On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shared its final rule to ban noncompete agreements nationwide. This final rule will protect employees looking to change jobs, increase innovation, and foster the creation of new businesses, including those in the veterinary profession.

“Noncompete clauses keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism, including from the more than 8500 new startups that would be created a year once noncompetes are banned,” explained Lina M. Khan, FTC Chair, in an organizational release.

 “The FTC’s final rule to ban noncompetes will ensure Americans have the freedom to pursue a new job, start a new business, or bring a new idea to market.”

FTC has estimated that this ban will lead to an increase on new business formation by 2.7%. It is also expected to create higher wages for workers, with each working making an additional $524 a year as well as lower health care costs by almost $194 billion in the next 10 years.

According to Karen Whala, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, cofounder of CodaPet, noncompete agreements have long been a common practice in veterinary medicine. "These agreements typically restrict employee veterinarians from working for a competitor or starting their own competing business for a specified period after leaving their current employer. For veterinary professionals, these restrictions often limited their ability to seek new job opportunities or advance their careers without facing legal consequences,” Whala told 

In October 2023, the Destination Pet network of veterinary care and pet service eliminated noncompete clauses from their employee contracts. “Destination Pet believes in creating a positive work environment where veterinarians can thrive. They deserve to practice where they want and where the animals need them the most. They do not need added restrictions when looking for a job that supports their passions,” the company stated in a release.

According to the FTC, in an estimated 30 million workers in the United States, almost 1 in 5 Americans are subject to a noncompete agreement.

 The agency claims noncompete agreements can keep people at companies or in positions they may no longer align with or want to leave to pursue other options available to them. Those who leave a job with a noncompete can also be at risk to bearing harms and costs such as being forced to relocate, defend against expensive litigation, or leave the workforce they are in completely.

The new FTC rule will make existing noncompete agreements unenforceable for a vast majority of workers, including those in veterinary roles, after the effective date of the rule. For senior executives, current noncompete agreements can remain active under the FTC final rule but employers are banned from entering in or enforcing any new noncompete agreements, regardless of rank in the company.

The FTC originally issued a proposed rule in January 2023, which was subject to a public comment period of 90 days.

 During that time, the FTC received 26,000 comments on the proposed rule, with 25,000 in support of the proposed noncompete ban. The FTC then went through the comments and carefully reviewed them to make changes to the proposed rule based on the feedback it received. The FTC’s final rule stated that it determined noncompete agreements to be an unfair method of competition and violates Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits “unfair or deceptive” acts or practice in or affecting commerce.

“In an environment of increasingly common corporate buyouts, the FTC ruling could potentially lead to improved working conditions for veterinary professionals. Noncompete agreements can create power imbalances between employers and employees, with veterinarians feeling trapped in unfavorable work environments due to restrictive contractual obligations,” Whala continued.

Some businesses, including Destination Pet,

 are turning to or continuing to use solicitation provisions rather than relying on noncompete agreements. According to Lance M Roasa, DVM, JD, MS, an American Veterinary Medicine Law Association board member, solicitation provisions may offer the best protection to businesses. An example of this type of provision is not allowing an employee to solicit clients met through a practice for a period of 2 years after leaving that hospital or clinic. In a 2022 interview with the American Veterinary Medical Association, Roasa said that “both sides have rights” and there is a line between what is reasonable or not.

“By eliminating noncompetes, veterinary professionals may feel more empowered to negotiate for better working conditions, such as flexible schedules, improved benefits packages, and enhanced professional development opportunities. On the other hand, employers may be incentivized to create more attractive workplace environments to attract and retain top talent in a more competitive job market,” Whala concluded.

This regulation will not be effective until 120 days after it is published in the Federal Register. 

FTC Announces Rule Banning Noncompetes. News release. Federal Trade Commission. April 23, 2024. Accessed April 25, 2024. 

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/04/ftc-announces-rule-banning-noncompetes

Burke J. Veterinary network eliminated noncompete clauses. September 21, 2023. Accessed April 25, 2024. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/veterinary-network-eliminates-non-compete-clauses

FTC Proposes Rule to Ban Noncompete Clauses, Which Hurt Workers and Harm Competition. News release. Federal Trade Commission. January 5, 2023. Accessed April 25, 2024. 

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/01/ftc-proposes-rule-ban-noncompete-clauses-which-hurt-workers-harm-competition

Federal Trade Commission. A Brief Overview of the Federal Trade Commission’s Investigative, Law Enforcement, and Rulemaking Authority. Federal Trade Commission. Published June 7, 2013. 

https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/mission/enforcement-authority

Burns K. The shifting landscape of noncompete agreements. American Veterinary Medical Association. January 21, 2022. Accessed April 25, 2024. 

https://www.avma.org/news/shifting-landscape-noncompete-agreements

Articles

The final rule aims to promote competition and provide more freedom to workers wanting to change jobs or start their own businesses.

