The RECOVER Initiative recently released its ‘Newborn Resuscitation Guidelines for Puppies and Kittens.’ This first-of-its-kind resource for veterinary professionals addresses ways to help puppies and kittens survive during the critical post-birth period. In the guidelines, veterinary professionals can find everything from appropriate warming and drying techniques, positive … [Read more...]
Ways to help cats and their caregivers prepare for veterinary visits
We continue our collaboration with Gina Fortunato and Kristin Wuhrman to share actionable insights from Catalyst Council research to support growth in the feline care segment. Thank you for reading the first edition posted September 23rd <Link>. Feline care is a current industry growth segment. However, barriers, especially stress and uncertainty, still suppress … [Read more...]
Understanding the rise of career dysmorphia and what you can do about it
Career dysmorphia, a newly coined non-medical term, deals with one’s obsession with their career. This occurs when professionals struggle to realistically perceive the career progress they have made. The problem is worsened by the constant comparison of their situation with those around them, fueling self doubt. Source: The HR Digest, via AVMA SmartBrief, October 5, 2025. … [Read more...]
IBPSA Fast Bites – October 6, 2025
Congratulations and welcome to the 25 new members who joined the association in Q3. Check the list for these members in your area and consider giving them a call. Two upcoming webinars available: How to Hold Staff Accountable with Love. Wednesday, October 15th at 1:00 p.m. Central Time <Register here> Tofu litter: A clean, green kennel solution. October 29, … [Read more...]
Best practices for safe, efficient body temperature in cats, dogs during veterinary procedures
Sharing current recommendations about warming and cooling in dogs and cats during anesthesia and surgery, Walter L. Brown, RVTg VTS (ECC), provides a review of updated methods from new research and techniques. He shares how to implement them correctly. Source: AAHA Trends, October 6, 2025. Link. Even with techniques and devices considered to be safe and efficient, frequent … [Read more...]
Study: Rate of penicillin administration affects a horse’s arterial blood pressure
In a study of 29 horses under general anesthesia, researchers compared two methods of giving penicillin: 1) a fast injection over one minute and 2) a slower one over 10 minutes. Both methods caused a drop in blood pressure, but the fast injection led to a more dramatic decrease. Source: Paulick Report, October 1, 2025. Link. In equine anesthesia, every decision—from drug … [Read more...]
Feeding by-products advances dairy productivity and sustainability
Feeding by-products are no longer just useful; they’re essential. By-products, including soybean meal, corn distillers grains, canola meal, beet pulp, soy hulls and citrus pulp, are often the result of food and industrial processing. While these ingredients are undesirable for people, they’re rich in nutrients that cows can digest and convert into high-quality … [Read more...]
High-dose oxytocin allows sows to pass on greater immunity
Research at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine indicates that administering a high dose of oxytocin to sows 12 to 20 hours after farrowing can significantly improve colostrum quality and passive transfer of immunity. For producers, improving early passive transfer can reduce pre-weaning mortality, lower disease treatment costs, and improve overall herd … [Read more...]
Researchers using ‘eBeam’ to battle New World screwworm
Texas A&M AgriLife and the National Nuclear Security Administration are exploring safer alternatives to high-radioactivity technologies to address NWS and other invasive arthropods. The eBeam technology used to halt fly reproduction is a potentially safer alternative to high-radioactivity cobalt-60 gamma sterilization. Source: Farm Progress, October 7, 2025. Link. Texas … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – October 9, 2025
Last week’s AHD Bulletin – Animal Health Digest Bulletin, October 2, 2025. Link. Most read posts from October 2, 2025 AHD Bulletin – Unreturned phone calls can cost you more than $50,000 a year. Link. It’s the process that counts. Link. Case suggests Tamiflu MAY help cats infected with H5N1. Link. Meeting Gen Zs where they learn. Link. Got the giggles? … [Read more...]
Unreturned phone calls can cost you more than $50,000 a year
Commentary Unreturned calls are far from harmless. They’re lost revenue. When you don’t respond, you signal “not now” to a client or prospect who may never call again. Plus, if an existing client referred the caller, you lost the opportunity and embarrassed your promoter. In a time of declining vet visits and new clients <Link>, Teri Leggett reminds us of the … [Read more...]
Meeting Gen Zs where they learn
As our industry looks to 2026 and allocating budgets for educational programs, Michelle Westfort’s perspectives on providing learning opportunities for Gen Z employees are worth considering. This generation embraces non-traditional educational paths while still valuing formal education. She highlights: a) short-term, stackable and flexible learning options; b) the value of … [Read more...]
IBPSA Fast Bites – September 22, 2025
Log in and double-check your IBPSA profile, logo and contacts <Link> Join the IBPSA staff for Office Hours on Tuesdays via Zoom at Noon Central time <Link>. Register for this webinar: How to hold staff accountable with love, October 15, 2025. 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. <Link> September 25th Animal Health Digest Bulletin <Link> Source: IBPSA, … [Read more...]
Goodbye, back room. Hello, lower-stress patient exams.
Karen Becker, VMD, asks an obvious question about taking pets into the back room for examination, then addresses the benefits and challenges of exam room appointments that include pet owners. She asserts that allowing a guardian to remain involved in the treatment and care of their pet opens the doors of communication, builds trust with that client, and influences client choice … [Read more...]
Review: Generic versus pioneer drugs for cattle
This is a timely article as calves are being weaned, cows turned out on pasture or stalks and preparations for colder weather are underway. Andrea Bedford, PhD, details the rigors of NADA and ANADA products, where generic equivalents may differ and where they fit in decision-making for veterinarians and producers. Source: Bovine Practitioner, September 17, 2025. Link. The … [Read more...]
The coinfection conundrum
Commentary This article, while pig-focused, provides perspectives that may apply across species. Our industry often talks about immunosuppression which is a logical outcome when an animal is fighting more than one pathogen. For reference, one might remember the coinfection challenges with concurrent flu and Covid infections during the pandemic. The extra stress pigs face … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – October 2, 2025
Last week’s AHD Bulletin – Animal Health Digest Bulletin, September 25, 2025. Link. Most read posts from September 25, 2025 AHD Bulletin – Workslop: AI-generated work content is slowing everything down. Link. The role of AI in cancer diagnostics. Link. No title, no problem. Link. 3 Ways to Strengthen the Feline Client Experience. Link. Setting client … [Read more...]
Workslop: AI-generated work content is slowing everything down
As offices scramble to plug AI tools into their workflows so they’re not left behind, few are seeing their efforts pay off, writes Bruce Gil. Source: GIZMODO, September 23, 2025. Link. The insidious effect of workslop is that it shifts the burden of the work downstream, requiring the receiver to interpret, correct, or redo the work. In other words, it transfers the effort … [Read more...]
The role of AI in cancer diagnostics
Includes Commercial References Unlike the challenges with AI in content development, in-clinic AI-powered tools hold vast potential to improve care for companion animals, from streamlining routine tasks to enabling accurate diagnostics. Authors from the Zoetis Global Diagnostics team share potential benefits from increasing access to care for diagnostic detection with … [Read more...]
What value do pet owners place on sustainable pet food?
Sharing data from recent research, Debbie Phillips-Donalds concludes that sustainability features have an impact on pet food purchasing, but which features and to what degree they affect purchasing matter a lot. She notes the challenges with defining sustainability and animal welfare in the context of product education and marketing. Source: PETFOOD Industry, September 17, … [Read more...]
5 tips to handle daily stress
Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, recently developed RULER. It’s a framework to handle the highs and lows life hands us daily. More than 5,000 schools are using this tool featured in his new book, ‘Dealing With Feeling: Use Your Emotions to Create the Life You Want.” They are: Recognize: pause, accept you feel something big … [Read more...]
Review: The risks of overusing hand sanitizer
Applying hand sanitizer to your hands is a quick and effective way to eliminate viruses, bacteria and other organisms that cause disease, but using too much of it can do more harm than good, shares Megan Nunn, PharmD. Her article is a good review for clinic and pet services teams. Key takeaways include: Alcohol-based sanitizers may eliminate more germs, but may also cause … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Strengthen the Feline Client Experience
We’re pleased to welcome the CATalyst Council™ as a sponsor of Animal Health Digest and to regularly share findings from the Catalyst Council Feline Market Insight Reports. Gina Fortunato and Kristin Wuhrman are working with us to pull actionable insights in support of growing the feline care segment of veterinary services. We’ll share them in Feline Findings at the link … [Read more...]
Dogs learn and remember how toys work
We know dogs are smart. They’re even smarter than we thought, according to a study recently published in the journal ‘Current Biology.’ In this study, Gifted Word Learner dogs showed they can distinguish between toys used for tugging versus fetching, even if the toys didn’t look alike. The study took place in dogs’ home environments with their owners using the words “pull” and … [Read more...]
Zebra cows repel flies and win Ig Nobel Prize
Say what? Japanese researchers received the 2025 Ig Nobel Prize in biology for showing that black cows painted with white stripes repel flies better than their counterparts that didn’t look like zebras. Source: The Scientist, September 18, 2025. Link. Image credit: Tomoki Kojima et al., 2019, PLoS One, CC-BY 4.0 … [Read more...]
Boehringer Ingelheim launches VetED™ Academy, an education portal for veterinary professionals
VetED™ Academy is a new veterinary education portal designed to streamline access to continuing education for veterinary professionals. The company says VetED™ Academy will serve as a centralized destination for free RACE-accredited learning, consolidating content into one intuitive experience. Source: Boehringer Ingelheim, September 19, 2025. Link. Veterinary professional … [Read more...]
Innovation is a state of mind. 2025 Veterinary Innovation Summit overview.
We selected Gene O’Neill’s insights from the recent Veterinary Innovation Summit <Link> from the many postings shared by attendees. He shares perspectives on big issues that are critically important to move our industry forward and demonstrate the true value of veterinary medicine. Source: Gene O'Neill, LinkedIn, September 12, 2025. Link. O’Neill summarized four major … [Read more...]
AAHA’s standards receive first-ever full refresh
AAHA has completed a comprehensive refresh of the accreditation standards to bring those benchmarks of excellence fully up to date for the first time in 90 years. Nearly 400 revisions were recommended to the 1,200 standards, of which more than 250 were implemented. The range of revisions included updates to clarify language, streamline categories, as well as strengthen the … [Read more...]
Conditions associated with HPAI spreading to farms identified
Kimbra Cutlip’s article is a reminder that 1) wild bird migration is underway, 2) colder weather means more infections, 3) biosecurity reduces risk to animals and their caretakers, and 4) prevention strategies are beneficial and reduce strain on production economics. Source: Feedstuffs, September 10, 2025. Link. A recently published study in the journal One Health compared … [Read more...]
Webinar-CE: Innovations in allergy testing, Lyme disease and early cancer diagnostics
There are still a few seats available for a free educational webinar with Khristofor Agassandian, DVM, PhD (Neurobiology & Neuroscience), who will share cutting-edge advancements in veterinary diagnostics. Topics will include innovations in immunology, allergy testing and immunotherapy, the neurological impact of Lyme disease and early cancer detection through the … [Read more...]