Weekly Companion Animal News: September 23, 2024
Elanco enters canine dermatology market with Zenrelia
Elanco Animal Health Incorporated announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Zenrelia™, a once-daily oral JAK inhibitor for control of pruritus (itching) associated with allergic dermatitis and control of atopic dermatitis in dogs at least 12 months of age. The approval enters Elanco into the estimated $1.7 billion global canine dermatology market.
Purina and UC Davis to advance urinary tract health in pets
A Nestlé Purina PetCare grant of nearly $1 million over five years will support the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine’s G.V. Ling Urinary Stone Analysis Laboratory (USAL) to investigate the relationship between diet, environmental and patient factors in canine and feline urinary health. It will also allow companion animal veterinarians to provide free urinary stone analysis results to their patients.
Zoetis to introduce cartridge-based hematology analyzer
Zoetis Inc., Parsippany, New Jersey, announced it is set to unveil its new hematology analyzer Vetscan OptiCell™, a cartridge-based, AI-powered diagnostic tool that uses cell-focusing and AI-powered classification technology for Complete Blood Count analysis, delivering reference lab quality accuracy at the point of care, according to the company.
Colorado to study feasibility of Peticaid
A legislative study bill being considered in Colorado would allow for research to be done to determine the feasibility of Peticaid, a proposed federal- and state-supported subsidy that would be a supplement to Medicaid and allow households currently on Medicaid to add pets to their coverage. The study would examine the number of pets involved, projected cost of the program and federal collaboration.
Petcurean expands U.S. distribution through PFX
Starting in mid-October, Petcurean’s pet food products —including Go! Solutions, Now Fresh, and Summit — will be available across all major regions of distributor Pet Food Experts: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Ohio Valley, Midwest, Mountain, Pacific Northwest, and West.
Petlibro introduces RFID fountain
San Jose, California-based Petlibro introduced the Dockstream RFID Smart Fountain, said to help multipet owners ensure their cats properly hydrated. Backed by RFID recognition technology, the fountain can track each pet’s volume, frequency, and duration of water intake with RFID collar tags. All the data can be viewed through the Petlibro app.
Midlevel practitioner certification draws scrutiny
If Colorado voters approve a ballot measure creating a new midlevel practitioner – the veterinary professional associate (VPA) – the profession might see an influx of VPAs who will be “woefully undertrained and unprepared to do any kind of surgery,” Colorado Rep. Karen McCormick, a veterinarian from Longmont, told AVMA News. A better way to improve access to care would be to leverage credentialed veterinary technicians (CrVTs) and veterinary technician specialists (VTSs), she said.
Pets Best Life, Seraphina Therapeutics launch Longevity15
Pet’s Best Life and Seraphina Therapeutics announced the launch of Longevity15 powered by fatty15, designed to slow biological mechanisms of aging and aid in protecting cells and enhancing a dog’s quality of life. At the heart of Longevity15 is fatty15’s pure C15:0 ingredient, also called pentadecanoic acid.
