VolitionRx Limited and its subsidiary Volition Veterinary Diagnostics Development LLC announced in October that it not only participated in the HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response Dogs (HOPE AACR) Annual Conference, but it also donated its Nu.Q Vet Cancer Test to support canines providing both emotional comfort and support to people in the US affected by crises and disasters. HOPE AACR is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization with approximately 300 teams that respond to disasters, including manmade trauma, natural disasters, and debriefs, among other services.

"We were delighted to be able to sponsor HOPE AACR's event through donating the Nu.Q Vet Cancer Test. The screening test is accessible, affordable, and easy to use. Many of the crisis canines we saw are 'high-risk' breeds, such as golden retrievers, German shepherds, beagles, and so on. Being able to offer the test to the dogs that bring comfort in challenging times has been such a privilege,” Tom Butera, DVM, CEO, Volition Veterinary, said in an organizational news release.

For canines aged 10 years or older, almost 50% of them will develop cancer, making it one of the most common causes of death in canine patients.

 A cancer diagnosis can be scary for pet owners, but early detection can offer them hope for better outcomes and more effective treatment options, such as minimally invasive cancer screening tests like the Nu.Q Vet Cancer Test. For dogs over the age of 7, certain breeds, such as golden retrievers, Boxers, Rottweilers, and Bernese mountain dogs, are predisposed to developing cancer, and common signs veterinary professionals can have clients and teams look out for in dogs can include

Along with testing, early detection can also rely on preventive care. Veterinary teams can help clients stay on top of their pet's well-being by maintaining regular checkups, discussing health risks that are breed-specific, talking to clients about adding cancer screening to annual or semiannual exams, and monitoring dogs' behavior or physical changes.

"Ensuring our crisis canines are healthy is our No. 1 priority. Throughout my career in veterinary oncology, I have seen how earlier cancer detection can improve patient outcomes and also improve the quality of life of the dog and its owner,” expressed Michelle Silver, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology).

“The Nu.Q Vet Cancer Test is intended for use during regular preventive checkups of older dogs (7 years and older) or for younger dogs of high-risk breeds, and we were delighted to offer the Nu.Q Test to our crisis response canines at our annual meeting. Providing this additional screening tool allows our HOPE AACR dogs to continue to help people in their time of need,” she concluded.

Volition Donates Nu.Q Vet Cancer Tests to HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response Dogs. News release. Volition Rx Limited. October 17, 2025. Accessed October 23, 2025. 

https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/volition-donates-nuq-vet-cancer-tests-to-hope-animal-assisted-crisis-response-dogs-302587549.html

Cancer in Pets. American Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed October 23, 2025. 

https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/petcare/cancer-pets

Montgomery T. Cancer screenings for dogs: understanding why early cancer detection matters. PetMd. May 29, 2025. Accessed October 23, 2025. https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/cancer-screenings-for-dogs

Articles

VolitionRx Limited donated its Nu.Q Vet Cancer Test to support dogs that provide emotional support and comfort to those impacted by crises and disasters.

Epigenetics company donates cancer tests to HOPE AACR 

In an unpublished opinion, a federal district court in New Jersey dismissed a class action lawsuit brought by 8 pet owners against Zoetis. The lawsuit was brought forward over allegations that Zoetis misrepresented the safety of its bedinvetmab injection (Librela; Zoetis), a monoclonal antibody treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) pain in canine patients. According to a release, the third amended complaint alleged that Zoetis failed to adequately warn veterinarians and clients about severe adverse events that are associated with Librela, such as neurological injuries, musculoskeletal problems, hepatic and pancreatic damage, and even death.

Zoetis' bedinvetmab injection received FDA approval for the control of pain associated with OA in canine patients on May 5, 2023, which made it the first monoclonal antibody approved by the FDA for use in dogs. To evaluate the effectiveness of bedinvetmab injection, 2 field studies were conducted—1 in the US and 1 in the European Union—made up of client-owned dogs diagnosed with OA. Half of the dogs received bedinvetmab injection and half received a sterile saline injection every 28 days for a total of 3 doses. Prior to the treatment and on different days throughout the study, owners used the Canine Brief Pain Inventory assessment tool to measure the dog’s pain and the degree to which it interfered with the patient’s daily activities.

Based on the evidence collected by both studies, it was demonstrated that the drug was effective at controlling OA pain in dogs when at least 2 doses were given 28 days apart. When announcing the approval, the FDA also listed the common adverse effects, which included the following

Bedinvetmab injection was introduced to the marketplace in October 2023 after being determined as safe and effective for its use.

