 In this interview taken during the 2025 WVC conference, Dr Courtney Campbell and Jonathan Wainberg, MBA, shared with listeners the positive impact offering simple financial solutions has on pet owners.

Video interview with Courtney Campbell, DVM, DACVS-SA, and Jonathan Wainberg, MBA

During an interview with dvm360 at the 2025 WVC conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, Courtney Campbell, DVM, DACVS-SA, and Jonathan Wainberg, MBA, senior vice president and general manager of Synchrony, pets, share why it is important for veterinary teams to provide a variety of financial options to clients. Throughout the interview, the duo discussed wellness funds, pet insurance, and other offerings that can cater to the unique needs and situations of the patients and clients in the clinic, plus how having financial solutions can ease the stress on clients that comes from paying for treatments. 

Below is a partial transcript, edited for clarity.

: When you're discussing different financial options with pet owners, the one thing that's been in my experience, and I've seen this just throughout the board, is when you discuss those 3 easy steps, and you say, 'Listen, come in. You pay for it with your Care Credit credit card. You file a claim, and then you just get reimbursed directly to their credit card.' There are so many families who say, 'No, really?' They're almost blown away at the simplicity, they're almost blown away at the ease, and they're almost relieved, like there's a, I like to say relief is the cousin of happiness, right? Because if you drop your cell phone and it's on the floor and you're worried to see if it's cracked in that moment right before you see there's no cracks, just relief, that's happiness, right? It's cousin. And so you see that relief on their face, and I think that's where the real magic comes in, is having that discussion with them, providing them with an innovative financial solution, and seeing that relief on their face, like, Ah, I finally have a way to care for my family member without the struggle of going through it. That's been my experience, but I'd love to hear yours.

I think it's also, it's about choice, right? I think...there's not one solution that's going to work for everyone, right? We've put together what we think is a portfolio of ideas that will help create that safety net for when financial hardship comes up, or a bill that is there. So that is a Care Credit, is it Pets Best insurance? Is it a wellness fund? But you're going to be able to catch some of that stuff. 

So understand that there's not going to be one solution that works for everyone, but as long as you're giving them those tools and those options, they're going to be able to figure out a way to do it. And that's why, you know, we love what we're doing together with Pets Best, and that Care Credit [is] powering this, this solution behind it, because you're going to be able to have the variety of solutions that you have, and the ease to make it easier, whether it be for something that's routine or something that's an emergency. 

Videos

Courtney Campbell, DVM, DACVS-SA, and Jonathan Wainberg, MBA, have a conversation on financial relief and flexibility for clients

Easing veterinary care costs

The immunotherapy OST-HER2 combined with palliative radiation has shown positive data in preventing or delaying amputation during primary osteosarcoma treatment in dogs with unresected appendicular osteosarcoma, according to a recent announcement by OS Therapies—a clinical-stage immunotherapy and antibody drug conjugate biopharmaceutical company behind the development of OST-HER2. Findings from a study suggest OST-HER2 could be used as a frontline treatment for osteosarcoma in humans, potentially reducing the need for chemotherapy, according to OS Therapies

“It has been my dream since founding the company that OST-HER2 could potentially change the standard of care in osteosarcoma, potentially limiting the need for amputation or surgical resection of the primary tumor,” Paul Romness, CEO of OS Therapies, said in a news release.

 “With today’s data, we believe we are taking the first steps towards this given that our comparative oncology approach, as a result of the 96% genetic homology between human and canine osteosarcoma, leads us to believe there is significant potential for this canine data to translate to humans in the treatment of frontline and primary metastatic osteosarcoma, similarly to how it has in recurrent, fully-resected, lung metastatic osteosarcoma.”

OST-HER2 is an immunotherapy that uses a bioengineered form of the 

 vaccine to trigger an immune response against cancer cells expressing human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).

