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Freshpet and Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc announced an innovative collaboration to produce and deliver fresh, customized subscription meal plans directly to pet owners’ doors. Freshpet Custom Meals are “crafted for optimal nutrition by veterinary nutritionists for dogs,” according to a company release.

"It's exciting to see the demand for fresh pet food continue to grow," stated Scott Morris, co-founder and president of Freshpet, in the release. "As shoppers seek healthier, real food for their pets, they're also looking for solutions that provide added convenience. Our partnership with Petco allows us to deliver on both – creating customized healthy meal plans delivered to consumers' doorsteps."

Freshpet and Petco have simplified the process of obtaining high-quality food options for pets with this innovation, regardless of how the pet parent likes to shop. Increasing consumer interest in direct-to-doorstep fresh, personalized pet meal plans inspired the creation of Freshpet Custom Meals.

"This exclusive, customized home-delivered product is a breakthrough in the way pet parents can provide their pets with the very best nutrition," added Amy College, Petco chief merchandising officer. "We're thrilled to partner with Freshpet, the leader in fresh pet food, to bring Freshpet Custom Meals to life through our differentiated, seamless omnichannel ecosystem, as part of our ongoing commitment to pets' high-quality nutrition and complete health and wellness."

Pet owners must fill out a short questionnaire on their dog's attributes, sensitivities, and health goals on petco.com to receive a personalized meal plan with specific feeding guidelines based on the pet's breed, age, body type, activity level and more. Pet parents can choose their preferred delivery window for the food to be sent via Petco's delivery services. The subscription meal plan begins at $3 per day.

All Freshpet Custom Meals recipes are made with natural chicken, beef, salmon or eggs, real fruits and vegetables, and never any powdered meat meals or preservatives.

 The meals are gently steam-cooked to retain essential nutrients and kept refrigerated until they arrive at the pet parent's home.

The offering has debuted across 15 states, including California, Texas, Florida and New York, and will be available nationally via petco.com later in the year. Customers can receive a discount that is automatically applied to their first order. Go here to learn more: petco.com/custommeals.

Freshpet and Petco launch exclusive industry-first partnership offering customized fresh pet food subscription delivered directly to pet parents' doors. News release. Freshpet; Petco. March 22, 2023. Accessed March 22, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/freshpet-and-petco-launch-exclusive-industry-first-partnership-offering-customized-fresh-pet-food-subscription-delivered-directly-to-pet-parents-doors-301778091.html

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Personalized subscription meal plans brought right to pet owners’ doors

Freshpet and Petco partner launch fresh pet food subscription 

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) announced that early registration is now available for AAHA Con, AAHA's annual conference. Held this year in San Diego, California, on September 20-23 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, the conference is open to all veterinary professionals and included over 20 hours of continuing education credits.

“This year’s theme, Level Up, is focused on giving teams the tools they need to improve their game,” explained Jessica Vogelsang, chief medical officer at AAHA, in an organizational release.

 “Knowing that 2023 is the Year of the Team, it was vital to us to reimagine this conference to be one that every member of the team can learn and grow from. We’re excited to provide a fun and memorable experience as we focus on how meaningful it is to take time to invest in yourself personally and professionally. And what better place to launch AAHA Con than San Diego?”

 attendees will have access to veterinary experts and the latest research and best practices with reviews of the latest guidelines. The AAHA will give inside looks at the latest research, share data on new products and services, and offer a space to discuss practice daily challenges such as strategies for improving relationships with pet owners and insurance challenges.

The keynote speaker will be Rebecca Heiss, PhD, founder and CEO of icueity and author of 

to inspire attendees on how to harness the power of instincts to excel at change.

AAHA is accepting speaker submissions until March 31, 2023.

Veterinary Professionals to Level Up Skills at AAHA CON in San Diego. News release. American Animal Hospital Association. March 21, 2023. Accessed March 22, 2023.

AAHA Con heads to San Diego 

The Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) announced the 16 veterinary management professionals earned the Certified Veterinary Practice Manger (CVPM) credential. This voluntary credential is a sign for professional achievement and excellence that is awarded to veterinary professionals that show the knowledge and experience to manage veterinary practices successfully.

 before sitting down for the exam, the applicants need to meet practice management experience requirements while also proving they earned sufficient formal education and continuing education credits. After meeting these requirements, applicants sit down for the CVPM exam that tests their knowledge on human resources, finance, law and ethics, marketing, and organization. The exam is offered online across North American to registered candidates.

To learn more about becoming a CVPM, visit the VHMA website.

Veterinary Practice Managers Earn Prestigious CVPM Designation. News release. The Veterinary Hospital Managers Association. March 21, 2023. Accessed March 22, 2023.

