Veterinary Vertex

Send us Fan MailA calf can look “fine” and still be losing ground in the lungs and that’s exactly why BRSV keeps costing farms money. We sit down with Dr. John Ellis to unpack a rare head-to-head comparison of two widely used intranasal bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) vaccines in colostrum fed calves, then zoom out to what the data means for day-to-day vaccine decisions in the field.We start with the basics of BRSV epidemiology and why maternal antibodies from colostrum don’t eliminate the problem, they simply delay it until that predictable window of susceptibility opens. From there, we dig into study design choices that matter to practicing veterinarians, including why seropositive calves can be a more “real world” model than the seronegative animals often used for licensing studies.Then we get practical. We talk lung lesion scores, what “modest” differences might mean when calves face production stress and co-infections, and why objective physiology like arterial PaO2 can reveal effects that mild clinical signs don’t show. On the immunology side, we explore mucosal IgA, systemic IgG, and why a fast anamnestic response can be the difference between a calf that shrugs off infection and one that slides into trouble. We also challenge the overreliance on p-values and make the case for looking hard at scatter plots and variability before you trust a single headline number.We close with a bigger industry takeaway: two vaccines can share similar listed components yet behave differently due to formulation, attenuation, or dose details that aren’t always transparent in veterinary medicine. If you care about evidence-based bovine respiratory disease control, subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a rating and review so more practitioners can find the show.JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.04.0247INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO JAVMA ®  OR AJVR ® ?JAVMA ® : https://avma.org/JAVMAAuthorsAJVR ® : https://avma.org/AJVRAuthorsFOLLOW US:JAVMA ® :Facebook: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association - JAVMA | FacebookInstagram: JAVMA (@avma_javma) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: JAVMA (@AVMAJAVMA) / Twitter AJVR ® : Facebook: American Journal of Veterinary Research - AJVR | FacebookInstagram: AJVR (@ajvroa) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: AJVR (@AJVROA) / TwitterJAVMA ®  and AJVR ®  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/avma-journals

Send us Fan MailDogs with chronic enteropathy can make even seasoned clinicians feel stuck: antibiotics help, symptoms fade, then everything flares the moment treatment stops. We sit down with Drs. Moshen Hanifeh and Jan Suchodolski to unpack their placebo controlled, double blind trial on oral fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in dogs with tylosin responsive enteropathy, a subgroup where relapse after tylosin is a familiar and frustrating pattern. If you’ve been wondering whether “poop capsules” are ready for prime time in veterinary gastroenterology, this conversation gives you the clearest real world framework we’ve heard.We get specific about what oral FMT actually is, how lyophilized donor feces can be packaged into capsules, and why oral dosing limits may matter in chronic GI disease. Then we dig into the data story clinicians wrestle with every day: measurable microbiome changes, subtle movement in biomarkers, and still no clear, meaningful clinical signal compared with placebo. Along the way, we explore why chronic enteropathy is heterogeneous, how the dysbiosis index functions as a severity marker, and why inflammation markers and dysbiosis do not always track together.We also translate the findings into practical next steps for treating dogs with TRE right now: stick with therapies that work, prioritize diet management and a thoughtful diagnostic workup, and view oral FMT as promising but not yet a routine standalone option. To close, we map the research roadmap: larger trials, longer follow up, patient stratification by baseline dysbiosis, and comparisons of oral versus enema delivery or combined protocols.Subscribe for more evidence based veterinary medicine conversations, share this episode with a colleague who treats chronic GI cases, and leave a rating and review to help more listeners find the show.JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.03.0178INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO JAVMA ®  OR AJVR ® ?JAVMA ® : https://avma.org/JAVMAAuthorsAJVR ® : https://avma.org/AJVRAuthorsFOLLOW US:JAVMA ® :Facebook: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association - JAVMA | FacebookInstagram: JAVMA (@avma_javma) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: JAVMA (@AVMAJAVMA) / Twitter AJVR ® : Facebook: American Journal of Veterinary Research - AJVR | FacebookInstagram: AJVR (@ajvroa) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: AJVR (@AJVROA) / TwitterJAVMA ®  and AJVR ®  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/avma-journals

Send us Fan MailSeptic arthritis in a neonatal foal is one of those diagnoses that can change everything fast: the foal’s comfort today, survival to discharge, and even long-term athletic soundness once cartilage gets damaged early. We sit down with Dr. David Wallace to unpack why these cases are so high-stakes, how septic joints in neonates often tie back to systemic infection, and why “treat the joint” is never the whole story when you’re managing sepsis, failure of passive transfer, and fragile physiology all at once.From there we get practical about amikacin dosing and IV regional limb perfusion (IVRLP). We dig into where therapeutic targets come from in the first place, including MIC guidance and how that translates into real plasma concentrations and synovial fluid concentrations for susceptible versus resistant pathogens. We also talk through why foals are not small horses, how disease can change aminoglycoside behavior, and what that means for peak goals, trough expectations, and redosing intervals that may drift beyond a neat every-24-hours schedule.We also break down what the research shows when you compare cephalic versus saphenous injection sites and why some joints may hit targets while others lag behind. Technique details matter here: tourniquet fit, perfusate volume, limb anatomy, and simple variability between patients. The big clinical takeaway is to monitor the foal in front of you, recheck when needed, and be ready to pivot with lavage, intra-articular therapy, or a different plan if response is not trending the right way. If you find value in evidence-based equine medicine and real-world dosing decisions, subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave us a rating and review wherever you listen.JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.24.10.0678INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO JAVMA ®  OR AJVR ® ?JAVMA ® : https://avma.org/JAVMAAuthorsAJVR ® : https://avma.org/AJVRAuthorsFOLLOW US:JAVMA ® :Facebook: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association - JAVMA | FacebookInstagram: JAVMA (@avma_javma) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: JAVMA (@AVMAJAVMA) / Twitter AJVR ® : Facebook: American Journal of Veterinary Research - AJVR | FacebookInstagram: AJVR (@ajvroa) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: AJVR (@AJVROA) / TwitterJAVMA ®  and AJVR ®  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/avma-journals

Send us Fan MailOne strange beat on a resting horse ECG can spark a surprisingly high-stakes question: are we seeing a normal sinus arrhythmia, or an atrial premature complex that changes how we think about risk and follow-up? We sit down with Drs. Kath Mitchell and Beth Williams to make that decision point less subjective, less stressful, and more repeatable for anyone interpreting equine ECGs.We dig into why the classic RR interval approach sometimes falls short, especially when subtle changes in AV node conduction and PR interval can blur the true prematurity of an atrial beat. Kath and Beth explain why PP intervals matter because they track atrial activity directly, and they share how focusing on timing can scale better than morphology when you move from a resting ECG to an exercise ECG. From coupling intervals to the “return cycle” and the post-ectopic pause, we unpack what to measure and what those measurements mean physiologically.We also talk about the study results, including how return cycle length variation cleanly separated rhythms in clear examples, why that produced near-perfect ROC performance, and what needs to happen next in the gray zone cases clinicians argue about every day. Along the way, we explore an unexpected finding: ventricular premature beats may influence several beats after the pause, raising new mechanistic questions about how the sinus node responds.If you want a practical, clinic-ready way to add confidence to your equine cardiology calls, this conversation delivers. Subscribe to Veterinary Vertex, share this with a colleague who reads horse ECGs, and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.04.0253INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO JAVMA ®  OR AJVR ® ?JAVMA ® : https://avma.org/JAVMAAuthorsAJVR ® : https://avma.org/AJVRAuthorsFOLLOW US:JAVMA ® :Facebook: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association - JAVMA | FacebookInstagram: JAVMA (@avma_javma) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: JAVMA (@AVMAJAVMA) / Twitter AJVR ® : Facebook: American Journal of Veterinary Research - AJVR | FacebookInstagram: AJVR (@ajvroa) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: AJVR (@AJVROA) / TwitterJAVMA ®  and AJVR ®  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/avma-journals

