 readers! We had news from all over the world hit our website this week, from Scotland to Kansas City, Missouri, and everywhere in between. This week's top stories on dvm360.com capture the breadth and urgency of these developments, offering the insights every veterinary professional needs.

From updates on H5N1 bird flu outbreaks in poultry and new diagnostic tools for conditions like canine osteoarthritis and heartworm, the industry is navigating both challenges and rapid advancements.

Here is what you can find this week on dvm360.com:

A Scotland-based veterinary diagnostic company MI:RNA 

 it has received funding from Scotland’s national and international economic development agency to support the development of a tool that can help detect osteoarthritis in canines earlier.

Best Buy Bones recalled 4 lots of its Nature’s Own Pet Chews Bully Bites 1-lb bags of treats because of potential 

 contamination on October 3, 2025, after samples collected a month prior were tested and came back positive for 

, and sponsored by Elanco Animal Health, Joya Griffin, DVM, DACVD, joins host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, to talk more about atopic dermatitis in canine patients, during this live recording at the 2025 Fetch dvm360 Conference in Kansas City.

The Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) is working with the American Veterinary Medical Association to 

 the ECFVG certification program by introducing updates designed to improve candidate’s experiences as well as maintain the credibility and rigor of the credential.

 hosted by Christopher Lee, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, is now available. On this episode, Lee welcomes Pedro Diniz, DVM, PhD, to the show to talk about what the future of veterinary education could look like now that artificial intelligence is rising in popularity among students and educators.

State officials in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin 

 new outbreaks of H5N1 in each state. Although not the first time H5N1 has been detected in these midwestern states, with Iowa’s latest finding being the 8th outbreak in domestic birds this year and Minnesota reported 8 poultry outbreaks since mid-September.

Bautista-Alejandre A. Researchers to develop blood-based panel to detect canine osteoarthritis earlier. dvm360. October 9, 2025. Accessed October 10, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/researchers-to-develop-blood-based-panel-to-detect-canine-osteoarthritis-earlier

McCafferty C. Best Buy Bones recalls product due to health risks. dvm360. October 7, 2025. Accessed October 10, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/best-buy-bones-inc-recalls-product-due-to-health-risks

McCafferty C. Managing atopic dermatitis in canine patients. dvm360.  October 7, 2025. Accessed October 10, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/managing-atopic-dermatitis-in-canine-patients

McCafferty C. ECFVG launches new platform. dvm360.  October 8, 2025. Accessed October 10, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/ecfvg-launches-new-platform

Diniz P, Lee C, McCafferty C. Brains and bots: how AI is shaping medical education. dvm360. October 6, 2025. Accessed October 10, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/brains-and-bots-how-ai-is-shaping-medical-education

Bautista-Alejandre A. New bird flu outbreak reported in poultry across 3 Midwestern states. dvm360. October 6, 2025. Accessed OCtober 10, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/new-bird-flu-outbreaks-reported-in-poultry-across-3-midwestern-states

Articles

Wrap up: Earlier canine arthritis detection via blood panel, and other news 

Lindsay Hallman, CVT, CCMT, VTS (Oncology) tells dvm360 how she found her passion in oncology and the process to becoming a certified veterinary technician specialist.

A need for assistance led technician to oncology specialty role

Lindsay Hallman, CVT, CCMT, VTS (Oncology), a veterinary technician at Mount Laurel Animal Hospital in New Jersey, discussed oncology practice in an interview with 

. In this video, Hallman shares how she was introduced to veterinary oncology, why she chose it as her specialty and how it helped grow her career. In boosting her skill set in oncology, Hallman earned a Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) credential.

In recognition of Veterinary Technician Week, which 

 is celebrating the entire month of October, we are bringing veterinary technician stories to life at dvm360.com. Follow our dedicated 

 page for the latest content highlighting these veterinary professionals.

The following is a transcript of the video

Lindsay Hallman, CVT, CCMT, VTS (Oncology)

: I had been doing overnight ICU medicine for 12 years, and a very good friend of mine was doing her residency in oncology, and had finished, and kind of gave me a call and said, ‘Hey, I need a nurse. I'm out of my residency. I'm starting at a hospital. Do you want to come to oncology with me?’ And I said, ‘I know literally nothing about cancer. I don't know how helpful I would be.’ And she said, ‘I'm going to teach you everything you need to know.’

I very quickly learned that that was where I was supposed to be in this world. The bonds with the clients were absolutely amazing. I just loved everything about it. And I was like, ‘OK, this is where I was supposed to be.’

I just really always loved teaching, and I knew that that was something that I always wanted to do going forward. So VTS was the next kind of stepping stone to that. So I knew if I obtained my VTS, that I would be able to lecture, maybe get some teaching at some schools, things like that, which I have started doing.

But the entire process, while it is a bit nerve wracking, is actually a really gratifying process and a really fun one. If you really lean into it, it's actually a really fun process I recommend. I recommend it for everyone, whatever your specialty is, I highly recommend going and getting a VTS.

Videos

Lindsay Hallman, CVT, CCMT, VTS (Oncology), discusses how she found her place in veterinary medicine and what it took to earn the VTS credential, in a dvm360 interview.

