This episode of VetxChange will review medical options to relieve allergic itch and how to consider medication administration when prescribing treatments.

Itch stops here: Fast fixes for happy dogs and happier clients

This content is sponsored by Zoetis. To obtain your CE certification for this episode, head over to dvm360's Flex 

Managing canine atopic dermatitis (cAD) can be difficult, lifelong and frustrating for the owner and clinician as well as uncomfortable for the pet. It is crucial to consider factors that can increase pruritus in dogs such as secondary infections, allergies and ectoparasites. As a member of the veterinary team, we also need to consider logistics such as finances, caregiver burden and physical limitations. This podcast episode will review medical options to relieve allergic itch and how to consider medication administration when prescribing treatments.

Understand options for fast and effective management of pruritus for cases of canine atopic dermatitis.

Identify limitations with long-term allergy management to the owner (finances, physical limitations, etc.).

Feel comfortable with the rule outs of a pruritic dog.

Videos

Discover expert insights on managing itchy dogs and effective treatments on this episode of VetxChange.

A private biotechnology company that develops pharmaceutical and nutraceutical formulations for oncology and regenerative health recently launched an equine nutritional supplement for immune health, cellular health, and performance recovery. The company, Gerosynth Labs, based in Bloomington, Minnesota, says their new product supports musculoskeletal health, gut balance, and more.

The supplement, Mytulin EQ, was developed using Gerosynth’s proprietary phytochemical research, and its formulation draws on wild-harvested chaga mushrooms (

) that were sustainably sourced from Alaska’s Arctic Circle. According to Gerosynth Labs, the harsh climate conditions of the Arctic Circle and Gerosynth’s advanced manufacturing process contribute to a nutrient-rich, bioactive compositions that provides a natural foundation for equine cellular support and performance. Other listed ingredients include Manuka honey, derived from the 

, or Manuka, plant; triglycerides, and filtered water.

 The product is marketed as promoting musculoskeletal strength, gastrointestinal balance, and mitochondrial rejuvenation, which play a role in equine’s health and longevity.

Biometric sensors may help identify the few Thoroughbreds at highest risk for fatal musculoskeletal injury

"Horses performing at a high-level demand exceptional cellular recovery and immune resilience," Kendall Willson, DVM MRCVS, said in a company press release.

 "Mytulin EQ's formulation supports both performance and long-term health, giving veterinarians and trainers a valuable new tool for sustained equine wellness."

The supplement comes in a 64 oz pouch. A single pouch is priced at $280. The product is kept refrigerated and can be administered directly or added to food. High-performing horses weighing less than 500 lbs can take up to 3 oz of the supplement while light or maintenance horses should only be administered 1 oz of the product per day, according to Mytosynth Nutraceuticals—a brand under Gerosynth Labs.

 Horses weighing between 1500 and 2000 lbs can receive up to 9 oz a day of the supplement if they are high-performing animals. Meanwhile, users can administer up to 4 oz each day to light or maintenance horses between 1500 and 2000 lbs. Horses between 500 and 1500 lbs can take up to 6 oz per day if they are high performance.

The product should not be used in pregnant or breeding horses unless under a veterinarian’s direction. In the event of an overdose, the horse should receive veterinary care immediately.

"Mytulin EQ represents the culmination of years of translational research at the intersection of biotechnology and animal health," said Alisha O'Dell, CEO and founder of Gerosynth Labs.

 "Our goal is to bring evidence-based, naturally derived solutions to market that advance equine wellness without the limitations often associated with traditional pharmaceuticals."

Gerosynth Labs announces launch of Mytulin EQ, an advanced equine nutritional supplement. News release. Gerosynth Labs, Inc. November 11, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. 

https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gerosynth-labs-announces-launch-of-mytulin-eq-an-advanced-equine-nutritional-supplement-302611204.html

Mytulin EQ. Mytosynth Nutraceuticals. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://mytosynth.com/product/mytulin-eq/

Articles

Mytulin EQ supports immune health, cellular support, and performance recovery for horses.

Biotech company launches equine supplement targeting immune and cellular health

Last year, right before Thanksgiving, Kiana Sutherlin was frying chicken wings on her stove and was adding both garlic and onion powder to the food to give it an extra kick. While this would be a treat for any humans ingesting her cooking, her dog Snoopy would get a trip to the emergency room instead.

“Snoopy is a notorious counter surfer,” Sutherlin explained, in an news release.

 “We’ve tried to train him, but it’s his way or no way. I was cooking some fried chicken wings, and I added several ounces of both onion and garlic powder. I also used a full bottle of cooking oil, and what was left of a second bottle. After I was done cooking, I placed the pan full of used oil at the back of the stovetop and covered it so Snoopy couldn’t get to it. I then left it to my husband Joe to clean up the next day.”

