A new digital cytology tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze lymph node and skin and subcutaneous masses in nonhuman species is now available for use with the Vetscan Imagyst, a diagnostic platform by Zoetis. The new tool, AI Masses, has the ability to detect potentially neoplastic cells accurately within minutes, according to Zoetis.

Leveraging deep learning algorithms, AI Masses identifies and classifies common skin and subcutaneous masses and lymph node lesions. Clinical pathologists review these insights through Digital Cytology and Add-on Expert Review functions within hours. By providing real-time insights at the point of care, the testing application helps veterinary teams with informed decisions, allowing them to better care for pet owners and veterinary patients.

“Our research shows that up to 75% of pet owners find abnormal results highly stressful. AI Masses is yet another point-of-care capability to deliver results in clinic, further [exemplifying] Zoetis’ purpose to advance care for animals [and] shortening anxious wait times to allow for faster care decisions that help provide the best possible outcome,” Richard Goldstein, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM), DECVIM-CA, global chief medical officer at Zoetis said in an earlier statement.

AI Masses is the seventh testing application for Vetscan Imagyst. Other testing applications for the platform are Digital Cytology, AI Urine Sediment, AI Fecal, AI Equine Fecal, AI Dermatology, and AI Blood Smear.

Vetscan Imagyst works with most practice information management systems. It does not require a dedicated computer, but a high-speed connection in the clinic best supports the technology.

“By empowering veterinary teams with valuable insights into potentially cancerous cells, we are helping to reduce waiting times and alleviate stress for pet owners facing some of the most challenging moments with their beloved pets,” Abhay Nayak, president of global diagnostics at Zoetis, said in a news release.

 “With comprehensive digital cytology capabilities and flexible result delivery options, Vetscan Imagyst AI Masses allows veterinary practices to make timely, individualized treatment decisions.”

AI Masses was first exhibited at the 2025 Veterinary Meeting & Expo in Orlando, Florida.

 It is scheduled to be shown again at the 40th World Veterinary Association Congress held in Washington, DC, in conjunction with the American Veterinary Medical Association Convention, July 18 to 22, 2025.

Zoetis launches AI Masses, the new AI-powered cytologic capability for Vetscan Imagyst. News release. Zoetis. June 2, 2025. Accessed June 5, 2025. https://news.zoetis.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2025/Zoetis-Launches-AI-Masses-the-New-AI-Powered-Cytologic-Capability-for-Vetscan-Imagyst-2025-YhrB1kjmLg/default.aspx

Bautista-Alejandre A. New AI tool for in-clinic cancer screening is announced. 

. February 11, 2025. Accessed June 5, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/new-ai-tool-for-in-clinic-cancer-screening-is-announced

Articles

AI Masses is the seventh testing application for Zoetis' Vetscan Imagyst platform.

AI cytology tool for masses is launched

Kenichiro Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC) (SAIM), discusses the benefit to all practice staff having the opportunity to earn CPR certification. 

Optimizing the full team to save lives 

Kenichiro Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC) (SAIM), program director for the RECOVER initiative and chief nursing officer for Veterinary Emergency Group, recently led certification courses in veterinary cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and instruction for basic and advanced life support at the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) SkillShop in Orlando, Florida. In this video, Yagi discusses the benefit of all team members having the opportunity to learn basic life support techniques and earn CPR certification, and who should pursue an advanced life support course, during a 

The following is a transcript of the video:

Kenichiro Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC) (SAIM): 

There was mention about basic life support being important, not just to the licensed veterinary professionals like veterinarians, veterinary technicians and nurses, but also for front desk staff. If there are small teams that are going to require everyone [or] to be able to participate in CPR, to have enough hands to help the animal, then basic life support is something that anyone can learn, really, to do good chest compressions. And then, [on] the ventilation intubation side, depending on the state laws, it's a little bit different on who can actually be doing that. But giving everyone on the veterinary team the confidence and the ability to jump in and participate in CPR so that we can give the patients the best chance is something that we focus on as well.

: Kenichiro Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC) (SAIM), discusses the unique opportunity for veterinary professionals to learn this emergency rescue technique.

: Dana Varble, DVM, CAE, chief veterinary officer for NAVC, discusses the greater impact of veterinary CPR instruction.

How vet tech skills helps save a human life

: Elizabeth Reed, BSVT, LVT, CCRA, recounts the story of how her veterinary CPR skills helped save a stranger’s life during a roadside emergency.

