Weekly companion animal news: June 1, 2020

Metro area practices see bigger hit during pandemic than rural practices, data shows

Practices in large metropolitan areas are taking a bigger hit during the pandemic while practices in rural areas are faring better, even posting growth in some cases, new data shows. The data comes from VetWatch, a project of Vet Advantage publisher NAVC and other partners. Total revenue is generally down in major metropolitan areas, particularly Boston, Today’s Veterinary Practice (also published by NAVC) reports. The city has seen a 16.5% decline in year-to-date revenue compared with last year. That said, Phoenix has actually seen 6% growth, while Seattle has had 4.8% growth. VetWatch tracks data across the country, compiling survey responses from practices. It recently added a parasiticide category to its data points.

NY lifts veterinary restrictions, but many practices continue curbside care

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said veterinary services would now be allowed to open in all regions of the state without restrictions. Local ABC station NEWS10 reached out to several hospitals in the Albany area and found that many will continue operating with curbside service despite the governor lifting the order. “At this point, what we’re going to do is continue on with curbside and slowly start to allow practice to resume as normal, but we’re going to take it day by day,” said Dr. Lexi Becker, owner of The Animal Hospital in Slingerlands. Becker said many practices are following guidance from the New York State Veterinary Medical Society.

Social work expands in veterinary hospitals

Veterinary social work is still an early-stage field, with only a few hundred people in the United States trained in the work, according to one specialist. But with the onset of COVID-19, it’s become particularly important. “We attend to the human needs that arise at the intersection of veterinary and social work practice,” said Elizabeth B. Strand, founding director of veterinary social work and associate professor at the University of Tennessee. National hospital operator BluePearl announced last August that it was partnering with the University of Tennessee to train social workers for careers in specialty and emergency veterinary medicine. As part of the agreement, BluePearl will help place students enrolled in UT’s postgraduate veterinary social work certificate program. The AVMA has the story.

COVID-19 shows why human and animal experts should work together more, vets say

Two New Hampshire veterinarians here explain why they see the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of how veterinarians and doctors who treat humans need to work more together. “I think we’ve got a lot to offer in terms of research that is already underway, that’s already being worked on, that could then be applied to human medicine,” Dr. Sabrina Estabrook-Russett told New Hampshire Public Radio. Vets know a lot about animal-borne diseases, including those that jump from animals to humans, she said. Additionally, veterinarians “do a lot of the same work with intubation and managing patients on respirators and even triaging and taking vitals. I think it’s not inherently different, just because the feathers or the scales or the skin might be a bit different.”

AVMA webinar offers guidance on PPP application

A free webinar from the AVMA offers a guided explanation of the new Paycheck Protection Program application. The webinar, led by accountant Terry O’Neil, will help practice leaders determine what information they’ll need to complete the forgiveness application and get answers to commonly asked questions about the process, according to the association. It’s the latest in a series of webinars on the AVMA’s Axon platform to help vets navigate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

New SoundByte video featuring Churu Veterinarian Formula

Inaba Foods and Clipper Distributing have launched Churu Veterinarian Formula, an appetite stimulator for cats. The all-natural puree comes in chicken and tuna flavors, with a 12 kcal option, called Churu Nourish, and a 4 kcal option, called Churu Diet. Churu Nourish provides sufficient nourishment and high palatability to help stimulate cats’ appetite, according to Clipper. View the Vet Advantage SoundByte video here.

North American pet health insurance market surpassed $1.71B in 2019, new report shows

North America’s pet health insurance sector reached $1.717 billion last year, according to a new report from the North American Pet Health Insurance Association. That was a 21% increase from the year before. “Last year, over 2.81 million pets were insured across North America, which represents a 16% increase over 2018,” Kristen Lynch, NAPHIA’s executive director, said in the announcement. “Over the past five years, our industry has experienced double-digit increases, with the U.S. average annual growth rate coming in at 22.6%, while Canada’s annual growth rate was 15.4%,” said Rick Faucher, president of NAPHIA’s board of directors. “All indicators point to continued growth in our sector even in 2020, despite some of the COVID-related challenges our market and others continue to face.”

FDA approves generic animal drug for broad spectrum parasite protection in cats

The FDA has approved Imoxi Topical Solution for Cats, the first generic version of a topical imidaclopris and moxidectin product for several indications, the agency reported. Those indications include: the prevention of heartworm disease; the killing of adult fleas and treatment of flea infestations; the treatment and control of ear mite infestations; and certain life cycle phases of hookworm and roundworm intestinal parasites. The drug is made by Vetoquinol (which also makes an FDA-approved version for dogs) and is available by prescription only, according to the FDA.