 The therapy has received conditional approval from the US Department of Agriculture for the treatment of canines with osteosarcoma. It has also completed a Phase 1 trial in human patients with breast cancer and shown preclinical efficacy data in various models of breast cancer. According to OS Therapies, the treatment has also “demonstrated positive data” in its Phase 2b clinical trial in recurrent, fully resected, lung metastatic osteosarcoma.

Immunological responses and clinical outcomes in dogs with osteosarcoma receiving standard therapy and a Listeria vaccine expressing HER2—

 118 dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma were enrolled.

 Participants in this clinical trial received standard therapy followed by OST-HER2.

According to the study’s results, the OST-HER2 therapy did not significantly extend overall survival or disease-free intervals in all participants. However, immune responses in dogs after receiving the vaccine were stronger in long-term survivors—those with a disease-free interval of more than 490 days.

 Specifically, results showed that the therapy triggered strong innate and cytotoxic immune responses starting at the first dose of a 3-dose regimen, which was linked to the prevention of metastasis in dogs with resected primary osteosarcoma.

 According to OS Therapies, the study also found that short-term survivors had defective immune responses to OST-HER2 that improved with the second and third doses.

Currently, the study on OST-HER2 combined with palliative radiation as a therapy for unresected primary osteosarcoma in dogs is being prepared for publication.

 Unpublished data from the study shows the treatment resulted in clinical and radiographic arrest of the primary tumor in 5 of 15 dogs. Treatment also delayed pulmonary metastases in dogs that did not undergo surgery or chemotherapy and prolonged survival of greater than 500 days in these 5 participants.

According to OS Therapies, the data suggest that OST-HER2 could be used as a frontline treatment for human osteosarcoma, potentially reducing the need for chemotherapy and helping prevent or delay limb amputation, tumor resection, and lung metastasis.

 According to OS Therapies, the company plans to submit the new data from its to-be-published study and new information on its manufacturing process to the USDA with the goal of launching sales in 2025. Following this, OS Therapies intends to conduct a pivotal clinical trial with the aim of obtaining full approval in 2026.

In both studies, treatment with OST-HER was found to be safe and well tolerated. “Our newly published canine data and unpublished radiation combination canine data expands the potential use of OST-HER2 into delay/prevention of metastasis and PFS following resected primary osteosarcoma and raises the intriguing possibility of combination radiation therapy and OST-HER2 in the treatment of unresectable osteosarcoma,” Nicola J. Mason, BVetMed, PhD, DACVIM, the Paul A. James and Charles A. Gilmore endowed professor, at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine in Philadelphia, said in a company release.

“We are laser focused on getting an accelerated approval for OST-HER2 in recurrent, fully resected, lung metastatic human osteosarcoma...by year-end 2025 and then using funds obtained from the sale of our pending Priority Review Voucher to expand the potential clinical uses of OST-HER2 throughout the human osteosarcoma treatment paradigm,” said Romness.

 “In parallel, we believe the data from these 2 studies support the use of OST-HER2 in all phases of canine osteosarcoma treatment and we are hopeful to obtain conditional approval with our newly improved, patented manufacturing for OST-HER2 later this year so that we can launch the product at specialized cancer centers and our 4-legged patients can begin getting treatment very soon.

OS Therapies announces positive data for OST-HER2 in the treatment of unresected osteosarcoma in dogs, opening the potential for use as front-line therapy in humans. News release. OS Therapies. April 10, 2025. Accessed April 14, 2025. 

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250410123762/en/OS-Therapies-Announces-Positive-Data-for-OST-HER2-in-the-Treatment-of-Unresected-Osteosarcoma-in-Dogs-Opening-the-Potential-for-Use-as-Front-Line-Therapy-in-Humans

Mason NJ, Selmic L, Ruple A, et al. Immunological responses and clinical outcomes in dogs with osteosarcoma receiving standard therapy and a listeria vaccine expressing HER2. 

