Weekly Companion Animal News: May 18, 2026

New SoundByte: Simparica TRIO®

One Simparica Trio chew each month provides the critical protection from heartworm disease, ticks and fleas and intestinal parasites that dogs and puppies at least 8 weeks old weighing 2.8 lbs. or more need. May be taken with or without food. Find more in the SoundByte from Veterinary Advantage.

Veterinary Dentistry Specialists opens sixth location

VDS, a network of dentistry and oral surgery practices, has opened a facility in Philadelphia under the clinical vision of Viacheslav Eroshin, DVM, DEVDC, DAVDC. With locations in Texas, Minnesota, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the company says board-certified veterinary specialists in dentistry and anesthesiology work together with each patient for optimal care.

FelineVMA launches Heart Health Certificate program for primary care vets

The Feline Veterinary Medical Association announced the launch of the FelineVMA Heart Health Certificate, an educational program designed to empower first-opinion veterinarians to assess, diagnose and manage feline cardiac conditions. The program features 12 RACE-approved CE modules and is intended to help optimize collaboration between primary care veterinarians and board-certified cardiologists.

Drug-resistant parasites among pets: An opportunity in genomics

A Canadian government grant, in partnership with Antech Diagnostics, will bring $1.6 million of research funding to help shift parasite control away from routine drug use towards evidence-based, diagnostic-driven care. The reason is, parasites are evolving to survive treatments that were once highly effective. What’s more, they are emerging as a growing issue in pets, not just livestock. At the heart of new research from the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is the use of advanced genomic tools to better understand parasites and their response to drug treatments.

Feline coronavirus found to been present in US for more than a decade

Cornell researchers reported that a lethal variant of feline coronavirus, previously thought to be limited to a devastating 2023 outbreak in Cyprus, has in fact appeared in the United States, raising concerns about future large-scale outbreaks. Feline coronavirus is common in cats and typically causes mild or asymptomatic infections. However, in some cases, it can mutate within the cat’s body and cause feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a severe disease that is almost routinely fatal if not treated.

Financial constraints pervasive in canine atopic dermatitis caseloads

In a survey of 718 veterinarians last summer, Texas A&M University researchers found that 58% reported that at least a quarter of their clients had substantial financial constraints related to treatment of their dogs’ atopic dermatitis. Nearly 29% reported that half or more of their clients fell into this category. Seventy-six percent said they “almost always” or “often” use a client’s financial status to guide diagnostic and treatment recommendations, and fewer than 10% said they rarely or never consider it.

Frailty: Important emerging concept in veterinary medicine

Although frailty is a relatively new concept in veterinary medicine, the availability of clinical assessment tools paves the way for studies to explore which interventions work best to slow or reverse its progression, writes Dr. Sheilah Robertson, medical director of Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice, in dvm360. If screening tools are incorporated into senior examinations, dogs at risk can be identified earlier. In one study, the prevalence of frailty was 42% in apparently healthy senior dogs. Ideally, frailty screening will become an integral component of clinical examinations, improving healthspan, lifespan, and quality of life in companion animals, she says.

FDA conditionally approves drug to control pain in dogs with syringomyelia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration conditionally approved Liavium-CA1 (pregabalin chewable tablets) for the management of pain and clinical signs associated with Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia in dogs, a genetic condition where a dog’s skull is too small for its brain. This malformation forces the cerebellum at the back of the brain to squeeze out through the base of the skull. Syringomyelia occurs when this squeezing restricts the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, causing fluid-filled pockets (syrinxes) on the spinal cord, leading to pain or discomfort that may make a dog cry out when its head, neck or shoulders are touched.