Weekly Companion Animal News: September 21, 2026

IDEXX acquires CoVetAI

CoVetAI is a provider of AI-native ambient listening and clinical workflow software for veterinary practices, designed to make information more accessible, actionable and connected across the practice. CoVet will be integrated into IDEXX software, which will continue to support other ambient scribe solutions and third-party integrations. CoVet will also continue to integrate with non-IDEXX practice management systems.

Patterson Veterinary launches veterinary AI assistant

Atlas, the AI assistant, is built directly into Patterson’s NaVetor cloud software and is also available separately for practices that want to use Atlas with their existing practice management software. It can retrieve information across multiple reports, analyze findings and deliver meaningful recommendations regarding revenue opportunities and operational efficiency, according to Patterson. It can also complete everyday tasks, including finding appointment openings, preparing for the next day’s appointments, identifying patients that are overdue for treatments, monitoring inventory, checking controlled substance counts and drafting client communications.

Patients describe withdrawal and treatment challenges of medetomidine

Interviews with people exposed to medetomidine suggest that the veterinary drug can create medical complications and withdrawal symptoms that differ from those associated with opioids. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine interviewed 16 adults hospitalized with opioid use disorder between September and November 2025 who had confirmed exposure to medetomidine, which is increasingly contaminating the illicit fentanyl supply.

Instinct Science introduces clinical AI assistant

The practice management software firm announced Attending, a clinical AI assistant, said to distill the latest evidence and consensus statements from peer-reviewed content into practical guidance. When veterinarians ask a clinical question, they receive a specialty-level answer in seconds, with inline citations they can verify in one tap. In the coming months, Attending will be available as a stand-alone product and as an embedded tool within Instinct EMR and ScribbleVet workflows.

Provet MCP connects practice data to multiple AI assistants

Provet MCP securely connects the practice’s Provet PIMS data to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other AI tools for Pro and Enterprise plan clinics with a paid AI tool subscription. The system is read-only by design, so nothing can be written back to the clinic’s records. Provet also announced its Ask Provet feature – which used to answer only financial questions – now covers clients and patients, consultations and clinical detail, and the calendar.

Scribenote, veterinary AI scribe, certified to ISO/IEC 42001

ISO/IEC 42001 is the first international standard for AI management systems. It sets independently audited requirements for how an organization governs the AI it builds and operates: transparency, accountability, fairness, risk management, and protection of the people affected by AI systems. Certification is granted only after an accredited third party verifies these controls are in place and working.

Telomir, Ohio State report small-molecule therapy slows canine osteosarcoma cell growth

Miami, Florida-based Telomir Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing small-molecule therapeutics targeting epigenetic and metabolic drivers of cancer, announced research findings from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine demonstrating that Telomir-Zn inhibits cell growth in human and canine osteosarcoma models. Telomir-Zn is designed to modulate intracellular metal homeostasis and epigenetic regulation.

Winds of change pick up in veterinary school accreditation

A lawsuit alleging anticompetitive practices by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education was recently dismissed in a federal court, ending, at least for the moment, a challenge to the organization’s role as the only accreditor of veterinary education in the United States and Canada. But a second, potentially more potent challenge for AVMA COE lies ahead. A Trump administration plan to reshape federal oversight of higher education proposes that programmatic accreditors — those that, like the COE, accredit programs at an institution but not the institution as a whole — be “fully separate and independent” from related professional, trade or membership associations.