However, the following day when her husband Joe came to dump the oil, he had to stop for a few minutes to answer a phone call, which gave Snoopy the perfect opportunity to jump on the counter. When Joe came back, Snoopy had licked almost all of the oil, which contained a large amount of seasoning. Snoopy began vomiting oil and continued to do so into the next day; Sutherlin said he was whining, crying and still vomiting. This resulted in her calling an emergency veterinary clinic, who recommended Pet Poison Helpline. 

Once on the phone, Sutherlin told Pet Poison Helpline experts the list and amounts of seasonings that were in the oil. After considering Snoopy’s size and other factors, the experts recommended he be taken to a veterinarian.

“Onions and garlic can be deadly to pets if ingested in a large enough quantity, with garlic being 5 times as potent,” explained Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, senior veterinary toxicologist and director of Veterinary Medicine at Pet Poison Helpline.

 “Snoopy consumed used cooking oil that contained large amounts of onion and garlic powder, which is even more concentrated and therefore more dangerous.”

Snoopy’s medical team was concerned about gastrointestinal upset, aspiration risk, and pancreatitis from the cooking oil, plus potentially red blood cell damage from the powders. At the hospital, Snoopy was treated with antiemetic to stop the vomiting, fluid therapy to rehydrate, and gastrointestinal protectants to help minimize risk of diarrhea and gastrointestinal irritation.

 The team then addressed the onion and garlic concerns with bloodwork to be performed every few days to keep his eye on red blood cell count for a week following admission.

With the work done by the medical team, Snoopy has made a full recovery and is acting as normal.

“Snoopy is very sweet, but he’s a bull in a China shop,” Sutherlin concluded. “No matter what we do, it’s his way, so we had to change our habits. We make sure all garbage is secure and we clean up right after we cook. In fact, now that I think about it, the whole thing was so traumatic that we haven’t fried anything since then.”

All pets featured in Toxin Tails have been successfully treated for the poisoning and fully recovered. According to Pet Poison Helpline, these stories are shared to educate both veterinary professionals and clients the many different types of poisoning dangers pets face year-round.

Counter-Surfing Pooch Poisoned by Poultry Seasonings. News release. Pet Poison Helpline. November 5, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. 

https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/toxintails/counter-surfing-pooch-poisoned-by-poultry-seasonings/

Ahead of the holiday season, be sure to caution clients on the dangers this time of year can present to pets

Counter surfing canine ingests cooking seasonings  

At 43 days, the longest US government shutdown in history ended this week as President Donald Trump signed government funding bill H.R. 5371.

 Under the narrowly passed compromise, most federal agencies will receive temporary funding at the same levels as fiscal year 2025 through January 30, 2026. Some departments, including the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), will receive full-year funding through September 30, 2026. Funding includes money for federal veterinary and food safety programs.

H.R. 5371 guarantees back pay for federal employees and bars agencies from cutting full-time staff while the continuing resolution is in effect. Additionally, federal workers that were fired by the Trump administration since the shutdown began on October 1 will be rehired.

On November 10, the Senate approved the bill. Then, on November 12, Trump signed the bill, hours after the House approved the measure in a mostly partisan vote of 222-209.

What this means for the veterinary industry

The bill allocates $203.4 billion in total funding for the USDA and FDA through the full-year appropriations bill, covering discretionary and mandatory spending. With the more-than-monthlong gridlock over, the veterinary industry can expect fundings at fiscal year 2025 levels for programs including the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program ($10 million), Veterinary Services Grant Program ($4 million), and Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank ($2 million).

H.R. 5371 also sets aside $750,000 to support the Alaska Native Rural Veterinary Care—which increases access to veterinary care to underserved tribal or rural communities in Alaska—while providing $1.9 million for a pathological waste incinerator at the University of Georgia’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. It also includes $1 million to develop a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore and $560,535 for a mobile veterinary research and training laboratory at Utah State University.

The legislation also calls for the USDA to report on its domestic readiness and response plans for New World screwworm (

). With detections less than 70 miles from the US-Mexico border reported 

, the parasite may be approaching the US.

Through the the bill, most provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill, officially the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, which had been scheduled to expire on September 30, will be extended through January 30, 2026.

Additionally, the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility will receive funding, and the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service budget for State Meat and Poultry Inspection and Cooperative Interstate Shipment programs will be increased by $15 million.

