LEGAL - California Bill to Allow Tax Credit for Veterinary Costs

Most every pet owner has received a vet bill and wondered how they were going to afford it.

The American Pet Products Association estimates that pet owners spend $16 billion per year on veterinary care.

To help pet owners in California, Assemblyman Devon Mathis, R-Visalia introduced a bill that would allow dog and cat owners to claim veterinary expenses.

If passed, Assembly Bill 942 will give dog and cat owners in California an income tax credit that allows them to write off 50% of the amount paid for qualified veterinary medical expenses, up to a maximum of $2000 per year.

Mathis said almost everyone he knows has a tragic story about a family dog or cat that had to be euthanized due to a serious and costly medical issue.

“What if you don’t have to put them down?” Mathis said. “This is an incentive to do the surgery and keep them in the family.”

This is not the first such bill to be proposed.

In 2009, then Michigan State Representative Thaddeus McCotter (R) proposed a bill that would allow for pet owners to deduct up to $3500 per calendar year for veterinary health care expenses.

That bill was stalled in the Ways and Means Committee and never passed.

California’s Bill 942 was proposed on February 16 and may be heard as early as March 19.

YourSAY 2017.1 - What are the Concerns/Benefits of Veterinary Industry Corporatization?

There is a growing trend of animal healthcare delivery moving towards large corporations and away from the owner/managed independent clinician.

The purpose of the YourSAY™ 2017.1 is to discover what thought leaders in the urban animal industry believe are the positive and negative aspects of large corporations purchasing veterinary clinics.

InfoStream has published a variety of articles on vet clinic acquisitions:

Mars Petcare Acquires BluePearl Veterinary Hospitals 

VCA Antech Acquires Associate Veterinary Clinics 

VCA to be Acquired by Mars Inc.

And explored the pros and cons in:

Pros and Cons: Corporatization of the Veterinary Industry.

YourSAY™ Surveys collect opinions from thought leaders that will illuminate future discussions about companion animals, and you are invited to have your say in the latest survey.

This YourSAY™ Survey closes on Wednesday, 8 March 2017 at midnight Eastern Time. You may start and stop your participation to serve your convenience until you click the 'finished' button or until the survey closes. Click this link to proceed to the survey:

YourSAYTM 2017.1 Survey 

Your identity will be anonymous and any survey results will be shared in the aggregate. Summary results of this survey will be reported in InfoStream during the week of March 13th, 2017.

Veterinary Researchers Discover New Technique For Blood Glucose Testing

Owners of diabetic pets often use a glucometer (a device that measures blood glucose levels) to monitor their pet’s disease. Glucometers will quickly measure blood glucose with a minimal amount of blood. Having ready access to a glucometer is often a matter of life or death for the affected pet. While they are highly convenient, glucometers are not as accurate as other methods.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine have discovered that blood glucose measurements are much more accurate when blood plasma/serum is used instead of whole blood. Blood plasma/serum may be used with a glucometer. The research article is entitled Correlation between glucose concentrations in serum, plasma, and whole blood measured by a point-of-care glucometer and serum glucose concentration measured by an automated biochemical analyzer for canine and feline blood samples and was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (Volume 246, Number 12). This new discovery may spark some research in human medicine to determine if human blood plasma/serum can be as accurate as a dog or cats.

80 dogs and 65 cats were included in the study. Typically, glucometers determine glucose levels from whole blood however the researchers wanted to determine the glucose levels in blood plasma and blood serum. Blood plasma is the fluid remaining when red and white blood cells have been removed. Blood serum is the fluid remaining from blood plasma once the clotting factors are removed. Both are easily obtained by spinning blood in a centrifuge.

Each sample was testing in a glucometer and in a biochemical analyzer. The biochemical analyzer is the current most accurate machine for testing blood glucose. Blood serum and blood plasma tested in a glucometer provided results that were very similar to those obtained by the biochemical analyzer. Both serum and plasma were more accurate than whole blood.

Senior author, Rebecka Hess said, "It's a simple study, but it has changed the way we do things. It's widely known that glucometer readings come with a degree of inaccuracy, and until now we've just lived with it. With technology becoming cheaper and smaller all of the time, I can easily envision people purchasing centrifuges to use at home for this purpose," Hess said

Ryan Hospital Director of Emergency Services and Chief of Critical Care, Kenneth Drobatz said, "The plasma and serum results were very tightly clumped with the results from the gold standard machine. That gives us a lot of confidence in this method."

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Veterinary App Provides Online Consultations for Clients

A new app is allowing clients to consult with a veterinarian using text and video. Vet24seven launched in July and is active in the Sacramento Bay area, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino. Vet24seven provides consultations for domestic animals. So far the app has several dozen veterinarians and hundreds of clients. Using the app is often cheaper than visiting a local veterinarian though the app does allow for referrals to a local veterinarian. Clients may upload photos and video of their animals.

