Dechra teams up with Fear Free to elevate veterinary care for pets
Monday, April 22, 2024
Dechra, a global leader in animal health, is excited to announce its strategic alliance with Fear Free®, an organization committed to reducing fear, anxiety, and stress in pets during veterinary visits. Through this collaboration, Dechra reinforces its commitment to seeing things from the veterinary perspective by supporting the Fear Free mission.
“Dechra recognizes the impact that Fear Free practices have on the veterinary experience for both pets and their owners,” said Mike Eldred, President of Dechra North America. “As a commitment to Fear Free’s mission, our entire Veterinary Services team is Fear Free Certified®, to not only enhance their knowledge and understanding of Fear Free practices but to also help our veterinary partners provide the best care for their patients.”
"We are thrilled about the synergies being created with Dechra's commitment to enhancing the veterinary experience through education and innovative solutions,” explained Randy Valpy, CEO of Fear Free. “This collaboration enables us to extend the reach of our mission, ensuring more pets receive care rooted in understanding and compassion. By incorporating Fear Free principles and Dechra's specialized products into daily practice, we can jointly elevate the standard of animal healthcare, focusing on the holistic well-being of pets."
Dechra is also proud to offer two innovative products that can be useful in a veterinarian’s Fear Free toolkit.
Finding a consistent, reliable sedation protocol that provides a safe, efficient patient experience can be challenging. Zenalpha® (medetomidine and vatinoxan hydrochlorides injection) represents an innovation in procedural sedation for dogs. Zenalpha® is indicated for use as a sedative and analgesic in dogs to facilitate clinical examination, clinical procedures and minor surgical procedures. Zenalpha® is not intended for use in cats. This alpha-2 combination drug is designed to help minimize stress during sedation while maximizing procedural efficiency. With easy intramuscular administration, rapid onset, and a short duration of sedation, Zenalpha® helps streamline veterinary procedures, providing a more comfortable experience for pets and enhancing the overall quality of care provided by the veterinary team. Zenalpha® should not be administered in the presence of pre-existing hypotension, hypoxia or bradycardia.
Additionally, Dechra offers Laverdia®-CA1 (verdinexor tablets), a conditionally approved oral treatment for canine lymphoma. In the U.S., approximately 172 dogs are diagnosed with lymphoma each day. Although chemotherapy can increase median survival time from 21 days to 10 months or more, many owners are reluctant to commit to the intensive schedule of specialist visits, potential side effects, and high cost. With convenient, twice‐weekly, at‐home dosing and affordable pricing, Laverdia®‐CA1 allows veterinarians to offer pet owners more treatment options for dogs with lymphoma while minimizing their stress. The most commonly reported adverse reactions in dogs include anorexia, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, polyuria, polydipsia, elevated liver enzymes and thrombocytopenia.
The collaboration between Dechra and Fear Free underscores a shared commitment to advancing veterinary medicine while prioritizing the well-being of patients, pet owners, and veterinary professionals.
About Dechra
Dechra is an international specialist in veterinary pharmaceuticals and related-products business. Dechra’s expertise is in developing, manufacturing, selling, and marketing high-quality products to support the sustainable improvement of global animal health and welfare. It offers a comprehensive range of products for dogs, cats, and horses, designed to effectively manage and treat various conditions and therapy areas. Striving to be an everyday partner for veterinarians, Dechra is not just an animal pharmaceutical company; Dechra is the veterinary professional’s company.
About Fear Free
Founded by Dr. Marty Becker and developed by hundreds of experts in behavior, medicine, and handling, Fear Free offers online and in-person education to veterinary professionals, the pet professional community, animal shelter staff and volunteers, and pet owners. Fear Free provides both professionals and pet lovers alike with the knowledge and tools to look after a pet's physical and emotional well-being.
Veterinary or pet professionals can learn more about becoming Fear Free Certified by visiting fearfree.com. Pet owners can visit fearfreehappyhomes.com to access free videos, articles, and more that will help improve the physical and emotional health of their pets right at home. Shelter, rescue, and animal welfare employees and volunteers can visit fearfreeshelters.com to enroll in the complimentary program.
ZENALPHA® IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
As with all drugs, side effects may occur. For use in dogs only. Not intended for use in cats. Not for use in humans. Avoid skin, eye or mucosal contact. In case of accidental oral intake or self-injection, seek medical advice immediately and show the package insert to the physician. DO NOT DRIVE as sedation, loss of consciousness, and changes in blood pressure may occur. People with cardiovascular disease and pregnant women should exercise special caution to avoid exposure. Uterine contractions and decreased fetal blood pressure may occur after accidental systemic exposure. As with all alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonists, onset of sedation may be delayed or may be inadequate in some dogs. Do not use Zenalpha® in dogs with cardiac disease, respiratory disorders, shock, severe debilitation, that have hypoglycemia or are at risk of developing hypoglycemia, or are stressed due to extreme heat, cold or fatigue. Zenalpha® should not be administered in the presence of pre-existing hypotension, hypoxia or bradycardia. Due to the pronounced cardiovascular effects of alpha2-adrenoceptor agonists, only clinically healthy dogs (American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] classes I and II) should be administered Zenalpha®. Dogs should be monitored frequently during sedation for changes in heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate and body temperature. Tachycardia may occur in some dogs after recovery from sedation. The following adverse reactions have been reported: diarrhea, muscle tremors and colitis. Refer to the prescribing information for complete details or visit www.dechra-us.com.
LAVERDIA®-CA1 IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION:
For use in dogs only. Laverdia®-CA1 (verdinexor) is conditionally approved for the treatment of lymphoma in dogs. NOT FOR USE IN HUMANS. KEEP THIS AND ALL MEDICATIONS OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN. CHILDREN SHOULD NOT COME INTO CONTACT WITH Laverdia®-CA1. Pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, nursing women and children should not handle or administer Laverdia®-CA1 or come into contact with the feces, urine, saliva, or vomit of treated dogs for 3 days following treatment. Laverdia®-CA1 can affect male fertility based on animal studies and studies in humans. Wear protective disposable chemotherapy resistant gloves when handling Laverdia®-CA1 to avoid direct exposure to moistened, broken or crushed tablets or biological waste from the treated dog (feces, urine, saliva, or vomit). Do not use in dogs that are pregnant, lactating or intended for breeding. Laverdia®-CA1 is a possible teratogen and can affect female and male fertility. Dogs should be frequently monitored for hematologic and serum chemistry abnormalities. The most commonly reported adverse reactions in dogs include anorexia, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, polyuria, polydipsia, elevated liver enzymes and thrombocytopenia. Please see package insert or visit www.dechra-us.com for full prescribing information.
Laverdia and Zenalpha are registered trademarks of Dechra Limited.