 readers, we hope you all had an amazing start to May! Did you know we are still accepting nominations for our annual Hospital Design360 Competition? Each year, veterinary hospitals around the United States enter for a chance to win in one of our now 3 categories, 0-3500 square feet, 3500-8000 sq ft, and then over 8000 sq ft. To learn more and submit your entry today, check out the official contest 

Here is what you can find this week on dvm360.com:

Texas A&M Small Animal Teaching Hospital recently diagnosed Parlay, a black Labrador retriever puppy, with tetanus and the team worked for almost 2 weeks to help get Parlay back into good health.

Two students at Washing State University College of Veterinary Medicine received the Nandi Theriogenology Scholarship, which is awarded to who demonstrate superior potential for clinical and scholarly excellence and leadership in the field for the future.

, host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, welcomes Tom Walsh, DVM, CCRP, MBA, owner of PrimePet Rehabilitation Therapy in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to discuss the whole pet approach in veterinary care.

Thrive Pet Healthcare addressed common myths and provides more information regarding pets and parasite prevention to give clients a better understanding on how prevention protects both pets and clients.

Our "Clinic Center" round up will be available later this week! Be sure to check back later to see clinic openings for veterinary practices, centers, and businesses across the United States.

Articles

Here is a sneak peek at this week’s headlines 

Sneak peek: Black Labrador retriever puppy overcomes tetanus, and other veterinary news

Content submitted by TVC, a dvm360® Strategic Alliance Partner

Spend the Day with TVC and Earn 5 Hours of RACE-Approved CE 

What: 2024 TVC RISEvet™ Virtual CE Conference & Trade Show

Where: Virtual - https://www.accelevents.com/e/2024-tvc-risevet-virtual-1 

When: Sunday, May 19, 2024, from 9:00am - 5:00pm (CT)

Details: TVC RISEvet™ Virtual is offered to TVC Shareholders completely free of charge, thanks to our title sponsor, Merck Animal Health, and our session sponsors at Stratford Animal Care, Royal Canin, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Vetoquinol USA, and Vetstoria.

New this year, non-TVC hospitals and their teams are also invited to participate in this valuable educational experience for a fee. Please enjoy 50% off your registration when you use the code TVC50OFF at checkout. Click 

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A REGISTERED TVC SHAREHOLDER TO ATTEND; however, any independently owned veterinary hospital is eligible to become a TVC Shareholder. 

Use the following link to sign up for a FREE 30-day trial of TVC and receive access to this event: https://theveterinarycooperative.coop/JoinUs/joinUs.php Use discount code TVC-UNIVERSITY to unlock the $1 sign-up fee after your 30-day trial expires.

TVC RISEvet™ Virtual is geared towards helping hospital owners, team leaders, and practice managers achieve success. The event is designed with a curriculum that provides valuable tools and tactics that you can use to maintain and expand your business. RISEvet™ Virtual's schedule offers a full day of education and networking opportunities from the comfort of your own home. Industry experts will share their unique insights and experiences with you, providing a wealth of knowledge to help you learn and grow. 

The event is RACE-approved and offers 5 hours of live, virtual CE.

This event provides a platform for like-minded veterinary professionals to come together for collaboration and support as they strive for success in their practices. Don't miss out on this opportunity! You'll leave feeling energized and equipped with newfound knowledge to implement into your practice. 

We’re delighted to extend this event to the entire veterinary community to foster a broader community of veterinary professionals, encouraging collaboration and providing essential insights for success. Secure your spot today!

It’s a Consensus: All Dogs are at Risk of Leptospirosis, sponsored by Merck Animal Health

50+ Dental Hacks to Skyrocket Your Dental Practice, sponsored by Stratford Animal Care

Hydrolyzed Diet: Theory, Practice, & Real-world Experience, sponsored by Royal Canin

De-Mystifying the Numbers - Understanding Financial Statements, sponsored by Merck

Nutritional Management of Canine Allergic Skin Disease, sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition

Manage Dog Poisonings More Efficiently with ToxBuddy®, sponsored by Vetoquinol

Debunking the Myths of Online Booking, sponsored by Vetstoria

Originally started by four veterinarians, today The Veterinary Cooperative works to give a collective voice to more than 3,400 independent animal hospitals across the United States. As part of our cooperative mission, TVC advocates on behalf of our partnered hospitals and provides value-added savings programs, enhanced business education, and access to scalable hospital resources. TVC is controlled, owned, and driven by like-minded independent veterinarians who band together and believe in the shared success of the Co-op community. When veterinary hospitals join TVC, they become Shareholders along with thousands of others nationwide. Each TVC Shareholder plays a vital role in strengthening the voice of the independent veterinarian.