RECOVER Initiative announces updates to CPR guidelines

: This 2024 article outlines recent changes to RECOVER’s CPR guidelines.

Videos

In a recent continuing education session at Fetch Nashville 2025, Mike Barletta, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVAA; Tasha McNerney, CVT, CVPP, VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia); and Kristen Ward, BSN-RN, RVT, VTS discussed the clinical value of prolonging local anesthetic effects by incorporating low-dose adjuvants in their session titled “Top 7 Local Blocks for Everyday Practice.” Part of their discussion included the use of 3 primary adjuvants—dexmedetomidine, epidural morphine, and buprenorphine—each of which can be integrated into existing local anesthetic regimens to achieve prolonged analgesia and potentially reduce perioperative opioid requirements.

Barletta described adding dexmedetomidine at a concentration of 1 µg/mL of local anesthetic (eg, 5 µg in 5 mL of bupivacaine) as a reproducible method to prolong peripheral blocks from approximately 6 to 8 hours to 10 to 12 hours without clinically relevant bradycardia or hypotension. He explained that dexmedetomidine’s α₂-agonist properties synergize with sodium-channel blockade while inducing localized vasoconstriction, slowing vascular absorption. Barletta noted that “using these teeny, tiny volumes will still increase the duration of your block, but it does not cause any systemic effect,” implying that microdoses suffice to achieve meaningful extension without sedation or cardiovascular compromise. Ward advised labeling any batch-mixed vials (eg, a 50-mL bottle of bupivacaine plus 50 µg dexmedetomidine) and storing them according to the preservative’s expiration date to streamline workflow and ensure consistency.

In the context of neuraxial blocks, Barletta described a standard epidural mixture consisting of bupivacaine (0.5 mg/kg) combined with morphine (0.05 mg/kg). This combination reliably doubles epidural analgesia, he said, extending effects from approximately 6 to 12 hours with bupivacaine alone to 12 to 24 hours when morphine is included. Barletta noted, however, that clinicians must account for morphine‐induced urinary retention, so he would not use this strategy in patients undergoing bladder surgery.

Ward and Barletta also addressed buprenorphine as an adjunct for peripheral nerve and tissue infiltration blocks, noting that it’s important to pay close attention to managing the administration volume. They cited studies whose results showed that adding buprenorphine at 0.005 to 0.01 mg/kg to local anesthetics can double the block duration.

They explained that given buprenorphine's standard concentration of 0.3 mg/mL, achieving a target dose of 0.005 to 0.01 mg/kg as an additive to local anesthetics can sometimes require a larger volume than ideal for certain blocks. Their recommended strategy involves preparing a consistent mixture of buprenorphine and local anesthetic, and then tailoring the injected volume of this prepared mixture to the specific anatomical site. For example, if 0.4 mL of buprenorphine solution (providing 0.12 mg of buprenorphine) is mixed with 1 mL of local anesthetic, the total volume prepared is 1.4 mL. However, for a site with limited capacity, such as a maxillary dental block, the clinician might opt to administer only half of this prepared mixture. This technique allows for better control of the final injected volume while maintaining the intended proportion of buprenorphine to local anesthetic, they said.

Clinical implications and recommendations

The speakers said that integrating these adjuvants into multimodal analgesia protocols can result in lower systemic opioid administration, reduced inhalant requirements, and improved postoperative comfort. The incremental cost is minimal, and the patient benefits can be substantial, they said.

Barletta M, McNerney T, Ward K. Top 7 local blocks for everyday practice. Presented at: Fetch dvm360 conference; May 31, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee. 

Mike Barletta, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVAA; Tasha McNerney, CVT, CVPP, VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia); and Kristen Ward, BSN-RN, RVT, VTS, shared their approach at Fetch Nashville 2025

Extending local anesthetic effects with low‐dose adjuvants

What to know about communicating to clients about parasite control compliance

Client education and compliance

Endectocide products merge flea, tick, heartworm, and roundworm control into a single medication, simplifying parasite management for veterinary teams and clients. As parasites remain a constant threat throughout a dog’s life, and can even affect human family members, choosing broad-spectrum endectocides is one way to ensure effective, all-inclusive protection.

: So previously, in order to control our ectoparasites and a variety of our different endoparasites that affect our dogs, we may have had to reach for multiple products to provide really comprehensive, broad parasite control. But over the last decade or so, we’re now starting to see different companies bring together ectoparasite-control drugs as well as endoparasite-control drugs to create what they call an endectocide product—one that offers protection against both ectoparasites, like fleas and ticks, and a variety of endoparasites, like hookworms, heartworms, roundworms, etc.

