Weekly companion animal news: January 31, 2022

Veterinarians urge pet vaccinations as pet owner resistance grows

Pet owner resistance to vaccines has grown in recent years, fueled by a parallel anti-vaccination movement in humans, The New York Times reports. The phenomenon has been studied academically. For example, a study published last year in the Canadian Veterinary Journal found an association between the organized movement against mandatory vaccines for children and vaccine opposition among pet owners. A study last spring found that many vaccine skeptics appeared to link treatment for their dogs with concerns about childhood vaccines causing autism in humans, a theory that lacks scientific merit. The conflation occurs because many people consider their pets to be part of the family, said Dr. Jeanette O’Quin, an associate professor at Ohio State University. One recent study found the sentiment is even stronger among pet owners who don’t have children. Veterinarians say pet vaccine hesitancy is worrying, since vaccines protect individual pets but also help eliminate diseases at the population level—including ones that can jump to people.

Petco shops will open in some Lowe’s home improvement stores, with veterinary services

Petco shops will soon appear inside Lowe’s home improvement stores, offering products like dog food and cat litter, as well as veterinary visits. The first pilot location will open near San Antonio in early February, with 14 additional locations planned in Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina by the end of March, CNBC reports. Petco’s chief merchandising officer, Nick Konat, said he expects the shops will be popular with millennial shoppers, many of whom have purchased homes and adopted pets during the pandemic. “They’re a high-spend customer, and they really take care of their pet like their family,” he said. “And they’ve also been doing the same with their homes, with a lot of them being new homeowners or new renters.”

Galaxy Vets calls for amendments to veterinary professional oaths recognizing importance of mental well-being

The new veterinary health care system Galaxy Vets has started a petition to revise the language of veterinary oaths to include a commitment for professionals to attend to their own personal health and mental well-being. This would be similar to an amendment made by the World Medical Association to the oath taken by physicians. “Given the current workforce crisis, the oaths taken by veterinarians and technicians also need to be reevaluated,” according to Galaxy Vets. “While the pledges reflect the core values that initially drove veterinary professionals into the field, such as helping animals, these oaths cannot be complete without considering the mental health challenges that modern veterinary professionals face, and the potentially adverse effects these factors can have on their health and their ability to provide high-quality care for their patients.”

Pet food shortages are national, exacerbated by port disruptions: Pet Food Institute CEO

While some parts of the country are more affected by pet food shortages than others, the supply disruption is affecting the whole country, the president and CEO of the Pet Food Institute told Baltimore-based WMAR. “There are some supplements, vitamins and minerals that we don’t even mine in the United States that aren’t available that we have to import, and if you know what’s going on in those ports, especially on the West Coast, that also creates a bottleneck,” said PFI President and CEO Dana Brooks. She said the ongoing aluminum shortage is affecting canned goods, and fish has been harder to source. “I’m very concerned we’re going to see this challenge into 2022 as well,” Brooks said. She recommended pet owners keep a two-week supply of food.

Unusually high levels of deer tick virus found at Pennsylvania park

Officials have detected an unusually high infection rate of the deer tick virus at a Pennsylvania park, WTAJ reports. Out of 25 sampled ticks, 92% (23) tested positive for the virus. The state Department of Environmental Protection said that previously, the highest infection rate found at a single location in Pennsylvania was 11%, and the highest infection rate reported nationally in scientific literature was 25%. “This finding is concerning, and we strongly urge the public to exercise caution and take preventive measures to reduce risk of tick bites and potential infection while [the Department of Environmental Protection] continues to address the situation,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell.

Vetoquinol brings Phovia light therapy system to the United States to treat skin lesions in pets

Vetoquinol USA announced the U.S. launch of the Phovia light therapy system, which the company says helps accelerate natural skin regeneration for most lesions in dogs and cats. Phovia can be used to help heal canine dermatological conditions including surgical incisions, perianal fistulas, interdigital furunculosis, and superficial and deep pyoderma. “There is widespread and growing use of commercial and at-home light therapy devices for human use. Now we are able to bring the benefits of fluorescent light therapy to pets with a clinically proven system,” said Dr. Eric M. Alsup, country manager at Vetoquinol USA. “Phovia can help reduce treatment time for pets with skin lesions, which means less time in cones, e-collars and bandages.”

Covetrus appoints César França as president of global proprietary brands

Covetrus has appointed César França as president of global proprietary brands. França will lead company-wide development and management of brands such as Covetrus, Kruuse, Vi, Roadrunner Pharmacy and Calibra. França has spent the past 20 years at Nestle, where he held multiple positions and led the development of brands across various product categories, according to the announcement.

One surrendered Hong Kong hamster tests positive for COVID-19 as city culls more than 2,200

Hong Kong officials said one hamster surrendered to authorities by pet owners had tested positive for COVID-19 and that more than 2,200 hamsters had been culled in the city’s effort to contain an outbreak, Reuters reports. Officials recently ordered the killing of hamsters from dozens of pet shops after tracing a coronavirus outbreak to a worker at a shop, and they asked people to surrender any hamsters bought on or after December 22. While a handful of hamsters had already tested positive for the virus, the latest case is the first involving a hamster in the care of a pet owner. Despite public criticism of the hamster cull, authorities continued to urge pet owners to turn in their pets. As of January 22, a total of 2,512 animals, including 2,229 hamsters, had been “humanely dispatched,” according to a government statement.