Senate passes bill to end government shutdown, veterinary programs funded. American Veterinary Medical Association. November 12, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.avma.org/news/senate-passes-bill-end-government-shutdown-veterinary-programs-funded

House. H.R. 5371 — Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026. 119th Cong. (2025–2026). Actions. Congress.gov. Published November 12, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5371/all-actions

The Latest: Longest government shutdown in US history ends after 43 days as Trump signs funding bill. 

. November 12, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/trump-shutdown-snap-travel-8cae829d4472a165846d1aae3e82f310

Bautista-Alejandre A. New World screwworm detected less than 70 miles from the US-Mexico border. 

. September 22, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/new-world-screwworm-detected-less-than-70-miles-from-the-us-mexico-border

The longest government shutdown in US history came to an end on November 12.

With the government shutdown over, federal funding resumes. What does this mean for the veterinary industry?

A vaccine conditionally approved by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for protecting honeybees against American foulbrood (AFB) caused by 

has demonstrated efficacy in clinical trials. Based on the results of 2025 studies, the AFB vaccine from Dalan Animal Health is now closer to receiving full licensure from the federal agency’s Center for Veterinary Biologics, according to the biotech company.

"These successful efficacy trials represent a major regulatory milestone for Dalan and the beekeeping industry," Annette Kleiser, PhD, the company’s CEO and founder, said in a news release.

 "This past summer, we performed efficacy trials similar to those we conducted for our conditional license. The results were excellent. We still have work to do before we can apply for full licensure…but this is a significant step forward in our regulatory journey."

The AFB vaccine contains killed, whole-cell 

 bacteria. It is administered by mixing the vaccine into queen feed that is consumed by worker bees. The vaccine is incorporated into the royal jelly by the worker bees, who then feed it to the queen. After the queen ingests this royal jelly, fragments of the vaccine are deposited in her ovaries. Having been exposed to the vaccine, the developing larvae have immunity as they hatch.

The first-in-class AFB vaccine is non-GMO and can be used in organic agriculture. The 

for the vaccine in 2023, which has allowed it to be distributed on a limited basis to commercial beekeepers.

The 2025 clinical trials were designed to meet USDA requirements for advancing from conditional to full licensure. The study data supporting the vaccine’s efficacy in protecting honeybee colonies from AFB are being submitted to the USDA this month for review and approval. They could receive full licensure as early as 2027. Full USDA licensure would allow the vaccine to be distributed more broadly to commercial beekeepers and enhance the opportunity for it to become a standard tool in integrated pest management programs.

Honeybees are a critical component of agriculture. One-third of the global food supply relies on pollination, and healthy commercial hives are essential to secure high crop yields.

 However, in early 2025, the Honey Bee Health Coalition revealed that beekeepers across the US had experienced catastrophic honeybee colony losses of a 62% average between June 2024 and February 2025.

“The scale of these losses is completely unsustainable,” Zac Browning, a fourth-generation commercial beekeeper and board chairman of Project 

 “Honeybees are the backbone of our food system, pollinating the crops that feed our nation.”

 later determined that one main cause of these colony losses was deformed wing virus A and B, as well as acute bee paralysis, which are viruses typically spread by Varroa mites.

Jörg Mayer, DVM, MS, DABVP, DECZM, DACZM, professor of zoological medicine at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine in Athens, said the Varroa mite is commonly found where honeybees are. “One of the big issues is that [although] the bee is affected by the parasitic function of the Varroa mite—while it's feasting on the body—it also introduces a lot of viruses and other pathogens to the honeybee. Most [notable] is…deformed wing virus, which doesn't allow the bee to fly anymore. Therefore, it can't provide any pollination services,” he said in a 

 at the 2025 Veterinary Meeting & Expo in Orlando, Florida.

According to Dalan Animal Health, the AFB vaccine provides broad-spectrum protection. Some commercial beekeepers who have used the AFB vaccine to protect their honeybees have reported a reduction in deformed wing virus and an overall improvement in the health and strength of their colonies.

According to Kleiser, Dalan Animal Health began developing the AFB vaccine at a time when honeybees were not on the veterinary industry’s radar. However, the company has grown accustomed to “pushing the boundaries of what animal health means.” Their work includes ongoing development of a vaccine to protect shrimp from common diseases. “Again, going against conventional wisdom that you can’t vaccinate shrimp because they don’t have an adaptive immune system,” she said during a panel discussion at the 2025 KC Animal Health Corridor Summit in Kansas City, Missouri.

Dalan Animal Health announces successful efficacy trials for its honeybee vaccine, advancing toward full USDA licensure. News release. Dalan Animal Health. November 4, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dalan-animal-health-announces-successful-efficacy-trials-for-its-honeybee-vaccine-advancing-toward-full-usda-licensure-302603886.html 

USDA advances American foulbrood vaccination for honeybees. 

