Weekly companion animal news: May 1, 2023

Colorado advocates push for new veterinary team position and expanded telehealth

As Colorado’s legislative session ends, a coalition of animal welfare advocates say they’ll try again next year to persuade lawmakers to create a new veterinary team position and enable broader use of telehealth. If created, the new position—known as a veterinary professional assistant—would be an intermediate position between technicians and veterinarians. These professionals would be allowed to initiate treatment and perhaps prescribe medications and perform minor surgeries, said Rachel Heatley, advocacy director at the Dumb Friends League. The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association opposes the creation of the new position and said telehealth should only be used within an existing veterinarian-client-patient relationship, CBS Colorado reports.

Lyme disease risk continues to expand to new areas of the United States: CAPC

Lyme disease risk is higher than ever as black-legged ticks expand to new geographical areas, according to the 11^th annual parasite forecast from the Companion Animal Parasite Council. Increasing prevalence of Lyme disease can be attributed to several factors, including pet rehoming. Disease risk continues to expand south and west outside historically high-risk areas in the Northeast and Upper Midwest, CAPC reports.

Arizona aims to expand its veterinarian population as the nation faces a shortfall

As the U.S. veterinary profession faces a shortfall of doctors, efforts underway in Arizona aim to fill the state’s gap. A law passed last year provides up to $100,000 in student loan reimbursement for new veterinarians who work in the state for at least four years. Arizona didn’t have its first veterinary medical college until 2012, when Midwestern University opened a four-year program in Glendale. The University of Arizona followed in 2020 with a three-year program. Together, the two schools plan to graduate about 230 veterinarians this year, and officials said they get more applications than they can accommodate. Cronkite News reports.

North Carolina State University opens Feline Health Center

The North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine will host a symposium April 29-30 to mark the opening of its Feline Health Center. The new facility aims to advance innovative research and expert clinical care for cats. It will focus on the one hand on allowing veterinarians to share research with each other and, on the other hand, on serving cat owners. “The goal is to address topics on the real-life questions we get from cat owners,” said Dr. Alex Lynch, a co-director of the center. Fellow NAVC publication Today’s Veterinary Business reports.

FDA approves Boehringer Ingelheim’s NexGard COMBO feline parasite treatment

The FDA has approved Boehringer Ingelheim’s NexGard COMBO, which the company says is the first and only feline broad-spectrum protection against fleas, ticks and other parasites. The topical solution, applied monthly, contains the active ingredients esafoxolaner to kill fleas and ticks; eprinomectin to prevent heartworm disease and treat and control roundworms and hookworms; and praziquantel to treat and control tapeworms.

Minnesota animal health board issues canine influenza guidance as cases grow

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health has released new canine influenza guidance for dog owners, dog care facilities and veterinarians as officials track new confirmed and suspected cases of the disease. Four more cases of canine influenza have been confirmed outside the original outbreak announced April 6 involving nearly 200 sick dogs. There are also strong indicators of community spread of canine influenza in the Twin Cities, according to the animal health board. The new guidance can be found in the announcement from the board.

Purina seeks research proposals for projects studying human-animal bond

Purina is seeking grant proposals for its Purina Sponsorship for Human-Animal Bond studies program. The program provides up to $30,000 per project to researchers studying the human-animal bond. Applications are open until July 15. Preference will be given to projects exploring the potential benefits of the human-pet bond in the areas of mental health, shelter pets and adoption, and pets and youth.

Virginia Tech program aims to help veterinarians transition to new careers in government and industry

A program at Virginia Tech is trying to help veterinarians around the country move into new areas of veterinary medicine beyond private practice, such as government or industry. “We view our work in career transition as a service to the profession,” said Valerie Ragan, director of the Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. The center offers a career transition workshop for veterinarians on Zoom. It’s seeking recognition as a National Center for Excellence.