Erin Davis, BVBiol, BVSc, BFMgt, MVS (Con Med), works on the International One Health team at Wildlife Health Australia, the independent coordinating body for wildlife health in Australia. Earlier this year, she traveled on a 2-week ship voyage to Antarctica run by Homeward Bound Projects, part of an initiative to inspire collective leadership action to tackle global sustainability issues.

“The trip was the culmination of a 12-month science, technology, engineering, maths, and medicine [STEMM] transformational leadership initiative, in which 124 women and nonbinary people from more than 24 different nationalities journeyed together to Antarctica. I learned an enormous amount from the trip and the people I attended it with! Antarctica really is like no other place on earth, and I doubt anyone could come back unchanged from such a trip,” Davis said to 

Erin Davis, BVBiol, BVSc, BFMgt, MVS (Con Med), in Antarctica (Image courtesy of Davis) 

“From learning about the wildlife to the climate, geography, history, land, and oceans, and the work being done in the region by amazing scientists and support staff at research stations. How glaciers form, move, and impact the environment around them. How the wildlife, from the smallest krill to the penguins and other seabirds, to seals and the megafauna, whales—all exist in a delicate balance that is easily disrupted.”

With the One Health approach recognizing the interconnectedness between the health of people, animals, and the environment, Davis’ Antarctic adventure brought into focus the importance of her work in the One Health area.

“The connections I made with my fellow travelers and the experiences we shared together in Antarctica were incredibly beneficial to my work in One Health. The trip itself afforded me unique insights into wildlife health in extreme environments, including the dynamics of disease in isolated populations and the impact of human-induced climate change on ecosystem and wildlife health,” Davis said.

“The experience also allowed me to appreciate in person how the impacts of human activities globally affect the entire system that is earth and helped to inspire me toward collective and transformative action to address these issues. This trip helped me to better understand the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and biosecurity interventions in protecting vulnerable species in remote, fragile habitats.”

Davis and the other participants learned about the challenges facing the Antarctic region while using the opportunity to further develop their skills and strategies for driving and leading effective change to ensure a sustainable future for all.

“From climate change to the impacts of tourism and harvesting of marine fisheries stocks to political influences and the Antarctic Treaty to seeing the impact of emerging disease outbreaks in the region—[highly pathogenic] avian influenza [HPAI] in particular—from a One Health perspective, I was able to develop connections with people working in human, animal, and environmental health, including doctors, environmental scientists, engineers, and social scientists, bridging barriers to collective action along the way,” Davis said.

“As a veterinarian working to help prepare for diseases of concern to Australia and on the global stage, I delivered a presentation on board to help build awareness of the impact of diseases of concern to Antarctica and globally. This included a presentation on HPAI to the cohort and to expedition staff on the ship, covering what, who, where, and why we should care about this disease from a One Health perspective.”

Homeward Bound is a global transformational leadership initiative, and for Davis, her participation in the trip to Antarctica left her inspired to make real change.

“From the program and participants, I developed my skills in understanding and applying my personal learning styles and how to develop my personal strategy. I also met and [learned] from amazing women and nonbinary participants from many cultures and walks of life in STEM fields,” Davis said.

“The trip also reinforced my understanding of the importance of systems and One Health approaches to help address wicked problems in the world. And importantly, I started to work with others on strategies for how we can work together to address these issues using collective action for transformational change for a more sustainable world.”

Sydney hosts annual Australian Veterinary Association conference


"Cutting Through" is the theme of the upcoming 2025 Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) Conference in Sydney from May 12-15, 2025. Presentations will focus on a range of veterinary topics, including discussions on the opportunities and pitfalls of artificial intelligence in veterinary medicine, the future of One Health, and how to thrive outside your comfort zone.

“It is Australia's premier veterinary professional development event, and we’re really excited that, this year, it is going to be in Sydney after a 20-year hiatus! The program features an exceptional array of keynote speakers from a wide range of veterinary expertise backgrounds, featuring both visiting international experts and world-leading, home-grown talent,” Sally Colgan BVSc, DipVetClinStud, DACVS, MAICD, AVA president, said exclusively to 

Sally Colgan BVSc, DipVetClinStud, DACVS, MAICD, Australian Veterinary Association president (Image courtesy of the Australian Veterinary Association)

The conference will feature presentations from Greg Ogilvie, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM, Oncology), DECVIM-CA; Jaume Fatjo, DVM, PhD, ECVBM-CA, a human-animal bond researcher; and Chris Tan, BVSc, BSc (Vet), PhD, FANZCVS, DECVS-SA, a popular Australian small-animal specialist surgeon.

Throughout the event, conference delegates will be able to participate in a multitude of social activities, including university alumni dinners and special interest group functions, culminating in the AVA Awards Gala Dinner, at which leading members of the veterinary profession will be celebrated.

The AVA board is also keen to showcase the organization’s new strategic plan, and in a new initiative at this year’s conference, board directors will be present at the AVA exhibition stand during the event for a Q&A session to further engage with conference delegates.

“We're really looking forward to meeting our members and engaging with them directly via this innovative Q&A session format. The development of the AVA’s new strategic plan was informed by member consultation, and the plan will deliver our vision and purpose. Our members spoke, we listened, and we’ve acted on that with this strategic plan, which we’re excited to talk about further,” Colgan said.

Further information about the event is available via the AVA website.

Articles

Read for updates on the veterinarian who traveled to Antarctica as part of the Homeward Bound projects and about Australia’s much-anticipated upcoming annual national veterinary conference.

Veterinary scene down under: One veterinarian's trip to Antarctica, plus AVA’s annual veterinary conference

Heather Duncan, DVM, DAVDC, talks about her Fetch dvm360 conference session, now available on-demand

A veterinary dentist previews her session on dental instruments for extractions

Heather Duncan, DVM, DAVDC, founder and CEO of Crown Veterinary Dental Specialists in Charlotte, North Carolina, talks about her Fetch dvm360 presentation “Instruments to Make Dental Extractions Easier: What You May Have Missed in Vet School,” now available on-demand for CE credit on dvm360's Flex website. In the video, Duncan offers a preview of key topics that the session covers, such as various dental instruments, including periosteal elevators and luxators. The session also goes over correct suture use and the number of knots needed for various cases.

Below is the interview transcript, lightly edited for clarity:

: One of the other presentations that you can watch on-demand are “Instruments to Make Dental Extractions Easier: What You May Have Missed in Vet School.” In vet school, you know, we learned so much information, and there's a plethora of dental instrumentation out there that can make our lives easier, from the periosteal elevators to our elevators, to our luxators to our luxating-type elevators. So, it's just a whole new world of learning that language, as well as the burs to choose and when you would use one bur versus another, what type of suture are we going to use? You know, how are we going to do the sutures? How many knots do you need?

So, we have this presentation to help kind of bridge that gap between what we may not have gotten in vet school to learn for those things, and what can help us in real life with instruments, and how we're going to plan those and what to have in our instrument packs at work to help our patients.

 delivers expert-led veterinary continuing education on your schedule. With 

, you can access top-tier sessions anytime, anywhere—whether at home, in the clinic, or on the go. Ready to earn CE credits? Watch this session and more on 

The artificial intelligence (AI)-powered veterinary scribe, ScribbleVet, has achieved SOC 2 Type 2 compliance, a security certification considered the gold standard for data security and operational integrity.

 According to ScribbleVet, the goal in developing a secure system was to “help veterinary professionals care for animals without compromising on privacy or compliance."

The SOC 2 Type 2 audit looked at the systems, processes, and controls of ScribbleVet over a period of time to ensure the platform meets trust and security criteria. The SOC 2 Type 2 audit differs from SOC 2 Type 1, in that Type 1 only assesses a company’s security controls at 1 specific moment, whereas Type 2 evaluates these controls over the course of 3 to 12 months, typically. “ScribbleVet pushed to achieve the more comprehensive Type 2 in order to deliver a proven track record of keeping customer data safe,” the company wrote in a news release.

The SOC 2 Type 2 certification, developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants but conducted by an independent third-party auditor, confirmed the veterinary scribe’s compliance with strict standards for data encryption, access controls, risk management, and system availability, according to ScribbleVet.

 In addition to passing the SOC 2 Type 2 audit, the company also completed an independent penetration test, or a simulated cyberattack, to identify potential weaknesses in a system.

