Weekly companion animal news: July 31, 2023

AVMA delegates call for more guidance on spectrum of care

The AVMA’s annual summer meeting in Denver opened the door for a discussion among 136 delegates looking for guidance on how to implement a spectrum of care approach in practice, the VIN News Service reports. The concept has arisen in recent years to refer to an array of treatment options that recognizes the diverse needs of clients and their pets. The continuum ranges from basic, affordable and often non-invasive, low-tech care to advanced and usually more costly and invasive care. The House of Delegates, the AVMA’s main policymaking body, asked the association to research the topic to develop policies and guidance on how to implement the concept, with the help of organizations such as the American Association of Veterinary State Boards and the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges.

Project Street Vet expands, offering free veterinary care in another California city

Pet insurance provider Fetch and Project Street Vet announced the launch of a new Street Vet team to support the Santa Cruz area, with Dr. Vanessa Padilla as lead veterinary volunteer. According to the announcement, Padilla will ensure the delivery of free veterinary care such as exams, vaccines and life-saving surgeries to the pets of people experiencing homelessness or housing vulnerability in the community. This is the fifth city expansion and eighth lead vet volunteer for Project Street Vet launched with the support of Fetch as the title sponsor. It’s the second new community launched in 2023.

Golden Retriever Lifetime Study reaches 500 cumulative diagnoses of four major canine cancers

Morris Animal Foundation’s Golden Retriever Lifetime Study has reached 500 cumulative diagnoses of four major cancers in dogs, the foundation announced. This comes 11 years after the study’s inception. “We have recorded over 500 cases of hemangiosarcoma, lymphoma, high-grade mast cell tumor and osteosarcoma in this group of golden retrievers,” said chief program officer Kathy Tietje. “This is a sobering and significant finding for the study.” While the initial cohort of 3,044 dogs has decreased to 1,653, the foundation continues to follow all study dog participants for the rest of their lives regardless of disease or diagnoses.

East Texas heat brings more fleas for pets

Extreme temperatures in East Texas have led to an uptick in fleas, CBS 19 reports. The flea situation is roughly 25% worse this summer than past summers, according to Animal Medical Center of Tyler veterinarian Dr. Joy Neely. She says this year is the worst she’s seen in her 20 years in the area. Whereas in past years she has seen flea allergy dermatitis, this summer she has seen animals dying from fleas. Her advice: Even if pet owners don’t see fleas, they should keep their pets on flea prevention in Texas year-round.

Pet treat sales in 2022 were fueled by inflation: Packaged Facts

U.S. retail sales of pet treats—including sales through brick-and-mortar stores and online retailers—reached $11 billion in 2022, according to Packaged Facts’ Pet Treats Chews in the U.S., 5th Edition report. Growth in the pet treats market has slowed since the large pandemic-era increases in 2020 and 2021, with much of the growth in 2022 fueled by inflation-related price increases rather than by growth in unit sales, according to Packaged Facts. Online sales make up the largest portion of pet treat sales at 34%. By type of pet, dog treats represent the majority of sales at 78%, although cat treat sales are increasing at a faster pace. By product type, indulgent treats make up the largest share of the market at 36%, followed by rawhides/long-lasting chews, functional treats and dental treats. Pet Product News has more.

CBD pet products return to Idaho store

CBD pet products have made a comeback at a local Idaho Falls shop. In July 2022, the owner of Nugget CBD received a letter from the Idaho State Department of Agriculture explaining that legislation passed in 2021 legalizing the licensed production and handling of industrial hemp did not apply to hemp-derived animal feed products. Nugget CBD was required to remove pet products from its shelves, including animal treats that made up 25-30% of the store’s business. Over the last eight months, the owner and his team worked with the department to get further clarification of the law. As of July 7, Nugget CBD was approved for an exemption, meaning it can sell pet products again with certain conditions. The product labels can’t make any claims that food products and medical products make, store owner James Rupp told East Idaho News.

University of Missouri embeds mental health providers in veterinary college

Kerry Karaffa is a University of Missouri Counseling Center psychologist who has been embedded within the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine since August 2016, working directly with veterinary students to provide mental health services. He and others like him provide individual counseling for students, graduate students, interns and residents. In addition to the individual work, they also offer consultation for students and staff members. They’ve done seminars on helping others in crisis, assessing suicide risk, evidence-based stress management, substance use, interpersonal effectiveness skills for veterinary practice and more. Especially when veterinary schools aren’t physically close to university counseling centers, having an embedded therapist makes it easier for students and staff to schedule appointments between classes and labs, Karaffa told KBIA.

AAHA offers certificate course on pain management guidelines

The new RACE-approved AAHA Pain Management Guidelines Certificate Course is designed to provide real-life, evidence-guided approaches to veterinary professionals at all skill levels. The course is meant to be easy to understand, with a comprehensive checklist of items for further discussion and implementation. It also offers access to pain assessment tools and client education tools with the intent of helping practice owners and medical directors see the benefit of empowering their veterinary technician staff to be leaders in patient care, especially when it comes to pain management.