Banfield® and NAVC® publish Veterinary Emerging Topics (VET)® Report

Banfield Pet Hospital today unveiled its third annual VETERINARY EMERGING TOPICS (VET)^TM Report in partnership with the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC). With the goal of improving quality of life for pets, the 2019 VET Report examines the management of osteoarthritis (OA) in overweight and obese dogs and cats – and identifies opportunities to improve their care. 

As the largest general veterinary practice in the U.S. with more than 1,000 hospitals nationwide, Banfield is committed to leveraging its scale to advance pet health by investing in research and sharing insights gleaned from the more than three million pets it cares for each year.

“As an industry, we face an uphill battle as excess weight becomes normalized and associated conditions like osteoarthritis are on the rise,” said Daniel Aja, DVM, chief medical officer, Banfield Pet Hospital. “With the goal of advancing pet health, our third annual VET Report provides insights into these trends and offers veterinary professionals access to information and resources they can use to manage patients with osteoarthritis.” 

The percentage of overweight and obese pets has reached epidemic levels, and diseases commonly associated with excess weight – including OA— are on the rise. This year’s report explores not only the diagnosis and treatment of OA, but also the barriers encountered by veterinary teams that impact their ability to provide recommended care. 

In fact, Banfield found 51 percent of dogs and 41 percent of cats newly diagnosed with OA were considered overweight or obese in 2017 – and that key barriers preventing appropriate care for OA pets include cost of diagnostic services and treatment; owner noncompliance; owner not recognizing their pet is in pain; and owner not accepting their pet is overweight. Given the growing severity of each of these conditions, Banfield and the NAVC are committed to exploring opportunities for the veterinary industry to help reverse these trends.

“Tackling the U.S. pet obesity epidemic is of paramount importance to the profession, and we are honored to partner with Banfield on the 2019 VET Report for the third consecutive year to offer insights that impact not only the profession but also pet health,” said Tom Bohn, MBA, CAE, HABc, chief executive officer of the NAVC. “Our hope is that the 2019 VET Report provides actionable insights to help enable hospital teams to help clients reverse current trends.”

For more information or to download the full report, visit Banfield.com/VETReport.

About Banfield Pet Hospital^®

Founded in Portland, Ore. in 1955, Banfield is the largest general-veterinary practice in the U.S. In 2007, Banfield joined the Mars, Inc. family of businesses, and today has more than 1,000 hospitals across the United States and Puerto Rico. More than 3,600 Banfield veterinarians are committed to providing high-quality veterinary care for over three million pets annually. In 2018, Banfield, including the work of the Banfield Foundation, was named among Points of Light’s The Civic 50 as one of the most community-minded companies in the U.S. for the second consecutive year. Press seeking additional information are invited to call the Media Hotline: (888) 355-0595.

About the North American Veterinary Community^®

Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Gainesville, Florida, with offices in Orlando, Florida, the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) is a non-profit organization providing world-class professional development to the global veterinary healthcare community. Its largest initiative, VMX, formerly known as the NAVC Conference, hosts more than 17,000 attendees each year. Other offerings include VetFolio, an online CE platform in conjunction with AAHA; the NAVC Institute; the Veterinary Innovation Council; an Industry Services Division, an online news and lifestyle channel Spark! and its official journals: Today's Veterinary Business, Today’s Veterinary Nurse, Today’s Veterinary Practice and Veterinary Advantage. Visit http://navc.com for more details.