"We recognize that veterinarians entrust us with highly sensitive information every day," Rohan Relan, CEO of ScribbleVet, said in a company release.

"That's why we deliberately implemented rigorous processes and controls. Achieving SOC 2 Type 2 compliance is a promise to our users that protecting their data with the highest level of security is nonnegotiable. Our goal is to help veterinary professionals care for animals without compromising privacy or compliance."

The AI-powered veterinary scribe, which can generate veterinary SOAP notes and draft client communications within minutes, was 

adopted by the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine

 (CVM) in Gainesville earlier this spring. According to ScribbleVet, the school was the first educational institution to adopt the AI platform systemwide.

"We chose ScribbleVet for its high accuracy and time-saving workflows, which allow clinicians to reclaim hours for patient care while seamlessly incorporating AI into student training,” Andrea Miller, assistant director of operations at the CVM, said in a news release.

 "This collaboration reflects our leadership in veterinary AI innovation, equipping future professionals with the tools to streamline workflows, advance diagnostics, and elevate standards of care.”

ScribbleVet achieves SOC 2 Type 2 compliance, validating data security in veterinary care. News release. ScribbleVet. May 5, 2025. Accessed May 8, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scribblevet-achieves-soc-2-type-2-compliance-validating-data-security-in-veterinary-care-302445276.html?tc=eml_cleartime

Coppock Crossley K. Veterinary college incorporates AI scribe into facilities and classrooms. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/veterinary-college-incorporates-ai-scribe-into-facilities-and-classrooms

The certification validates that the platform meets trust and security criteria.

AI-powered veterinary scribe achieves SOC 2 Type 2 compliance

Kelly Cairns, DVM, MS, DACVIM (SAIM), discusses her on-demand lectures about polyarthritis and Cushing syndrome.

Endocrinology expert provides insights on 2 disorders

Kelly Cairns, DVM, MS, DACVIM (SAIM), vice president, medical excellence and education for Thrive Pet Healthcare, delivered a series of lectures on endocrinology topics at the 2025 Fetch dvm360 Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. Some of these presentations are available to continuing education (CE) learners through the Fetch On-Demand platform.

In this video, Cairns discusses 2 of her on-demand lectures: “Polyarthritis” and “Is This Cushing's and Do I Care?” She explains what CE learners can gain from attending these lectures that take in-depth looks at polyarthritis and Cushing syndrome.

The following is a transcript of the video:

My session on polyarthritis is going to be a complete overview of this condition, which I feel like, in clinical practice as an internist, is kind of one of the great imposters. So we're going to unpack when you should be looking for it, when you think maybe you shouldn't even be looking for it. We're going to talk about how to test for it, all the different causes of it. We're also going to go through how anybody in clinical practice can easily perform great joint taps.

I love the session “Is this Cushings? And do I care?” So, here's the spoiler alert: you do care. You do care. But we're going to talk about why you should care, and what are the ways that you diagnose this condition and then determine if you should treat, because sometimes we don't, and what complications do we see with the condition that warrant monitoring and intervention if they exist.

Videos

Kelly Cairns, DVM, MS, DACVIM (SAIM), discusses her on-demand lectures about polyarthritis and Cushing syndrome. 

Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS, dives into the science of this sensation and offers advice on how to prevent it

Wellness Tip of the Week: Avoiding the “hangry” feeling

Last week, Shaw shared a 5-minute tip for handling stress during busy days. The full video is available to watch 

How does food and nutrition impact focus, mood, and stress levels? During this week’s wellness tip, Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS, healthspan coach and host of the 

podcast, discusses the importance of maintaining stable blood sugar levels to prevent the "hangry" feeling induced by blood sugar crashes. To avoid these crashes, Shaw shares some quick snacks veterinary professionals can graze on throughout the day.

Below is the video transcript, lightly edited for clarity:

 Hey, this is Aaron Shaw with another Wellness Tip of the Week. Today, I want to talk about something that affects your focus, your mood, and your stress level. We're talking about food and nutrition.

If you've ever found yourself necessarily skipping a lunch, powering through a lunch, or not being able to eat enough throughout the day, and then later on, you find yourself being a little snappy, a little foggy headed, [or] a little more stressed out than you feel like you should be, well, that's what we would expect because you probably have low blood sugar.

