Weekly News - 05/18/2010
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| Veterinary Advantage would like to thank its sponsors in promoting excellence in animal health sales including Abbott Animal Health, Bovie, IDEXX, Intervet/Schering Plough, Merial, Midmark, Ethicon/Novartis, Sempermed, and UltiCare. |
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Publishers Note New videos available on vet-advantage.com! |
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Top Stories Webster Veterinary donates educational software to students Intercell and Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica enter strategic partnership Sanofi, Merck prepare for possible animal-health sell-off Groups encourage smokers to stop - for their pet’s sake Nutramax Laboratories to relocate to South Carolina Pet owners can decipher cat’s mood by body language Study hints obedient dogs live longer |
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Products to Watch Welch Allyn Green SeriesTM Medical Exam Light promotion to veterinarians runs through June 30, 2010 |
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Events CATalyst Council partners with American Humane to celebrate Adopt-A-Cat Month® |
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Worth Watching PetMed Express reports record financial results for fiscal 2010 PetSmart and GNC to launch pet supplements |
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Publishers Note |
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New videos available on vet-advantage.com! Visit the Vet-Advantage website and watch the first in a four part series of Publisher Chris Kelly’s interview with Brian Sullivan, author of Twenty Days to the Top. Click here to watch the video. |
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Top Stories |
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Webster Veterinary donates educational software to students Webster Veterinary recently donated its Diagnostic Imaging Atlas (DIA) 4.1 client education software to veterinary students at the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine. Every member of the 2011 senior class received a copy of DIA 4.1 Small Animal and Equine software, which assists practitioners in explaining medical conditions to clients through 3D animations, video content, virtual anatomy files and more. Webster Veterinary Director of Technology Matt Russell also noted that faculty members at Purdue University were instrumental in contributing content and reviewing the initial software concept of Webster’s recently released DIA 4.1 Equine software. “At Webster, we are excited to partner with our universities and faculties to expose students to the most innovative, practice-building technologies,” Russell said. He added that Webster plans to roll out an expanded DIA student program soon. |
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Intercell and Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica enter strategic partnership Intercell AG announced that it has entered into a worldwide Option and Exclusive License Agreement under which Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica has the right to use certain antigens derived from Intercell’s Antigen Identification Program (AIP®) to develop animal vaccines. Under the agreement, Intercell will receive upfront, option and milestone payments as well as royalties on product net sales. “Having partnered a number of our vaccine candidates derived from our AIP® with leading human vaccine players such as Merck and Novartis, we are very pleased to leverage the value of this successful technology also with a major animal vaccine company like Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica. This will allow us to further potentiate the technology and explore its technological and economical power beyond the area of human health”, stated Gerd Zettlmeissl, CEO of Intercell. “We are pleased to partner with Intercell and to gain access to attractive vaccine targets generated by AIP®. We are committed to develop innovative vaccines to meet the urgent needs for the benefit of animal health,” stated Joachim Hasenmaier, CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica. |
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Sanofi, Merck prepare for possible animal-health sell-off According to Reuters, Sanofi-Aventis and Merck & Co are preparing to sell parts of the world’s largest veterinary drugs operation, offering smaller players in the $19-billion animal health industry a last clear chance to “bulk up.” Merck’s $46-billion merger with Schering-Plough last year gave it the latter’s Intervet/Schering Plough Animal Health business, which it is now combining with Sanofi’s Merial in a joint venture with $5.3 billion in sales. As part of that process, the two drugmakers are now looking to shed assets worth several hundreds of millions of dollars, as they await regulatory approval for creating a group that would hold 29 percent of the global animal health market, Reuters reported. |
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Groups encourage smokers to stop - for their pet’s sake According to an article in USA Today, veterinarians are warning smokers of the dangers to their pets. Studies have shown that toxins in secondhand smoke can cause lung and nasal cancer in dogs and malignant lymphoma in cats. Smoking-cessation programs, including Utah Tobacco Prevention and Control, Breathe New Hampshire and smokefreesociety.org, have posted fact sheets or printable fliers on their websites. Some groups are sharing information where animal aficionados gather, including at last month’s Dachshund Dash in Oklahoma City, where the Oklahoma County Tobacco Use Prevention Coalition warned of secondhand smoke’s dangers to dogs. And the ASPCA last month linked up with American Legacy Foundation, a stop-smoking group, to spread the word to the pet lovers of the world. “The evidence is striking,” Steven Hansen of the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center, told USA Today. “Most veterinarians believe pretty strongly secondhand smoke presents a strong danger to dogs and cats with pre-existing respiratory problems,” he says. “And extrapolating, why would you expose a healthy animal?” |
