Hospital Workers Approve Union Contract
The National Veterinary Professionals Union reported ratification of the first collective bargaining agreement at All Creatures Animal Hospital in Bremerton, Washington. The practice is owned by Cara Veterinary Corp. The two-year agreement covering about 23 employees includes more paid time off and a policy regarding abusive clients, said Liz Hughston, president of the National Veterinary Professionals Union. “There is now a tiered wage system, with clear processes for how workers can increase their pay, and most workers received pay increases, some substantial,” she added. The workers also are represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
Purina Pro Plan Teams Up With APOP
Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets has been named the first charter sponsor of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. According to the new partners, Purina will help the association continue its obesity research and assist with marketing. “Given our knowledge of pet nutrition and its role in the pet-owner relationship, as well as our commitment to reducing the incidence of pet obesity, we look forward to supporting APOP in their expanded efforts to reach veterinary professionals and pet owners,” said Jason Gagné, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition), the director of veterinary communications for Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets.
Register Now for Hill’s Global Symposium
Hill’s Pet Nutrition will host the annual Hill’s Global Symposium, a live and on-demand veterinary education event, on Sept. 25 and 26. Among the scheduled topics are early detection and diagnosis, supportive care for the cancer patient, and how to build a partnership with pet owners. Registration is free and available at bit.ly/3sTYrLd.
3 More University Hospitals Accept CareCredit
Synchrony Bank’s CareCredit credit card is now accepted at 28 university veterinary hospitals, including the latest partners: Virginia-Maryland, the University of Missouri and Oregon State University. “Our hope is that with CareCredit, more of our clients will be able to move forward with the treatments their pets need,” said Drema Foster, the director of clinical business operations at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.
Bionote USA Now Offers Equine Tests
Bionote USA, the manufacturer of quantitative point-of-care veterinary analyzers and biomarker tests, now serves the equine market with the introduction of equine progesterone and equine Serum Amyloid A (SAA) tests. According to Bionote USA, Equine SAA measures Serum Amyloid A, a biomarker that increases rapidly in horses when a pathological phenomenon, such as infection, tissue damage or an inflammatory disorder, occurs.
Small Door Wants to Get Bigger
The membership-based Small Door Veterinary network plans to expand into Maryland, Virginia and Illinois and open additional hospitals in New York, Washington and Boston. “With an aggressive national expansion plan, Small Door will open 10 hospitals over the next six quarters to bring the total portfolio to 19 practices.” the company reported. Small Door also announced three executive appointments: Dr. Jamie Richardson (chief medical officer), Kristin Hackett (vice president of people) and Richard Dandridge (vice president of finance).
ACVIM Starts Fellowship Program
The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine has launched the Fellowship Program, an initiative designed to advance veterinary expertise and foster collaborative excellence in internal medicine. Details are at bit.ly/44RjeMP.
Tick Project Focuses on Northern New England
Three universities are teaming up to develop a tick surveillance system covering northern New England. The work will establish baseline data on where different ticks exist, their numbers, and what pathogens they may carry across diverse vertebrate hosts. The partners are the University of New Hampshire, the University of Vermont and the University of Maine.
Trupanion Hires Qureshi as CFO
Fawwad Qureshi will join Trupanion pet health insurance as the company’s chief financial officer starting Sept. 25. He most recently served with Expedia Group as the senior vice president of finance and the CFO of brands.
Colorado Incentivizes Rural Work
Colorado is accepting applications for the expanded Veterinary Education Loan Repayment Program, which provides up to $90,000 in loan relief to six veterinarians who agree to work in rural communities with food animal medicine needs. Preference will go to graduates of the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Learn more at col.st/ZXuvu.
2 Practices Join Pieper Veterinary
Pieper Veterinary, a Connecticut-based network of primary, specialty and emergency care veterinary hospitals, is partnering with two more practices: Mass-RI Veterinary ER in Swansea, Massachusetts, and Metropolitan Veterinary Associates in Norristown, Pennsylvania. “These valued partnerships bring over 60 additional emergency and specialty veterinarians into the Pieper Veterinary network,” the company stated.