Vital Signs — Tuesday, October 13, 2026
New technology in veterinary medicine
- AI system could transform rabies testing around the world — Researchers built the first AI workflow that detects rabies virus and measures antibody levels in cell-culture images with 99.6% accuracy, a tool that could help labs in rabies-endemic countries and support pet-travel vaccine checks.
New discoveries and research
- Big dogs age faster than little ones — rogue 'jumping genes' might be to blame — A Science study of nearly 900 dogs across ~120 breeds found large dogs accumulate DNA epigenetic changes faster than small ones, and mobile "jumping gene" elements may explain the size–lifespan gap; the resulting molecular clock predicts a dog's age to within a year.
New treatments, drugs, and therapies
- Vivesto presents Paccal Vet data at the WSAVA World Congress 2026 — Vivesto is presenting updated survival and safety data for its paclitaxel-micellar chemo in dogs with stage I–II splenic hemangiosarcoma after splenectomy, plus cat dose-escalation data showing tolerability and single-agent anti-tumor signals, underpinning plans for a pivotal study.
- Clinical Trial Finds CBD Combination Reduces Inflammation Marker Following Knee Surgery in Dogs — In a 27-dog randomized trial, oral CBD added to autologous conditioned serum after TPLO lowered the inflammation marker CRP on days 3 and 5 versus placebo, though pain and mobility outcomes didn't differ and one dog in the ACS-only group developed a surgical site infection.
- Short-course letrozole restores fertility in aged azoospermic dogs — A one-week course of the aromatase inhibitor letrozole restored spermatogenesis and fertility (including pregnancies with healthy pups) in aged azoospermic male dogs, with fewer liver enzyme changes than longer treatment — though the authors caution larger safety studies are needed before clinical use.
Legal and regulatory
- PETA sues UMass Chan to learn names of animal research board members — PETA filed suit Oct. 6 in Suffolk Superior Court demanding UMass Chan Medical School disclose its laboratory-animal oversight committee's members and decision records, arguing taxpayers have a right to know who's governing federally funded animal research.
Feel-good stories
- Abandoned dog Mia gets a second chance thanks to rescue team's loving care — An emaciated Dogue de Bordeaux found roaming in fields reached a healthy weight after eight weeks of care at Manchester Dogs' Home, and a discounted specialist cardiac assessment came back clear — so she's now ready to look for a forever home.
Clinic management note: no fresh, date-verified practice-management stories turned up today — the category is skipped rather than filled with stale items.