Weekly Companion Animal News: March 23, 2026

CATalyst Council identifies ‘care and profit gap’ in feline care

CATalyst Council points to a “care and profit gap” that practices are well-positioned to close, as only an estimated one in three cats receives annual veterinary care from a traditional veterinary practice compared to approximately seven in 10 dogs. In the CATalyst 2026 State of the Cat Report, the organization quantifies the feline opportunity at approximately $663,000 per practice at current prices and standard practice – $497,000 attributable to closing the medicalization gap and an additional $166,000 from closing the care intensity gap between feline and canine visits. The domestic cat population is estimated to be 76 million, representing 45% of all cats and dogs in American homes.

Royal Canin renews agreement with U of Tennessee Veterinary Obesity Center

The UTVOC, established in collaboration with Royal Canin in 2020, is committed to improving the health and quality of life for cats and dogs through clinical research and professional education on obesity prevention and treatment. It provides subsidized clinical management for obesity, allowing animals to receive care at little to no cost. In a study of the UTVOC program, approximately two-thirds of participating animals experienced a clinically significant reduction in body weight, defined as a loss of more than 10% of their starting weight. This included nearly half of enrolled cats and approximately 80% of dogs.

Merck gets FDA approval for expanded label for BRAVECTO QUANTUM

BRAVECTO QUANTUM has been approved by the FDA to provide 12 months of treatment and control for two additional tick species – Asian longhorned tick (H. longicornis) and Gulf Coast tick (A. maculatum) – following a single injection administered by a veterinarian. Initially approved in the U.S. in July 2025, BRAVECTO QUANTUM continues to be indicated to kill adult fleas and for the control of Ixodes scapularis, Dermacentor variabilis, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus infestations for 12 months and A. americanum infestations for 8 months in dogs and puppies 6 months of age and older.

VolitionRx reports progress in isolating cancer DNA from plasma

VolitionRx Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Jake Micallef said that the removal of background normal cell free DNA from the blood to reveal this level of tumor-derived DNA has been a long-term goal of liquid biopsy. The company believes that the technology could, with further development, become widely used in both the human and potentially the veterinary market, not only for multi-cancer early detection but also the detection of Minimal Residual Disease.

FDA implements consolidated Adverse Event Monitoring System

The new AEMS system consolidates multiple disparate reporting systems currently used for all FDA-regulated products, including veterinary medicines, medical products, vaccines and devices. Beyond adverse event reporting, AEMS will serve as a centralized platform for managing consumer complaints, regulatory misconduct reports and whistleblower submissions. The web-based FDA AEMS Public Dashboard expands access of AEMS data to the public for information related to adverse events reported to the FDA by industry, healthcare providers and consumers.

For most zoonotic viruses, the animal-to-human route is simple

A University of California San Diego study published in Cell found that most infectious pathogens that spread from animals to humans fail to show evidence of special evolutionary adaptation before spilling over into humans. That includes SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19. “Rather than requiring rare, finely tuned adaptations in animals, many viruses may already possess the basic capacity to infect and transmit between humans,” said the study author.

FDA takes further steps to streamline biosimilar development

The FDA announced progress in its initiative to streamline the development of biosimilar (“generic”) medicines. In a new draft guidance, the agency describes scenarios in which a biosimilar applicant may use clinical data from outside the U.S. without additional data from a three-way PK study (using the proposed biosimilar, the U.S.-licensed reference product, and the non-U.S.-licensed comparator product). The revisions also remove the earlier recommendation for at least one clinical PK study that directly compares the proposed biosimilar with the U.S.-licensed reference product to support a demonstration of biosimilarity. Instead, a PK study can use a comparator product approved outside the U.S. if scientifically justified.

MiDOG launches enhanced Whole Genome Sequencing diagnostic service

MiDOG Animal Diagnostics announced the launch of an expanded Whole Genome Sequencing pipeline, designed to deliver species-level identification of bacteria, fungi and parasites while simultaneously detecting antimicrobial resistance genes and clinically relevant virulence factors, including toxin-associated and biofilm-associated markers. Results are delivered within two to three business days of sample receipt.