APPA: $69.51 billion spent on pets last year
The American Pet Products Association reported that overall spending in the pet industry reached a record $69.51 billion in 2017. Announced at Global Pet Expo, the figure surpassed the 2016 number by nearly $3 billion, a 4 percent increase. The APPA’s annual report covers pet spending in the categories of food, supplies and over-the-counter medications, veterinary care, live animal purchases and other services.
PetSmart is open to non-Banfield clinics
The PetSmart retail chain, home to hundreds of Banfield Pet Hospitals, has 188 locations available for aspiring clinic owners in 40 states, Puerto Rico and British Columbia, according to VIN News Service. Some of the vacant spaces once were inhabited by a now-closed Banfield clinic. PetSmart made its quest public at WVC in Las Vegas.
PetIQ adds two board members
PetIQ Inc. expanded its board of directors from six to eight members with the appointments of Susan Sholtis and Larry R. Bird. Sholtis has served as global marketing head in the Health Division at Reckitt Benckiser since 2017 and previously was head of North America commercial operations at Merial Ltd. Bird retired as a senior audit partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP.
Pathway Vet Alliance pledges donations
Pathway Vet Alliance, a national veterinary hospital management group, will donate a total of $3,000 to the American Humane Association, the American Veterinary Medical Foundation’s Veterinary Care Charitable Fund and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Zoetis Scholarship program surpasses $6 million
Zoetis Inc. and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges announced the awarding of $630,000 for 2018 through the Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship Program. Now in its ninth year, the program gave $2,000 to 315 second- and third-year veterinary students representing 33 colleges of veterinary medicine.
United Airlines reviews pet transport program
According to the Los Angeles Times, United Airlines stopped accepting new reservations to ship pets in cargo compartments but will honor existing bookings. The airline announced plans to conduct a “thorough and systematic review” and make needed improvements after a 10-month-old French bulldog died in an overhead bin.
Street Dog Coalition provides free veterinary care
USA Today profiled Fort Collins, Colorado, veterinarian Jon Geller, DVM, DABVP, who provides free care to dogs and cats living on the streets with their owners. Dr. Geller is at the Sister Mary Alice Murphy Center for Hope every Tuesday as part of the Street Dog Coalition, a 3-year-old nonprofit group. Although the public has mixed feelings about helping the homeless, “almost everyone wants to help their pets, who have had little choice in their life on the streets,” Dr. Geller said. Read the story at https://usat.ly/2GtKTMI.
University of Missouri to offer online MPH degree
According to Bovine Veterinarian, the University of Missouri is accepting applications for the nation’s first online master’s degree in veterinary public health. The program is for people who want to lead global and regional efforts in food safety and zoonotic disease prevention. Demand for public health professionals in the specialization is expected to grow, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.