FTC bans noncompete agreements in the veterinary profession

 readers! As we are preparing to leave April and head into Spring, there is a lot to look forward to from 

 within the next couple of months. We have Fetch Nashville that is now less than one month away and then Fetch Kansas City in August. We still have availability for both and these are 2 conferences you do NOT want to miss so learn more, register, and see what else is coming down the pipeline from Fetch here 

In the meantime, here is what was popular this week on dvm360.com:

 earlier this week that its pregabalin oral solution Bonqat, has been commercially launched and is available to veterinary clinics throughout the United States. The drug is designed for use to treat anxiety and fear in cats during travel and veterinary visits.

, host Adam Chirstman, DVM, MBA sits down Frank Bozelka, DVM, to give 5 tips to veterinary students as they prepare to graduate and enter the workforce for the first time.

 the news this week that its product, Nu. Q Vet Cancer Test, is now available to veterinarians across the United States and Europe through Antech.

 of over 1056 veterinarians around the world conducted Boehringer Ingelheim to investigate if veterinarians are understood by clients and feel valued found 75% feel personally appreciated by their client, but only 49% feel the profession in general is appreciated.

 an overview of its topmost common claim for pets, allergies, and how it has seen an over 40% increase in the frequency of allergy and ear infection claims for pets in North America, and more.

Bill Murray, CEO of Wicklow Healthcare Advisory, took a 

 into the value of having a veterinary business advisor when you are selling your practice.

Wrap up: Bonqat officially commercially launched, and other veterinary news 

Officials with the FDA have approved pimobendan chewable tablets (Pimomedin; Cronus Pharma Specialties India) for managing signs of mild, moderate, or severe congestive heart failure in dogs caused by clinical myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) or dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Pimobendan chewable tablets are indicated for use with concurrent therapy for congestive heart failure as appropriate on a case-by-case basis.

MMVD and DCM are diseases in dogs where an abnormal heart valve or muscle does not allow the heart valve to close completely, impacting the ability of the heart to pump blood and resulting in an enlarged heart. Left untreated, these conditions may lead to heart failure and fluid accumulation in the chest and abdomen (congestive heart failure). Pimobendan chewable tablets are an inodilator drug that allows the heart to pump blood more effectively by helping to strengthen the muscular contractions of the heart and widening the blood vessels in this organ.

MMVD occurs in many breeds of dogs, but most frequently in smaller breed dogs including Cavalier King Charles spaniels, Yorkshire terriers, and dachshunds. Historically, DCM has been primarily linked to a genetic predisposition in certain breeds as well. Both MMVD and DCM should be diagnosed by a veterinarian based on comprehensive physical and cardiac examinations.

Pimobendan chewable tablets contain the same active ingredient in the same concentration and dosage form as the approved brand name drug product Vetmedin (Boehringer Ingelheim), which was first approved on April 30, 2007. Additionally, the FDA determined that Pimomedin contains no inactive ingredients that may significantly affect the bioavailability of the active ingredient.

Pimobendan chewable tablets is only available by prescription from a licensed veterinarian because professional veterinary expertise is needed to diagnose MMVD and DCM and to determine whether pimobendan is an appropriate treatment. The drug is available as 1.25, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg oblong half-scored chewable tablets with 50 tablets per bottle and should be administered orally at a total daily dose of 0.23 mg/lb (0.5 mg/kg) body weight, using a suitable combination of whole or half tablets. The total daily dose should be divided into two portions that are not necessarily equal, and the portions should be administered approximately 12 hours apart (ie, morning and evening).

FDA approves first generic pimobendane for management of congestive heart failure in dogs. News release. FDA. April 25, 2024. Accessed April 26, 2024. 

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/cvm-updates/fda-approves-first-generic-pimobendan-management-congestive-heart-failure-dogs?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

The drug from Cronus Pharma contains the same active ingredient as Boehringer Ingelheim's Vetmedin.

First generic pimobendan chewable tablets for canine congestive heart failure receives FDA approval

In 1586, Chez Jean Wolf created a sketch of a “monster” that had been found inside the heart of a horse. It was later identified as 

Canine heartworm was discovered in dogs in the southeastern United States in 1856 and in cats in the 1920s.1 

 is now diagnosed in all 50 states and around the globe.