. 2025;33(4):1674-1686. doi:10.1016/j.ymthe.2025.02.023

Articles

OST-HER2 could be a frontline treatment for dogs and humans

New immunotherapy treatment may  delay metastasis in dogs with osteosarcoma

The STAY study, a clinical trial investigating the developmental longevity drug LOY-002, has reached its goal of enrolling 1000 canine patients at 70 veterinary clinics across the US. According to Loyal, the biotechnology company developing LOY-002, this 4-year study may be the world’s largest veterinary clinical trial, and a new goal has been set for expanding the trial to include an additional 300 patients.

“The STAY study is our pivotal field trial. This is the key component in getting FDA approval for LOY-002,” Brennen McKenzie, VMD, MSc, MA, director of veterinary medicine for Loyal, said in a 

Winston, a 10-year-old miniature dachshund, is the 1000th enrolled patient in Loyal's STAY study.

LOY-002 is being developed to extend healthy lifespan in senior dogs by improving metabolic health to delay the onset and reduce the impact of age-associated diseases. Launched in December 2023, 

 an 11-year-old Whippet named Boo, was enrolled at the Animal Hospital of Dauphin County in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

 The milestone 1000th patient was Winston, age 10 years, a miniature dachshund receiving veterinary care at the Franklin Animal Clinic in Indiana.

The STAY study goes beyond investigation of longevity. It also measures quality of life based on pet owners’ assessments of their dogs, according to Ellen Ratcliff DVM, vice president of clinical and veterinary medicine at Loyal. “It doesn’t do anybody any good if their dog lives longer, but they live longer in that period at the end of their life where they don’t feel well, and they’re sick, having all kinds of degenerative and aging diseases,” Ratcliff said in an earlier 

With the STAY study, LOY-002 is being prescribed by veterinarians and administered to enrolled patients as a daily beef-flavored pill. Dogs age 10 years or older and weighing at least 14 pounds are eligible.

Over the study’s span, Loyal is collecting data on the drug’s potential impact on the lifespan and quality of life for dogs receiving LOY-002, compared to those receiving a placebo, as well as any adverse effects reported in the study population.

A total enrollment of 1300 canine patients would translate to an increase in the study’s sample size, providing even more scientific data for observing the drug’s effects.

 The additional 300 patients “is going to give us even more power to be able to look at the effects of our drug on lifespan and health and wellbeing in these dogs,” McKenzie noted.

“I'm excited because I'd like to see the drug made available to veterinarians and dog owners, but I'm [also] excited because it's going to be a treasure trove of data on canine aging and how they age, and what we can potentially learn that we could then use to develop other targets to do things to help them live longer, healthier lives,” he added.

Reaching the milestone of 1000 enrolled patients follows 

 that the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine granted acceptance of the Reasonable Expectation of Effectiveness (RXE) section of the conditional approval application for LOY-002.

Ratcliff noted that the RXE acceptance was an achievement that serves as a testament to the importance of the STAY study. Celine Halioua, CEO of Loyal, said RXE acceptance was important for advancing LOY-002.

“Everything we do is in service of helping dogs live longer, healthier lives,” Halioua said.

 “These 2 milestones represent our ongoing commitment to that mission through years of diligence and hard work. Proving efficacy is one of the most challenging parts of developing a novel drug. While we still have significant work to do, RXE increases the probability that dogs will soon have access to our longevity drugs.”

In the meantime, McKenzie advised veterinary professionals to never accept ‘old age’ as an explanation for a patient’s condition, and keep in mind there are likely things that can be done to help improve outcomes. “What you can do now is what you already know,” he said. “Keep them a healthy weight, keep them engaged and active. Keep up with your preventive medicine, and watch this space, because there's going to be new things that you can do that we didn't even think were possible a few years ago.”

Lee J. Breaking records: the STAY study enrolls 1,000 dogs. News release. Loyal. April 14, 2025. Accessed April 14, 2025. 

https://loyal.com/posts/stay-enrolls-1000-dogs

A clinical trial is launched for a novel drug that could extend healthy lifespan in senior dogs. 

. February 1, 2024. Accessed April 14, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/a-clinical-trial-is-launched-for-a-novel-drug-that-could-extend-healthy-lifespan-in-senior-dogs

Crossley KC. Second drug for canine healthy lifespan extension receives FDA support. 

. February 26, 2025. Accessed April 14, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/second-drug-for-canine-healthy-lifespan-extension-receives-fda-support

The STAY study is investigating LOY-002, a therapy designed by Loyal to extend healthy lifespans in canines

Clinical trial for Longevity drug meets goal of enrolling 1000 dogs

The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC), a nonprofit that is the leading authority on vector-borne-diseases that impact the lives of pets and people, shared its 2025 Pet Parasite Forecast with a warning that Lyme, heartworm, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis diseases are still spreading through the United States. According to an organizational release, the reports use over 10 million diagnostic tests that are reported every year for its annual forecast to help veterinarians and clients assess the risks of disease in their communities.

“The CAPC maps are an invaluable resource for veterinarians and pet owners,” said Brian Herrin, DVM, PhD, CAPC board president, in the release.

 “These forecasts provide critical insights for both pet and public health, as pets and their owners live and play in the same places. It’s also important to remember that low risk doesn’t mean no risk, so year-round prevention is essential to keeping pets safe from these potentially fatal diseases.”

Since 2012, CAPC has been precise with its forecasting of parasitic diseases with 94% accuracy in predicting the true prevalence of the 4 diseases across the US. In this year’s forecast, CAPC highlighted the continued expansion of pet and human vector-borne diseases geographically, primarily with shifting populations of mosquitoes and ticks.

Within the findings, CAPC stated that tick-borne diseases Lyme and anaplasmosis continue to expand south and west in the US, and the upper Midwest and northeast continue to be more high-risk areas. Ehrlichiosis, which is also spread by ticks, is high still in the southeast, with expansion moving northward in the upper Midwest and New England region.

The forecast also showed that mosquitoes are increasingly spreading heartworm diseases throughout the southeastern US, with highest risks found along the Atlantic coast and northward along the Mississippi River. Because of this spreading, from Kansas to Maryland is now at a heightened risk for heartworm infections, with New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, and Northern California now growing areas of increased risk.

“CAPC’s annual forecasts for Lyme, heartworm, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis should serve as a call to action for veterinarians and pet owners,” explained Rick Marrinson, DVM, Board member/past president for CAPC and practitioner in Longwood, Florida. “In historically endemic regions, these maps reinforce the importance of continued vigilance in testing and prevention. Meanwhile, in areas where these diseases are emerging, veterinarians should adapt new protocols to address the real and growing threats facing pets and people in their communities.”

The CAPC stated that because of the increasing threats in both endemic and emerging regions, it is crucial to administer preventatives year rounds to pets. Veterinarians are urged to reinforce the prevention of tick and mosquito exposure, assess their pet's risk based on their lifestyle and travel, and utilize vaccination and testing to help mitigate the spread of these diseases.

Besides providing this information to veterinary practices, the forecast also underscores the larger public health implications of vector-borne diseases after a CAPC study confirmed dogs are sentinels for human health, which provides insight into where humans face the greatest risk of Lyme disease.

Each year, the forecast is created by parasitologists and statisticians in academic institutes across the US who conduct ongoing data interpretation and research to collaborate on the creation of the annual forecasts. Through the forecast, those who participate in its creation hope to assist veterinary professionals and pet owners to better understand and monitor vector-borne diseases agent transmission and parasites' changing life cycles.

The CAPC Forecasts have a comprehensive analysis of multiple factors such as temperature, precipitation, and population density to ensure its strongly rooted in evidence.

