They coulda been contenders!

Kitty said knock you out, but we didn't, because we're not rude like that. (Shutterstock.com)You come to a Fetch dvm360 conference for the innovative education. But you stay for the cat yoga (yes, I'm serious). And during breaks, you might make a point of meandering through the inspiring exhibit hall, with products and services to make your life easier and your patients' lives healthier.

What's new in San Diego?

Here's a taste of more than a dozen new players-or new to you-who'll be showing off for you in the convention center on the California bay.

And in this corner ...

Bluuuuuuuue riverrrrrrrr ... sorry, wrong song. (Logo courtesy of Blue River PetCare)

When we last checked in on Blue River PetCare, the Chicago-based contender in the world of veterinary practice consolidators was at 43 hospitals (check the chart here).

Now, they're at more than 64 and actively buying. Which is probably why they're exhibiting at top-tier veterinary CE conferences like Fetch dvm360.

An excited Amy Jackson, business development analyst at the company, says their biggest pluses are:

> A hands-off branding approach. "We're not branded in any way in the clinics," Jackson says, "because we try to preserve the community culture and legacy the selling owners established."

> A hands-off medicine approach. "We don't dictate how the medical directors practice or which vendors they use," she says.

So, what are they looking for? "Financially healthy clinics who practice high-quality medicine and have strong ties to the communities they're in," Jackson says.

She says most practice sellers stay on as medical directors for two years or more.

Cubic medicine

Foxy and boxy? (Image courtesy of Eurolyser Diagnostica GmbH)

Do you get that warm feeling inside when your diagnostic instruments look sleek and futuristic? Look at this box.

The overseas diagnostic player, Eurolyser Diagnostica GmbH, seems to get you with their new import. Check the sleek lines and smartphone-like interface on the Cube-Vet analyser.

The device's test portfolio includes-but is not limited to-T4, Phenobarbital, Lactate and Fructosamine.

From our university to you

Mikey likes it when you put the endoscope down his gullet. Not true of most other patients ... (Image courtesy of Rescue Critters)The future of veterinary medicine may be in mannikins, not cadavers. Case in point: Rescue Critters' K9 Endoscopy Manikin, named "Michael Angelo (Mikey)," developed with Jacqueline Whittemore, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.

The manikin comes with an upper GI tract with "very realistic" esophagus, lower esopageal sphincter, stomach with rugal folds, incisura angularis, pylorus, pyloric sphincter and duodenum. So before newbies stick those cameras down the pipes of live patients, they get to practice on Mikey, who doesn't mind inexperienced doctors' ham-handed, sloppy technique.

The mannikin retails for roughly $3,000 and would be great for veterinary schools, specialty hospitals with lots of student interns coming in and out the doors, and big veterinary hospitals that want to perfect practice before live patients.

Down the hatch, Mikey!

Can you hear me now? (Sounds like a loan)

The dog, the myth, the legend. OK, I might be overselling the mascot, but he IS pretty cute ... (Illiustration courtesy of Scratch Financial)Scratch Pay is simple: Clients apply for a small loan on a smartphone app, and if they're approved, Scratch takes a flat 5 percent transaction fee and the client has instant funds to pay the veterinary practice for services rendered.

We wrote about their debut back in March, and now they're back in full force at Fetch dvm360 with more news:

> The app is available in more than 35 states, with more coming.

> Pet owners can pick a two-year payment plan in addition to the previous six-month and one-year choices.

> The app has a mascot now: Scratch the dog.

This may be one Scratch you hope makes a deep impression in the client payment landscape (see what we did there?).

... but wait, there are a couple more!

> Wells Fargo Health Advantage. Squeezing in under the wire at press time and new to Fetch dvm360 conferences is this credit card for medical services that's new to the veterinary services vertical. Their pitch? Plans feature reduced rates for two popular plans (no interest if paid in full within six months or 12 months), easy mobile and online applications, paperless processing and fast payments. Features include special financing offers, monthly payments, competitive APR with instant credit access on approved accounts, revolving line of credit for future care, simple online account tools and mobile banking. Now who's ready to help veterinary clients pay?!

> VetiVax.This therapy uses a patient's own tumor cells to create a personalized treatment, which educates the patient's immune system to recognize the tumor as foreign and attack the cancer. Developed at the University of Notre Dame with more than 10 years of supporting research, VetiVax is a whole cell tissue immunotherapy that allows for a variety of tumor antigens to be presented to the immune system.