. January 9, 2023. Accessed November 13, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/usda-advances-american-foulbrood-vaccination-for-honeybees

Survey reveals over 1.1 million honey bee colonies lost, raising alarm for pollination and agriculture. News release. Honey Bee Health Coalition. February 20, 2025. Accessed November 12, 2025. 

https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/survey-reveals-over-1-1-million-honey-bee-colonies-lost-raising-alarm-for-pollination-and-agriculture/

USDA researchers find viruses from miticide resistant parasitic mites are cause of recent honey bee colony collapses. News release. USDA. June 2, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. 

https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2025/usda-researchers-find-viruses-from-miticide-resistant-parasitic-mites-are-cause-of-recent-honey-bee-colony-collapses

Mayer J, Crossley KC. Varroa mites and their effect on honeybees. 

. January 28, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/varroa-mites-and-their-effect-on-honey-bees

Kleiser A. Past emerging companies—where are they now. Presented at: KC Animal Health Corridor Summit; August 31-September 1, 2025; Kansas City, MO.

The study results place the American foulbrood prevention therapy closer to full USDA licensure.

Vaccine for honeybees successfully completes efficacy trials

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association

 evaluated whether accelerometer‑based inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors could identify racehorses at increased risk for fatal musculoskeletal injury (FMI). Investigators analyzed stride data from 28,481 starts by 11,834 Thoroughbreds at 10 US tracks from July 2021 to May 2024.

 Sensors (StrideSAFE) recorded 3‑axis acceleration at 800 Hz from a pocket in the saddle cloth; a machine‑learned algorithm then assigned each run a risk score (RS) from 1 (lowest) to 6 (highest).

Seventy‑four horses sustained an FMI within 120 days of scoring. Horses assigned a highest RS of 6 made up only 122 starts (0.4%) but were 44.6 times more likely to sustain an FMI than horses scored as 1. Approximately 4% (1 in 25) of horses with an RS of 6 incurred an FMI within 120 days. Fetlock fractures accounted for 65% of FMIs in the cohort, and every horse in the highest risk category that later suffered an FMI sustained a fetlock fracture.

 Although RS‑6 horses had a 44.6× higher 

 risk remained modest (~4% within 120 days). Many flagged horses will not have an FMI (false positives).

 Retrospective observational methods preclude causal inference; confounding and unmeasured management differences may influence outcomes.

 Tracks that adopt StrideSAFE may differ in surface, training, or management; external validity to other jurisdictions or populations is unproven.

 Thresholds for imaging, specific follow‑up protocols, cost, and access to advanced imaging are unresolved.

Multivariable analysis identified several associated factors. Intact males were more likely to receive higher risk scores than females. Shorter race distances were associated with higher RS assignments (the highest‑risk group had a mean race distance of approximately 1372 ± 237 m). The probability of FMI was lower on synthetic all‑weather surfaces compared with dirt and turf; dirt races comprised approximately 55% of starts in the data set.

Clinical relevance and practical workflow

Authors and the American Veterinary Medical Association frame the IMU‑plus‑algorithm system as a screening or triage tool rather than a diagnostic test.

 The system functions as a “check engine light,” enriching for horses that warrant expedited clinical evaluation, targeted lameness examination, and selective advanced imaging (eg, standing PET or targeted CT/MRI of the fetlock). Because RS‑6 assignments were rare (122 over approximately 145 weeks across 10 tracks, averaging < 1 RS‑6 case per week), concentrating advanced diagnostics on this small group is operationally feasible and could optimize use of limited veterinary resources.

IMU‑based monitoring with machine‑learned risk scoring can identify a tiny subset of Thoroughbreds at elevated relative risk of catastrophic musculoskeletal injury. Clinicians should interpret algorithmic risk scores alongside clinical exam and imaging, recognize the modest absolute risk among RS‑6 horses, and confirm funding and conflict‑of‑interest disclosures in the published manuscript prior to large‑scale adoption.

Mc Sweeney D, Wang Y, Palmer SE, et al. Thoroughbreds deemed to be most at risk by inertial measurement unit sensors suffered a fatal musculoskeletal injury at a higher rate than other racehorses. 

 Published online September 17, 2025. doi:10.2460/javma.25.04.0268

New technology could help reduce fatal injuries in horse races. News release. American Veterinary Medical Association. November 11, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.avma.org/news/press-releases/new-technology-could-help-reduce-fatal-injuries-horse-races

Inertial measurement unit sensors with machine‑learned risk scoring can flag a tiny group of Thoroughbreds at much higher risk of fatal musculoskeletal injury, enabling targeted clinical evaluation.