Happy Saturday dvm360 readers! We hope you had an excellent week and are taking a much-deserved break before starting all over again Monday morning. With VMX next week, WVC next month, and 

 around the corner, conference season is off to a slow but powerful start. Can’t make it to these shows? No worries, dvm360’s editorial team will be on the ground covering lectures, interviewing speakers, and more! Check out our dedicated 

 to stay up to date on all these veterinary conferences in 2026.

Besides our conference coverage, here is this week’s news roundup:

 that it has approved the first generic robenacoxib tablets, sponsored by ZyVet Animal Health, to control postoperative pain and inflammation in cats who underwent orthopedic surgery, ovariohysterectomy, and castration in feline patients. 

A steer in Briscoe County, Texas was confirmed to have 

 on December 31, 2025. The premises where the steer is located is quarantined and will remain quarantined until the affected carcasses are properly disposed of.

 during the 2025 Fetch Long Beach conference, Laila Proença, DVM, PhD, MV, MSc, DACZM, shared more information about 2 topics she believes clinicians find intimidating, and shares practical take ways for both.

 of The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360, Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, welcomed Lindsey Braun, vice president of research for the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), and Tiffany Tupler, DVM, CBCC-KA, to the show to discuss recent results of a survey from HABRI.

 under for 2026 is now available! Learn more about updates into koalas that were released back into the wild following hospital treatment, and meet a veterinary who is weaving people, domestic animals, and wildlife into her novels.

 in Wisconsin, the National Veterinary Services Laboratories completed a whole genome sequencing which confirmed that the virus detected in the Wisconsin dairy herds H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b genotype D1.1, signifying a new spillover event from wildlife into dairy cattle separate from previous events.

Articles

Wrap up: generic drug for feline postoperative pain receives FDA approval, and other news

From January 17-21, 2026, veterinary professionals from all over the world will flock to Orlando, Florida, for the 2026 Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX). The conference, which offers more than 1000 continuing education credits, can be an amazing place to learn, but it can also be overwhelming if it is your first time or you’re unsure of what lectures are happening when and which to attend. To help, we have compiled a list of lectures to look out for, which will assist VMX attendees in navigating the beginning of the event and identifying lectures to watch for the rest of the conference.

In the News...A Review of Newsworthy Poisonings and the Animals Who Lived to Tell the Tail (ER, Tale)

: Coming off the holiday season, toxicology might be at the top of the brain for veterinary professionals. In this case review lecture, Schmid and attendees will go over stories that made national news and discuss the toxin, the history around exposure, and a treatment success story for each.

Avoiding the Digital Doghouse: Social Media Safety in Veterinary Medicine

Rhonda Bell, CVPM, CCFP, PCM-Digital, CDMP

: Social media is a major topic in the veterinary industry, so being able to use it to your advantage will help attendees separate themselves and their clinic from competitors. Social media, although a benefit, can also be harmful to veterinary professionals, so learning safety from an expert like Bell can make it an easier space to navigate for professionals.

Physical Rehabilitation's Role in Pain Management

: Physical rehabilitation is a way for veterinary professionals to relieve their clients’ pain when analgesics are not tolerated or an option at all due to comorbidities. Britt will explain to attendees how to target rehabilitation techniques to improve the lives of patients.

Current Vaccine Recommendations for Dogs and Cats

Vaccines have been a very hot topic in both human and animal medicine, meaning clients are most likely going to be coming into clinics with questions for veterinary teams. By attending a lecture like Smith’s, you can equip yourself and then your team with the latest recommendations for both feline and canine patients.

VMX Opening Ceremony With Patrick Dempsey

Dempsey will be sharing with the crowd more on his career, his love of animals, and his devotion to the Dempsey Center, which provides personalized counseling and care for those with cancer and their families. Plus, it’s McDreamy.

