Veterinary Vertex

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Eye vs. Rectal Temperature in Dogs: A Diagnostic Comparison Oct 09, 2026

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A “normal temperature” can be the most dangerous kind of comforting. We sit down with Drs. Kimberly Woodruff and Sahar Rostami to unpack what happens when ocular thermometry and rectal thermometry show similar diagnostic performance for detecting abnormal body temperature in dogs, and why that still doesn’t mean you should relax after a normal reading.
We translate sensitivity and specificity into day-to-day clinical decisions. High specificity means these methods are fairly good at confirming normal temperature when a dog truly is normal, but low to moderate sensitivity means they can miss dogs with abnormal core temperature. That’s where the nuance lives: an abnormal result is often meaningful and deserves follow-up, while a normal result shouldn’t outweigh your clinical intuition when the patient looks unwell. We also discuss why the shelter population matters for interpretation, including how rare abnormal temperatures can widen uncertainty around sensitivity estimates.
Then we get practical. We walk through combining ocular and rectal measurements using parallel testing (any positive) versus serial testing (both positive), and how your choice depends on whether you’re trying not to miss cases or trying to be confident before labeling a dog abnormal. We also explore why ocular screening may be a better fit in shelters and some clinics: less handling stress, faster workflows, and potentially lower risk of disease spread than moving a thermometer between animals. Along the way, we touch on measurement technique, eye-region considerations, and why rectal temperature isn’t a perfect gold standard, including how Bayesian latent class analysis can better reflect reality.
If you care about smarter canine triage, better shelter medicine protocols, and making test results match what you see in front of you, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a rating and review wherever you listen.

AJVR article: https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.26.04.0185

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They Want to Know: What Clients Expect When Mistakes Happen Oct 01, 2026

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You can do everything right clinically and still lose a client in one conversation. We sit down with Dr. Erik Hofmeister to unpack what pet owners actually expect when a veterinary medical error happens, and the answers are more demanding than most of us assume. Many respondents say they want to be told about every error, even minor mistakes that never reach the patient, and they want that disclosure immediately. That level of transparency sounds simple until you picture a real clinic day, real caseload pressure, and real human emotion.
We also dig into why expectations vary. Education level and personality traits shape how owners think about whether errors are inevitable, what an “acceptable” error rate looks like, and how much grace they extend to complex medical systems. That leads to a key veterinary practice management takeaway: understanding complexity does not automatically lower standards. Clients can believe errors happen while still expecting strong safeguards and clear accountability.
Then we get practical about client communication, because the trust numbers are hard to ignore: poor communication about an error drives trust down fast, while great communication has a limited but meaningful ability to rebuild it. We talk through a concrete disclosure tool we can teach and practice in any hospital, the TEAM approach: be truthful, express empathy, apologize, and make a plan. If you care about transparency, risk management, informed consent, and long-term client relationships, this conversation gives you language you can use the next time things go wrong.
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JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.25.12.0872

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More Than a Cushion: How Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Shifts Synovial Immunity Sep 25, 2026

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A gel injection that looks “inert” on paper may be doing something surprisingly active inside an arthritic horse joint. We sit down with repeat guest Dr. Lynn Pezzanite to unpack new evidence on how intraarticular 2.5% polyacrylamide hydrogel (2.5% iPAAG) alters synovial immune pathways in equine osteoarthritis, and why that matters for the cases you see in the field. If you have been hearing about longer-lasting clinical effects with polyacrylamide hydrogel, this conversation helps connect the dots between what we observe and what the joint may be signaling at the molecular level.
We dig into why the team chose gene expression and pathway analysis instead of leaning only on clinical outcomes, and how sampling both synovial fluid cells over time and synovial tissue at key time points changes the story you can tell. You will hear how TNF-alpha pathway activity can be mitigated in synovial fluid while immune activation signals show up in synovium, and why that pattern is not necessarily contradictory when you consider timing, compartment biology, and synovial integration of the hydrogel.
We also talk translation: what an early post-traumatic cartilage injury model can and cannot tell us about naturally occurring chronic degenerative osteoarthritis, what “earlier treatment” might mean for limiting joint capsule stiffness and supporting capsule elasticity, and why variability across horses points toward real responder vs non-responder biology. If you treat sport horses or racehorses with joint disease and want clearer mechanism-based context for your intraarticular therapy choices, this one is for you. Subscribe, share with an equine vet colleague, and leave a rating and review with your biggest question about 2.5% iPAAG and equine OA.

