E- Source An electronic newsletter highlighting veterinary issues for Illinois veterinarians
September 9, 2004 Volume II, Number 9
In This Issue · PetMed Express · National Pet Wellness Month · Classified Deadline · ISVMA Member Center Contact Us peter@isvma.org	PetMed Express Continues to Frustrate The most recent issue of the Epitome included an article that mentioned the ranking of PetMed Express, Inc. as the No. 1 “hot growth company” in Business Week magazine’s June 7, 2004 issue. The purpose of including this article was to bring awareness to the considerable wealth of a company that, in the past two years, has been settling numerous administrative battles with state pharmacy boards across the United States. Despite the number of administrative hearings, none have turned into lawsuits. Government officials often take the administrative route - holding disciplinary hearings because the results are less risky. Tackling a company such as PetMed Express in the courts not only could result in an unfavorable outcome, it can be expensive. Rulings are often appealed at a high cost to state agencies in terms of time and legal fees. ISVMA continues to receive allegations from veterinarians who are concerned about PetMed Express issuing prescriptions without appropriate veterinary authorization. October is National Pet Wellness Month Educate clients about their pet’s aging process and the importance of twice-a-year wellness exams. Pets age faster than people. By age two, most pets have already reached adulthood. Your clients wouldn’t wait seven years between visits to their own doctor, and their pets shouldn’t either. National Pet Wellness Month is a joint initiative by the American Veterinary Medical Association and Fort Dodge Animal Health to raise awareness about the pet aging process, and the need for twice-a-year wellness exams. Use this month-long opportunity to educate pet owners in your clinic and community about key health issues year ‘round. Deadline for Classified Ads is Approaching The deadline to submit a classified advertisement for the October/November Epitome is rapidly approaching. Classified submissions must be received by the ISVMA no later than September 15, 2004. As an ISVMA member, you get a free website classified with every submission to the Epitome! Classified advertisements can be faxed (217-523-7981) or e-mailed to ISVMA (Brenda@isvma.org). Logging into the ISVMA Member Center Have you had trouble logging into the ISVMA Member Center (http://www.isvma.org/membercenter.aspx)? Did you know that you can get legislative bill text, copies of administrative rules, back issues of ISVMA newsletters and more in the member center? You can even participate in a Member-2-Member message board to exchange information. Logging in is easy: Username = Your Last Name (e.g. Smith) Password = Work Phone (ex. 2175238287)* *note: the phone number contains no dashes or parenthesis