Elizabeth Rozanski, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM), DACVECC

French bulldogs have been named the top dog in America, and clients are going to be bringing them into clinics for care. Learning all you can about them can help ensure that the Frenchies making their way into your client are getting the latest care out there.

Curvy Cats in the Kitchen: The Overweight, the Obese, and the Diabetic

There are clients out there who think that having a large cat is cute and fluffy, but an obese cat is one that is also at risk of developing diabetes mellitus. This lecture will explore the role of nutrition for feline obesity to help professionals share common truths and myths about these patients.

Be Our Guest: The Magic of Great Customer Service

With Disney World being so close to the conference, why not learn more about their customer service and how it can be brought into the veterinary clinic? Hear more from 

’s chief veterinary officer, who wrote his MBA thesis on Disney’s 4 keys to quality service.

From Beak to Flipper: An Introduction to Penguin Health and Medicine

How often do veterinary professionals get an introduction to penguin health? This lecture offers an opportunity to explore and gain a deeper understanding of these animals—and perhaps spark a new interest!

AI and Veterinary Medicine: Updates, How to, and Why

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been one of the biggest topics in veterinary medicine—and every other industry—for the past few years. Exploring what’s new, how to use it, and its benefits can help you stay ahead of the AI curve.

Clinical Approach to Diagnosing Muscle Disorders

Stephanie Valberg, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (LAIM), ACVSMR

These disorders can often be confused with other medical conditions or lameness in these patients. Valberg will review a systematic approach to help veterinary professionals better differentiate between muscle disorders and create a comprehensive diagnostic plan.

From Tradition to Innovation: Enhancing Outcomes in Dog and Cat Sterilization

One of the most common surgical procedures veterinary professionals perform is sterilization. Through this lecture, McCarthy will educate attendees on refinements and advances in surgical methods to help teams increase simplicity, decrease complications, and reduce surgery times.

Your New Favorite Analgesic: Using Alpha 2s to Your Advantage

Tasha McNerney, BS, CVT, CVPP, VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia)

This lecture is a good one to attend because a-2 agonists (like dexmedetomidine) are essential, high-utility drugs used daily for achieving reliable sedation, analgesia, and muscle relaxation in practice. The core value lies in the focus on patient safety, as these agents have unique and profound cardiovascular and respiratory effects that require careful monitoring and management.

Sometimes It’s Not OA: Other Reasons for Lameness and Reduced Mobility

Kristin Kirkby Shaw, DVM, PhD, MS, DACVS-SA, DACVSMR

Attendees will get an inside look at overlooked and common causes of lameness, as well as reduced mobility that could mimic or coexist with osteoarthritis (OA). This lecture will help attendees gain a better understanding of how to recognize OA to create an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment plan for their patients.

Stop the Stigma: How You Can Contribute to the Culture of Growth and Inclusion Where Veterinary Professionals Thrive

With all the amazing medicine topics available, it can be nice to take a break and attend a lecture focused on you and bettering yourself and your team members.

Gaining Confidence With an Orthopedic Examination

 According to Barnes, the orthopedic exam is a cornerstone of lameness evaluations in patients. It can feel overwhelming in practice, but it doesn’t have to. Her lecture will help attendees streamline their approach, gain a deeper understanding of pattern recognition, and learn how to make the most of everyday tools to confidently tackle tough cases.

Cyber Threats: Is Your Practice Protected?

With social media, the rise of artificial intelligence, and programs using the internet to make practices run more smoothly, cyber threats can be a massive concern for veterinary practices. According to Lindus, these incidents are also happening more frequently, becoming more sophisticated, and their financial impact is growing. Therefore, being prepared will help your clinic staff stay safe from cyber threats.

Unmasking the Mystery: Why COPAT Is Essential for Oral Health (Sponsored by Dechra)

Comprehensive oral prevention, assessment, and treatment (COPAT) has a critical role in maintaining optimal oral health for feline and canine patients. Understanding what COPAT is and how to bring it into your practice can help improve the quality of life for your patients through early detection and treatment of these diseases.

