INDUSTRY LEADERS ROYAL CANIN, VETGIRL, AND MERCK ANIMAL HEALTH HOST ONE HUNDRED CREDENTIALED VETERINARY TECHNICIANS AT INAUGURAL VETtech U

ST. CHARLES, MO. (OCTOBER 21, 2024) – Royal Canin, a global leader in pet health nutrition and one of the billion-dollar brands of Mars, partnered with Merck Animal Health (known as MSD Animal Health outside of the United States and Canada, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA) and VETgirl to host the inaugural VETtech U conference in Houston, Texas, September 20 – 22, 2024.

Royal Canin, committed to supporting and empowering veterinary technicians, helped provide one hundred technicians with more than 14 hours of complimentary RACE-approved continuing education designed to deliver both practical knowledge and skills to bring back to their practices and equip them with tools to develop better mental health and resilience for long and successful careers.

Some of the key highlights from the event included:

• Walter Brown, RVTg, VTS (Emergency & Critical Care) educating on a technician’s role in successful patient management for critical and hospitalized patients.

• Brianne Morrow, LVT, VTS (Nutrition) led a panel discussion of highly credentialed and experienced technicians around technician empowerment in the hospital. Nutrition is critical to patient health and is identified as a key area where technicians can make an impact.

• Addie Reinhard, DVM, MS, founder and CEO of MentorVet, hosted an engaging session on identifying and addressing burnout in the profession. As 75% of technicians are experiencing moderate to severe burnout, Dr. Reinhard shared tools and resources available to help avoid and overcome this condition running rampant in our profession.

“At Royal Canin we believe that veterinary technicians are critical to the health of our industry and the pets we serve,” said Dr. Todd East, Director of Veterinary Affairs, Royal Canin North America. “We are proud to support VETtech U and will continue to educate and empower veterinary technicians through our Royal Canin Academy, Tech Talks live continuing education, and events such as this. Partnering with VETgirl, Merck Animal Health, BluePearl and Vetsource to deliver this inaugural event was an incredible demonstration of this commitment and we look forward to next year’s event.”

More information will be shared in the coming months about VETtech U 2025, held in Minneapolis, MN, September 26-28th.

About Royal Canin USA
Royal Canin USA, a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated, is a leader in science-based cat and dog health nutrition. Founded by a veterinarian in 1968, Royal Canin has more than 50 years of experience in delivering individualized nutritional solutions. In collaboration with an expert team of nutritionists, breeders and veterinarians from around the world, Royal Canin places cats and dogs at the central point of the innovation process. The Royal Canin product line offers a range of diets based on size, age, breed, lifestyle and therapeutic requirements. Royal Canin diets are available at veterinary hospitals and pet specialty stores nationwide. To learn more about Royal Canin, visit  www.royalcanin.com and follow up on Instagram at @royalcaninus.

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About VETgirl
VETgirl, a leading online veterinary continuing education provider founded by two board-certified veterinary specialists, offers RACE-approved veterinary CE for the low cost of $269/individual. Offering more than 150 hours of CE per year, veterinary professionals can obtain expertise and education in areas of small animal general medicine and surgery, large animal, practice management, leadership, and more. For more information, go to vetgirlontherun.com.

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About Merck Animal Health
At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than a century, we’ve been at the forefront of research, bringing forward medicines, vaccines and innovative health solutions for the world’s most challenging diseases. Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA, is the global animal health business of Merck. Through its commitment to The Science of Healthier Animals®, Merck Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, producers, pet owners and governments one of the widest ranges of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services as well as an extensive suite of connected technology that includes identification, traceability and monitoring products. Merck Animal Health is dedicated to preserving and improving the health, well-being and performance of animals and the people who care for them. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive R&D resources and a modern, global supply chain. Merck Animal Health is present in more than 50 countries, while its products are available in some 150 markets. For more information, visit www.merck-animal-health.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

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