Veterinary Voices

How states regard gabapentin in veterinary use

At the Humane Society of Utah, as at many shelters and veterinary clinics, gabapentin is frequently given as an anti-anxiety medication.

As Alexis Pagoulatos, executive director of the nonprofit organization, explained, "Many animals arrive at shelters injured, fearful or emotionally shut down from trauma, and gabapentin plays a key role in keeping them calm and relieving pain."

This story was published on June 26, 2025.

Chewing the fat on dog chews

As the science of pet food gets more sophisticated, owners nowadays can cater to a seemingly endless assortment of their canine companions' nutritional needs — and wants. You can buy dog food tailored to specific breeds or to those with certain health conditions, such as skin problems. Dogs can even enjoy a "Mediterranean chicken and rice entrée" concocted by a Spanish Michelin-starred chef, José Andrés, among other luxury offerings.

One crucial ingredient, however, appears to have gotten lost along the way: an element of challenge for the dog. That's prompting some veterinarians to ruminate on the importance of chewing — and, by extension, chews — to dog health and well-being.

This story was published on June 24, 2025.

Burdened by financial losses, BSAVA Congress is no more

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association annual conference, known as BSAVA Congress, has ended for good, hurt by rising competition from other events and changes in the way practitioners access continuing education.

This story was published on June 17, 2025.

Nevada announces plans for its first veterinary school

States want their own veterinary schools, judging by recent efforts to start new programs in the United States. The latest aspirant is Nevada, where Roseman University of Health Sciences announced this week that it has notified the country's accreditor of veterinary education that it intends to initiate planning for a program.

This story was published on June 19, 2025.

Lincoln Memorial sues AVMA over accreditation

Lincoln Memorial University, which has a veterinary school that was recently put on accreditation probation, is suing the American Veterinary Medical Association, charging that it's engaging in "anticompetitive accreditation practices."

This story was published on June 18, 2025.

Uneasy pet owners in remote corner of US get good news

Overnight on the first Friday, Saturday and Sunday in June, Dr. Amanda Mason saw 17 patients at a veterinary hospital in Sequim, a small city on the remote Olympic Peninsula of Washington state.

That may not seem like a big deal, but the mere fact that the veterinary clinic was accepting patients long after most residents were tucked in bed was groundbreaking.

This story was published on June 11, 2025.

Inside cutbacks at FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine

Like many departments in the Food and Drug Administration, the Center for Veterinary Medicine has faced layoffs, hiring freezes and funding cutbacks under the new administration.

The CVM’s mandate is to protect human and animal health, which includes ensuring that animal drugs are safe and effective and monitoring the safety of animal food.

To understand the scale of the changes and their potential impact on veterinary medicine, the VIN News Service talked to a past CVM director and the recently departed chief of staff, as well as four current or former employees.

This story was published on June 5, 2025.

Amid economic turbulence, veterinarians brace for downturn

Visits to veterinarians began moderating around three years ago as a pandemic pet boom faded and runaway inflation weighed on household income. Now, even as inflation appears to have come off the boil, the outlook is getting gloomier.

This story was published on June 3, 2025.

RVC 'on track' to retain US accreditation, its officials report

The Royal Veterinary College is telling students that it appears to be on track, albeit narrowly, to retain its accreditation in North America, potentially averting a crisis that would make it harder for graduates from the United States and Canada to practice in their home countries.

This story was published on June 2, 2025.

Federal incentive for food animal veterinarians paused

A 15-year-old federal program intended to draw veterinarians to rural regions in the United States deemed short on care is not accepting new candidates while it undergoes a review by the Trump administration.

The application period for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program typically closes in April each year. This year, as of the last week in May, it has yet to open.

This story was published on May 28, 2025.