Trupanion Convenes Global Authorities in Animal Welfare for Exclusive Webinar for Veterinary Professionals to Help Communities Manage COVID-19

SEATTLE, March 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- , the leader in medical insurance for pets, announced today that it is joining forces with The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA), the membership organization exclusively for animal welfare, care and control leaders in the United States, Canada, and Australia. This partnership aims to provide veterinary and animal shelter professionals guidance on a community response during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

With the COVID-19 pandemic requiring communities to quarantine citizens, the care of impacted family pets has become a topic of concern for the entire veterinary community including, but not limited to, veterinary hospitals, veterinary educational institutions, and government and nonprofit animal shelters. 

The first collaboration between Trupanion and AAWA will be a free, RACE approved, webinar for veterinary and animal shelter professionals offering guidance on community response to COVID-19, including considerations for those impacted by the crisis who have pets in their care.

“We know that the veterinary community is on the frontline hearing from concerned pet owners about COVID-19 and their pets,” said Jim Tedford, president and CEO for The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and Certified Animal Welfare Administer (CAWA). “At the same time, animal shelters play the important role as the community safety net for stray or relinquished animals within the scope of public health, law enforcement, public safety, and animal protection.   By working together, united in a community response, our veterinary profession, including animal shelters, can help ease the minds of worried pet owners and provide sound guidance for pet owners to keep their pets safe as part of the family and out of shelters.”

Using as a driving philosophy, the webinar will take place on Wednesday, March 25 at 11:00 a.m. PDT (2:00 p.m. EDT) and will cover the latest information related to COVID-19 and its impact on our entire community. Covetrus, a global leader in animal-health technology and services, is generously hosting the webinar, which is expected to attract thousands of attendees.

Understanding how COVID-19 is transmitted, what to expect and how to bathe a pet exposed to a COVID-19 infected person, will enable veterinary professionals to help pets stay in homes and out of the sheltering system.  This webinar will also provide clarity regarding conflicting information around personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements to help veterinary hospitals and shelters better anticipate the potential barriers and contingencies involved.

The webinar, moderated by Trupanion’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr. Steve Weinrauch, is the first collaboration of its kind, bringing together the leading organizations in human, animal, and environmental health in discussion of this latest pandemic.

“By joining forces with these worldwide authorities in pet health and welfare, our goal is to provide the most current and useful information to the veterinary and sheltering community,” said Dr. Steve Weinrauch, BVMS, MRCVS, chief veterinary officer at Trupanion and Founder of – an industry-wide platform to support veterinary professionals in their career and well-being. “Trupanion is here to bring our members and pet owners across the world comfort in times of uncertainty, and that includes with Pandemics. We have been diligent in providing our members with the latest information around COVID-19 and how it impacts them as pet owners. Bringing these world leaders in pet health together to discuss these timely and important issues continues our commitment, not only to our members but also to the worldwide community. We look forward to spearheading this critical community effort with our esteemed colleagues.”

This webinar will serve In Practice, Nonprofit and Government veterinary personnel as well as animal sheltering leadership.

Webinar Details

WHO: Dr. Steve Weinrauch, BVMS, MRCVS,  chief veterinary officer, Trupanion, Founder, MightyVet; Jim Tedford, president and CEO for The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and Certified Animal Welfare Administer (CAWA); Michael Lappin, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM), Chair, WSAVA One Health Committee; Julie Levy, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, DABVP (Shelter Medicine Practice), Fran Marino, Endowed Professor of Shelter Medicine, Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program, University of Florida

WHAT: Free, RACE approved webinar: Guidance for COVID-19 Community Response for Nonprofit, Government, and In Practice Veterinary Personnel

WHEN: Wednesday, March 25, 11:00 a.m. – noon PDT

WHERE: There are two ways to access this webinar:

The first 3,000 veterinary professionals who pre-register at will be eligible for RACE credits and will join the webinar via the Zoom platform.

The webinar will also be streamed live at . Please note that RACE credits are not available via the Facebook Live stream.

About Trupanion

Trupanion is a leader in medical insurance for cats and dogs throughout the United States and Canada with over 500,000 pets enrolled. For over two decades, Trupanion has given pet owners peace of mind so they can focus on their pet's recovery, not financial stress. Trupanion is committed to providing pet owners with the highest value in pet medical insurance with unlimited payouts for the life of their pets. Trupanion is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol "TRUP". The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. Trupanion policies are issued, in the United States, by its wholly-owned insurance entity American Pet Insurance Company and, in Canada, by Omega General Insurance Company. For more information, please visit trupanion.com.

About AAWA

Since 1970, The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement has been leading the conversation among animal welfare leaders. As the only membership organization dedicated exclusively to animal welfare, care and control professionals, The Association develops strong leaders, promotes standards of practice, and cultivates collaboration to advance the animal welfare profession with a united voice. For more information, please visit theaawa.org

About WSAVA

The WSAVA represents more than 200,000 veterinarians worldwide through its 113 member associations.  Its core activities include the development of WSAVA Global Guidelines in key areas of veterinary practice, including pain management, nutrition and vaccination, and the provision of continuing education.

About MightyVet

MightyVet is an initiative to support and evolve the veterinary ecosystem for the common good of pets, families and the veterinary professionals entrusted with their care.  MightyVet provides veterinary professionals with free on-demand Continuing Education courses, mentorship from industry experts, virtual office hours for real-time feedback with Veterinary educators, and online resources for their day-to-day needs. Incubated by Trupanion, MightyVet is an industry-wide movement with participation and support from over 30 veterinary-related organizations. For more information, please visit   

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