Earlier this year, the FDA released a Dear Veterinarian Letter to notify veterinary professionals about adverse events that were reported in dogs being treated with bedinvetmab injection.

 The new list included ataxia, seizures, and other neurologic signs, including but not limited to paresis, recumbency, urinary incontinence, polyuria, and polydipsia. The letter also stated that in some cases, death, including euthanasia, was reported as the outcome of these adverse events.

In February 2025, Zoetis announced that it had updated its US label for bedinvetmab injection based on postapproval experience with the drug in the US since its launch. Label updates are not uncommon for pharmaceutical products, and they tend to occur in the first few years after the product launches, with real-world experience data collected. The label update, according to Zoetis, included adding a client information sheet, a postapproval experience section, an information for dog owners section, and a statement in the dosage and administration section about the client information sheet, as well as potential adverse events.

“Every medicine has potential benefits and risks, and it’s important for pet owners to work closely with their veterinarians to weigh those appropriately and maintain an open dialogue about their pets’ experiences…. We stand firmly behind Librela [bedinvetmab injection] and the positive impact it is having on dogs that suffer from osteoarthritis pain,” Richard Goldstein, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM), DECVIM-CA, said in a Zoetis release.

Since bedinvetmab injection was approved, it has generated more than 10,000 adverse event reports to the FDA, according to consumers. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit detailed similar experiences using the product, stating that they consented to the injections based on representations that the drug was safe, their dogs then subsequently developed serious health problems, and they incurred veterinary expenses and emotional distress. The consumers contended that adequate warnings should have prevented their consent and altered veterinarians’ prescribing decisions.

The complaints then asserted 12 causes of action, including violations of consumer protection statutes from New Jersey, California, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, and Virginia, as well as claims under the New Jersey Products Liability Act (NJPLA), breach of express and implied warranties, negligence, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and unjust enrichment, according to the release.

Consumers alleged violations of California, Missouri, Virginia, Texas, and Illinois consumer protection statutes, but the court found that the complaint failed to identify any specific affirmative misrepresentation that any plaintiff relied on or saw.

Although each state's statute differs in detail, the court noted that all generally require the plaintiff to allege deceptive or unlawful conduct, actual reliance or causation, and ascertainable loss in some form. The consumers' statement that they believed bedinvetmab injection was safe in their generic assertion was deemed too conclusory to satisfy these requirements, and they failed to quantify the difference between the value received and the value promised.

The court also acknowledged that the New Jersey Supreme Court explained claims alleging inadequate warnings must typically be brought under the NJPLA instead of consumer fraud statutes, unless plaintiffs plead affirmative misrepresentation distinct from failure-to-warn theories. The court, however, permitted the consumers to reassert their consumer protection claims in the alternative, provided they satisfied each state’s pleading requirements.

The NJPLA claim, which includes failure-to-warn and design defect, was applied to the learned intermediary doctrine by the court. Under this, a drug manufacturer satisfies its duty to warn by providing sufficient warnings to the professionals prescribing medications, who then convey risks to clients. The court found that the complaint was deficient because it did not allege veterinarians relied on any specific Zoetis materials, nor did it identify any advertisement consumers saw. 

The court further noted that the NJPLA gave a rebuttable presumption that FDA-approved warnings are adequate, and plaintiffs must allege deliberate concealment or nondisclosure of postapproval risk information. In this case, the 2025 label change was referenced in the complaint, and it alleged that no facts showed that Zoetis was withholding newly discovered risks.

In regard to design defect theory, the court found potential preemption issues because, once approved by the FDA, federal laws prohibit unilateral changes to drug formulation. The consumers alleged that bedinvetmab injection was defectively designed because there are safer alternatives out there, but it would require speculation that an alternative received FDA approval, and the consumer would have used it.

The consumers also failed to identify any feasible alternative design or allege that bedinvetmab injection's risk outweighs the benefits, which are both necessary elements under the NJPLA; therefore, the NIPLA claim was dismissed.

The consumers were granted leave by the court to amend and file a fourth amended complaint, addressing the deficiencies identified in the court’s opinion.

Biddle W. Veterinary drugs—D.N.J.: pet owners' class action against Zoetis over Librela arthritis drug dismissed. October 20, 2025. Accessed October 22, 2025. 

https://www.vitallaw.com/news/veterinary-drugs-d-n-j-pet-owners-class-action-against-zoetis-over-librela-arthritis-drug-dismissed/hld014265ab6fa5714a898ec56bb5b3dc7559?refURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F#

FDA approves first monoclonal antibody for dogs with osteoarthritis pain. News release. FDA. May 5, 2023. Accessed October 22, 2025. 

