Latest issue
"I am rising to the work of a human being. Why then am I dissatisfied if I am going to do the things for which I exist and for which I was brought into the world?" — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book V (trans. George Long)
A Friday reminder that the work itself is the point.
51 — dairy herds confirmed with H5N1 in the last 30 days, per USDA data reported Nov. 12. The outbreak is still adding roughly a dozen herds a week, and new states are still joining the list.
Know an independent practice owner? Please forward this to them.
Editor's Pick * Zoetis Receives USDA License for Cytopoint Plus™: The First and Only Long-Acting Monoclonal Antibody Providing 75 Days of Allergic Itch Relief in Dogs with Allergic Dermatitis · ~6 min read — USDA has licensed Cytopoint Plus, a next-generation anti-IL-31 monoclonal antibody given every 75 days — about 1.5
Editor's Pick * State ag directors press USDA for bird flu vaccine for cattle · ~2 min read — State agriculture departments and state veterinarians have asked USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to let willing states pilot vaccinating dairy cattle against bird flu, warning that without a vaccine the virus risks becoming
Editor's Pick * Intratumoral STING agonist therapy as a potential bridge to surgery in canine sarcoma · ~15 min read — In a University of Calgary pilot study of four dogs with sarcomas deemed inoperable, weekly injections of experimental STING agonists directly into the tumors shrank every tumor, and two dogs
Editor's Pick * USDA: Idaho cattle likely brought bird flu to Washington dairy herds · ~2 min read — Update: genetic sequencing shows the H5N1 virus that struck 40 Washington dairy herds — and killed one dairy worker — came from Idaho cattle, despite rules requiring pre-movement testing, and a new study finds
Editor's Pick * USDA Confirms Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in a Dairy Herd in Indiana · ~2 min read — USDA confirmed HPAI H5N1 genotype B3.13 in an Indiana dairy herd on November 2 — the state's first cattle case, caught by routine National Milk Testing Strategy screening — bringing
Editor's Pick * Fighting drug resistance: AVMA unveils expanded resource to help veterinarians protect animal health · ~2 min read — The AVMA released "Antimicrobial Stewardship and Pathogens Affecting Animal Health," a 200-plus-page update of its 2020 report built by more than 50 experts, with printable species-specific report cards
*"Since it is possible that thou mayest depart from life this very moment, regulate every act and thought accordingly."* — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Treat each appointment like it might be the one that matters most — because for that patient, it is. Editor's Pick * Merck Animal Health Launches
*"If someone can prove me wrong and show me my mistake in any thought or action, I shall gladly change."* — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations A Wednesday reminder that being corrected is not a setback — it's how the work gets better. Editor's Pick * FDA Issues Emergency
*"The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing."* — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations A clinic day is like that too — you don't choreograph it, you meet it as it comes. Editor's Pick * AAHA's New 2026 Parasite Guidelines Are Here · ~5 min read
"He who fears death will never do anything worthy of a living man." — Seneca A Tuesday reminder that the hard conversations — the prognosis, the price, the goodbye — are exactly where the work matters most. Editor's Pick * AAHA releases guidelines on emerging parasites in dogs and cats
"Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul." — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations A Monday-morning reminder that a steady start to the week doesn't have to come from anywhere outside the exam room door. Editor's Pick * 1M Chicks Slaughtered