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease for dogs, cats, and other species. The worms live in the heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels, causing severe lung disease, cardiac failure, and damage to other organs in the body. Heartworm’s definitive hosts are canids both wild and domestic: dogs, coyotes, foxes, wolves, and wolverines. It can also be found in sea lions, harbor seals, bears, ferrets, horses, muskrats, beavers, raccoons, red pandas, leopards, domestic cats, and, in rare incidences, humans.

Four hundred years after the parasitic roundworm was discovered, heartworm cases are on the rise. Despite veterinary awareness, 2022 data from the American Heartworm Society show an increase in heartworm prevalence in some areas of the US, with the leading number of cases in the states in or adjacent to the lower Mississippi Delta region.

These increased cases can be attributed to gaps in adherence, weather changes in climate, humidity, microclimates in urban areas around our homes, increased vector species, increased favorable breeding grounds for the mosquito vector, expansion of microfilaremia wild canid territories, urban sprawl, relocation or travel of the microfilaric dog, 

 contamination, worm adaptations, and macrocyclic lactone resistance.

A water dish with as little as 1 in of water, can become a mosquito breeding ground. Add in increased temperatures radiating from our homes and you have mosquito paradise: a created microclimate. Consider that 25 of the 180 known mosquito species carry heartworm, and each female can lay several hundred eggs that can hatch in 24 to 48 hours.

According to the American Heartworm Society, the mosquito season decreases during the winter, but the presence of these microenvironments in urban areas suggests the risk of infection will never reach zero. The good news is that the development of the larvae within the mosquito cannot occur in temperatures less than 57 °F.

Disease is also influenced by microfilaremic dogs and wild canids moving into areas where previously there were few to no heartworm cases. These canids act as a nidus for infection to noninfected dogs. Results of a recent study suggest that heartworm-infected dogs attract mosquitos because of volatile organic compounds that these dogs exhale. Another study found that mosquitos are 10 times more likely to find and feed on infected dogs and wild wolves or coyotes than noninfected ones.

Cats, although susceptible hosts, seem more resistant to infection with 

 Most heartworm infections in cats are considered “light infections,” with a maximum of 6 adult worms, typically of a single sex. Circulating microfilaria is seldom found in infected cats.

So how do we defeat a monster that has been going strong for centuries? We get craftier than the beast.

We stop the mosquitos from picking up heartworm larvae from infected dogs and stop infected mosquitos from transmitting to noninfective dogs. We do this using a multimodal approach with repellent, insecticides, and macrocyclic lactones. We use repellent and insecticide strategies like those employed in human medicine: spraying, baits, and sterilization. We give our pets repellents and use macrocyclic lactones year-round in both cats and dogs. We keep our pets inside during high mosquito feeding times of dawn and dusk; a dog can get more than 80 mosquito bites in this 2-hour window.

 resistant to macrocyclic lactones. One of the most recognized is JYD34. In a study, a multimodal prevention strategy proved effective against JYD34.

What else can we do to defeat this monster? We become informed and aware of our microenvironments and destroy these habitats. We increase our vigilance. We test for antigens and microfilaria in the dog and antibodies and antigens in the cat. We limit exposure to resistant strains such as JYD34, and we combat 

 with sterilization and antibiotics. We are the guardians of the gate, and monsters die when we take away their power.

 is a partner doctor at Caroline Veterinary Clinic, a Heart + Paw family practice in Ridgely, Maryland.

1. Ceva and the American Animal Hospital Association. Heartworm update: fighting mosquitoes and heartworms for a double punch of protection. 2018. Accessed March 18, 2024. https://www.aaha.org/globalassets/05-pet-health-resources/ceva_heartworm- booklet.pdf

2. American Heartworm Society. Current canine guidelines for prevention, diagnosis, and management of heartworm infection in dogs. July 2014. Accessed March 18, 2024. https://www.heartwormsociety.org/images/pdf/2014-AHS-Canine-Guide- lines.pdf

3. New heartworm incidence map shows increase in parasitic cases. dvm360. April 20, 2023. Accessed March 14, 2024. https://www.dvm360.com/view/ new-heartworm-incidence-map-shows-increase-in-parasitic-cases

4. Lederhouse C. Map shows heartworm rates continue to increase in hot spots, new locations. American Veterinary Medical Association. Updated May 8, 2023. Accessed March 18, 2024. https://www.avma.org/news/ map-shows-heartworm-rates-continue-increase-hot-spots-new-locations

Heartworm disease is more prevalent than ever, but prevention methods can help defeat the parasitic beast

Dirofilaria immitis: The monster then and now

A survey of 1056 veterinarians around the world revealed that majority (75%) feel personally appreciated by their clients. However, fewer than half (49%) of responding veterinarians feel the profession in general is appreciated, according to a recent survey.