Send us Fan MailA “normal temperature” can be the most dangerous kind of comforting. We sit down with Drs. Kimberly Woodruff and Sahar Rostami to unpack what happens when ocular thermometry and rectal thermometry show similar diagnostic performance for detecting abnormal body temperature in dogs, and why that still doesn’t mean you should relax after a normal reading.We translate sensitivity and specificity into day-to-day clinical decisions. High specificity means these methods are fairly good at confirming normal temperature when a dog truly is normal, but low to moderate sensitivity means they can miss dogs with abnormal core temperature. That’s where the nuance lives: an abnormal result is often meaningful and deserves follow-up, while a normal result shouldn’t outweigh your clinical intuition when the patient looks unwell. We also discuss why the shelter population matters for interpretation, including how rare abnormal temperatures can widen uncertainty around sensitivity estimates.Then we get practical. We walk through combining ocular and rectal measurements using parallel testing (any positive) versus serial testing (both positive), and how your choice depends on whether you’re trying not to miss cases or trying to be confident before labeling a dog abnormal. We also explore why ocular screening may be a better fit in shelters and some clinics: less handling stress, faster workflows, and potentially lower risk of disease spread than moving a thermometer between animals. Along the way, we touch on measurement technique, eye-region considerations, and why rectal temperature isn’t a perfect gold standard, including how Bayesian latent class analysis can better reflect reality.If you care about smarter canine triage, better shelter medicine protocols, and making test results match what you see in front of you, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a rating and review wherever you listen.AJVR article: https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.26.04.0185INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO JAVMA ®  OR AJVR ® ?JAVMA ® : https://avma.org/JAVMAAuthorsAJVR ® : https://avma.org/AJVRAuthorsFOLLOW US:JAVMA ® :Facebook: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association - JAVMA | FacebookInstagram: JAVMA (@avma_javma) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: JAVMA (@AVMAJAVMA) / Twitter AJVR ® : Facebook: American Journal of Veterinary Research - AJVR | FacebookInstagram: AJVR (@ajvroa) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: AJVR (@AJVROA) / TwitterJAVMA ®  and AJVR ®  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/avma-journals

Send us Fan MailYou can do everything right clinically and still lose a client in one conversation. We sit down with Dr. Erik Hofmeister to unpack what pet owners actually expect when a veterinary medical error happens, and the answers are more demanding than most of us assume. Many respondents say they want to be told about every error, even minor mistakes that never reach the patient, and they want that disclosure immediately. That level of transparency sounds simple until you picture a real clinic day, real caseload pressure, and real human emotion.We also dig into why expectations vary. Education level and personality traits shape how owners think about whether errors are inevitable, what an “acceptable” error rate looks like, and how much grace they extend to complex medical systems. That leads to a key veterinary practice management takeaway: understanding complexity does not automatically lower standards. Clients can believe errors happen while still expecting strong safeguards and clear accountability.Then we get practical about client communication, because the trust numbers are hard to ignore: poor communication about an error drives trust down fast, while great communication has a limited but meaningful ability to rebuild it. We talk through a concrete disclosure tool we can teach and practice in any hospital, the TEAM approach: be truthful, express empathy, apologize, and make a plan. If you care about transparency, risk management, informed consent, and long-term client relationships, this conversation gives you language you can use the next time things go wrong.Subscribe for more Veterinary Vertex conversations, share this with a colleague who trains new grads, and leave a rating and review to help other veterinary teams find the show.JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.25.12.0872INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO JAVMA ®  OR AJVR ® ?JAVMA ® : https://avma.org/JAVMAAuthorsAJVR ® : https://avma.org/AJVRAuthorsFOLLOW US:JAVMA ® :Facebook: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association - JAVMA | FacebookInstagram: JAVMA (@avma_javma) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: JAVMA (@AVMAJAVMA) / Twitter AJVR ® : Facebook: American Journal of Veterinary Research - AJVR | FacebookInstagram: AJVR (@ajvroa) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: AJVR (@AJVROA) / TwitterJAVMA ®  and AJVR ®  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/avma-journals

