Weekly companion animal news: September 7, 2020

Zoetis launches pain awareness education tools for pet owners

Zoetis is sponsoring the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management’s Animal Pain Awareness Month in September to encourage education of pet owners on osteoarthritis. Zoetis has created osteoarthritis checklists for dogs and cats to help owners identify signs of OA that can be difficult to detect at home. The checklists can guide pet owners to recognize signs of OA pain in their pets and to visit their veterinarian to confirm the diagnosis and discuss treatment options, according to the announcement. “As osteoarthritis is a progressive disease, we created our OA checklists to help owners be able to identify signs of pain in their pets regularly, and so their veterinarians have the tools to help ensure the pets are as comfortable as possible,” said Sam Gilbert, medical lead at Zoetis Petcare. Animal Pain Awareness Month coincides with human medicine’s Pain Awareness Month.

Worm Wars initiative targets heartworm, roundworms and hookworms

Boehringer Ingelheim is expanding a heartworm preventive initiative to include roundworms and hookworms. The Worm Wars initiative challenges veterinary clinics to start 20 new dogs on heartworm preventives or 20 lapsed dogs back on prevention during each month in 2020. Heartworm 2020 led to 58,800 previously unprotected dogs receiving preventives. Boehringer Ingelheim’s Heartgard Plus is formulated to kill developing heartworm larvae, and to treat and control roundworms and hookworms. Clinics that log in at HeartgardClinic.com and then download and submit Worm Wars tracking sheets will be eligible to win prizes. Client handouts are also available explaining the danger and prevention of intestinal parasites.

Boehringer Ingelheim introduces once-daily ProZinc for dogs

Boehringer Ingelheim announced that its prescription medication ProZinc can be injected once a day to reduce hyperglycemia and hyperglycemia-associated clinical signs in most diabetic dogs. The FDA approved the use of ProZinc (protamine zinc recombinant human insulin) in dogs in early 2019. It’s been long prescribed for cats and administered at 12-hour intervals. “Once-daily dosing with ProZinc is a breakthrough for pet owners with diabetic dogs,” said Grant Beckett, senior associate director of technical marketing at Boehringer Ingelheim.

Royal Canin backs WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee

Pet nutrition company Royal Canin has partnered with the World Small Animal Veterinary Association to support the Global Nutrition Committee. According to WSAVA, the committee serves as a source of nutritional information and recommendations for veterinary health care teams and the public to understand the importance of nutrition in companion animal health. The GNC offers a regularly updated toolkit of resources for veterinary teams, including educational content for pet owners, and it promotes a nutritional assessment on every animal at every visit. It also advocates for the inclusion of nutrition as a component in all veterinary and veterinary nurse/technician curricula.

Researchers examine turmeric as potential uveitis treatment in dogs

A Texas A&M professor is looking to the turmeric plant, a member of the ginger family, as a potential anti-inflammatory treatment for uveitis in dogs. The condition causes inflammation inside the eye that can lead to discomfort and sensitivity to the light, said Erin Scott, an assistant professor in Texas A&M’s veterinary medicine college. Uveitis is a leading cause of complications after cataract surgery in dogs, according to Scott, and the management of postoperative inflammation inside the eye is a major challenge in both veterinary and human ophthalmology. Scott and her colleagues have investigated the anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin, a compound found in turmeric. They found that when processed to a special formulation that boosts absorption, the natural compound is safe and effective at managing uveitis without any known side effects, according to Texas A&M.

Tufts at Tech Community Clinic shows success eight years in

Eight years since its founding, officials say a Tufts University veterinary outreach program has proved successful. Tufts at Tech Community Veterinary Clinic is a nonprofit partnership between Tufts and the nearby Worcester Technical High School. The small animal outpatient clinic is located at the high school and provides services like microchipping, vaccinations, spaying and neutering, surgery, and dental care at a significant discount for people relying on government assistance programs. Twenty to 30 high school students participate each year, learning medical terminology and animal care skills; all Tufts fourth-year veterinary students must spend at least three weeks at the clinic, which has a small staff as well. The clinic is always busy, with 20 to 30 patients and two or three surgeries a day, said Dr. Kayla Sample, a former clinic intern who went on to help establish a similar program at another high school. VIN News Service reports.

Owners remain faithful to flat-faced dogs despite health troubles, study shows

Despite serious health problems, flat-faced dogs like bulldogs and pugs are still popular among owners, according to a new study. Respiratory disease, breathing issues, eye disease, spinal disease, heatstroke and pneumonia are among the severe disorders that affect these dogs, the research shows. And the dogs live an average of four fewer years than dogs with longer muzzles. Some veterinarians consider the health of flat-faced (brachycephalic) dogs too compromised to continue their breeding. Still, the popularity of flat-faced dogs has soared in the past decade, suggesting the dogs will continue to be bred despite their significant health risks.

Pet ownership expected to grow in the United States, study finds

More than half of American households have pets, and that number is rising, according to a new report. The report, from Packaged Facts, found that 68 million households, or 54%, have pets. Packaged Facts projects 4% growth in the pet ownership households base in 2020, bringing the total number of pet-owning households in the country to nearly 71 million. “Robust growth” is expected in the number of dog-owning and cat-owning households, who, combined, make up 96% of pet-owning households overall, according to the study.