AJVR article: https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.26.04.0181

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Injection or Surgery? Comparing Outcomes in Canine Recurrent Disk Herniation Sep 17, 2026

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A dog that suddenly cannot walk puts everyone in crisis mode, and thoracolumbar IVDD is one of those diagnoses that can turn a normal day into a life-or-death decision. We sit down with manuscript authors Drs. William Tammaro, Nick Jeffery, and Paul Freeman to unpack a less invasive option that could change those conversations: chondroitinase ABC intradiscal injections, often described as a form of chemical fenestration designed to reduce future disc extrusion.
We get clear on what chondroitinase ABC actually does inside the nucleus pulposus, why its substrate-limited action matters for safety, and how the team designed their comparison against routine surgical management. Then we dig into the result that jumps off the page: recurrence of clinical signs is dramatically lower in the chondroitinase-treated group, roughly a 70% reduction depending on how you analyze it. We also explore the real-world nuances behind that comparison, including how many discs get treated in each approach and why this work is best read as evidence of prophylactic potential rather than a perfect one-to-one trial.
The most human part of the conversation is about owners. We talk candidly about cost, access to MRI and surgery, and what it means when clients have to choose based on finances. The takeaway we keep coming back to is simple and urgent: many dogs recover without surgical decompression, and when surgery is not an option, we should not give up. If you care about practical IVDD treatment options, recurrence prevention, and better spectrum-of-care medicine, hit play, subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a rating and review wherever you listen.

JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.01.0005

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Extralabel Rabies Vaccination: Serologic Response Across 28 Mammalian Species Sep 12, 2026

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A single bite or wildlife exposure can turn “vaccinated” into a complicated question fast, especially when the animal is a zoological species, a wildlife rehabilitation patient, or any non-traditional mammal that does not have a licensed rabies vaccine label. We sit down with Dr. Ryan Wallace, who leads the rabies program at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to unpack what clinicians and public health teams can lean on when the rules feel vague and the consequences are real.
We walk through what the research shows about serologic response after extra-label rabies vaccination across many mammalian species, including how often animals reach protective antibody titers after a primary dose and where responses can be lower in very large species or very small species. Ryan also explains why antibody titers naturally decline over time, what “boostability” means in practical terms, and why a strong anamnestic response after a booster can be the signal decision-makers need when assessing risk after exposure.
We also tackle the questions you hear in the exam room: “Why not just titer-check every animal?” and “Does my indoor cat really need rabies vaccination?” The answer involves cost, exposure recognition, and one word that changes everything for indoor pets: bats. If you work in zoo veterinary medicine, wildlife rehabilitation, shelter medicine, or small animal practice, this is a grounded look at evidence that may help prevent unnecessary euthanasia while protecting people and animals. Subscribe, share this with a colleague who fields rabies calls, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.

JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.04.0246

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The Buzz We're Missing: Why Veterinarians Feel Unprepared for Honey Bee Medicine Sep 03, 2026

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Honey bees are food-producing animals, and once you say that out loud, the entire conversation changes. We sit down with Dr. Melinda Wilkins to unpack how federal rules like the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) brought veterinarians and beekeepers into the same lane, especially around antibiotic stewardship and protecting the food supply. Honey isn’t the only product that matters here either: hives produce beeswax, propolis, and royal jelly, and all of it depends on healthy colonies and responsible management.
From there, we zoom out to the real reason bee medicine is gaining traction: beekeepers are fighting to keep colonies alive. We talk through the challenges that feel familiar to any vet, including biosecurity, nutrition, shipping and management stress, and a full spectrum of bacterial, viral, and fungal disease. We also dig into parasites, including why better mite control can be a major lever for improving honey bee health and reducing losses.
One of the most striking points is welfare. Annual colony mortality in the 40% to 50% range would be unacceptable in almost any other livestock system, yet it has become normalized in beekeeping. We discuss what it looks like for veterinarians to bring an animal welfare voice to bees, and how to get started even if you never learned insects in school. Melinda shares practical pathways and resources, including learning directly from beekeepers and tools like Bees Need Vets.
Subscribe for more Veterinary Vertex, share this with a colleague who loves population medicine, and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. What would it take for bee health to become a routine part of veterinary practice?

JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.02.0114

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Feeling for Answers: Rectal Palpation and Intestinal Lesions in Colic Aug 29, 2026

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A rectal exam is one of the oldest tools in the equine colic workup, but we rarely stop to ask a blunt question: how accurate is abdominal palpation per rectum at telling small intestinal disease from large intestinal disease when it truly counts? We sit down with Drs. Mary Hallsten and George Elane to dig into the data behind rectal palpation, using surgical findings as the gold standard so we can compare what we feel with what is actually happening inside the abdomen.
We unpack why their study matters for everyday decision making, especially for the horses that keep hurting despite sedation and may need referral or exploratory surgery. You’ll hear what it means to have high sensitivity but extremely low specificity, and why that combination can still be clinically useful while also being easy to overinterpret. We also talk about why accuracy may look better than older reports, including improvements in veterinary education, palpation models, cadaver wet labs, and better correlation between anatomy and hands-on findings.
Then we zoom out to the diagnostic hierarchy. Heart rate, lactate, PCV, and age track with non-survival, while a “correct” rectal exam finding does not, which reframes rectal palpation as one important but subjective test that works best when paired with objective physiology. Finally, we address the part everyone thinks about but doesn’t always say out loud: rectal exams carry real safety risk, and the right choice depends on help, restraint, environment, and the horse in front of you.
If you work with horses and want a clearer, more evidence-based way to use rectal palpation in equine colic triage, listen through and share this with a colleague. Subscribe for more, and leave a rating and review to help other veterinarians find the show.

JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.25.12.0837

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Rethinking Parvovirus Protocols: A Low-Cost Oral Fecal Transplant Trial Aug 19, 2026

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Oral fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) capsules sound like the kind of elegant fix we all want for canine parvovirus: simple to give, easy to store, and built for high-volume shelter medicine. But when you put a microbiome therapy into a randomized controlled trial in a real outpatient protocol, the story gets more complicated and far more useful.
We sit down with manuscript authors Drs. Meghan Hoel and Amanda Gimenez to unpack their shelter-based study at Austin Pets Alive and why they designed it for the realities of accessible veterinary care. We dig into the key choices that make-or-break field research: why oral capsules were more feasible than rectal FMT, how they approached dosing without a known “right” answer, and how blinding and consistency can actually hold up over a two-year trial in a dynamic shelter environment. We also talk about what “recovery” should mean when survival is already high, and why time to normal stool and a negative SNAP parvo test matters for isolation space, staffing, and cost.
Then we get into the results and the nuance clinicians care about most. The oral FMT capsule regimens did not shorten recovery, did not reduce ICU transfers, and did not show a clear survival benefit. Even without definitive proof of harm, the overall trend pushes us to ask a harder question: should we assume FMT is benign when the intestinal barrier is severely damaged and immune defenses may be suppressed? We close with what better follow-up studies could look like, including timing later in recovery, comparing delivery routes, confirming microbial viability, and adding longitudinal microbiome sequencing.
If you care about evidence-based parvovirus treatment, the veterinary microbiome, and what actually works in shelter medicine, subscribe, share this conversation with a colleague, and leave us a rating and review. What would you test next?

JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.01.0051

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Fighting Resistant Hookworms: Inside the AAVP Task Force's New Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines Aug 11, 2026

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Hookworm cases that “just won’t clear” are no longer a weird outlier, and that should change how we practice. We sit down with parasitology expert Dr. Ray Kaplan to unpack the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists (AAVP) Hookworm Task Force recommendations on diagnosing and treating multidrug-resistant canine hookworms, including what clinics can do right now to stop guessing and start confirming.
We talk through how this problem came to light, why drug-resistant hookworms likely gained traction in greyhound breeding and racing environments, and why it’s now a pet dog problem across breeds and regions. We also zoom out to the biology that makes Ancylostoma caninum such a persistent threat, from multiple routes of infection to the possibility of “larva leak,” and then get practical about what should raise suspicion.
From there, we map out a clear diagnostic path. We discuss the value of a two-week post-treatment fecal recheck, how to use a fecal egg count reduction test to quantify efficacy, and what “good” reduction should look like. We cover the task force approach to treatment and testing across the three drug classes (topical moxidectin, pyrantel, and benzimidazoles like fenbendazole or febantel), the limits of current PCR testing, and when extra-label emodepside enters the conversation with important safety precautions. If you want a grounded, clinic-ready framework that also addresses environmental contamination and zoonotic risk, this one’s for you.
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JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.02.0094

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