterinary practices to provide critical wellness care and services,” said Mark Olcott, CEO and cofounder of VitusVet. The new option will be offered as part of the company’s practice management software platform.

Hill’s seeks 1,000 dogs for DCM study

Pet food manufacturer Hill’s Pet Nutrition has allied with Embark, a canine DNA analysis company, to research potential connections between canine dilated cardiomyopathy and specific codes in dogs’ DNA. To participate, pet owners complete a 10-15 minute survey and provide veterinary exams, echocardiograms and medication history, Petfood Industry reports. The study began this month and will continue until researchers identify up to 1,000 dogs who meet the veterinary criteria and collect genetic samples, which may take up to a year, according to a source at Hill’s. Once researchers have this DNA data, they will map the genes and look for patterns common to dogs with DCM.

Mars launches Iams pet food brand in India

Mars Petcare India recently launched its premium pet nutrition brand, Iams, in Hyderabad, India, Petfood Industry reports. The company is offering four varieties of food for puppies and adult dogs. The choice to expand to India comes as premiumization and customization rise in the nation’s pet industry, said Ganesh Ramani, general manager of Mars Pet Nutrition India. Mars’ major challenge in the country is ensuring consistent availability of the products, which the company aims to provide through its global supply chain, according to the article. Mordor Intelligence has forecast the Indian pet food market will grow at a compound annual rate of 13.9% from 2019 to 2024; it’s currently valued at US$334 million. Ramani said Mars plans to have Iams available in the top 30 Indian cities by pet ownership by the end of 2020.

NAVC launches new advocacy program, online conference platform

NAVC, publisher of Veterinary Advantage, announced the launch of “embrace,” an advocacy program that aims to bring together veterinary professionals and pet owners. The program is beginning by focusing on three bills: “National Animal Rescue Day,” the “Strengthening Support for Veterans with Service Animals Act,” and the “PAWS Act.” And coinciding with the recent VMX conference, NAVC has officially launched VMX Virtual, the year-round online “exhibition hall” featuring presenters from the in-person conference as well as other new exhibits, webinars and products for virtual attendees. Registration is free for visitors to the in-person conference.

Federal government may tighten restrictions on service animals on planes

The U.S. Department of Transportation is considering tightening the rules for taking service animals on planes after customer complaints and lobbying from airlines who think current regulations are too lenient, NPR reports. The department would no longer require airlines to consider emotional support animals to be service animals, as they have in the past. It would also require additional paperwork for service dogs, a move some disability advocates question. According to Taylor Garland, a spokesperson for the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the union has seen an exponential increase in emotional support animals over the last five years, but they believe people who don’t actually need their animals for emotional support when they travel sometimes abuse the system. The department said in a statement that it “wants to ensure that individuals with disabilities can continue using their service animals while also reducing the likelihood that passengers wishing to travel with their pets on aircraft will be able to falsely claim their pets are service animals.”

Elanco raises $1.3B to fund Bayer deal

Elanco Animal Health said it raised more than $1.3 billion through public equity offerings to help fund its pending $7.6 billion acquisition of Bayer’s animal health unit. Elanco said it priced an upsized offering of about 22.7 million common shares at $32 apiece and an offering of 11 million 5% tangible equity units at $50 each. The company had previously planned to sell about 19.2 million common shares, and officials said they expect to complete the offerings January 27.