Viticus Group took over the Western Veterinary Conference (now Viticus WVC) several years ago. As Viticus Group manages human health programs, many industry pros wondered what changes would be made. The former Western Veterinary Conference is near and dear to my heart as a former client of Germinder + Associates. It was the conference where we launched Goodnewsforpets.com in 2000; I had my own trepidations. It’s hard to believe that Dr. Steve Crane, with Manolita Moore launched the Discovery Zone of .coms 23 years ago.
That said, the new Viticus WVC conference continues to get better and better every year. I had an opportunity at this year’s conference to interview Anthony Pease, DVM, dipl. ACVR, the Chief Veterinary Medical Officer, about his journey in veterinary medicine and the conference. According to Dr. Pease, there have been tremendous upsides to learning and teaching alongside human medicine. Rest assured; this conference remains top of the list of veterinary conferences in terms of exhibitors, CE, and good old-fashioned networking. And I’m sure it will be for years to come.
Another cause for celebration right now is the Spring season gears up with programs to celebrate our pets like National Pet Day. While the official date was yesterday, April 11th, I have noticed an extension of all pet holidays as we celebrate on social media. Heck, here at Goodnewsforpets.com, it’s a celebration of pets every day.
Other kinds of programs that happen more frequently in the spring are educational in nature. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), with partner State Farm Insurance, is always front and center in celebrating Dog Bite Prevention Week, and this year is no exception.
Last but not least, I would be remiss not to remind our cat lovers who write and produce content about cats to enter the Cat Writers Association Contest. Specifically, Goodnewsforpets.com is once again sponsoring the Human-Animal Bond Award. Details here.
Stay safe, everyone, and enjoy this glorious spring weather — with your furry friends!
Lea-Ann Germinder
Editor + Publisher