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Nutramax Laboratories to relocate to South Carolina Nutramax Laboratories Inc. and Nutramax Manufacturing Inc. are planning to locate new operations in Lancaster, S.C., Pet Product News reported. The move will allow the nutraceutical developer to increase its production capacity for new and existing products in its veterinary and consumer divisions. Nutramax will invest about $12.5 million in acquiring, updating and expanding existing facilities. The move will also create more than 200 new jobs over the next five years, according to Gov. Mark Sanford, who made the announcement May 11, 2010 with the South Carolina Department of Commerce and the Lancaster County Economic Development Corp. Nutramax expects to begin operations this fall and hopes to start hiring within the next 90 days. |
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Pet owners can decipher cat’s mood by body language According to a WebMD article, pet owners can learn a lot about their cat’s state of mind by reading body language. Cats are very expressive animals, using all parts of their bodies to communicate what they’re feeling. According to the article, cats often use their tails to communicate their moods. “For example, a calm and happy cat holds her tail either relaxed or upright. Drooping tails usually signify unhappiness or impending illness.” A cat’s ears reveal emotions and upcoming actions. Ears perked up mean she’s curious and interested. A cat’s eyes dilate and widen with changing moods. “If your cat looks at you with eyelids fluttering and drooping, it’s an indication of her trust in you. Wide-open eyes indicate alertness and increased awareness.” In order to truly understand a cat’s frame of mind, the article said, a pet owner must observe her entire body and put the pieces together. “For example, when cats are happy and content, they will blink their eyes slowly, knead their paws and purr.” |
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Study hints obedient dogs live longer According to a new study by a Quebec research team, there are strong correlations between dog breeds’ typical personalities, how long they live, and how much food they eat. This study contributes to the growing body of research revealing that personality is related to many crucial aspects of an animal’s life - such as its energy needs, growth rate, age of first reproduction, and lifespan - and takes us a step closer to understanding the evolutionary causes and consequences of different personality types. A team led by Vincent Careau, a PhD student at University of Sherbrooke, gathered data on many aspects of dog biology published in disparate fields of study such as psychology, longevity, and veterinary research. The information was well known in the respective research domains, yet they were never put together. By doing so, the authors show that obedient breeds - on average - live longer than disobedient breeds. They also show that aggressive breeds have higher energy expenditure. This study hints at the existence of underlying genetic linkages between personality, metabolism, and longevity - meaning that selection for personality traits also invokes unintentional results on energetic and life history traits. |
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Products to Watch |
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Welch Allyn Green SeriesTM Medical Exam Light promotion to veterinarians runs through June 30, 2010 Welch Allyn announced a new medical exam light promotion that offers a select Welch Allyn product to veterinarians for free with the purchase of a new Green SeriesTM GS 300, GS 600 or GS 900 Medical Exam Light through authorized veterinary distributors. The promotion runs through June 30, 2010. In addition, for each customer redemption submitted to Welch Allyn, authorized Welch Allyn distributor representatives will earn a chance to win one of three new Apple iPads®. The white LEDs used in the Welch Allyn Green SeriesTM Medical Exam Lights provide true tissue color rendition and a uniform spot - no dark or hot spots - and minimal heat dissipation for greater patient comfort and safety. The touchless on/off and intensity control features reduce the risk of spreading nosocomial and zoonotic infections, and the ergonomic design simplifies cleaning. They are among the first medical exam lights offered domestically that feature energy-efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs), as opposed to halogen lamps. The new lights do not require bulb replacement and produce bright, white light with a color temperature of 5,500ºK, providing a superior light that offers industry-leading lumen performance and 50,000 hours of life. |
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Events |
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CATalyst Council partners with American Humane to celebrate Adopt-A-Cat Month® The CATalyst Council and American Humane are partnering to promote June as “Adopt-A-Cat” Month. In addition to 20,000 kits being distributed to shelters and veterinarians, posters, cat care tips, and other online resources are available online. Veterinary teams will be able to use the shelter and veterinary resources to promote cat health through increased adoptions, a great veterinary office poster and other Adopt-A-Cat-Month® materials. Look for details on line beginning May 20, 2010 at www.catalystcouncil.org and in the next issue of It’s All About the Cat on June 1 with links to all the Adopt-A- Cat Month® materials. |
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Worth Watching |
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PetMed Express reports record financial results for fiscal 2010 PetMed Express, Inc. announced its financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010. Net income was $26.0 million. Net sales for the year ended March 31, 2010 were $238.3 million, compared to $219.4 million for the year ended March 31, 2009, an increase of 9%. Mendo Akdag, CEO and President, commented: “We are pleased with our financial performance for the year, which was highlighted by the growth of our internet sales and net income… Our focus in fiscal 2011 is conversion optimization, and the expansion of our product offerings into pet supplies.” |
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PetSmart and GNC to launch pet supplements Pet Product News International reported that PetSmart Inc. and General Nutrition Centers Inc. (GNC) plan to launch a line of dietary supplements this fall for dogs and cats. The new line will be available exclusively at PetSmart stores and on the company’s website. “These specially formulated supplements will give our pet parents another unique offering to help them keep their pets healthy and happy and another reason to shop our stores,” said Matt McAdam, vice president of merchandising for PetSmart. “Working with GNC, the leader in dietary supplements, gives us the opportunity to offer pets and pet parents a superior nutritional product.” |
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