Dechra Pharma to acquire veterinary therapeutics company Invetx

Novo Holdings A/S, an international life sciences investor, has announced that its portfolio company, Invetx, will be acquired by Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC, an international veterinary pharmaceuticals business, for up to $520 million in total consideration on a cash-free, debt-free basis. Invetx creates novel, protein-based animal health therapeutics to transform standards of care in veterinary medicine. With its best-in-class, fully integrated discovery development and commercial manufacturing platform, Invetx leverages biotechnologies validated for human health to create...

College of Veterinary Medicine dean says best time to be a veterinarian

John Tegzes, MA, VMD, Dipl. ABVT, has taken over as dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the Western University of Health Sciences from July 15. Dr Tegzes’s career spans over three decades and encompasses clinical practice, academia, research, and leadership roles. He began his tenure at Western University as associate professor of toxicology for the College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003, the year of the college’s inaugural class. He has also taught toxicology...

New study reveals sharks’ role in keeping oceans healthy

Sharks are to the oceans as tigers are to the jungles, as the presence of both apex predators not only signifies the health of their respective environments, but also helps to maintain it. A new study, published on Thursday in the journal Science, suggests shark conservation must go beyond merely protecting them and must prioritize protecting their ecological roles. The largest sharks of many of the biggest species, such as tiger sharks and great whites,...

Bill to ban octopus farming placed in U.S. Senate

Remember Paul the Octopus? Yeah, the one who became a sensation during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, with his reported “ability” to predict the winners of football matches involving the country he was born and lived in, Germany. At the World Cup, Paul predicted, correctly, the results of all seven matches involving the German team and of the final between Spain and The Netherlands. (For those who did not know, Spain won...

Panda pair to make public debut at San Diego Zoo on Aug 8

The panda pair that arrived at the San Diego Zoo in California, USA, from China earlier this summer will make their eagerly awaited public debut on August 8, the zoo has announced. The two are the first pandas to enter the USA in 21 years. “We are delighted to introduce Yun Chuan [pronounced yoon chu-an] and Xin Bao [pronounced sing bao] to our San Diego Zoo community,” said Paul Baribault, president and chief executive officer...

Don’t leave pets behind, says PETA, but do policymakers care?

As Typhoon Carina swept across the Philippine Sea towards Taiwan and the Chinese coast earlier this week, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, better known by its acronym PETA, issued an urgent appeal to people in the countries in the storm’s path not to leave their pets behind if they needed to evacuate because of flooding or landslides. The appeal was a fresh reminder of the lack of consideration for pets and, indeed, animals...

Osteoarthritis: Why you should monitor your pet closely

Keeping a pet is a huge responsibility, bigger at times than nurturing a child. The child will tell you what is bothering it, where it hurts, what it wants to do or doesn’t want to do, but a pet simply can’t. That is why it is imperative for the owner or caretaker to be watchful for any sign of distress or discomfort in the animal. One such ailment that is becoming fairly common in pets...

Startup Arterra’s dog supplements now available on Amazon

Pioneering dog supplements brand Arterra, based in Austin, Texas, USA, has announced that its products are now available on Amazon. In a press release, the company said this is part of Arterra’s mission to make premium, veterinarian-formulated wellness and longevity supplements accessible to dog owners everywhere. Arterra’s adult and senior formulae are crafted to support healthy ageing and enhance longevity in dogs. With 63 premium, science-backed ingredients, these formulae promote overall wellness of dogs by...

Welfare group exposes travel giant’s complicity in animal cruelty

A new report from World Animal Protection, a global organization working to end factory farming and wildlife exploitation, has exposed the tourism industry’s abusive treatment of animals and accused a popular travel company of being a key partner in this abuse. The report, entitled “Making Memories Misery: How GetYourGuide Profits from Animal Cruelty”, profiles some of the worst animal tourism operators that partnered with it, where captive animals endure abusive training, get inadequate food and...

North Mexico cities visited by crocodiles after recent storms

Residents of cities in north Mexico, in the state of Tamaulipas bordering Texas in the USA, have reported sighting crocodiles after at least 200 of the large reptiles migrated following heavy rainfall from the recent Hurricane Beryl and the previous Tropical Storm Alberto, the Austin American-Statesman newspaper reported on the weekend. Mexican authorities said the downpour that accompanied both storms raised water levels in the coastal lagoons that the predatory reptiles normally inhabit, forcing the...