Maybe your priority parasite where you’re living is ticks, for example, and you might not think about some of the other potential parasites that pose a risk. Choosing an endectocide-based product offers a pet comprehensive protection so they’re not just protected against that one “priority” parasite, but also against other parasites we don’t always consider—parasites that, for the vast majority of places in the U.S., still pose a persistent or constant risk. Parasites are omnipresent threats: pets are at risk from the moment they’re brand-new puppies, throughout their lifetime, and even into their senior years. We constantly have to think about protecting our pets and ensuring they have the most healthful life possible.

By doing that, we’re often also protecting our human family members, because many of the same parasites that affect our dogs can pose risks to human health as well. So by practicing good parasite control, we’re really helping to ensure the health of our pets and the health of the broader family.

Kathryn E. Reif, MSPH, PhD, explains the adoption of endectocide-based protocols for true “one-and-done” protection

Why endectocides matter

On this week's episode of The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360, our host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, welcomes Christian Capobianco, DVM, CertAqV, CVA, to discuss what his journey was like pursuing a career in zoo medicine. Throughout the episode, the 2 doctors review the process for certification, unique and interesting cases Capobianco has worked on, and even myth busting some common misconceptions surrounding zoo medicine. 

Below is a partial transcript, edited lightly for clarity

You know how there's such technology has really rapidly evolved in companion animal medicine in general, with dogs and cats, it's been incredible, and especially with [artificial intelligence], is that, is it growing in the terms of the zoo med sector? Do you think there's a lot of great technology that's out there?...

 ...The rapid evolution of technology is going to always...be super helpful for veterinary medicine. It's just a little bit challenging, because I feel like zoo medicine tends to lag a little bit behind some of the other specialties, just because we're dealing with so many species and trying to figure out what's going to work in each species. But absolutely...Nowadays we're utilizing implantable loop recorders, if you've ever heard of them for humans, to do continuous ECG tracings. We utilize them in our Grade 8 patients a ton nowadays. There are a number of publications out there for that. Since it's really hard for us to get voluntary awake ECGs on these animals, and they have a very high incidence of heart disease, we have been utilizing that technology extensively. 

We can also get awake EKGs on them by using the little cardio mobile thing, where you put...your 2 fingers on...so some of those animals are trained to...place their fingers on little portable ECG and get some tracings as well. They're trained for voluntary blood pressures. So when I think of technology helping zoo med, that's one of the first things that comes to mind. 

Podcasts

Are zoo veterinarians the ultimate generalists?

Navigating zoological veterinary medicine

The 2025 Fetch dvm360 conference series is heading back to Kansas City, Missouri, August 22 to 24, 2025. The agenda includes up to 160 hours of continuing education (CE) and allows each attendee to earn up to 17 total credits.

This Fetch Kansas City conference will start the first 2 days with inspiring keynote talks. Speakers leading these presentations will be Ken Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC) (SAIM), the chief veterinary nursing officer for Veterinary Emergency Group and program director for the RECOVER Initiative; and Michael W. Dryden, DVM, PhD, MS, DACVM, a university distinguished professor (emeritus) at Kansas State University.

The first keynote will be presented by Yagi on Friday, August 22, at 9 AM. His keynote lecture, “From Passion to Purpose: Discovering What Truly Drives Me,” will focus on finding what makes you happy and turning it into a meaningful career or other purpose. Yagi plans to share his own career story, which includes defining moments and crossroads.

Yagi will also present several CE sessions in the afternoon and evening following his keynote address. These sessions will address nutritional intervention for managing canine parvovirus, emergency blood transfusions from dogs to cats, and common questions in veterinary resuscitation.

The conference’s second keynote will be presented by Dryden on Saturday, August 23, at 9 AM. His keynote session is “Heartworm Preventive Resistance: Where Do We Go From Here?” It will provide insights about the understanding of heartworm preventive resistance as well as new programs aimed at limiting the severity and spread of resistance.

Dryden’s day will continue with a pair of afternoon CE lectures focusing on other topics in parasitology. These sessions will address advancements in diagnostics for canine and feline intestinal parasites and how changes in tick range and density are contributing to the spread of tick-transmitted disease.

The conference’s 2 keynote sessions feature career inspiration and clinical insights to put into practice