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A Look at Usage for Pets
form services they have the knowledge
to do,” explained Dr. Fisher.
According to Dr. Fisher, the particular
skill sets of each veterinary school
graduating class impacts the supply and
demand of vet equipment sales. “Ultrasound
requires advanced training — it is
very sophisticated equipment that needs
to be in the hands of well-trained and
board-certified doctors,” he noted.
“Independent veterinarians who
work outside of the VCA hospital network
are looking for equipment they
[already] know how to use or is easy to
be trained on, performs well and is easy
to care for,” he observed. In terms of
usage, “a CT is a CT and a MRI is a
MRI,” and such pieces easily adapt to
both human and animal medical diagnostic
needs. In ultrasound, for example,
there are “plenty of pediatric probes
that work really well on animals.”
But there are certain equipment
parts not so easily transferrable from
human to animal applications. “One
company created a waterproof PET
transmitter for vet use because they saw
the need for it,” said Dr. Fisher, explaining
that in human PET scanners, the
transmitters are not waterproof.
“If there is a real need for vet equipment,
it will be produced. If there’s a
market for it, it gets developed,” Dr.
Fisher noted.
“When veterinarians choose a piece
of equipment, they’ll want to find the best
equipment for that indication: sometimes
it’s used or new. Sometimes, a new treatment
may not be as good as the old one
— and many times the used [equipment]
better fits our needs,” he said.
As for future veterinary equipment
sales, Dr. Fisher sees the market in “imaging
of all kinds — including ultrasound,
digital X-ray, CT, and MRI, for
both new and used equipment.”
OEMs, such as Universal Ultrasound
in Bedford Hills, NY, and Wolf
X-Ray Corporation in Deer Park, NY,
believe that this will be part of the vet
market trend.
“Digital radiography, PACS systems
and teleradiography” are among
the sellers in new vet equipment sales,
wrote Rebecca Owens, RTR, a digital
radiology sales specialist at Universal
Ultrasound.
“In used vet equipment sales, ultrasound
equipment is a popular seller,”
Ms. Owens noted. The company sells
new ultrasound equipment from $4,000
to $125,000 and digital radiography
equipment from $40,000 to $100,000.
Universal Ultrasounds markets to small
and large animal practices.
“In the vet market, I see diagnostic
imaging as a growth segment,” said
Howard Wolf, president of Wolf X-Ray
Corporation, an 80-year-old family-run
veterinary radiography firm. “Considering
the current malaise of the country,
it will take 12 to 18 months for [this
market] to grow,” he said. His firm is
best known for selling vet radiography,
lead protection and film viewing equipment
— about 80% of his business is
currently in analog form.
There will be “an increase in [demand]
for digital and ultrasound equipment
as they become more popular,”
Mr. Wolf said. Wolf X-Ray Corp. has
its own R & D unit, which has “developed
a line of conductivity gels, e.g.,
one that can be used on animals to obtain
images through the fur” — this will
be presented at the North American Veterinary
Conference (NAVC) in January.
Wolf X-Ray Corp. sells to university
medical hospitals, private vet practices
and veterinary schools. “On the
East and West coasts, they are far more
progressive in the medical fields,” Mr.
By Regina Geok-Ling Tan
Wolf observed. “A lot of the coastalbased
veterinarians are [converting] to
electronic health records (EHR). The
Midwest is probably 25% less active in
digital [recording].”
On a cost-comparison basis for using
EHR, Mr. Wolf said, “[for] a 5-practitioner
facility, it would cost $180,000
to initially set up a digital X-ray system…
if you’re 35 and just starting a
practice and you want to do it right, it’s
probably okay to do it, but, if you’re in
your 50’s and planning on retiring in
five years, you’re better off buying another
machine for five grand.”
“If I was going to give a doctor
advice, I would say, ‘Find a local, fullservice
distributor who is familiar with
a top brand.’ A good, local distributor
gives you assurance of having a good
service contract and maintenance. I’m
a big believer in having a local guy take
care of you,” emphasized Mr. Wolf.
“Diagnostic manufacturers seem to
be doing well,” said Mark Ziller, president
of TW Medical, an ISO in Lago
Vista, TX. And, “Digital X-ray is just
on the upswing, with dental diagnostics
also being a growing segment.”
“Frequently, we deal with veterinarians
that are opening a new
business,” said Mr. Ziller. “On-going
customers will need upgrades and replacements.
We can completely outfit
a new practice, e.g., autoclaves, surgery
lights, exam and surgery tables, cages,
anesthesia machines, surgical monitoring
equipment, lab equipment, digital
X-rays, CT’s, and MRI’s.”
Among the OEM’s used for TM
Medical’s offerings are Abaxis, Heska,
and Midmark — “representative companies
that cover an important market
segment,” according to Miller.
Mr. Ziller has been in the animal
health industry for 15 years. TW Medi-
DOTmedbusiness news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 47