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This newly created role will evolve the practice's marketing strategy with the needs of pets and the people who care for them at the center VANCOUVER, Wash., April 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Banfield Pet Hospital – the nation's leading provider of preventive veterinary care and part of the Mars Veterinary Health family of practices – has named David Sturrus as the practice's first Chief Client Officer. David brings 20 years of experience in customer and growth strategy to the practice, where he'll join the Senior Leadership Team in unlocking access to care — in hospitals and in communities – to be here for the millions of pets Banfield cares for each year. "As a passionate pet owner myself, I look forward to having the opportunity to strengthen the client and Associate experience so that we can support pets in new, innovative ways and at all stages of life," said David. "This includes enhancing offerings like our signature Optimum Wellness Plan and evolving how and where care is delivered to better meet the needs of pets and the people who love them." "As we look to expand our impact to deliver quality care to more pets and more clients, I'm thrilled to welcome David to this newly created role to help transform the partnerships we build with pet owners and our caring hospital teams," said Mony Iyer, President of Banfield Pet Hospital. "Our enhanced focus on clients is intentional and I'm excited to welcome a leader who brings a breadth of expertise to enable us to strengthen loyalty and engage with clients like never before." About Banfield Pet Hospital® Banfield Pet Hospital was founded in Portland, Ore. in 1955 and today is a pioneer in preventive veterinary care with more than 1,000 general veterinary hospitals in 42 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and Mexico. Every year more than 3,600 Banfield veterinarians provide high-quality veterinary care to over three million pets, including more than 2 million Optimum Wellness Plan clients. As part of the Mars Veterinary Health family of practices, Banfield's 20,000 Associates nationwide are committed to positively impacting society through the Banfield Gives Back program and advancing veterinary medicine in service of our purpose — A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS® — because pets make a better world for us. Press seeking additional information are invited to call the Media Hotline: (888) 355-0595. SOURCE Banfield Pet Hospital

Despite new data confirming heartworm is a risk during all four seasons, 51% of pet owners are skipping year-round prevention VANCOUVER, Wash., April 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Banfield Pet Hospital – the nation's leading provider of preventive veterinary care and part of the Mars Veterinary Health family of practices – surveyed 1,000 U.S. dog and cat owners and analyzed its pet medical record database to gain insights on the state of heartworm prevalence in pets, including seasonal and local trends. According to the American Heartworm Society, more than a million pets in the U.S. have heartworm – a serious and potentially fatal parasite for dogs and cats that is contracted from mosquitos – and cases are on the rise. Despite the growing prevalence, new survey findings from Banfield reveal nearly 40% of dog and cat owners don't believe their pet is at risk of getting heartworms and nearly 30% said their pet is not on heartworm prevention. Further, 21% of pet owners don't believe the mosquitos in their state carry the parasite, despite heartworm cases being diagnosed in all 50 states. "Research has shown rates of heartworm in pets have continued to trend upward nationwide, despite prevention being generally safer, easier and less expensive than treating an existing infection," said Dr. Alea Harrison, chief medical officer of Banfield Pet Hospital. "As we continue to strive towards our purpose – A Better World for Pets – Banfield is committed to 'chasing zero' infections of this 100% preventable and life-threatening parasite in partnership with pet owners and the veterinary industry." Mosquitos might be more noticeable in the summer, but risk persists all year long Some pet owners might think heartworm is only a risk to their pets during the warmer months; however, Banfield's data underscores the importance of year-round prevention. Rates of heartworm diagnoses in pets seen at Banfield in 2023 stayed the same across all four seasons, with thousands of pets diagnosed in spring, summer, fall and winter. When asked about seasonality of heartworm and prevention practices: 41% of surveyed pet owners said they believe heartworm is only a risk during part of the year 51% skip year-round prevention, with 18% only using heartworm prevention for their pets during spring and summer months States with the highest increases and decreases in rates of heartworm While it can't be said for certain where a pet contracted heartworm given things like travel or out-of-state adoption, below are the states with the highest increases in rates of heartworm in the past five years according to Banfield's data. Notably, states including Washington and Oregon made the top 10 list, which according to the American Heartworm Society are areas with historically low heartworm rates. Delaware – 299% increase Montana - 140% increase Nevada - 101% increase Idaho – 81% increase Utah – 57% increase Washington – 55% increase Arizona – 52% increase Iowa – 35% increase Oregon – 32% increase Rhode Island – 30% increase Not every state has seen an increase in the rate of pets diagnosed with heartworms. According to Banfield's data, Connecticut saw the largest decrease (-46%) in heartworm diagnosis over the past five years, followed by: Indiana – 38% decrease Wisconsin – 38% decrease Arkansas – 34% decrease Louisiana – 31% decrease Georgia – 29% decrease Tennessee – 28% decrease Kansas – 23% decrease Ohio – 22% decrease Texas – 22% decrease The importance of prevention In the past five years, Banfield saw a 47% increase in felines diagnosed with heartworms. This is particularly concerning for a number of reasons, including: There is currently no safe treatment to remove or kill adult heartworms in cats, so infected cats can only be treated supportively and symptomatically. In cats, heartworm infections cause a syndrome known as heartworm associated respiratory disease (HARD). Despite the increased risks for cats, only 22% of surveyed cat owners are aware there are no safe treatment options for felines. Thirty-two percent of surveyed dog owners said they feel neutral or unconcerned about their dogs getting heartworms given it's treatable. And while there are treatment options available for dogs, new peer-reviewed research leveraging Banfield data reinforces why prevention is much more preferrable than treatment. The study found dogs that tested positive and received treatment for heartworm infection had higher risks for right-sided heart failure, left-sided heart failure, and cardiomyopathy. You can read more about these findings at Banfield Exchange. Heartworm resources for the veterinary profession Heartworm remains a growing concern across the U.S. for pets and