Veterinary Voices

Walmart to open own-branded veterinary practices

Retailing giant Walmart has decided to start building own-branded veterinary practices inside its stores following the apparent success of a pilot clinic that opened last year on the outskirts of Atlanta.

This story was published on Oct. 10, 2024.

New hospitals in New Mexico bring 24/7 care to ER desert

Late last year, when relief emergency veterinarian Dr. Julia Donnelly sat down to plan her 2024 schedule, she felt what she describes as "a wave of not-quite guilt, but sadness." The Santa Fe, New Mexico, resident had plenty of contracts and she loved relief work. What bothered her was having to travel out of state to practice emergency medicine because closer to home there was only one 24/7 hospital.

This story was published on Oct. 22, 2024.

RACEtrack continuing education hub unreliable, state finds

California regulators won't use a controversial digital platform to verify that licensed veterinarians and veterinary technicians are meeting their continuing education obligations, describing the service as unreliable.

This story was published on Oct. 9, 2024.

Pet insurance advisers catch on with some animal hospitals

During a brainstorming session on how to help pet owners cope with the swiftly rising cost of veterinary care, this idea came to Dr. Ann Marie Greenleaf: How about dedicating a staff member to counsel clients through choosing and dealing with pet insurance?

This story was published on Oct. 17, 2024.

Recognizing the placebo effect in veterinary medicine

When a dog participating in a clinical trial of a supplement for cognitive health in geriatric pet dogs became more social and slept better, the researchers were almost certain the dog was responding to the experimental treatment.

This story was published on Oct. 4, 2024.

Lab-grown meat is coming to pet food

It's been just over 11 years since the first burger made from meat grown in a laboratory was served to a human, offering the world the promise of a kinder, more sustainable form of meat production.

This story was published in print on Oct. 2, 2024.

Answering the call of wildlife

Growing pressure on the environment is increasing needs and work opportunities for veterinarians in wildlife health.

This story was published in print on Sept. 23, 2024.

Black Summer propels interest in wildlife medicine Down Under

The devastating bushfires of 2019-20 have fueled interest among veterinarians in Australia in providing care to wildlife.

This story was published in print on Sept. 23, 2024.

Burr in the side of practice management software

When a veterinarian told colleagues that his practice data was being "held hostage" by a practice management software company, they voiced concern, but no one expressed shock.

This story was published in print on Sept. 19, 2024.

Veterinarians in Australia hit by IV fluid drought

An extended shortage of intravenous fluids in Australia is prompting veterinarians to ration supplies and delay some elective procedures amid expectations that it could take until 2025 for availability to return to normal.

This story was published in print on Sept. 13, 2024.