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Animal cruelty is a widespread phenomenon that has serious impact on animal welfare, the wellbeing of individual animals, and our society, as well as veterinary medicine in general. A pivotal question that must be answered is this: what constitutes abuse or neglect in our patients?

For the past several years, scientists at Mars Petcare have been working on developing predictive diagnostic tools using its vast repository of anonymized pet medical records and machine learning. RenalTech, which can predict chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats 2 years prior to the patient showing any signs or symptoms of the disease, is the first one to be released.

Many times it is forgotten that our community includes those besides veterinarians, veterinary nurses, practice managers, and support staff. Pet owners and clients are the backbone of veterinary healthcare, but it is neither clients nor veterinary professionals making some of the big decisions in the industry. That is why the NAVC has launched a new Pet Health Advocacy platform. As members of this community, we want to share our feedback regarding legislative and regulatory initiatives related to pet health.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common endocrine disease in dogs.This disease results from an absolute or relative lack of the hormone insulin.

Photobiomodulation (PBMT), or laser therapy, is a rapidly growing treatment modality used for a variety of medical conditions in companion animals. PBMT is painless, noninvasive, and easily administered in a primary care setting.

For years, glucocorticoids and cyclosporine have been used for the symptomatic management of atopic dermatitis, including the associated pruritus. In the past 5 years, however, oclacitinib (Apoquel; zoetisus.com), a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, has become another important drug in the management of allergic pruritus.

Positive workplace environments can help to improve employee retention, client satisfaction, and overall profitability. There are many ways that veterinary practices can support the professional development of all employees, whether they are credentialed or not.

As veterinary professionals, we know all too well that the signs of osteoarthritis (OA) can be missed or misinterpreted by pet owners. Many times, the subtler clinical signs associated with osteoarthritis are thought to be normal age-related changes. Because this leads to underdiagnosis of OA, we focused Banfield Pet Hospital’s 2019 State of Pet Health® Report on osteoarthritis, including how the condition is linked to excess weight.

One concern with weight-loss programs is that use of inappropriate diets and/or levels of caloric restriction can lead to inadequate nutrient intake, resulting in nutritional deficiencies. Severe caloric restriction can also have adverse metabolic effects that work against achieving successful, safe weight loss. This article provides guidance for calculating caloric requirements for an obesity management plan to avoid the adverse effects of severe caloric restriction, as well as for choosing an appropriate diet for weight-loss programs to avoid nutritional deficiencies.