TVC will be a positive cooperative community of veterinarians and suppliers, who share a vision to provide the best animal care through independent veterinary practices, mutually benefiting all who do business with the Cooperative. TVC will be owned and guided by its independently owned veterinary members and will be managed by professional cooperative personnel. All profits will be returned to TVC member veterinarians in the form of rebate distributions

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Spend the Day with TVC and Earn 5 Hours of RACE-Approved CE

Veterinary business and clinical leaders are integral in driving the success of an organization or hospital. They not only advocate for excellence and innovation but also prioritize maintaining high standards of care for animals. Together, these leaders propel advancement, advocate for best practices, and safeguard the integrity of the veterinary profession.

Various veterinary businesses, organizations, and hospitals recently announced new promotions and appointments. The following individuals are among those making career advancements:

David Sturrus, chief client officer of Banfield Pet Hospital

In a newly created role for Banfield Pet Hospital, based in Vancouver, Washington, David Sturrus has been named the chief client officer of the veterinary hospital network. According to a news release, Sturrus brings 20 years of experience in customer and growth strategy to Banfield.

 In this role, Sturrus will work directly with the organization’s senior leadership team.

"As a passionate pet owner myself, I look forward to having the opportunity to strengthen the client and associate experience so that we can support pets in new, innovative ways and at all stages of life," Sturrus said in the release.

 "This includes enhancing offerings like our signature Optimum Wellness Plan and evolving how and where care is delivered to better meet the needs of pets and the people who love them."

"As we look to expand our impact to deliver quality care to more pets and more clients, I'm thrilled to welcome David to this newly created role to help transform the partnerships we build with pet owners and our caring hospital teams," Mony Iyer, president of Banfield Pet Hospital, said in the release.

Peter Selover, president and chief operating officer of Sage Veterinary Imaging

The previous CEO of Exubrion Therapeutics, Peter Selover, transitions into a new role at Sage Veterinary Imaging (SVI) in Round Rock, Texas, as its president and chief operating officer. According to the company release, Selover will assume responsibility for SVI operations including management, human resources, finance, and veterinary outreach.

 SVI founder, Jaime Sage, DVM, MS, DACVR, will maintain her role and in providing high quality veterinary imaging.

“We are all very excited to welcome Pete to the team. By assuming the business management of the imaging centers, I’m able to focus exclusively on maintaining the highest standards of care in providing human-quality imaging to our patients, and training the next generation of veterinary radiologists,” said Sage in the release.

“My passion is to build successful businesses and work with talented, motivated people in achieving success. Dr Sage and her team are meeting the growing need for higher quality veterinary imaging. My addition to the team will enable her to be laser-focused on excellent patient care. She has a vision for the practice to always push to a higher level of veterinary radiology. I’m excited to be part of the team,” Selover said.

Philip Fox, DVM, MSc, DACVIM/ECVIM (Cardiology), DACVECC, chair of the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center’s Caspary Research Institute

Philip Fox, DVM, MSc, DACVIM/ECVIM (Cardiology), DACVECC

Philip Fox, DVM, MSc, DACVIM/ECVIM (Cardiology), DACVECC, is a senior veterinarian, service head of cardiology, and Vincent Astor chair in comparative medicine for the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center (AMC) in New York, New York, but was additionally promoted to the chair of the hospital’s Caspary Research Institute. In this role, he will lead teams of AMC veterinarians and clinical investigations to study naturally occurring diseases in pets.

“Through his accomplishments as a veterinarian, educator, and researcher, Dr Philip Fox has made important contributions to help advance veterinary medicine. This is one of the fundamental components of AMC’s founding mission,” said Helen M. Irving, RN, MBA, president and CEO of AMC, in a news release.

Fox has over 40 years of experience working in cardiology and research. After undertaking an internship and residency in cardiology at AMC, he transitioned to the hospital staff as a cardiologist. “In my new role at the Caspary Research Institute, I look forward to continuing to work closely with the veterinary teams at AMC to expand the hospital’s impact in the veterinary field through the contribution of clinical research,” said Fox.

Michael Black, chief revenue officer and general manager of consumables for BARK Inc; Michael Parness, chief marketing officer and general manager of Play for BARK Inc

BARK Inc, has announced the appointments of Michael Black as chief revenue officer and general manager of consumables, and Michael Parness as chief marketing officer and general manager of Play.

Prior to his appointment at New York, New York-based BARK, Black has held several roles in the chief executive level at companies including Paragon International Advisors, Outward Hound, Pet Accessories at Walmart, and PetLab Co, all within the pet industry.

Parness has 3 decades of experience in various consumer-packaged goods industries including high-level work with pet companies. He served most recently as the chief marketing officer of JustFoodForDogs.

“We are thrilled to elevate our leadership team with the addition of two proven leaders who bring a wealth of experience across the pet, e-commerce, and retail sectors,” said Matt Meeker, cofounder and CEO of BARK in a company release.