The survey, led by Boehringer Ingelheim, aimed to learn if veterinarians feel valued and understood by clients. Results found perceived levels of appreciation for the veterinary profession were nearly consistent across various types of animal care teams, with 48% of companion animal, 55% of livestock, and 42% of equine veterinary professionals reporting that their profession was appreciated.

“Veterinarians are exceptional professionals, who play an essential role in directly maintaining and improving the health and well-being of animals and indirectly, of the whole society. It is imperative that we shine a light on the often-unseen care and effort veterinarians put into forging a healthy and happy society,” Dr Ellen Van Nierop, a veterinary surgeon and president at World Small Animal Veterinary Association, said in a news release.

Results of the survey was released in advance of World Veterinary Day on April 27, 2024, which shines a spotlight on the essential work that veterinarians do. The survey findings also bring to light reasons why veterinarians feel their profession is underappreciated.

According to the survey results, 66% of veterinary professionals believe their personal clients appreciate their “level of expertise.” Additionally, 61% of respondents feel the “ability to deal with ethical dilemmas, including euthanasia,” and 57% believe providing “a large variety of care” garner appreciation from clients. Conversely, 49% of veterinary survey participants expressed underappreciation by clients in understanding the “resilience to stress and emotional exhaustion” required from the job, with 48% reporting an underappreciation that these professionals “work despite feeling physically exhausted” and the way they “trade-off their work-life-balance to help animals.”

“Raising awareness of often unseen and complex aspects of veterinary work, and most importantly, showing veterinary professionals that we recognize their essential work, is an important first step,” Fabio Paganini, MBA, a member of the Global Animal Health Executive Committee at Boehringer Ingelheim, said in a news release.

 “As a veterinarian myself, I know that there is so much to love about this job. Together, we can showcase the relentless dedication, the genuine compassion, and the scientific know-how it takes to work as a veterinarian. It truly is a vocation to aspire to.”

The survey was conducted in March 2024 with veterinarians in Brazil (212), Japan (201), the United Kingdom (170), France (162), the United States (160), and Germany (151) providing responses. Participants included veterinarians focused on companion animal (57%), dairy (10%), beef (8%),  swine (6%), equine (5%), and poultry (3%) medicine as well as veterinarians in mixed practices without a main focus (11%). Computer-assisted web and telephone interviews in local language were used to collect the data.

Less than half of veterinary professionals feel their profession is appreciated. News release. April 25, 2024. Accessed April 25, 2024. 

https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/animal-health/our-responsibility/world-veterinary-day-aspects-veterinary-profession

The research was led by Boehringer Ingelheim and included more than 1000 global respondents 

Survey finds fewer than half of veterinarians feel the profession is appreciated

Twenty-eight veterinary management professions recently earned the Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) credential through the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA). The CVPM credential is recognized and respected by practice leaders and others in the veterinary industry, according to the association

The VHMA provides training, education, and resources to more than 5000 members and serves as a trusted resource that the veterinary sector relies on for industry insights, research, and advocacy to assure performance at the highest levels. VHMA's core purpose is to advance and support veterinary practice management professionals by developing professional competence, supporting, and encouraging standards through the industry's highest-level certification program, the CVPM

 and providing individuals with a network for professional connection and support.

The association's voluntary CVPM credential is recognized as a sign of professional achievement and excellence and is awarded to those who demonstrate the knowledge and experience necessary to manage the ever-changing operations of today's veterinary practices successfully. Applicants are tested rigorously on relevant management knowledge in human resources, law and ethics, marketing, organization of the practice, and finance.

The CVPM exam is offered electronically across North America to registered candidates

Before sitting for the exam, applicants meet practice management experience requirements and must demonstrate that they have earned sufficient formal education and continuing education credits.

The April 2024 class includesSara Aho, Michelle Lynn Beck, Gail Bigelow, Shantell Bogedain, Crish Bowles, Lauri Brown, Jordanne Day, Shirley Devera-Caldwell, Kathy Diesen, Amanda Marie Durden, Tina Dziewior, Mei-Ling Flesch, Sarah Jackson, and Carma Jeanette Johnson. Also, receiving the CVPM credential are Annemarie Jones, Connie Lovello, Vonnie Meraz, JoAnna Miller, Kelley Molitor, Sara Nunimaker, Jennifer Reynolds, Chartia Robinson, Rachelle Romano, Rex Salzsieder, Sarah Small, Esteban Sotomayor, Carly Taft, and Jessica Wright.

Veterinary practice managers earn prestigious CVPM designation. News release. Veterinary Hospital Managers Association. April 25, 2024. [email]