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SAN DIEGO, Oct. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: WOOF) today announced three new members have joined the Petco Pet Wellness Council (PPWC), a coalition of independent, leading experts in veterinary science and animal care who inform both company- and industry-wide education and evolution in support of overall pet health and wellness. Petco and the PPWC today welcome:

• Dr. Raymond Anthony, PhD – Professor of philosophy at University of Alaska Anchorage, long-standing ethics advisor to the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) Animal Welfare Committee and member of the AVMA's Panel on Euthanasia;
• Dr. La'Toya Latney, DVM, DECZM, DABVP – Adjunct professor of zoological and companion animal medicine at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and board-certified zoo and exotic animal veterinarian at the Animal Medical Center in New York City; and
• Dr. Kemba Marshall, MPH, DVM, DABVP, SHRM-CP – Director of veterinary services for the Land O' Lakes Purina Animal Nutrition Center and board-certified veterinarian specializing in avian medicine.

"The Petco Pet Wellness Council is a tremendous resource and one of Petco's greatest assets," said Ron Coughlin, Chairman and CEO of Petco. "The impartial, science-based viewpoints brought forth by each member have been instrumental in guiding our successful transformation from a traditional retailer to a complete health and wellness company that helps pet parents care for the pets they love. With their thoughtful expert  input and deep commitment to pet wellness, we continue raising the bar for the entire pet industry in the name of doing what's best for pets."

Drs. Anthony, Latney and Marshall expand the PPWC's collective expertise in specialized veterinary care, bring additional gender and ethnic diversity to the council, and increase the number of members to 11. All three doctors will formally meet their PPWC peers as well as Petco's leadership team today, during a virtual council meeting where Petco's near- and long-term health and wellness initiatives will be reviewed.

To ensure Petco continues serving the best interest of pets well into the future, the PPWC helps shape Petco's approach to pet health and wellness, weighs in on the industry's most critical topics, and guides the development and aggregation of credible pet care science. Since Petco launched the PPWC in July 2019, the company has made the following industry-leading moves:

• Stop the Shock – Ended the sale of certain electronic "shock" collars, strengthening its commitment to positive reinforcement training methods for pets.
• Whole Health – Launched Petco's Whole Health philosophy and framework, which grounds the company's health and wellness approach on five interconnected dimensions of pet health (physical, mental, social, home and accessible health) that reinforce one another when addressed as a whole.
• Highly Digestible Rawhide – Following Petco's groundbreaking removal of dog and cat food and treats with artificial ingredients from its assortment in 2019*, the company also removed traditional rawhide options in 2021 to promote safe, long-lasting and highly digestible alternatives.
• Mental Health – Launched a free virtual training seminar and a separation anxiety training course to help pet parents recognize signs of stress in their pets and learn how to help them adjust with relaxation techniques and enrichment solutions, as families spend more time outside of home following a year and a half of staying in.

"The Petco Pet Wellness Council is comprised of the veterinary and pet industries' best and brightest," said Petco Chief Veterinarian, Dr. Whitney Miller, DVM, MBA, DACVPM. "We are thrilled to welcome Drs. Anthony, Latney and Marshall. We are confident their deep expertise, as well as their diversity of backgrounds and perspectives will help the PPWC, Petco and our broader industry continue improving to ensure pet health and wellness initiatives are grounded in science, and that we always meet the needs of the pets in the communities we serve, as well as the needs of the pet parents who trust us with caring for the wellness of their furry, scaley and feathery family members."

The PPWC is comprised of the following industry experts:

• Dr. Raymond Anthony, PhD – Professor of philosophy at University of Alaska Anchorage, long-standing ethics advisor to the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) Animal Welfare Committee and member of the AVMA's Panel on Euthanasia
• Dr. Marie Hopfensperger, DVM, DACVB – Board-certified pet behaviorist and head of Michigan State University's Veterinary Medical Center's Behavior Service
• Dr. Alexandra Horowitz, MS, PhD – Author and professor, Sr. research fellow and head of the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College, Columbia University
• Dr. La'Toya Latney, DVM, DECZM, DABVP – Adjunct professor of zoological and companion animal medicine at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and board-certified zoo and exotic animal veterinarian at the Animal Medical Center in New York City
• Dr. Nicole Leibman, DVM, MS, DACVIM – Board-certified veterinary oncologist and Director of The Cancer Institute at the Animal Medical Center in New York City
• Dr. Kemba Marshall, MPH, DVM, DABVP, SHRM-CP – Director of veterinary services for the Land O' Lakes Purina Animal Nutrition Center and board-certified veterinarian specializing in avian medicine
• Dr. Whitney Miller, DVM, MBA, DACVPM – Petco's Chief Veterinarian, board certified in preventive veterinary medicine
• Dr. Tammy Sadek, DVM, DAVBP – Board-certified veterinarian specializing in feline practice, author, lecturer, and founder of two feline specialty hospitals as well as Cat Hyperthyroid Radioactive Iodine Services, LLC
• Dr. Jonathan Stockman, DVM, DACVN – Board-certified veterinary nutritionist and assistant professor of veterinary nutrition at Long Island University-Post College of Veterinary Medicine
• Dr. Lori Teller, DVM, DABVP, CVJ – Board certified by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in canine and feline practice, clinical associate professor of telehealth at Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and President-elect of AVMA
• Dr. Andrew West, MEd, PhD – Director, Academy for Teaching and Learning at Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

To learn more about the Petco and the Petco Pet Wellness Council, visit petco.com/wellnesscouncil.

About Petco, The Health + Wellness Co.
Petco is a category-defining health and wellness company focused on improving the lives of pets, pet parents and our own Petco partners. Since our founding in 1965, we've been striving to set new standards in pet care, delivering comprehensive wellness solutions through our products and services, and creating communities that deepen the pet-pet parent bond. We operate more than 1,500 Petco locations across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, including a growing network of more than 150 in-store veterinary hospitals, and offer a complete online resource for pet health and wellness at petco.com and on the Petco app. In tandem with Petco Love (formerly the Petco Foundation), an independent nonprofit organization, we work with and support thousands of local animal welfare groups across the country and, through in-store adoption events, we've helped find homes for more than 6.5 million animals.

Media Contact:                
Ventura Olvera
ventura.olvera@petco.com 

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SOURCE Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc.