The ongoing NWS story is going to occupy current news for a time. “A case of New World screwworm has been confirmed in South Texas near La Pryor, according to USDA.” NWS is back in the U.S. for the first time in 60 years. Animal health pros who share updates and actionable information can help animal owners monitor and identify infestations. This situation is evolving, and … [Read more...]
Hot messaging helps keep livestock and pets cool
AHD’s editor Rick Purnell continues his “Seen, Heard, Trusted” series here focusing on keeping animals cool as the summer heats up. The article shares the temperatures when heat begins causing issues for cows, pigs, horses, goats, sheep, rabbits and chickens. Purnell advocates routine heat stress reminders because heat-related problems can begin at temperatures as low as … [Read more...]
The missing piece in most pet physical exams
Complimentary Conversations about nutrition can be awkward, challenging and even confrontational. Considered the fifth vital assessment, nutrition discussions can become moments of connection and compliance with clear, confident communication. The AAHA Nutrition Guidelines Certificate Course is designed to help you translate the medicine and science you know into the best … [Read more...]
Walter talks about the tough conversations AFTER the diagnosis
Preparation can make all the difference when a pet needs care most, says Walter Brown. He shares the challenges of post-diagnosis conversations with pet owners and shares options pet owners don’t realize until an emergency happens, including: Wellness plans help cover ROUTINE care. Pet insurance* helps cover the UNEXPECTED. Options like CareCredit or Scratchpay can … [Read more...]
Dog daycare leptospirosis outbreak in Los Angeles reveals broader public health risks
Commentary It is hard to imagine an environment where dogs are boarded without proper vaccinations. The findings in this research underscore the importance of prevention and vigilance in settings where dogs congregate. In practice, vigilance means dogs without current recommended vaccinations are turned away. Article A 2021 outbreak of leptospirosis that sickened … [Read more...]
CATalyst Council shares Feline Findings
Research by the CATalyst Council leads our industry to better understand the feline veterinary business and opportunities as cat visits now account for nearly one-fourth of veterinary traffic. This is why we’re partnering with the CATalyst Council to share actionable opportunities in "Feline Findings." These insights from CATalyst State of the Cat research results have garnered … [Read more...]
Considerations for creating a small animal blood bank
Bill Romanelli outlined threats to the future availability of animal blood supplies, noting increasing demand, lack of donors, limited shelf life and well-intended animal activism in his February 2026 article <Link>. In the piece linked below, Lexi Dickens, LVT, RVT, VTS, reviews some of the top considerations for veterinary clinic management looking to start their own … [Read more...]
6 human foods that could poison your dog
Many loving owners don't realize the dangers of dogs eating common kitchen foods. Even if they do, there’s a strong likelihood children or guests are not aware of foods that are toxic or potentially fatal to dogs. Anderson Cox shares six foods we eat that can kill dogs in this article. It is worth sharing with dog owners on social media, in newsletters and with local … [Read more...]
Footcare and farrier business insights
AFJ editors are making good use of the data collected in the 2025 American Farriers Journal Business Practices Survey. Kudos for sharing the data in bytes and keeping the information shareable and running weekly. Examples include: 47 is the average age of full-time farriers 42 percent of farriers rank Facebook effective in marketing their business 85 percent say … [Read more...]
Kill the middle manager role? The data says don’t do it.
Gallup’s research has one finding that every CEO should tape to their monitor: Managers account for at least 70 percent of the variance in employee engagement scores across business units. Ashley Herd shares the case against the Great Flattening in this article which acknowledges the functions of AI tools and their weaknesses beyond tactical support. “When you remove the … [Read more...]
AVMA president breaks down pet insurance gaps
Pet insurance covers fewer than four percent of U.S. dogs and cats, a gap Michael Q. Bailey, DVM, DACVR, addresses in this article. He offers pet owner guidance to know what’s covered, wellness versus emergency plans and the importance of financial planning for a pet’s lifetime care when choosing a pet insurance policy. Above all, Bailey makes the case for prevention, … [Read more...]
Quality over quantity driving milk revenue in U.S. dairies
Karen Bohnert says the U.S. dairy industry is evolving from a fluid milk nation into the world’s premier nutrient-dense global powerhouse. She shares analytics from Farm Journal’s 2026 State of the Dairy Industry Report that shows a staggering 89 percent of producers are now actively and surgically adjusting their rations to target specific milk components (fat and protein) … [Read more...]
New insights on the hidden impact of veterinary care: global survey
Commentary I often promote the benefits of veterinarians and veterinary technicians talking out loud with clients and sharing what they look for and feel during exams when working with clients’ animals. This kind of vet talk reveals the expertise and depth of veterinary care owners often take for granted. Yet, it is this expertise that is essential to protect animals, people … [Read more...]
Vetmed. Just trying to save lives and survive!
No commentary required. Walter Brown, BS, RVTg, VTS, tells it like it is. When it comes to veterinary medicine, he says, “Love don’t keep the lights on.” Listing many of the fixed operational costs to keep a clinic available for animal owners, he says, “The same inflation that is affecting groceries, housing, gas and health care is also affecting veterinary medicine.” The … [Read more...]
CX is a leadership issue, not a service issue
Research from Forrester finds companies that prioritize proactive customer experience achieve 41 percent faster revenue growth and 51 percent better customer retention than their peers. Author Jeannie Walters asserts that customer experience is the responsibility of leadership. She shares three behaviors of leaders who consistently drive strong customer experience outcomes: … [Read more...]
There’s still time to protect cattle from pinkeye
Commentary Drought, slow pasture growth, moving cattle to new grass and cattle grouping around hay feeding areas increase exposure to the pinkeye bacteria flies readily transfer. Even if cattle are already turned out, consider pinkeye vaccination during movements to new pasture. Pinkeye in cattle most often involves both Moraxella bovis and Moraxella bovoculi. Vaccination … [Read more...]
What Fear Free actually built in 10 years
The principles that shape how animals experience professional care have lived in the apprenticeship layer of the pet industry—passed mentor to mentor, shop to shop, with no shared curriculum. Fear Free was built to close that gap, writes Collin Armstrong. The organization grew from Dr. Marty Becker’s conviction of, “Fear, anxiety, and stress in animals are not just welfare … [Read more...]
Veterinarian perception of professional conduct
In this study, a convenience sample of 98 veterinarians in Australia were surveyed on their perceived importance of professional conduct statements based on standards listed in the Australian Veterinary Association’s code of professional conduct. The statement with the highest mean score of perceived importance was, “Veterinarians must hold the health, welfare, and … [Read more...]
Producer-veterinarian relationships matter
A lot has been written about access to veterinary care lately. We’ve professed the need to adjust the relationship view to consider CVRP instead of VCPR <Link>. Whether we have it backwards or not, Andrea Bedford’s article reveals the value communication and trust with producers as an important and often overlooked component of VCPR. She describes the C-V-R as part of … [Read more...]
1 common skin bacteria, 2 outcomes
Commercial content A researcher at the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, is studying S. pseudintermedius with a different lens. Rather than looking only at dogs with active infection, Felix N. Toka, DVM, PhD, Dsc, DAVM, is including dogs that naturally carry the bacteria and remain healthy. He examined bacterial strains in both healthy and affected dogs and … [Read more...]
These pet brands are dominating ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity
One core objective of Animal Health Digest’s curation service is to provide animal health pros a look at what consumers are seeing and reading in a B2C context. 5W’s Pet Industry AI Visibility Index 2026 provides visibility to what consumers are accessing on popular AI tools. This new research report analyzes which pet brands appear most frequently across AI-generated … [Read more...]
The ability to say “I know that I don’t know” could be considered a sign of wisdom
Tommy Blanchard, PhD, presents fuel for thought applicable to client-veterinarian interactions in this article. His perspective on metaknowledge is worth your attention, particularly as it relates to the blind spots we all carry. Most people don’t know what they don’t know, but think they do. Coming to understand and correct your metaknowledge can make you a better teacher … [Read more...]
Turn feline visits into lasting relationships
Recent research by the Catalyst Council has led to a deeper understanding of the feline veterinary business and opportunities as cat visits now account for nearly one-fourth of veterinary traffic. Catalyst Council leaders share actionable opportunities in this edition of Feline Findings from the CATalyst 2026 State of the Cat 60,000-household survey report. Change the … [Read more...]
Free-range, indoor-outdoor cats can carry similar disease risk as feral cats
Owned cats allowed to roam outside unsupervised may carry infectious diseases at rates comparable to feral cats, even when they receive veterinary care, regular meals and shelter. Study results* show that how people manage their pets plays a major role in shaping disease transmission between wildlife, domestic animals and humans. Researchers highlight that strategies … [Read more...]
Routine deworming is giving way to targeted, data-driven strategies in cattle
Parasites are not going away, but the way they are managed is evolving, shares Andrea Bedford. The goal is no longer the complete elimination of parasites but rather smarter management of them. Takeaways from an episode of The Bovine Vet Podcast [1:02] present the benefits of changing from a calendar-centric parasite control schedule to precision parasite management that … [Read more...]
16-year study proves air filtration is critical tool to reduce disease risk, protect herd productivity
A University of Minnesota Department of Veterinary Population Medicine study shows that farms with commercial air filtration systems experience a significantly lower risk of PRRS outbreaks compared to unfiltered operations. The study results provide evidence not only for pigs and PRRS risks but support the investment sophisticated air filtration requires. Source: PORK, April … [Read more...]
The pet economy is splitting in two
The middle of the pet marketplace is fading away, says Marshall Morris, explaining we are in a K-shaped economy. He offers perspectives for brands that choose to play in premium segments versus store brands. Morris notes the category showing the most resilient growth now isn’t food. It is "preventive" wellness: supplements, OTC treatments and functional ingredients. These … [Read more...]
Hill’s releases its first World of the Kitten Report
Complimentary Building upon Hill's World of the Cat Report, the World of the Kitten Report is positioned as a comprehensive, evidence-based guide that delivers expert insights into optimal kitten growth, nutrition, socialization and veterinary care, to help ensure healthier, happier feline companions across the globe. Hill's encourages a shift in focus to the first 12 … [Read more...]
Understanding and managing procrastination in veterinary medicine
Procrastination is caused by underlying conditions of a person’s existence and expectations, not just poor time management. Dustin Kieschnick, PsyD, discusses the various contexts that may result in procrastination in this video. For many animal health pros, the explanation may confirm or enlighten the “whys” of putting things off. Source: Not One More Vet, YouTube, January … [Read more...]
What vet schools don’t teach about canine osteoarthritis
Matt Brunke, DVM, DCVSMR, CCAT, believes chronic, whole joint disease is primarily driven by pervasive inflammation, not a cartilage disease as it is often positioned in veterinary schools. His article asserts the need to reframe osteoarthritis as a disease of the synovium and to think in terms of inflammation management versus pain management. Brunke comments on NSAIDs and … [Read more...]