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/cvm-updates/fda-approves-first-monoclonal-antibody-dogs-osteoarthritis-pain?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Crossley KC. Drug label is updated for pain management therapy. 

. February 4, 2025. Accessed October 22, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/drug-label-is-updated-for-pain-management-therapy

Dear Veterinarian Letter notifying veterinarians about adverse events reported in dogs treated with Librela (bedinvetmab injection). FDA. December 16, 2024. Accessed October 22, 2025. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/product-safety-information/dear-veterinarian-letter-notifying-veterinarians-about-adverse-events-reported-dogs-treated-librela

Zoetis announces U.S. label update for Librela (bedinvetmab injection), a treatment to control canine osteoarthritis (OA) pain. News release. Zoetis. February 4, 2025. Accessed October 22, 2025. 

https://investor.zoetis.com/news/news-details/2025/Zoetis-Announces-U.S.-Label-Update-for-Librela-bedinvetmab-injection-a-Treatment-to-Control-Canine-Osteoarthritis-OA-Pain-2025-iu22I1cCqp/default.aspx

Consumers failed to adequately plead consumer fraud, product consumer fraud, and warranty claims. 

Judge drops class action lawsuit against Zoetis over Librela

The Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo has received full accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (COE).

 The school, which graduated its inaugural class in May 2025,

 is now 1 of 31 fully accredited veterinary schools in the US.

“This achievement marks a defining moment for Texas Tech University and for veterinary education in Texas,” Lawrence Schovanec, PhD, president of Texas Tech University, said in a news release.

 “Accreditation affirms the quality of our faculty, the dedication of our students, and the innovative model that has guided the School of Veterinary Medicine from the beginning.”

The veterinary school received a Letter of Reasonable Assurance from the COE in 2020, which allowed Texas Tech to proceed with opening the new institution.

 The following year, provisional accreditation status was granted by the COE.

Guy Loneragan, BVSc, PhD, dean of the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine, said the accreditation is “something truly historic” for the institution. “Across well over a century of veterinary education in the US, we are now one of a select few,” Loneragan said in the release.

 “At the core of this achievement is the belief in our purpose and a belief in providing opportunity for those who will achieve this purpose—our students.”

The establishment of a veterinary school at Texas Tech was a concept for 50 years before the inaugural class was welcomed in 2021. An earlier incarnation of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) first met in 1971 to discuss the feasibility of a veterinary school, and later voted to approve such a program at Texas Tech. The approval for the then-planned School of Veterinary and Zoological Medicine lapsed after funds were not appropriated for it.

Although interest was demonstrated over the intervening years, the effort to open the current veterinary school was started in 2014. The THECB recommended consideration for Texas Tech’s proposal to create a veterinary school and confirmed its establishment 2 years ago. According to Texas Tech, the school was primarily created to serve the rural and regional communities in need of veterinary care and to provide access to education for prospective veterinary students. This time, funds were appropriated by the state’s legislature for a new veterinary school, leading to its welcoming the inaugural class in 2021.

“Achieving full accreditation is a tremendous accomplishment for the School of Veterinary Medicine, and one that has taken a team of faculty, staff, and students years to achieve,” John Dascanio, VMD, DACT, DABVP, a professor of theriogenology at the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine, said in the release.

 “As the 31st accredited US veterinary program, the school joins an elite group. I am so very proud of all the work everyone has put into this.”

The newly accredited veterinary school can also claim a 97% pass rate on the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination for the 61 veterinary students in Texas Tech’s first graduating class.

 Furthermore, 95% of the inaugural class is practicing veterinary medicine in rural and regional communities. According to Schovanec, the accreditation reinforces the university’s commitment to serving veterinary needs in Texas.

Brooks W. Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine earns full accreditation. News release. Texas Tech University. October 21, 2025. 

https://www.ttu.edu/now/posts/2025/10/texas-tech-school-of-veterinary-medicine-earns-full-accreditation.php?_gl=1*353hzv*_gcl_au*MjEwMzgwNzYwMC4xNzYxMTQ3NTI1*_ga*MTE1MTEzODY0NS4xNzYxMTQ3NTI1*_ga_B27HBMC8B7*czE3NjExNTg3MzMkbzMkZzEkdDE3NjExNTg3NDIkajUxJGwwJGgw*_ga_KYDNSFJH6D*czE3NjExNTg3MzMkbzMkZzEkdDE3NjExNTg3NDMkajUwJGwwJGgw

Crossley KC. Texas Tech graduates first class of veterinarians. 