Send us Fan MailA gel injection that looks “inert” on paper may be doing something surprisingly active inside an arthritic horse joint. We sit down with repeat guest Dr. Lynn Pezzanite to unpack new evidence on how intraarticular 2.5% polyacrylamide hydrogel (2.5% iPAAG) alters synovial immune pathways in equine osteoarthritis, and why that matters for the cases you see in the field. If you have been hearing about longer-lasting clinical effects with polyacrylamide hydrogel, this conversation helps connect the dots between what we observe and what the joint may be signaling at the molecular level. We dig into why the team chose gene expression and pathway analysis instead of leaning only on clinical outcomes, and how sampling both synovial fluid cells over time and synovial tissue at key time points changes the story you can tell. You will hear how TNF-alpha pathway activity can be mitigated in synovial fluid while immune activation signals show up in synovium, and why that pattern is not necessarily contradictory when you consider timing, compartment biology, and synovial integration of the hydrogel. We also talk translation: what an early post-traumatic cartilage injury model can and cannot tell us about naturally occurring chronic degenerative osteoarthritis, what “earlier treatment” might mean for limiting joint capsule stiffness and supporting capsule elasticity, and why variability across horses points toward real responder vs non-responder biology. If you treat sport horses or racehorses with joint disease and want clearer mechanism-based context for your intraarticular therapy choices, this one is for you. Subscribe, share with an equine vet colleague, and leave a rating and review with your biggest question about 2.5% iPAAG and equine OA.AJVR article: https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.26.04.0181INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO JAVMA ®  OR AJVR ® ?JAVMA ® : https://avma.org/JAVMAAuthorsAJVR ® : https://avma.org/AJVRAuthorsFOLLOW US:JAVMA ® :Facebook: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association - JAVMA | FacebookInstagram: JAVMA (@avma_javma) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: JAVMA (@AVMAJAVMA) / Twitter AJVR ® : Facebook: American Journal of Veterinary Research - AJVR | FacebookInstagram: AJVR (@ajvroa) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: AJVR (@AJVROA) / TwitterJAVMA ®  and AJVR ®  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/avma-journals

Send us Fan MailA dog that suddenly cannot walk puts everyone in crisis mode, and thoracolumbar IVDD is one of those diagnoses that can turn a normal day into a life-or-death decision. We sit down with manuscript authors Drs. William Tammaro, Nick Jeffery, and Paul Freeman to unpack a less invasive option that could change those conversations: chondroitinase ABC intradiscal injections, often described as a form of chemical fenestration designed to reduce future disc extrusion. We get clear on what chondroitinase ABC actually does inside the nucleus pulposus, why its substrate-limited action matters for safety, and how the team designed their comparison against routine surgical management. Then we dig into the result that jumps off the page: recurrence of clinical signs is dramatically lower in the chondroitinase-treated group, roughly a 70% reduction depending on how you analyze it. We also explore the real-world nuances behind that comparison, including how many discs get treated in each approach and why this work is best read as evidence of prophylactic potential rather than a perfect one-to-one trial. The most human part of the conversation is about owners. We talk candidly about cost, access to MRI and surgery, and what it means when clients have to choose based on finances. The takeaway we keep coming back to is simple and urgent: many dogs recover without surgical decompression, and when surgery is not an option, we should not give up. If you care about practical IVDD treatment options, recurrence prevention, and better spectrum-of-care medicine, hit play, subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a rating and review wherever you listen.JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.01.0005INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO JAVMA ®  OR AJVR ® ?JAVMA ® : https://avma.org/JAVMAAuthorsAJVR ® : https://avma.org/AJVRAuthorsFOLLOW US:JAVMA ® :Facebook: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association - JAVMA | FacebookInstagram: JAVMA (@avma_javma) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: JAVMA (@AVMAJAVMA) / Twitter AJVR ® : Facebook: American Journal of Veterinary Research - AJVR | FacebookInstagram: AJVR (@ajvroa) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: AJVR (@AJVROA) / TwitterJAVMA ®  and AJVR ®  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/avma-journals

