MDS hails success of 6th M-Powered Conference and focus on pet health

Medical Disposables & Supplies Limited (MDS) held its annual conference on January 26 under the theme ‘Gone to the Dogs’. This year’s theme, centred around the critical topic of pet health, highlighted the importance of pet care, and the crucial role pharmacists can play in promoting health and wellness for both pets and their owners.

Though there was an in-house audience, the conference had a virtual component to accommodate viewers from all across the world.

Hosted by Dr Terri-Karelle Johnson, veterinarian turned host and author, the conference drew an impressive 1,166 attendees from 23 regions around the globe, highlighting its far-reaching impact and appeal. These countries include, but are not limited to, The Cayman Islands, St Lucia, Guyana, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, three African countries, and Jamaica.

The conference featured four expert presenters, who led informative and engaging sessions on various aspects of pet health. The topics covered included ‘Allergy 101’, which was presented by Dr Kimberley Cousins, who joined the conference virtually, and still delivered an engaging session. Pet Nutrition & Pharmacology was presented by Vanessa Benjamin-Chatrie, a registered pharmacist and managing director and owner of Baruch Animal Health Distributors.

In her presentation, Benjamin-Chatrie discussed the significance of the pet industry in Jamaica, with a whopping $21.56 million in revenue from the pet food market alone, and is expected to grow annually by 6.09 per cent.

The final presentation was two-fold, featuring Joseph Brown, general curator at the Hope Zoo Preservation Foundation; Lorenzo Letts and Dr Teddy Barks. The Pet Therapy session was split into two topics, with Joseph Brown focusing on assisted recovery and care in Jamaica, differentiating between emotional support animals and service and working dogs. Animal assisted therapy has various benefits for pet owners, patients and healthcare providers, as they are used to promote improvement in human physical, social, emotional, and or cognitive functions.

Lorenzo Letts and Barks engaged the audience in a discussion about ‘Healing Through Animal Companionship’. The use of pet therapy provides a non-invasive, effective treatment that improves the quality of life for individuals in various healthcare and social settings. This is seen through the work done by Barks and a number of other emotional support animals at the Bustamante Children’s Hospital.

These sessions provided valuable insights and practical knowledge for pet owners, veterinarians, and others in the pet care industry, empowering them to better support the health and well-being of their furry companions.

“We are thrilled with the turnout and the positive response to this year’s M-Powered Conference,” said Kurt Boothe, CEO and director of MDS. “Despite the challenges of hosting a mostly virtual event, we were able to bring together a passionate community of pet lovers, professionals, and experts to learn and share knowledge on essential topics in pet health.”

Added Boothe: “We are grateful to all of our speakers, sponsors, and attendees for their participation and enthusiasm,” added Boothe. “We look forward to continuing to grow this conference and explore new ways to connect, educate, and inspire our community.”

As MDS looks ahead, the success of this year’s M-Powered Conference is believed by the company to have further solidified its commitment to fostering knowledge, innovation, and collaboration within the health sector.