✈️ Free Telehealth 30,000 Feet Up

Hello 👋 

Welcome back to another edition of Weekend Rounds!

Today we’re bringing you a brief summary of the top stories across veterinary medicine. Think of it as the news you need, just smaller…. like mini golf, those tiny Kit Kats you get on hallowe’en, or a snack size McFlurry.

At the end of every newsletter we always ask for feedback, so please let us know what you think!

💼 Chewy to Open Its First Veterinary Practices

Chewy continues to expand their product offerings, in their quest to take over the world provide a one-stop shop for all pet owners. The first practice will open in Florida early next year, and they plan to continue expanding throughout 2024. The clinics will offer routine appointments, urgent care, and surgery.

Our take: Chewy is saying the right things when it comes to veterinarians by promising a “workplace culture that is emotionally fulfilling for veterinary team members and is supported by an infrastructure that emphasizes well-being, career advancement, work-life balance and the ability to practice the highest quality of medicine.” However, it will be interesting to see how much direction is given to employees to ensure prescriptions are filled by Chewy Pharmacies, how often Chewy teleheath services suggest seeing a vet at a Chewy practice, and how often they can convert veterinary clients into online shoppers and vice versa. We’re not lawyers but seems like an antitrust investigation waiting to happen.

Read more on Yahoo! Finance

✈️ Air Canada 🤝 Vetster

Air Canada and Vetster have partnered to provide free telehealth services to pets traveling in cargo on Air Canada aircraft.

Since pet parents are separated from their furry friends while in flight, they won’t be the ones to connect with a vet. Instead, specially trained Air Canada personnel can now use Vetster on their behalf to connect with veterinarians, in the event that a pet is in need of medical assistance. Once landed, the medical files are sent to the pet’s local vet.

Our take: We’re all for new and innovative partnerships, and kudos to Air Canada for providing first-of-its-kind service to pet parents. We’re just hoping those Air Canada employees know what to look for and can effectively intervene while 30,000 feet up, if needed. In fact, maybe Air Canada should go one step further to have a trained veterinarian on every flight just in case. We’ll volunteer for any and all flights to Hawaii.

Read more on Business Wire.

🎅 Santa’s Reindeer Given Clean Bill of Health

Did you know that it’s the responsibility of the president of the AVMA to ensure Santa’s reindeer are ready to fly around the world? Yeah, us neither.

But we’re just here to report the news… and the fact that Christmas is still happening is unequivocally good news.

🤔 What else?

We still don’t know a ton about the “new” chronic illness being reported in dogs. It may be new, it may not. It may present as mild symptoms, and it may get much worse quickly. As Dr. Scott Weese, an an associate professor in the Department of Pathobiology at Ontario Veterinary College puts it: “there’s definitely something going on in some parts of North America, but it’s sporadic and it may just be typical outbreaks layered over a higher baseline rate of disease versus something really new.”

AAHA has made a handy printout for your teams with the latest.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Bonqat, a pregabalin oral solution for reducing feline anxiety during transportation. Interestingly, as Today’s Veterinary Business explains, Bonqat is not a sedative. The mechanism of action involves:

• Pregabalin binds to presynaptic neurons at voltage-gated calcium channels, reducing calcium influx into the cell.

• Decreased calcium influx reduces the excessive release of excitatory neurotransmitters, such as glutamate and monoamine.

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Nine companies, including Chewy, American Aquarium Products, California Veterinary Supply and Kraft Drug have received notice from the FDA regarding unapproved and misbranded antimicrobial animal drugs. The products are marketed and labeled aquarium fish and pet birds, and contain antimicrobials important in human medicine, such as amoxicillin and penicillin, and their use without medical oversight contributes to the development of antimicrobial resistance.

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This week, lawmakers in Pennsylvania voted to withhold $30 M in funding from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. The move comes in response to controversial comments regarding antisemitism and activism on campus which led to the resignation of Penn’s former president M. Elizabeth Magill. The funding, representing 18% of the schools budget, is the only public funds allotted to the otherwise private institution.

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Kumail Nanjiani was on Kimmel this week and shared a hilarious anecdote about his cat Bagel and his experience with the veterinarian. This one had us laughing 😂