After launching EduPet, an education centre for pet owners and professionals, Dutch pet food company Prins Petfoods in Veenendaal has opened EduVet, a veterinary training center.
EduVet brings together several veterinary services that reinforce each other, such as:
The core team of EduVet includes veterinarian Atjo Westerhuis and veterinary technicians Pauline Westerhuis and Eveline Meijer. In addition there is a “plus team,” a team consisting of highly experienced specialists that are experts in their fields such as sports medicine and rehabilitation, dentistry, acupuncture and herbal medicine. For Prins Petfoods, the opening of EduVet is a new step in sharing knowledge and experience, with animal welfare always being the top priority. Various parties such as pet shops and veterinarians can work together through both the EduPet education centre and the EduVet veterinary training centre.
EduVet's mission of collaboration and sharing knowledge between specialists and pet owners may be particularly pertinent in the current pet food industry. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP)’s annual survey revealed that in 2017 pet owners and veterinarians hold different opinions on various dog and cat food trends, such as grain-free, organic and raw pet foods.
Pet owners and veterinarians held somewhat different opinions about organic dog and cat foods, with many pet owners being unsure on the issue. Organic pet food was perceived as “healthier” by 39 percent of pet owners, down from 43 percent in 2016, while 40 percent reported “I don’t know.” Twenty-six percent of veterinary professionals categorized organic pet foods as “healthier,” up from 15 percent in 2016. Seventeen percent of veterinary professionals replied, “I don’t know” when it comes to organic pet foods being “healthier” for pets.
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