“Because dog health helps us predict human health, our monthly, county-by-county forecasts are a crucial health tool for communities,” said Christopher Carpenter, DVM, MBA, chief executive officer, CAPC.

“Each year, we see a growing need for education and preventive care to curb the spread of these diseases. By leveraging the power of our extensive canine surveillance data, we help veterinarians and pet owners take proactive steps to safeguard animal and human health. We hope our forecasts spark meaningful conversations about how we can collectively lower disease risk,” he concluded.

Companion Animal Parasite Council 2025 Pet Parasite Forecast Warns Parasitic Diseases Affecting Pets and People Continue to Spread. News release. Companion Animal Parasite Council. April 14, 2025. Accessed April 14, 2025.

Liu Y, Nordone SK, Yabsley MJ, Lund RB, McMahan CS, Gettings JR. Quantifying the relationship between human Lyme disease and Borrelia burgdorferi exposure in domestic dogs. 

. 2019;14(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.4081/gh.2019.750

This year’s forecast highlights expanding risk of Lyme, Heartworm, Anaplasmosis, and Ehrlichiosis based on 10 million diagnostics tests reported every year 

CAPC releases 2025 Pet Parasite Forecast 

Attendees at the 2024 Fetch dvm360 Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, listen to a presenter. They include 2025 keynote speaker Julia Miller, DVM, DACVD (shown at right in the front row).

 is coming to Nashville, Tennessee; May 30 and 31, 2025. This 2-day event will be held at the Music City Center in the heart of Nashville, only steps away from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. To register, visit 

registration.dvm360.com/fetch-nashville-2025

Attendees can earn up to 14 hours of RACE-approved continuing education (CE) credits in a variety of specialty tracks. Keynote sessions are held in the morning on both days of the conference. These lectures immediately follow breakfast in the exhibit hall and precede a coffee break. In the peer-to-peer lunch sessions, a meal is provided to attendees on a first-come, first-served basis, with limited seating.

Discovering the Delights of Dermatology: One Woman’s Journey Into Derm and How You Will Learn to Love It Too!

Julia Miller, DVM, DACVD, will take attendees along for the ride on a musical and professional journey. She plans to discuss her career, from how she discovered a love of dermatology to providing guidance and inspiring other practitioners to enjoy the specialty as well.

The Top 5 Seismic Things Happening in Animal Care You Need to Know About and Take Action On

Marty Becker, DVM, founder of Fear Free and a World Vets volunteer, and Temple Grandin, PhD, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University and a designer of livestock handling facilities, discuss some of the most important changes that have occurred in animal care in this conversational lecture. They will also provide actionable items for attendees to take away and build on.

Selling Your Practice: Maximizing the Value in a Sale

Sponsored by Monarch Practice Transitions

Kathy Stieh, DVM, MS, executive director of business development for Monarch Business Consulting, presents considerations and steps to getting what practice owners want in an exit strategy for their business, whether it be a sale or a partnership. Key items in maximizing the value of a hospital and the steps to a successful transition will be discussed.

Safeguarding Wealth: Lawsuit Prevention and Tax Strategies

Attendees will be shown how to stop the threat of lawsuits before they get started by protecting assets in time-tested and proven legal structures. These same structures allow individuals to help their tax attorneys save what they would normally pay in income taxes

A look at notable CE sessions during the next Fetch dvm360 conference in Music City

Fetch Nashville 2025 highlights

Officials with the FDA have approved a label expansion for sarolaner, moxidectin and pyrantel chewable tablets (Simparica Trio; Zoetis) to include prevention for flea tapeworm (

) infections in dogs. According to Zoetis, this new approval makes this preventive combination drug the only canine combination parasiticide indicated for flea tapeworm infections by killing vector fleas (

Flea tapeworms are found in canine intestines and transmitted to dogs when fleas carrying tapeworm eggs are accidentally swallowed. They are flat, long, ribbony parasites that can grow up to 11 inches long.