. May 22, 2025. Accessed October 22, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/texas-tech-graduates-first-class-of-veterinarians

Accredited veterinary colleges. American Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed October 22, 2025. 

https://www.avma.org/education/center-for-veterinary-accreditation/accredited-veterinary-colleges

Our history. Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine. Accessed October 22, 2025. 

https://www.depts.ttu.edu/vetschool/about/who-we-are/our-history.php

 October 5, 2020. Accessed October 22, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/texas-tech-opens-new-veterinary-school

The inaugural class for the new School of Veterinary Medicine graduated in May 2025.

Texas Tech's veterinary school receives accreditation

Morgan, a 5-year-old female Alpine goat, was approaching her fourth kidding when mastitis, an infection generally caused by bacteria in the environment or trauma, was discovered on her udder. In Morgan’s case, the infection was severe enough that it caused her pregnancy to become nonviable, and she lost all 4 of her kids.

Morgan is a valued breeding and milking doe at a valued seedstock dairy herd located at Shining Moon Ranch, and her last 3 pregnancies resulted in 9 prized kids.

 Members of the herd at Shining Moon Ranch have won awards in both state and national fairs. Besides winning awards with its herd, the ranch also sells goats’ genetics to commercial dairies, hobby farms, and other breeders.

Morgan received a mastectomy at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine (Image courtesy of UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine) 

After Morgan's mastitis was first spotted, in the months following, she was treated for it but fell into a cycle of getting better and then relapsing into a worse condition, resulting in Trinity Malmanis, the herd manager at Shining Moon, meeting with the owner to discuss the goat's fate. Malmanis’ family has raised dairy goats since before she was born; she's honed her skills throughout school in 4-H and has raised prized goats. She worked in commercial goat dairy for 10 years after college and has been the Shining Moon herd manager since.

After consideration, the team at Shining Moon decided to seek specialty care for Morgan and brought her to the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), where she is no stranger to the team.

“Morgan was stuck deep inside her dam’s uterus and had her head twisted back, so that I could not get her out,” Malmanis said, sharing a little bit about the night of Morgan’s birth.

 “So, I took her to UC Davis in the middle of the night for a [cesarean] section.”

Surgical management of advanced mammary disease in ruminants

Although the surgery was a success, Morgan’s neck was unable to straighten after being twisted for so long in utero.

 She was cared for and housed by Fauna Smith, DVM, PhD, UC Davis livestock veterinarian and Malmanis’ sister, for the first few weeks of her life.

During her stay with Smith, Morgan’s neck grew stronger and slowly straightened out.

Morgan received an initial exam by the livestock medicine and surgery service at UC Davis. Meera Heller, DVM, PhD, DACVIM-LA, performed a mastectomy to remove the infected udder. She did not seem to be severely ill, only a little quiet and lethargic.

“I didn’t appreciate how sick she truly was until the udder was removed and she became a different goat with tons of personality,” Heller said. “I am always amazed at how stoic and tough some of our patients can be.”

Within 1 to 2 days, Morgan was a completely different goat. Malanis said it was clear how much better she felt. Several months after the surgery, Malanis reported that Morgan continues to do great. She gained weight and runs around as if this experience never happened.

“She’s back to being the boss girl on the farm. It makes me so happy that she’s so happy now, because she was so sad for such a long time when she was sick,” Malanis said.

As for Morgan’s future, the plan is for her to begin breeding again this fall.

Warren R. Mastectomy saves valued breeding goat. UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. October 16, 2025. Accessed October 22, 2025. 

https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/mastectomy-saves-valued-breeding-goat

McOnie RC. Surgical management of advanced mammary disease in ruminants. 

. September 14, 2024. Accessed October 22, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/surgical-management-of-advanced-mammary-disease-in-ruminants

The 5-year-old female Alpine goat was brought to UC Davis after mastitis was discovered on her udder.

Goat receives mastectomy at UC Davis 

This episode explores how physical wellness impacts mental clarity, and vice versa.

The mind-body connection in veterinary practice

The Resilient Vet: Mind and Body Strategies for Success

, hosts Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS, and Jennifer Edwards, DVM, ACC, CPC, ELI-MP, explore how tuning into the body’s signals can strengthen resilience in veterinary practice. They discuss how physical sensations, like tension, fatigue, or even excitement, can serve as valuable tools for self-awareness, balance, and performance in and outside the clinic.

Podcast: Mind and Body Strategies for Success

. Thank you for joining us. My name is Aaron Shaw. I am an occupational therapist, strength and conditioning specialist, and lover of healthspan and vetspan: making sure that vets are healthy and active and have a long, vibrant career. And this is my co-host, Dr Jennifer Edwards.