VHMA announces latest class of CVPMs 

Reina undergoing examinations (Photo courtesy of Zoo Miami).

Zoo Miami recently reported that a 18-year-old, 105-pound female jaguar, Reina, has been experiencing lethargy and appetite loss. She was anesthetized and transferred from her habitat enclosure to the zoo’s animal hospital to undergo a series of examinations and identify the cause of her symptoms.

Are the largest cat in the Americas and the third largest in the world, following tigers and lions.

Are found in tropical forests, from Mexico into South America, and have recently been spotted crossing the Mexican border into the Southwestern US.

Are often found in and around water (unlike most cats) where they will hunt various prey ranging from fish and caiman to deer and domestic livestock.

Have one of the most powerful jaws of all cats with the ability to bite through large skulls and turtle shells. 

Have an average lifespan in the wild of 12-15 years. 

Zoo Miami associate veterinarian, Marisa Bezjian, DVM, led the animal health team during the examinations. According to an organizational release,

 the procedures performed included a full set of radiographs, the collection of blood and urine, and an oral examination in addition to a tooth cleaning. She also received a thorough abdominal ultrasound examination conducted by consulting veterinary internist, Luis Macho, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM).

Though initial results did not display any critical issues, they did reveal persistence of several small cysts in the abdominal cavity. During prior exams, these cysts had been documented, though they are from unknown origin with the general belief being they may be related to hormones or advanced age.

Reina has been returned to her habitat enclosure where she has recovered well from the anesthesia. She will be further closely monitored.

Jaguars are considered Near Threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Jaguar’s loss of appetite leads to immobilization for physical exam.News release. Zoo Miami. March 21, 2023. Accessed March 22, 2023. dhttps://www.zoomiami.org/media-news/posts/jaguars-loss-of-appetite-leads-to-immobilization-for-physical-exam

A series of examinations uncovered cysts in the abdominal cavity 

Jaguar undergoes anesthesia to determine cause of appetite loss

UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine announced in a university release

 the start of a new veterinary business graduate course in partnership with the Graduate School of Management, titled, “Foundations of Veterinary Business.” This course runs from May 15 to August 12, 2023. The course combines a mix of asynchronous (webinar recordings/online coursework) and synchronous (live Zoom sessions) learning with 3 mandatory Zoom sessions on Saturdays throughout the course.

The Foundations of Veterinary Business will focus on 4 subtopics including managerial accounting, finance, marketing, and strategy/human resources. The goal of this program is to help participants develop both the general and veterinary-specific business knowledge to successfully start, purchase, and operate veterinary practices.

"This program is an excellent investment for veterinarians considering practice ownership, as well as current practice owners and other practice leaders who want to take their business understanding to the next level," Dean H. Rao Unnava, Graduate School of Management, said on the course website.

Sponsored by Zoetis, students will be able to take their learned knowledge into an interactive environment with the 3 live Zoom sessions covering practical, veterinary-specific business concepts taught by industry experts. Students will also complete a small group capstone project analyzing the business performance of actual practices.

“The difference between having confidence in running a business in any environment and feeling buffeted by changing conditions is understanding the mechanics,” said Jim Clark, DVM, MBA, leader of the UC Davis Foundations of Veterinary Business online certificate program. “Our experienced experts walk you through the fundamentals you need to have that confidence in any situation.”

“The Foundations of Veterinary Business course provides invaluable resources for anyone considering practice ownership. Real-world examples of clinics, including profit/loss and balance sheets, are presented for a thorough discussion with a panel of experts. This helps contextualize opportunities for practice development within today’s market and understand operating costs and revenue sources. In addition, the connections I gained through this course have been vital as I navigate the journey towards practice ownership,” said Chloe Block, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology).

UC Davis online course helps in tricky business environment. News release. UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Published March 21, 2023. Accessed March 22, 2023.

Foundations of Veterinary Business. UC Davis Graduate School of Management. Accessed March 22, 2023. 

https://gsm.ucdavis.edu/executive-education-programs/foundations-veterinary-business?utm_source=eblast&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=vetmed

Students will learn the foundations of veterinary business management

New online course for veterinary business at UC Davis

Juggling being a mother and veterinary professional is no easy feat. In this

interview, Kate Boatright, VMD, describes the importance of finding time for yourself amid these responsibilities. 

Boatright will also be lecturing at the Fetch Charlotte Conference March 24-26, 2023. Register 

The following is a partial transcript of the video.

: I know that it's so important that we do protect our own time and leave some time for ourselves. So, it's definitely something I'm working on. I have some fantastic support from people in my personal life. I work with some coaches to help find the right balance, so that I can make an impact with what I'm doing.

Watch the full interview on Medical World News™ 

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