the people who love them. As part of Banfield's commitment to leveraging its reach to drive quality care and advance pet health, the practice launched a focus on heartworm prevention last year, resulting in heartworm infection among Banfield patients decreasing by more than 10% in 2023. Veterinary professionals can find learnings and tips for implementing their own heartworm reduction initiatives at their hospitals on Banfield Exchange. About Banfield Pet Hospital® Banfield Pet Hospital was founded in Portland, Ore. in 1955 and today is a pioneer in preventive veterinary care with more than 1,000 general veterinary hospitals in 42 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and Mexico. Every year more than 3,600 Banfield veterinarians provide high-quality veterinary care to over three million pets, including more than 2 million Optimum Wellness Plan clients. As part of the Mars Veterinary Health family of practices, Banfield's 20,000 Associates nationwide are committed to positively impacting society through the Banfield Gives Back program and advancing veterinary medicine in service of our purpose — A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS® — because pets make a better world for us. Press seeking additional information are invited to call the Media Hotline: (888) 355-0595. SOURCE Banfield Pet Hospital

New data from Banfield Pet Hospital uncovers breeds and states with the highest and lowest cases VANCOUVER, Wash., Feb. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This National Pet Dental Health Month, Banfield Pet Hospital – the nation's leading provider of preventive veterinary care and part of the Mars Veterinary Health family of practices – analyzed its data from more than 3 million pets seen at its 1,000+ hospital locations nationwide to gain insights on the state of pet dental health across the U.S., including breeds and states with the highest and lowest cases of oral health-related issues. Dental disease in pets is about so much more than bad breath – and a lot more common than most owners realize. In 2023, 73% of dogs and 64% of cats seen at Banfield were diagnosed with dental-related issues. Poor oral health can be associated with pain, excessive drooling, bleeding, and reluctance to eat or drink. Periodontal disease, a more serious form of dental disease in pets, may also be linked to other chronic and systemic health problems in the rest of the body, including heart and kidney disease. Research based on Banfield data found: Cats with advanced stages of periodontal disease were 1.5x more likely to develop chronic kidney disease Dogs with advanced periodontal disease were 2.3x more likely to develop chronic kidney disease and 6.3x more likely to develop endocarditis (infection of a heart valve) "With the largest pet medical record database in the country, Banfield is dedicated to using our data to share insights to provide better care for pets and advance veterinary medicine," said Dr. Alea Harrison, chief medical officer of Banfield Pet Hospital. "Oral health is an integral part of a pet's overall health and wellbeing, and our veterinary teams are committed to partnering with pet owners to find the right professional and at-home care plan for each pet." A "most popular" list you don't want your pet to be part of Research from Waltham Petcare Science Institute leveraging Banfield data found the size of a dog can impact their susceptibility to oral health issues: One study found extra-small dog breeds (<14.3 lbs) were up to five times more likely to be diagnosed with periodontal disease than giant dog breeds (>55 lbs). A new paper analyzing the prevalence of "shark teeth," or persistent deciduous teeth (PDT) in dogs – which can cause bite misalignment and gum disease – found that compared to other breed sizes, PDT was significantly more common in extra-small breeds. New data from Banfield reinforces these findings. When looking at the most popular dog breeds seen at Banfield last year, 8 out of top 10 breeds with the highest rates of oral-related health concerns were smaller dogs: *Total number of each breed of dog seen at Banfield in 2023 These findings don't mean bigger dogs are off the hook! Banfield's data found that in addition to Terriers (79.7%) and Labrador Retrievers (75.9%) making the top 10 list, 70% of Golden Retrievers, 68.3% of Siberian Huskies, and 62.5% of Pitbulls seen at its hospitals last year were diagnosed with dental health issues. A regional and state-specific look at oral health-related diagnoses Banfield analyzed its data to uncover the regions and states with the highest and lowest prevalence of dental disease among dogs and cats seen at its locations last year. When looking at data from the millions of pets seen at Banfield last year, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York were found to have the lowest rates of patients with dental disease, and cats overall fared better than their 4-legged counterparts. Iowa, Idaho and Minnesota had the highest rates of both dogs and cats seen at Banfield that were diagnosed with dental disease in 2023. There are many factors that can account for states with higher or lower instances of dental disease, for example local breed populations. All owners should work with veterinary teams on how to best care for a pet's oral health, regardless of where they live. Resources for the veterinary profession: approaching dental care responsibly As part of Banfield's commitment to leveraging its data to share insights and learnings with pet owners and the profession, the practice teamed up with Mars Veterinary Health and UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine to help shine a spotlight on how dental procedures – which are among the most frequently performed procedures in veterinary clinics – can play an important role in pharmaceutical stewardship. This research investigates current antimicrobial usage (AMU) in veterinary dentistry to identify opportunities for improvement and describes the patterns of AMU in canine and feline dentistry within primary care practice. The hope is that these valuable data will inform interventions designed to optimize patient care and promote prudent AMU during dental procedures. Veterinary professionals can learn more about these findings on Banfield Exchange: About Banfield Pet Hospital® Banfield Pet Hospital was founded in Portland, Ore. in 1955 and today is a pioneer in preventive veterinary care with more than 1,000 general veterinary hospitals in 42 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and Mexico. More than 3,600 Banfield veterinarians are committed to providing high-quality veterinary care to over three million pets annually. Banfield collects data from each of these visits in the U.S.'s largest electronic veterinary health records system. The practice's goal is to be here for pets, people, and society through the Banfield Gives Back program. As part of the Mars Veterinary Health family of practices, Banfield is committed to its purpose — A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS® — because pets make a better world for us. Press seeking additional information are invited to call the Media Hotline: (888) 355-0595. SOURCE Banfield Pet Hospital