Dechra partners with Senior Dog Veterinary Society on senior-pet certification

Dechra will put senior-pet certification in front of veterinarians at the 2027 VMX and WVC conferences through a new partnership with the Senior Dog Veterinary Society. The partnership attaches Dechra to a training offer for veterinary clinics.

Dechra, the veterinary specialty company based in Boston, said it will give veterinary professionals chances to earn senior pet veterinarian certification through promotions at both events. "Senior pets have unique healthcare needs, and many veterinarians never received dedicated geriatrics training in vet school," said Dr. Monica Tarantino, DVM, MBA, co-founder of the Senior Dog Veterinary Society (SDVS).

Dechra and SDVS pair conference promotions with senior certification

SDVS was founded by veterinarians Lauren Adelman, Lisa Lippman and Tarantino to provide continuing education, a professional community and standards of care for aging dogs. SDVS says on its site that roughly 44% of U.S. pets are seniors, and the announcement cites SDVS for the figure that more than half of U.S. dog-owning households now have a senior dog.

The certification comes in two levels. Level 1 carries 5 hours of RACE-approved continuing education and costs $249 for new enrollees, then $149 a year to renew, according to the SDVS site. Level 2 totals 12.5 hours across both levels and costs $349, then $199 a year. The same page lists Dechra among its sponsors and says it has 500+ certified veterinary professionals across 15 countries.

The conferences give the partnership its reach. VMX 2027 starts January 16th, 2027, in Orlando, Florida, according to the NAVC announcement. WVC Vegas 2027 runs February 28th to March 3rd, 2027, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, according to the WVC conference page.

Senior-care education points back to Dechra's own specialty drug lineup

Dechra said its portfolio includes products used for age-related conditions, including Cushing's disease, feline hyperthyroidism, dermatology, lymphoma, dental disease, joint health, pain control and anesthesia. Several of those lines are recent additions. In September it launched Laverdia, an oral lymphoma pill for dogs. In May it won FDA approval for CosACTHen, a canine cosyntropin used to diagnose Cushing's disease. It also agreed to buy the stem cell developer Gallant Pet.

Dr. Tara Bidgood, VP of Professional Services and Medical Affairs at Dechra, said the company believes pets "deserve exceptional care throughout their entire lives, especially during their senior years when their healthcare needs often become more complex." The partnership brings that message to veterinary teams.

Other companies fund senior-pet education too. Virbac was the presenting sponsor of Senior Pet Con, a virtual senior-care event Tarantino co-led, and Purina and Loyal Animal Health sponsored at the platinum level.

For general practice teams, the change is a certification route offered at two conferences. For rival animal health companies, senior-care education now has another named sponsor.

Certification promotions at 2027 VMX and WVC are the next step

Dechra said the next step is the promotions at the 2027 VMX and WVC conferences, where veterinary professionals can earn the certification. The announcement did not give the terms of those promotions.

Dechra's senior-pet pitch now runs from conference floors to its drug pipeline.

Source: Dechra via PR Newswire