Dr. Thomas Edling, DVM, MSpVM, MPH
Session Recording
Speaker Summary
Dr. Thomas Edling, DVM, MSpVM, MPH
Dr. Thomas Edling currently serves as a Vice President of Petco Animal Supplies, Inc, and as their first ever Director of Veterinary Medicine. Since 2003, his primary objective in leading one of the nation’s largest pet retailers has been to advocate for animals, and his efforts have revolutionized the company’s nutrition standards, animal care training, and husbandry procedures in their 1,300 North American stores, ultimately influencing the entire pet industry and affecting millions of animals worldwide. His strong emphasis on ‘Think Adoption First’ and stressing of the importance of public animal education has strengthened Petco’s partnerships with the veterinary and animal welfare communities, and in this influential position, Dr. Edling has also successfully liaised between the pet industry and federal and state organizations concerned with the spread of zoonotic diseases.
In addressing the deeply rooted connection between One Health and the pet industry, Dr. Edling first explored why humans have pets, and how animals have become a part of our daily lives. Evolution of the human-animal bond began over 30,000 years ago with the domestication of dogs, and later cats, and now pet ownership has become an integral part of American society and significant contributor to our economy. According to the 2013-2014 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, most people in the United States consider themselves to be ‘pet parents’ and 99% of pet owners consider their pets to be family members. In today’s society, American children are more likely to have pets than siblings or fathers, and in 2014, a staggering $58.51 billion dollars was spent on purchasing pets, pet food and supplies, veterinary care, grooming, and boarding.
Respecting the deep human-animal bond, which includes tremendous health benefits derived from the relationships between pets and their ‘parents,’ and appreciating the importance to promote responsible pet care and animal welfare, Petco has forged a critical relationship with the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC), to ensure their company continues to remain a standard bearer in the field. PIJAC serves as a unified voice of the pet industry, representing all components, to include retailers, wholesale/distributors, companion animal suppliers, manufacturers and their representatives, hobbyist groups, and other trade organizations. For over 40 years, PIJAC has worked with USDA to enforce and enhance the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), and currently holds a memorandum of understanding with the CDC. Ultimately, PIJAC’s mission is to ensure animals within the pet industry are governed under appropriate and compassionate standards, and in doing so, PIJAC (with Petco) has produced several critical guides and standards for pet retail employees on husbandry, veterinary care, and nutrition.
In the spirit of One Health, Dr. Edling also highlighted Petco’s continued commitment to and support of human and animal health and wellbeing. During his tenure at Petco, the retailer has come to passionately promote consumer education on healthy, safe animal handling, and proper husbandry techniques for all animals. In an industry first, Petco ceased sales of large birds, rabbits, and animal food products made in China. Additionally, in the best interest of both people and industry animals, Petco has enacted stringent Salmonella polices, a Turtle Relinquishment Program, proactive Chlamydophila psittaci policies (to include PCR testing in birds), and rigorous vendor audits. Specifically, Dr. Edling discussed the 2014 international Salmonella outbreak, attributed to bearded dragon exposure, and Petco’s unprecedented response. During the outbreak, all of Petco’s bearded dragons were voluntarily quarantined (resulting in the accepted loss of several million dollars), as Dr. Edling and his team tirelessly worked with bearded dragon and other reptile breeders on egg washing protocols (to reduce the presence of Salmonella in industry reptiles), and vendor testing protocols on all purchased reptiles. Through this case study, he stressed how prevention and control relies on a unified One Health approach, and that interventions at breeding facilities and retail stores are critical to reduce zoonotic diseases and their spread. As with all One Health issues, public education and industry and government actions remain essential for improvements in the pet industry, and the preservation of human and animal health.
In addressing the deeply rooted connection between One Health and the pet industry, Dr. Edling first explored why humans have pets, and how animals have become a part of our daily lives. Evolution of the human-animal bond began over 30,000 years ago with the domestication of dogs, and later cats, and now pet ownership has become an integral part of American society and significant contributor to our economy. According to the 2013-2014 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, most people in the United States consider themselves to be ‘pet parents’ and 99% of pet owners consider their pets to be family members. In today’s society, American children are more likely to have pets than siblings or fathers, and in 2014, a staggering $58.51 billion dollars was spent on purchasing pets, pet food and supplies, veterinary care, grooming, and boarding.
Respecting the deep human-animal bond, which includes tremendous health benefits derived from the relationships between pets and their ‘parents,’ and appreciating the importance to promote responsible pet care and animal welfare, Petco has forged a critical relationship with the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC), to ensure their company continues to remain a standard bearer in the field. PIJAC serves as a unified voice of the pet industry, representing all components, to include retailers, wholesale/distributors, companion animal suppliers, manufacturers and their representatives, hobbyist groups, and other trade organizations. For over 40 years, PIJAC has worked with USDA to enforce and enhance the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), and currently holds a memorandum of understanding with the CDC. Ultimately, PIJAC’s mission is to ensure animals within the pet industry are governed under appropriate and compassionate standards, and in doing so, PIJAC (with Petco) has produced several critical guides and standards for pet retail employees on husbandry, veterinary care, and nutrition.
In the spirit of One Health, Dr. Edling also highlighted Petco’s continued commitment to and support of human and animal health and wellbeing. During his tenure at Petco, the retailer has come to passionately promote consumer education on healthy, safe animal handling, and proper husbandry techniques for all animals. In an industry first, Petco ceased sales of large birds, rabbits, and animal food products made in China. Additionally, in the best interest of both people and industry animals, Petco has enacted stringent Salmonella polices, a Turtle Relinquishment Program, proactive Chlamydophila psittaci policies (to include PCR testing in birds), and rigorous vendor audits. Specifically, Dr. Edling discussed the 2014 international Salmonella outbreak, attributed to bearded dragon exposure, and Petco’s unprecedented response. During the outbreak, all of Petco’s bearded dragons were voluntarily quarantined (resulting in the accepted loss of several million dollars), as Dr. Edling and his team tirelessly worked with bearded dragon and other reptile breeders on egg washing protocols (to reduce the presence of Salmonella in industry reptiles), and vendor testing protocols on all purchased reptiles. Through this case study, he stressed how prevention and control relies on a unified One Health approach, and that interventions at breeding facilities and retail stores are critical to reduce zoonotic diseases and their spread. As with all One Health issues, public education and industry and government actions remain essential for improvements in the pet industry, and the preservation of human and animal health.
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