Vital Signs — Monday, October 12, 2026

New technology

• Antech launches the trūRapid Reader for in-clinic rapid tests — The portable reader auto-captures heartworm/vector-borne and FIV/FeLV test images at the 10-minute mark and pushes results to the practice management system after vet review, no calibration or cleaning needed.

New discoveries and research

• Cornell study finds blood markers linked to fatal racehorse injuries — Four immune/inflammatory markers (notably CCL3 and CCL5, moving in opposite directions) differed between Thoroughbreds that died of musculoskeletal injury and controls, a first step toward a screening blood test.

New treatments, drugs, and therapies

• FDA clears conditional-approval pathway for CannEpil, a CBD-THC oral solution for canine bone cancer pain — The FDA's MUMS determination lets Endovia/Lupvindol pursue conditional approval, which could bring the product to market before full approval, with an FDA pre-submission meeting set for November 19.
• Subcutaneous butorphanol sedates horses but doesn't reliably block pain — A blinded crossover study in 8 healthy horses found 0.1 mg/kg SQ butorphanol gave mild transient sedation with acceptable cardiopulmonary effects, but no clinically significant antinociception.

Legal and regulatory

• USDA confirms avian influenza in two Washington dairy herds — APHIS confirmed HPAI H5 clade 2.3.4.4b in two Washington cattle herds, the first detections in the Pacific Northwest; commercial milk remains safe via pasteurization, with affected-milk diversion and biosecurity enforcement in effect.

Feel-good stories

• ASPCA launches The Rescue Effect for Adopt a Shelter Dog Month — Backed by Subaru and $2 million in grants to 200 shelters to waive adoption fees, the campaign runs through October to move nearly 3 million dogs that entered shelters in 2025 into homes faster.

Clinic management and profitability

• AVMA sourcebook: household pet spending fell to $1,478, cats closing the gap on dogs — The 2026 data show annual spending down from $1,727, cat acquisitions growing faster than dog acquisitions, and 46.4% of dog owners still buying medications from their vet — presented Oct 7-8 at AVMA's Veterinary Business and Economic Forum.
• GoodVets acquires WellHaven, growing to 116 hospitals — The corporate consolidation continues as GoodVets absorbs WellHaven Pet Health (75 to 116 hospitals across 7 states); the same weekly tracker shows visits still down 1.7% YoY while revenue is up 3.7%.