With so many lectures going on during VMX 2026, here is a list of some noteworthy ones happening during the first 2 days of the show!

VMX lectures to watch: Part 1

Thinking about age as a modifiable risk factor is reshaping how veterinarians approach care for aging dogs.

A different way to think about aging in dogs

Brennen McKenzie, MA, MSc, VMD, director of veterinary medicine at Loyal, a biotechnology company focusing on extending the healthy lifespan of dogs, argues that aging should no longer be seen as a fixed fact, but as a "modifiable risk factor" that can be actively managed. As veterinary medicine has advanced to better understand the biology of aging, researchers have developed more tools to slow down the process of aging and maintain a healthy lifespan for longer. With early, proactive intervention, veterinarians can play a central role in preserving quality of life for aging patients.

The following is a transcript of the video, lightly edited for clarity and cohesion:

 I'm Brennen McKenzie. I'm a small animal veterinarian, and I am currently both part-time in private practice, where I've been for almost 25 years now, and also the director of veterinary medicine for Loyal, which is a biotechnology company based in San Francisco, [California], and our mission is developing medications to try to extend the healthy lifespan of dogs.

How does seeing age as a modifiable risk factor change care for older patients?

I think, unfortunately, we've always sort of thought of aging as this inevitable, immutable fact of the universe. We can't do anything about it, we just have to cope with it as best we can. And that may have been true at one point, but we know enough now about the biology of aging to really have some useful tools to try to slow the process down and maintain health, function, and quality of life for longer.

It makes me sad when a client comes in with a pet and I say, "How are things going?" and they're like, "Fine. I mean, you know, they're slowing down because they're getting old, but that's okay." And I think that's not usually true. Usually, they have a problem, they may not be comfortable, they may have arthritis, they may have some pain, or they may have too much weight and all kinds of things that can be potentially treated. But we think of it as just aging, and then we don't bother to do what we can to make them better.

So, I think thinking of aging as a modifiable risk factor for what I call the "3 Ds"—disability, disease, and death, the 3 negative outcomes that go with aging—makes us as veterinarians more proactive, more likely to be looking for ways to intervene earlier, before we get really obvious disease and a really significant decline in quality of life.

Videos

A steer in Briscoe County, Texas, was confirmed to have anthrax (Phoebe/stock.adobe.com; image not of actual steer)

On December 31, 2025, officials with the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) received confirmation that a steer in Briscoe County had anthrax. Located 5 miles north of Silverton, Texas, the premises where the steer lives, has been quarantined and will remain until proper disposal of affected carcasses on the premises.

Anthrax is a bacterial disease caused by 

, which is a naturally occurring organism with worldwide distribution, including certain parts of Texas. In Texas, anthrax cases are most often found in a triangular area bound by the towns of Eagle Pass, Ozona, and Uvalde, but it has been confirmed in Briscoe County in 2020 and 2023. Anthrax has also been confirmed in other locations in the Texas panhandle.

Commonly, Anthrax cases often increase after periods of wet, cool weather that are followed by hot, dry conditions. Animals then ingest the colorless, odorless, and tasteless anthrax bacteria when they ingest contained grass or hay or inhaled the spores. When there is an outbreak, it usually ends when cooler weather arrives. 

“Zoonotic diseases like anthrax pose a risk to both animal and human health,” said Lewis R. “Bud” Dinges, DVM, TAHC state veterinarian and executive director, in an organizational release.

 “This case serves as a reminder to monitor and vaccinate susceptible animals, reduce human exposure, and consult a veterinary practitioner if you suspect your animals are exposed.”

According to TAHC, when an animal is exposed to anthrax, it takes about 3-7 days for them to present with the clinical signs, and death usually occurs 48 hours after symptoms begin.