Hi everybody. I'm Jennifer, and I am a 25-plus year veterinarian who now is so excited to bring value to you as a leadership, mindset, and energy coach. We are here today to discuss yet another way we can bring more resilience to the practice in veterinary medicine.

We all have body sensations, right? Throughout the day, we feel tired. We feel maybe a little fluttery in our belly, or tightness in our chest if we're upset or nervous—maybe fatigue and lethargy, like, 

Oh, I'm so tired I just can't keep going.

 And the list goes on—even some excitement, like what does that feel like in your body?

So today, we are going to talk about what you do with those bodily sensations—how you can actually use them as a tool to increase your energy, to increase your experience of life, versus sometimes having them detract. So, let's get into it.

When we are going through life, and particularly in veterinary medicine, we are so busy, and it's hard to find time to really focus on ourselves. We are holistic beings, meaning we have our mind, we have our body, we have our spirit or energy, or however you like to think of that aspect of us as human beings.

And very often, what we will do is compartmentalize that. We'll think, 

Well, I'm working on my mind, I'm intellectually stimulated. Maybe I'll take a little rest and close my eyes for 10 minutes, but I don't have time to work out.

I work out all the time. I go, go, go, go, go, but I don’t ever just pause and be and connect with my higher self.

It's so important to think and to realize that we are holistic beings. Every aspect of who we are is equally as important.

When we are physically depleted, we do not function intellectually very well at all. Think about trying to write records when you're exhausted—when you're so tired. Or the opposite—when we are mentally not well, when we're stressed and overwhelmed and guilty—we get sick. We have a hard time healing from a surgery.

I mean, think about high cortisol. We don't want to give a lot of prednisone to a dog before a surgery, right? Why? It inhibits healing. High cortisol levels endogenously built in our own body do the same thing. So we need to address all of it.

And the most amazing thing is: You have all the tools you need right within you.

Videos

Tune into this episode to learn how physical wellness impacts mental clarity and vice versa.

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) School of Veterinary Medicine recently spotlighted the case of Snickerdoodle, a 5-year-old English Labrador retriever who was diagnosed with mammary, or breast, carcinoma last year after having a litter. After undergoing 5 rounds of chemotherapy at the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH), Snickerdoodle is now doing well and is back to herself, UC Davis said in a report.

Snickerdoodle. (Image courtesy of UC Davis)

Snickerdoodle was initially diagnosed by her primary veterinarian, who performed surgery to remove the mammary mass and conducted a spaying procedure. According to UC Davis, the histopathology report noted that the tumor was malignant, but no signs of metastasis were found at that time.

Still, Snickerdoodle was referred to the medical oncology service at the UC Davis VMTH to be further evaluated and receive potential follow-up treatment. Despite continuing to show no signs of metastasis in her lungs or abdomen during her first appointment at the hospital, Snickerdoodle’s oncologists recommended she undergo multiple chemotherapy treatments.

The goal was to reduce the risk of developing metastasis later in life and prolong survival time. “She may still develop metastasis later in life if there [is a] trace number of cancerous cells in her mammary tissue,” UC Davis wrote, explaining why Snickerdoodle underwent the chemotherapy treatment.

The English Labrador retriever completed 5 rounds of chemotherapy over the course of 10 weeks. Chest x-rays were taken after the treatment was completed and showed no evidence of metastasis.

Snickerdoodle poses with her chemotherapy completion certificate from UC Davis. (Image courtesy of UC Davis)

“Her veterinary team will continue to monitor her going forward. Snickerdoodle’s family is thrilled to report that she is doing wonderfully and is back to her happy, playful self,” UC Davis wrote.

Mammary carcinoma is the most common type of cancer in unspayed female dogs. According to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, female dogs are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer than women. These animals face a lifetime risk of 23% to 34%,

 whereas their human counterparts have a 12.4% lifetime risk.

“Snickerdoodle was an absolute champ throughout her journey, showing incredible strength and resilience,” Snickerdoodle’s owner, Julia, said.

 “Her wagging tail and bright eyes are a testament to the incredible care she received from the dedicated team at UC Davis.”

According to UC Davis, Snickerdoodle was able to receive the treatment through a grant from the Petco Love Foundation and the Blue Buffalo Foundation, which supports treatments for companion animals with cancer. The initiative helps pet owners facing financial hardship and those caring for animals who provide services to others.

Warren R. Thanks to cancer treatment grant, UC Davis patient receives vital follow-up care. UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. October 16, 2025. Accessed October 21, 2025. https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/thanks-cancer-treatment-grant-uc-davis-patient-receives-vital-follow-care

Mammary cancer. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Accessed October 21, 2025. https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/riney-canine-health-center/canine-health-information/mammary-cancer

Female dogs are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer than women.