 

Cal Lai, Vet24seven CEO and Co-Founder said, “We think Vet24seven increases the frequency of contact and makes the more remote areas more accessible… You can engage your veterinarian in causal regular everyday conversation related to your animal.” Lai believes the app allows owners to talk with a veterinarian instead of relying on inaccurate information found on the Internet. He said, “The problem with Dr. Google is everyone believes what’s on the Internet is real and true and good. Veterinarians have the ability and expertise to filter that information.”

Some veterinarians are worried that virtual veterinary care may be inadequate and veterinarians could break state regulations when treating patients. The California Veterinary Medical Association requires veterinarians to have a ‘veterinarian client patient relationship’. In order to develop this relationship a veterinarian is required to physically examine an animal before providing advice or treatment. Owners cannot be relied on to identify every abnormality an animal presents nevermind the signs that an animal hides.

Director of Regulatory Affairs at the California Veterinary Medical Association, Dr. Grant Miller said, “There is really no substitute for placing your hands on an animal and smelling an ear infection. You can’t do that over a computer.” Veterinarian Dr. Diljit Kamboj said, “It is crucial that we do physical examinations. How am I supposed to give advice if I don’t know what’s going on with the pet?”

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Canadian Pet Market Trends

The Canadian Pet Market Outlook, 2nd Edition reports that the Canadian pet food market in 2014 had the highest growth in the past five years. Key elements driving this growth were pet food sales, humanization trends, increased interest in non-medical pet services. Veterinary professionals continued to see fewer visits from pet owners. The Outlook estimates that sales in the Canadian pet market will rise to $9.2 billion by 2019.

Canadian Pet Market Outlook provides and recommendations regarding the future of the pet market in Canada, contrasts drivers and sales in the Canadian and U.S. pet markets, and pinpoints ways current and prospective players can capitalize on current trends and spearhead new ones.

Are You a Proud Pet Parent, a Veterinary Medicine Student, or Do You Want to Learn More about What Vets Do?

2015 Mini-Vet School is for you!

Mini-Vet School offers people an opportunity to learn from some of Ontario’s finest animal health professionals. Each professional will be sharing their experiences and talk about the ever-changing pet health industry.

The eight speakers will present on four evenings in June. Proceeds from Mini-Vet School will help support Community Vet Outreach, a registered charity that provides free basic veterinary care to the pets of people that are homeless or vulnerably housed.

When: June 2, June 9, June 16, June 23

Where: Purina Pawsway, Harbourfront Centre,

             245 Queens Quay West, Toronto

Time: 19:00 - 21:00

Cost: All four evenings $90

          Seniors/Students $80

          Single evening $25

To view the full schedule and register visit Community Vet Outreach.
 

Highlights of the 2015 Canadian Veterinary Medical Association Convention

The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association is hosting their annual convention in Calgary, Alberta this year from July 16th to 19th. A Preliminary Program is available for interested parties to view.

Highlights will include:

• Kelly Lynn Cronin with Advanced Animal Hospital Group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin will discuss financial concerns and inventory management.  
• Dr. Jason Coe with the Ontario Veterinary College will discuss client communication.
• “Skills Taught, Skills Needed: The ABC’s of Veterinary Credentials.” Speakers will examine veterinary school accreditation nationally and internationally and the effects it has on licensing Canadian veterinarians.   
• Dr. Kevin Stepaniuk, with Columbia River Veterinary Specialists in Washington state, will give six presentations on dentistry issues.
• Dr. Kerry Ketring, owner of the All Animal Eye Clinic in Cincinnati, Ohio will discuss ocular examinations, diagnosis, and treatments.
• Dr. Robin Downing, hospital director of The Downing Center for Animal Pain Management, LLC, will discuss anesthesia and pain management.   “Exploring Contemporary Issues in Animal Welfare”. Speakers will introduce current animal welfare issues of companion animals to wildlife.  
• Dr. Shawn McKenna, Associate Professor at Atlantic Veterinary College, will discuss paratuberculosis and Canadian control programs.
• Dr. John Gilleard, Associate Dean and Professor at the University of Calgary will discuss the biology and epidemiology of gastro-intestinal parasitic nematodes in cattle.
• Dr. Nicholas Frank, Professor and Chair at Tufts University in Massachusetts will discuss how to recognize the physical characteristics of horses affected by equine metabolic syndrome. Management techniques will also be covered.

Online registration is currently open. The early bird registration rate ends June 1st.

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AVMA Annual Convention begins today in Chicago

The Veterinary profession and those associated with it are gathering in Chicago today for the 2013 AVMA Annual Convention. Since 1863 the American Veterinary Medical Association has represented the interests of America's Veterinarians and has provided medical services to animals and the people who own them. The International Association of Human Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO) will hold its annual conference in conjunction with the AVMA event. IAHAIO was founded in 1990 to gather and support organizations interested in advancing understanding and the appreciation of human-animal interaction (HAI).

The global Urban Animal Industry is fortunate to enjoy AVMA contributions in the areas of Veterinary Medicine, animal science, statistical information and education.

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