 Symptoms in livestock can include acute fever followed by rapid death with body discharge from body openings. If there is a noticeable number of deer or exotic wildlife found dead in your area, TAHC urges livestock be removed from access to the carcasses immediately.

It can be difficult to diagnose anthrax based on only clinical signs and confirmatory laboratory tested should be attempted if it is suspected. The vegetative cell is not robust and will not survive 3 days in transit, so the best way to test is collecting a sample from a cotton swab dipped in blood and allowed to dry.

 By doing it in this manner, the results in sporulation and death of other bacteria and contamination. If a carcass is >3 days, nasal turbinate should be swabbed or turbinate samples be removed.

TAHC is encouraging producers to follow basic sanitations precautions when handling any affected livestock or carcasses. Producers should wear protective gloves, long sleeve shirts, and wash thoroughly when finished to prevent accidental spread of the bacteria to humans. Anyone who needs more information on how anthrax affects humans can check out the Texas Department of State Health Services website.

Anthrax confirmed in a Briscoe County Steer. News release. Texas Animal Health Commission. January 6, 2026. Accessed January 9, 2026. 

https://www.tahc.texas.gov/news/2026/2026-01-06_Anthrax_Briscoe.pdf?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAEe5dicCnIpaEDeV-sLvmD-cXa7Li1K22SuZjK7mAGfEIl_ClI8GCGKUZb3Ec0_aem_0Jvb-TXq28uUn2_gYOAqrA

Galante D. Anthrax in Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual. Published July 11, 2022. Accessed January 9, 2026. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/infectious-diseases/anthrax/anthrax-in-animals

Testing confirmed the anthrax on December 31, 2025. 

Anthrax confirmed in Texas Steer

Officials with the FDA have approved the first generic robenacoxib tablets for the control of postoperative pain and inflammation associated with orthopedic surgery, ovariohysterectomy and castration in cats. Sponsored by ZyVet Animal Health, the drug is indicated for felines aged 4 months and older, and weighing at least 5.5 lbs.

Robenacoxib tablets are a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). These generic tablets are bioequivalent to Onsior, the brand name drug product from Elanco Animal Health that first approved by the FDA in 2011.

Minimally invasive sterilization for canines and felines

 blood-level study was conducted in 34 healthy, fasted cats to determine bioequivalence. Both the generic and brand name products contained 6 mg of robenacoxib, the active ingredient, in each tablet, and no serious adverse effects were reported in the study.

Robenacoxib tablets are available with a veterinarian’s prescription and can be administered orally once daily for up to 3 days. The approved dose of Robenacoxib tablets is 0.45 mg/lb, according to the FDA.

The generic robenacoxib product is flavored and supplied in blister cards containing 3 tablets. Each veterinary carton contains 10 blister cards. One card per patient should be dispensed with an envelope containing veterinary an insert and owner information sheet.

Generic Furosemide tablets for cats and dogs is launched

FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. FDA approves first generic robenacoxib tablet for postoperative pain and inflammation in cats. News release. FDA. January 9, 2026. Accessed January 9, 2026. 

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/cvm-updates/fda-approves-first-generic-robenacoxib-tablet-postoperative-pain-inflammation-cats?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

FDA. Freedom of Information Summary: ANADA 200-832. FDA. December 22, 2025. Accessed January 9, 2025. 

https://animaldrugsatfda.fda.gov/adafda/app/search/public/document/downloadFoi/17827

Robenacoxib tablets from ZyVet Animal Health are bioequivalent to Onsior (Elanco).

FDA approves generic drug product for feline postoperative pain

Check out this video demonstration of how VetMind can work for veterinary professionals.

VetMind demonstration

This content is sponsored by Xiaowen Technology

The veterinary industry is currently witnessing a surge in artificial intelligence (AI) applications. However, most available tools, whether for scribing, radiology, or clinical decision support, operate in silos. This fragmentation often forces practitioners to toggle between disjointed apps, leaving critical data trapped in separate systems and creating “digital friction” that can add to a team’s administrative burden.