 “Michael Black will orchestrate our consumables strategy in both our direct-to-consumer and retail channels. Michael Parness will oversee our growth in the play category and ensure our brand reaches as many dog households as possible. Together, we believe these additions will be instrumental in raising awareness of our mission and driving multi-channel, cross-category growth.”

Banfield appoints first chief client officer. News release. Banfield Pet Hospital. April 10, 2024. Accessed May 3, 2024. 

https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/banfield-appoints-first-chief-client-officer-302113133.html

Sage Veterinary Imaging welcomes new president. News release. Sage Veterinary Imaging. April 29, 2024. Accessed May 3, 2024. 

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e4dec9334a0ef12a0ea039b/t/6629823bc6fb12549a1f0dc8/1713996347173/Sage+President+release+FINAL.pdf

Schwarzman Animal Medical Center promotes longtime head of cardiology Dr Philip Fox to chair of the Caspary Research Institute. News release. Schwarzman Animal Medical Center. May 1, 2024. Accessed May 3, 2024. 

https://www.amcny.org/press/schwarzman-animal-medical-center-promotes-longtime-head-of-cardiology-dr-philip-fox-to-chair-of-the-caspary-research-institute/

BARK Strengthens Leadership Team With Appointment of Two Pet Industry Leaders. News release. BARK Inc. April 3, 2024. Accessed May 3, 2024. 

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240403587811/en/BARK-Strengthens-Leadership-Team-With-Appointment-of-Two-Pet-Industry-Leaders

Check out the latest news in the veterinary industry with these 5 recent position promotions

Paws and profits: Recent business and clinical appointments (May 5, 2024)

An online pharmacy that provides home delivery for clients has been launched by Bond Vet. The new BondRx service is available in regions where the company operates.

Through the BondRx portal, clients can fill or refill a prescription. Submitted orders will be

reviewed and approved by Bond Vet’s team, before being fulfilled and mailed to the client’s door. Prescriptions for monthly preventives, antibiotics, prescription diets and other therapies are handled by BondRx.

“We’re always thinking through how to better deliver convenient care to our clients—saving

them a trip to the clinic and automated medication refills solve a huge pain point,” Garrett

Lewis, CEO of Bond Vet, said in a news release. “This is yet another step in our reimagining of the veterinary clinic environment and network to better serve our clients and their pets.”

Bond Vet was veterinarian-founded in 2019 with a goal of reimagining the veterinary experience. The company operates clinics throughout the New York metropolitan area, as well as the Boston, Washington, DC; and Chicago areas. It offers clients same-day and walk-in appointments,

convenient hours, online appointment bookings, telehealth and a 24/7 pet parent helpline. With the launch of BondRx, the company aims to streamline the pharmaceutical purchasing process for thousands of pet owners.

Bond Vet introduces BondRx, its online pharmacy. News release. Bond Vet. April 29, 2024.

Bond Vet is now offering the service, which includes home delivery, to its clients.

New online pharmacy launches for clinic network

 readers! It is so hard to believe that is already May. As we continue to move month to month, that means we are getting closer to the rest of our Fetch conferences for 2024. We are heading to Nashville in less than 2 weeks, Kansas City August 23-25, Atlantic City October 14-16, and Long Beach December 6-8. All our upcoming conferences feature amazing faculty, keynote addresses, networking opportunities, and more! Check out our Fetch events 

 to secure your spot at your favorite Fetch conference today!

As for this week, here is what was popular this week on dvm360.com:

 the results of a survey it conducted that analyzed 301 companion and mixed animal veterinary professionals to get a better understanding of the pros and cons these professionals face.

s Australian correspondent Phil Tucak, BSc, BVMS, gave readers an inside scoop of the work being done at the Australian Synchrotron, plus what attendees can expect to learn at the upcoming Australian Veterinary Association’s annual conference.

, Katie Fish, DVM, sat down with our host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, to take a deeper dive into the importance of having a structured mentorship program in veterinary clinics

Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences investigators recently 

on the frequency of health conditions diagnoses in purebred and mixed-breed canines, finding it was mostly equal.

Are you considering switching from your current position into relief work? CJ Burnett, CExP, 

 the pros and cons of working as a relief veterinarian to give readers a better understanding of what this career would look like, from a financial standpoint.

The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 

 that lactating dairy cattle will soon be required to be tested for the highly pathogenic avian influenza, more specifically type A H5N1.

Wrap up: Survey sheds light on the current state of the veterinary industry, and other news 

Facing the challenges of daily veterinary practice is exciting and complicated. You are a physician, surgeon, counselor, business owner, trainer, teacher, problem solver, and caregiver, navigating a constantly changing landscape, including compounded medications. Compounding opens wonderful possibilities, allowing you to customize treatment for your patients when a commercially available medication does not fit exactly what they need, such as a different strength, flavor or dosage formulation, avoiding drug allergies/sensitivities, creating a new form of a discontinued medication, and even combining 2 medications together for easier administration for certain patients.