 Flea tapeworm infection can be reduced by controlling fleas to avoid parasite transmission.

Tapeworm infection may be recognizable in dogs by worm eggs or rice-like proglottids found in feces or under the patient’s tail, scooting behavior, and a pet having had a recent infestation of fleas. However, in some cases, there are no clinical symptoms, according to Banfield Pet Hospital. A regiment of regular flea control is one way to help prevent tapeworm infection.

Sarolaner, moxidectin and pyrantel chewable tablets are available with a veterinarian’s prescription. It has been administered to more than 15 million dogs over its 5 years of market availability, according to Zoetis. The combination drug is the first product to provide protection for dogs against a range of parasites that include heartworm, ticks, fleas, roundworms, and hookworms. Additionally, it is the only combination product that is approved by the FDA for 6 tick species, including deer ticks, which provides prevention of infections that may cause Lyme disease.

Understanding and combating heartworm preventive resistance

“The best and easiest way to safeguard our pets from parasites is by taking preventative measures to help reduce or eliminate illness,” Tara Bidgood, DVM, PhD, DACVCP, vice president, head of veterinary professional services and medical affairs, US Independent Petcare at Zoetis, said in a news release.

 “Preventing diseases like flea tapeworm infections with this latest FDA approval for Simparica Trio, helps protect our dogs’ health but also helps strengthen the unique bond dogs share with their owners.”

The FDA approval for the new label expansion is the second for Simparica Trio in recent months, according to Jared Shriver, president, US Operations at Zoetis. In January 2025.

Zoetis previously announced the inclusion of treatment and control of Asian longhorned tick

) infestations in canines aged 8 weeks or older and weighing 2.8 lbs or more.

“Since the FDA approval of Simparica Trio in 2020, we have continued to build on the expansive body of research demonstrating the utility of this important preventative. With Simparica Trio, we are committed to delivering the comprehensive protection that every dog deserves,” Shriver said in a news release.

Mason Reichard, PhD, field parasitologist at Zoetis, noted that the label expansion for Asian longhorned ticks provides veterinarians with a valuable resource for treating and controlling infestation of the invasive tick species. “Ticks pose a significant health risk to pets. Ensuring readily available and efficient tick control options is crucial to safeguarding pets' health, ultimately enabling them to enjoy more quality time with their owners,” Reichard, said in a news release.

label expansions for 2 additional products

 in the past 6 months: sarolaner (Simparica Chewables), and selamectin and sarolaner topical solution (Revolution Plus).

Sarolaner chewables received a label expansion for the treatment of Asian longhorned tick infestations in dogs ages 6 months and older at a weight of 2.8 lbs or more. Selamectin and sarolaner topical solution had its label expanded to include the prevention of tapeworm infections as a direct result of killing vector fleas with indication is for 1 month use in cats and kittens aged 8 weeks and older, and weighing 2.8 lbs or more.

“This latest approval of a new indication for Simparica Trio is yet another example of how Zoetis is an industry leader in developing innovative, next generation parasiticide products and solutions for veterinarians and pet owners,” Shriver said.

FDA approves new indication for Zoetis’ Simparica Trio (sarolaner, moxidectin and pyrantel chewable tablets), now the first and only canine parasiticide to prevent flea tapeworm infections by killing vector fleas. News release. Zoetis. April 14, 2025. Accessed April 14, 2025. 

https://www.zoetisus.com/news-and-media/fda-approves-new-indication-for-zoetis-simparica-trio/

Tapeworms in dogs and cats. Banfield Pet Hospital. Accessed April 14, 2025. 

https://www.banfield.com/Wellness-at-banfield/Worms/Tapeworm

Crossley KC. FDA expands labels for 3 parasite prevention and treatment therapies. 

. January 14, 2025. Accessed April 14, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/fda-expands-labels-for-3-parasite-prevention-and-treatment-therapies

The FDA has approved the new indication for Zoetis' Simparica Trio