Veterinary Voices

Phosphorus maximum for cat food on the horizon

Four weeks into the test period of a nine-month study investigating the link between cats' health and phosphorus in their food, Dr. Jonathan Stockman and his team cut the trial short. Some of the 24 feline subjects had lost their appetites and were shedding weight and vomiting. The kidneys of 22 cats appeared concerningly bright on ultrasound images.

The first study to suggest a link between high levels of dietary phosphorus and kidney disease in healthy adult cats had been published more than 20 years earlier, but now Stockman was seeing the negative effects in real time.

This story was published on May 14, 2026.

After 69 years, a beloved veterinary clinic prepares to close

Three hundred and thirty-six people commented after Dr. Lance Keil posted on social media that his veterinary clinic — the one his father started in 1957 on Erdman Avenue in Baltimore — was closing.

"I'm literally in tears," said one. "You have been a blessing to this community," wrote another. "We couldn't ask for a better doctor for our fur kids!" a third exclaimed. "Not to mention how you managed to give the best care while keeping it affordable. You will be missed!"

This story was published on May 12, 2026.

Long-running veterinary free speech suit resolved

The United States Supreme Court's refusal in April to review an appellate ruling marks the end of a case that hovered over veterinary telemedicine for 13 years.

The denial of review allows a 2024 Fifth Circuit decision to stand. The court found state regulators violated the free speech rights of a Texas veterinarian when they penalized him for advising clients by email without having first conducted a hands-on patient exam.

This story was published on May 8, 2026.

Veterinary AI radiology tools scrutinized in new study

When Dr. Stephen Joslyn and colleagues tested the accuracy of artificial intelligence programs that help veterinarians read radiographs, they discovered that the increasingly popular tools made mistakes. One case was particularly illustrative.

A dog had swallowed a river stone, the object lodging in its small intestine. Joslyn and his team at Murdoch University veterinary school in Australia sent two radiographs of the dog's abdomen to six different AI platforms for analysis; four were based in the United States, one in France and one in South Korea.

This story was published on May 4, 2026.

Show notes:

• External validation of commercial veterinary radiology artificial intelligence services shows deficiencies in interpretation of general practice–sourced canine abdominal radiographs
• Comparison of radiological interpretation made by veterinary radiologists and state-of-the-art commercial AI software for canine and feline radiographic studies
• Commentary: Comparison of radiological interpretation made by veterinary radiologists and state-of-the-art commercial AI software for canine and feline radiographic studies
• Performance of an artificial intelligence convolution neural network software for the detection of confirmed heart failure in dogs and cats

From 'magical community' to 'product'

For the past decade, veterinarians who are mothers have had a particular space online where they could talk about cases, ask for and give parenting advice, seek solace, complain, crack wise and build enduring friendships. The group has been described as "magical" and "a lifeline."

Now, numerous former members say the group is morphing into something else — something that seems less about building community and more about profit for a few individuals.

This story was published on April 28, 2026.

HomewardVet closes, only seven months after launch

HomewardVet, a mobile veterinary service franchise in the United States that began operations less than one year ago, has permanently closed.

It is the second mobile veterinary house-call company to shutter in the past year. The Vets abruptly shut down last July. HomewardVet subsequently brought on board veterinarians affected by The Vets' demise.

This story was published on May 1, 2026.

UK may confine spot-on sales to veterinarians, pharmacists

The United Kingdom government is considering confining the sale of certain flea and tick treatments to veterinarians and pharmacists, citing what it says is growing evidence that the products are contaminating the environment, particularly waterways.

This story was published on April 20, 2026.

New Brunswick to end public veterinary field service

Vanessa Leclair was deboarding her mare from a trailer when the horse slipped, slicing a hind leg open. Leclair lives in a rural part of New Brunswick, Canada, a three-hour drive from the nearest private-sector equine veterinarian. She immediately called the Provincial Veterinary Field Service (PVFS), and a practitioner arrived in an hour.

New Brunswick is one of two Canadian provinces that have government-funded large animal veterinary care. Many New Brunswickers were dismayed to learn on March 17 that their provincial government was planning to phase it out.

This story was published on April 16, 2026.

Recognizing dementia in dogs and cats

Dr. Lisa Wilhelm was at her wits' end with Uncle Terry. Her 19-year-old cat had developed a habit of screaming, night and day, without a clear reason. Wilhelm found carrying on phone calls impossible, and, unless he was sent to the basement at bedtime, Uncle Terry's loud meows kept the household awake.

This story was published on April 14, 2026.

Show notes:

• The canine as an animal model of human aging and dementia
• Amyloid-beta pathology increases synaptic engulfment by glia in feline cognitive dysfunction syndrome: a naturally occurring model of Alzheimer's disease
• The Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome Working Group guidelines for diagnosis and monitoring of canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome
• Cognitive dysfunction in cats: a syndrome we used to dismiss as 'old age'
• Efficacy of a therapeutic diet on dogs with signs of cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS): a prospective double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical study

Cases of a rare urinary tract stone type are rising in dogs

The largest laboratory in the United States that analyzes urinary tract stones in veterinary patients is seeing a sharp rise in a rare stone type among dogs that might be attributable to their diets.

Researchers at the Minnesota Urolith Center have found that the stone, composed of calcium tartrate tetrahydrate, is associated with consumption of a particular form of choline used in many fresh and homemade dog foods.

This story was published on April 8, 2026.

Show notes:

• Association of diet and calcium tartrate tetrahydrate uroliths in dogs
• Acute kidney injury in dogs following ingestion of cream of tartar and tamarinds and the connection to tartaric acid as the proposed toxic principle in grapes and raisins
• What dog owners need to know about CTT stones
• Evaluating emerging research on choline supplementation in canine diets