SAN DIEGO — Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. announced Oct. 13 the appointment of three veterinary and animal care professionals to its Pet Wellness Council.

Raymond Anthony, Ph.D., La’Toya Latney, DVM, DECZM, DABVP, and Kemba Marshall, MPH, DVM, DABVP, SHRM-CP, have all joined the council.

"The Petco Pet Wellness Council is a tremendous resource and one of Petco's greatest assets," said Ron Coughlin, chairman and chief executive officer 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."

From left: Dr. Raymond Anthony, Dr. La’Toya Latney, and Dr. Kemba Marshall. (Photos courtesy of Petco)

Dr. Anthony is a sitting professor of philosophy at the University of Alaska in Anchorage, as well as an established ethics advisor to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) Animal Welfare Committee. Anthony is also on the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia.

Dr. Latney is currently an adjunct professor of zoological and companion animal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine. She is a board-certified zoo and exotic animal veterinarian through the Animal Medical Center in New York City.

Dr. Marshall is the director of veterinary services for the Land O’ Lakes and Purina Animal Nutrition Center. She is also a board-certified veterinarian with a specialty in avian medicine.

The addition of these three industry experts takes the total number of council members to 11. They will help contribute to the pet retailer’s goals of being recognized as a leading, one-stop-shop health and wellness provider for companion animals in the United States.

Existing members of the Pet Wellness Council include:

• 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, Ph.D. – Author and professor, Sr. research fellow and head of the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College, Columbia University
• 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. 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, Ph.D. – Director, Academy for Teaching and Learning at Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

"The Petco Pet Wellness Council is comprised of the veterinary and pet industries' best and brightest," Miller said. "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."