Send us Fan MailA single bite or wildlife exposure can turn “vaccinated” into a complicated question fast, especially when the animal is a zoological species, a wildlife rehabilitation patient, or any non-traditional mammal that does not have a licensed rabies vaccine label. We sit down with Dr. Ryan Wallace, who leads the rabies program at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to unpack what clinicians and public health teams can lean on when the rules feel vague and the consequences are real.We walk through what the research shows about serologic response after extra-label rabies vaccination across many mammalian species, including how often animals reach protective antibody titers after a primary dose and where responses can be lower in very large species or very small species. Ryan also explains why antibody titers naturally decline over time, what “boostability” means in practical terms, and why a strong anamnestic response after a booster can be the signal decision-makers need when assessing risk after exposure.We also tackle the questions you hear in the exam room: “Why not just titer-check every animal?” and “Does my indoor cat really need rabies vaccination?” The answer involves cost, exposure recognition, and one word that changes everything for indoor pets: bats. If you work in zoo veterinary medicine, wildlife rehabilitation, shelter medicine, or small animal practice, this is a grounded look at evidence that may help prevent unnecessary euthanasia while protecting people and animals. Subscribe, share this with a colleague who fields rabies calls, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.04.0246INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO JAVMA ®  OR AJVR ® ?JAVMA ® : https://avma.org/JAVMAAuthorsAJVR ® : https://avma.org/AJVRAuthorsFOLLOW US:JAVMA ® :Facebook: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association - JAVMA | FacebookInstagram: JAVMA (@avma_javma) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: JAVMA (@AVMAJAVMA) / Twitter AJVR ® : Facebook: American Journal of Veterinary Research - AJVR | FacebookInstagram: AJVR (@ajvroa) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: AJVR (@AJVROA) / TwitterJAVMA ®  and AJVR ®  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/avma-journals

Send us Fan MailHoney bees are food-producing animals, and once you say that out loud, the entire conversation changes. We sit down with Dr. Melinda Wilkins to unpack how federal rules like the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) brought veterinarians and beekeepers into the same lane, especially around antibiotic stewardship and protecting the food supply. Honey isn’t the only product that matters here either: hives produce beeswax, propolis, and royal jelly, and all of it depends on healthy colonies and responsible management.From there, we zoom out to the real reason bee medicine is gaining traction: beekeepers are fighting to keep colonies alive. We talk through the challenges that feel familiar to any vet, including biosecurity, nutrition, shipping and management stress, and a full spectrum of bacterial, viral, and fungal disease. We also dig into parasites, including why better mite control can be a major lever for improving honey bee health and reducing losses.One of the most striking points is welfare. Annual colony mortality in the 40% to 50% range would be unacceptable in almost any other livestock system, yet it has become normalized in beekeeping. We discuss what it looks like for veterinarians to bring an animal welfare voice to bees, and how to get started even if you never learned insects in school. Melinda shares practical pathways and resources, including learning directly from beekeepers and tools like Bees Need Vets.Subscribe for more Veterinary Vertex, share this with a colleague who loves population medicine, and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. What would it take for bee health to become a routine part of veterinary practice?JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.02.0114INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO JAVMA ®  OR AJVR ® ?JAVMA ® : https://avma.org/JAVMAAuthorsAJVR ® : https://avma.org/AJVRAuthorsFOLLOW US:JAVMA ® :Facebook: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association - JAVMA | FacebookInstagram: JAVMA (@avma_javma) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: JAVMA (@AVMAJAVMA) / Twitter AJVR ® : Facebook: American Journal of Veterinary Research - AJVR | FacebookInstagram: AJVR (@ajvroa) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: AJVR (@AJVROA) / TwitterJAVMA ®  and AJVR ®  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/avma-journals