As you consider calling in or writing a prescription for compounded medication for your patient, you may wonder...is the medication truly what it states it is on the label? Can you trust that it is safe, effective, and high-quality?

Find out if your compounding pharmacy is going above what is required and implementing the best practices by calling them and speaking to a pharmacist. This can help determine if they are familiar with the latest industry standards, and if they are taking proactive steps to meet and exceed them.

At a minimum, every compounding pharmacy must be compliant with the quality standards set by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), the 200-year-old scientific organization that provides the most comprehensive source of legally recognized medication quality and purity standards in the world. Your pharmacy must also be licensed to dispense or ship to your state and compliant with state and federal regulations.

Here is a list of questions you should ask your potential compounding pharmacy partner about what really happens behind the scenes.

Professionals need peace of mind that the pharmacy starts with the best quality ingredients. To maintain the highest quality medications, does your compounding pharmacy:

Purchase their raw ingredients from reputable manufacturers registered with the FDA.

Purchase ingredients that meet USP quality standards. For an ingredient to be labeled USP grade means that the results of analytical testing have met or exceeded the strict standards set by USP for that ingredient.

Require the manufacturers to provide a valid Certificate of Analysis

Schedule routine audits of manufacturers to assess their facilities and processes.

Perform their own testing on raw ingredients prior to using them for compounding.

To find out more about who is compounding your patients’ medications, consider asking:

Are compounding technicians nationally certified?

Do pharmacists and compounding technicians complete a hands-on training program prior to compounding?

Is each pharmacist and compounding technician required to pass an analytical test on each dosage form (such capsules, chews, tablets, oral suspensions, or transdermals) before they compound them to be dispensed for a patient?

Are they assessed on their knowledge of policy, processes, and procedures at least annually?

To determine that the compounding facility and its equipment meet safety and quality standards, ask about accreditation. Accreditation is the process by which a compounding pharmacy's quality is measured and determines that a pharmacy exceeds minimum standards in their quality and operations. This demonstrates their commitment to compliance, safety, and continuous improvement.

The gold standard of accreditation for compounding pharmacies is known as Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB) accreditation. Top compounding pharmacies voluntarily choose to undergo this expensive and involved process.

PCAB accreditation shows that a pharmacy is dedicated to meeting the highest standards of quality and safety. Consider asking:

Is your compounding pharmacy PCAB accredited?

Does a pharmacist check every batch of medication at each phase of the compounding process every time?

How often are compounded medications analyzed by a third party to ensure that they accurately match the labeled strength before dispensing it to a patient?

Have new medications and dosage forms undergone research, development, and analysis? Be mindful of compounding pharmacies that offer significantly greater varieties of medications than similar pharmacies. Compounded medications that are less potent may not absorb as well as the approved commercial product, and medications that should never be compounded for transdermal use, such as antibiotics or medications may harm the skin or gastrointestinal tract.

How is a compounded medication’s beyond-use date (BUD) established? Does the pharmacy perform advanced testing to extend BUDs (e.g. stability studies)?

If the medication is a sterile compound (eye drops or injectable medication), does the pharmacy require a confirmed sterility report before dispensing the medication?

Is the laboratory environment continuously monitored and rigorously cleaned and sanitized to maintain safety and integrity?

Is the equipment and the facility up to date and third-party certified?

How do you start looking for a compounding pharmacy?

The best way to start is to look for PCAB-accredited pharmacies listed on the Accreditation Commission for Health Care website, choose “PCAB Compounding Pharmacy” under “Select Your Program,” and give them a call. A great compounding pharmacist will be quick to answer your questions, explain their process, and make sure you feel confident about the medication they prepare for your patient.

When FDA-approved medications are not an option in certain circumstances, you need a compounding pharmacy partner to help deliver the best possible outcome for your patient. Reasonable prices, fast and reliable delivery, and excellent customer service are always important, but ultimately you need the medication that you can trust.

The best compounding pharmacies hold themselves to a higher standard. They make sure each medication is safe and effective for your patients.

is a veterinarian at Chewy who has practiced small animal medicine for over 20 years and is a graduate of Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine. She enjoys preventative medicine, wellness care, dermatology, internal medicine, and palliative care. Her favorite veterinary experiences include working with Sheltie Rescue and Golden Retriever Rescue. In her personal time, Price enjoys outdoor activities and supporting the fine arts.

, is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy where he earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2014. He currently serves as the Associate Director of Quality Assurance for Chewy Pharmacy and has spent his career focused on compounding. His primary specialties are veterinary compounding, quality assurance, and pharmacy compliance. Muto enjoys hiking, cooking, and exploring new cities.

Here is what veterinary professionals should be discussing with a compounding pharmacy partner 