When your blood sugar crashes, there's this response with our body that releases cortisol and adrenaline. These are stress hormones. We know this. So that sensation of feeling "hangry," which is both hungry and angry—it's real. It's your body's full-system stress response to not having level blood sugar.

Let me give you 2 quick snacks you can have to keep at your desk [or] in the break room that you can grab and graze on throughout the day to keep your blood sugar a little more level. The first thing I love is hard-boiled eggs with some fruit. Hard-boiled eggs will give you some protein, and fruit—real fruit—is a great way to give you the protein, [which] will kind of level you out and [provide] a little bit of natural sugars.

The second thing that I really love to go to, again, is certainly a fruit with some nut butter. Same principles—it'll give you some protein and some natural sugars. When you graze on this throughout the day, you're giving your body a chance to have a maintained blood sugar level. You won't have those crashes, [crave] super sugary stuff, and then go back in the break room [where] you have donuts or some other food that is going to spike your blood sugar. You're going to be on this roller coaster, and your emotional state [and] well-being is going to be on that roller coaster as well.

So, we want to level that out because mental health is not just in your head, it's in your nutrition as well. It's in the small things that we do day-to-day, and our small choices add up, and...you really need to fuel up, because you've got important work to do. You’ve got to take care of your clients. You’ve got to take care of each other, and most importantly, you've got to take care of yourself. So, join me next week for another Wellness Tip of the Week.

Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS, dives into the science of this sensation and offers advice on how to prevent it.

Wellness Tip of the Week: Avoiding the "hangry" feeling

MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co, Inc, announced that it has received FDA approval for its gentamicin, posaconazole, and mometasone furoate otic suspension (Mometamax Single; Merck). This latest addition to Merck’s portfolio is a new, convenient single-dose product for canine patients with otitis externa and will be available in veterinary clinics across the United States in summer 2025.

“Every case of otitis externa is unique, and having a range of treatment options allows veterinarians to tailor care to each individual dog. Mometamax Single offers a convenient, in-clinic solution that expands our otic portfolio and supports our commitment to delivering flexible, effective treatment options,” said Christine McKinney, DVM, DACVD, small animal dermatology specialist, veterinary insights and medical affairs, MSD Animal Health.

“Therefore, Mometamax Single as a new option also alleviates stress for pet owners because veterinarians can administer a single dose in [the] clinic and ensure a safe, effective, and complete treatment regimen,” she continued.

Canine patients with otitis externa suffer from redness, swelling, and pain, with symptoms also including odor, constant head shaking, and discharge. It is currently one of the most commonly treated conditions within veterinary medicine, and if it is left untreated, patients can develop chronic pain, hearing loss, and recurrent infections. 

According to the release, this new product is indicated to treat otitis externa associated with susceptible strains of yeast (

) in canine patients. It has 3 active ingredients—gentamicin, posaconazole, and mometasone furoate—and is the only FDA-approved, 1-dose, in-clinic product that is labeled to treat

“Mometamax Single represents our newest innovation in the otitis space, and we are proud to deliver this differentiated product that provides an effective treatment for dogs and peace of mind to pet owners,” said Alison De Leon, VMD, director, global pharmaceutical development, MSD Animal Health.

“Daily treatment can be a challenge for busy pet parents, especially when their dog is suffering from a painful condition like otitis. In such cases, Mometamax Single offers an effective, convenient alternative. By expanding our otic portfolio, we’re giving veterinarians greater flexibility to choose the right treatment path for each individual case, whether that’s daily at-home care or a 1-time in-clinic approach,” she concluded. 

This product is to be used in only canine patients and should be administered by a veterinary professional. Mometamax Single is also not to be used in dogs with known tympanic membrane perforation or with known or suspected hypersensitivity to gentamicin, posaconazole, or mometasone furoate. MSD Animal Health is instructing professionals to refer to the product label for full safety. 

Epidemiological study of dogs with otitis externa in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. News release. MSD Animal Health. May 2, 2025. Accessed May 8, 2025. https://www.msd-animal-health.com/2025/05/02/fda-approves-mometamax-single-to-treat-otitis-externa-in-dogs/

The latest canine otitis externa medication is the only FDA-approved, 1-dose, in-clinic treatment for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other pathogens.