Xiaowen Tech, a team of veterinarians, engineers, and industry leaders, is entering the North American market to change this narrative. As a spin-off from the New Ruipeng Pet Healthcare Group

—Asia’s largest veterinary hospital corporation with nearly 1500 facilities—Xiaowen Tech brings a unique provenance to the field. The company has spent the last 5 years digitizing health care for millions of pets, and its flagship product, VetMind, is the culmination of that effort.

VetMind is fundamentally different from standalone AI tools. It is the first truly integrated AI ecosystem that unifies clinical documentation, diagnostic imaging, and decision support into a single, seamless workflow. By breaking down these data barriers, VetMind empowers veterinary teams to focus less on screens and more on their patients.

At the heart of VetMind is a fundamental principle: AI is a tool for empowerment, not a substitute for expertise. VetMind is designed to provide data-driven screening insights that support veterinarians’ workflows. While the system can uncover patterns and prioritize data, professional clinical judgment is always required for the final diagnosis. VetMind doesn't make the call; it ensures you have the best information available to make yours.

The VetMind ecosystem: Interconnected intelligence

Rather than a collection of independent tools, VetMind offers “interconnected intelligence” that mirrors the natural progression of a patient visit.

 Scribe listens passively to consultations, filtering out background noise to capture the essential clinical narrative. It understands the nuanced language of veterinary medicine, automatically structuring complex dialogues into professional Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan (SOAP) notes.

Step 2: Diagnostics and Triage (VetMind Imaging)

 VetMind Imaging acts as an “always-on radiology resident,” screening thoracic, abdominal, and orthopedic studies. It highlights urgent cases and narrows differential diagnoses in seconds, combining imaging findings with the patient’s history for tailored recommendations.

Step 3: Strategic Planning (Clinical Decision Support)

 By analyzing signalment, history, and physical findings, this module provides a prioritized list of differentials and expert-validated treatment suggestions. The system adjusts its output as new information arrives—such as pathology reports—ensuring your clinical strategy is always current.

Step 4: Research and Validation (Knowledge Hub)

 Practitioners have instant access to global veterinary wisdom. Ask questions regarding complex conditions and receive cited, guideline-backed answers drawn from a vast library of expert protocols.

Unlike generic AI “wrappers,” VetMind is powered by the industry’s first large language models architected specifically for veterinary medicine. It is trained on a curated foundation of over 100 million clinical cases, including physical exams, lab results, and diagnostic reports.

Already battle tested at scale in Asia since May 2024, VetMind is entering the US market as a mature technology stack. Our phased rollout ensures every module is perfectly calibrated for North American process information management system (PIMS) integration:

 Launch of Decision Support and Knowledge Hub

 Introduction of Microscopic Assistant (Pathology) and full PIMS integration

: Rollout of the Hospital Assistant, focusing on front-desk automation, inpatient care, and smart customer service

VetMind aims to support the entire veterinary ecosystem, providing tailored AI solutions for veterinarians, hospital operations, pet owners, device manufacturers, enterprises, and educational institutions.

We understand that data integrity is non-negotiable. VetMind is built with:

 VetMind voluntarily implements protections equivalent to those required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and follows strict System and Organization Controls 2 auditing standards.

 All clinical data—audio, text, and SOAP notes—is secured with world-class encryption.

 You retain 100% ownership of your records. VetMind never sells your data or uses them for external AI training without your explicit permission.

We have built the engine; now we are inviting you to take the wheel. As we prepare for our North American launch, we are seeking 100 veterinary professionals to join us as foundational pilot partners. This is a unique opportunity to help calibrate VetMind for the US market, influence feature development, and position your clinic as an innovation leader.

Ready to lead the change? Join the pilot program 

About us. New Ruipeng Pet Healthcare Group. Accessed January 5, 2026. 

Why an “ecosystem” is the next frontier for clinical care