Helping to fill a needed role led technician to a specialist certification

Clemson University’s Harris S. Clemson’s Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine has received a Letter of Reasonable Assurance from the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education. The action is a step forward in the accreditation process and has also allowed the university to open its application window for admissions to prospective veterinary students.

The deadline to apply for admission with the inaugural class is November 17, 2025.

 The university is aiming to open the veterinary college to students in the fall of 2026, and will be the first in South Carolina to provide the opportunity for individuals to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

Steven Marks, BVSc, MS, MRCVS, DACVIM, founding dean of the Clemson’s Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine, noted in a 

 the importance of producing veterinarians for a state in which many animal owners experience a a lack of access to veterinary care.

 “It's also a priority to produce some agricultural veterinarians, and what I mean by that is large animal veterinarians, so [those caring for] equine, bovine, poultry. And we hope to do that…We hope to attract students from underserved areas of the state to return to underserved areas of the state,” Marks said.

An artist's rendering of the CVM Hub at Clemson University's Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine in South Carolina.

Clemson University received approval from its Board of Trustees to develop the veterinary college, in June 2023, and broke ground on the veterinary college campus in November 2024.

 Four months later, the university celebrated progress being made with building the animal health campus facilities by holding a traditional 

Named for Harvey S. Peeler Jr, a South Carolina General Assembly senator and a graduate of Clemson University, the veterinary college has planned 7 structures for its campus in Pendleton, South Carolina—a short drive from the university’s main campus. The complex includes the centerpiece CVM Hub, which houses classrooms, a library, food service and social spaces for students. Other structures include a research building with laboratories, a clinical teaching building with laboratory and simulator spaces, and a community clinic; an ambulatory service building for the mobile hospital service, separate teaching facilities for equine and farm animal educations, and a utility building.

“It has been an incredible journey building a college from the ground up,” Marks said in the Clemson report.

 “This team has pulled together and worked tirelessly to make it to this [new] milestone. Of course, I’m grateful to the lawmakers and industry professionals who have supported us along the way. What an amazing experience, and we are just getting started.”

Jim Clements, president of Clemson University said he is grateful for the support received by the veterinary college from elected officials and community partners as well as faculty staff and the greater Clemson community. “Together, we are moving Clemson Fiercely 

, and we are making a difference in the lives of people and animals across the great state of South Carolina and beyond,” Clements said in Clemson-issued news report.

Rowan University opens Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine

Harris S. Clemson’s Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine opens application window for inaugural class. Clemson News. Clemson University Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine. October 9, 2025. Accessed October 10, 2025. 

https://news.clemson.edu/clemsons-college-of-veterinary-medicine-opens-application-window-for-inaugural-class/

Marks SL, Crossley KC. Advancing the veterinary profession and agricultural care. 

 April 17, 2025. Accessed October 10, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/advancing-the-veterinary-profession-and-agricultural-care

Crossley KC. Clemson University breaks ground on South Carolina’s first veterinary school. 

. November 23, 2024. Accessed October 10, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/clemson-university-breaks-ground-on-south-carolina-s-first-veterinary-school

Crossley KC. Clemson University’s future veterinary school is making progress. 

. April 10, 2025. Accessed October 10, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/clemson-university-s-future-veterinary-school-is-making-progress

The Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine has received a Letter of Reasonable Assurance from the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Clemson University opens application window for its first veterinary students

“It was like my whole being wasn’t valued, and the things I wanted to bring to the profession weren’t being seen,” reflected Martínez of her time in emergency medicine, in this interview with dvm360.

‘I started to question my self-worth’: A first-generation vet tech on belonging, access to care and her journey through vet med

 spoke with Melody Martínez, CVT, executive director of the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (MCVMA), for Hispanic Heritage Month. Drawing from a career that has spanned general practice, emergency medicine, and animal sanctuary work, Martínez reflects on her path through the profession and the challenges she encountered as a person of color and first-generation college student from a working-class background. In her discussion, Martínez speaks candidly about the systemic inequities she witnessed in practice, her love for animals, her experience with not always feeling seen or valued for the bicultural perspective she brings to the profession, and the rewarding moments that also helped shape each chapter in her career.

: This is what I say to most managers and practice owners:

What does it take to keep your staff? Aside from seeing them as just a technician who provides X, Y and Z, what's going to keep Melody interested and excited and loyal to this practice and to this profession?

And you [have] to look at that for every single individual who works there. What's going to keep them in their role, right? How do we start to expand your role or give you opportunities to grow and innovate within your role?

That's what I was looking for, and unfortunately, it wasn't offered to me. [It was this] sort of cookie cutter [way]—you have to be X,Y,Z, you have to have gone through this traditional route to be a veterinary technician and if you didn't take that very traditional route, then what are you doing here?

That was the message I received, even if it wasn't explicitly said.... And so, I was like,

. And that was really heartbreaking for me. That was a pivotal moment in vet med for me.

Transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

“It was like my whole being wasn’t valued, and the things I wanted to bring to the profession weren’t being seen,” reflected Melody Martínez, CVT, of her time in emergency medicine.

‘I started to question my self-worth’: A first-generation vet tech on belonging, access to care, and her journey through vet med

The United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia ordered Clara Ann Mason, DVM, of Winfield West Virginia, to $956,709 in civil penalties, which is the maximum penalty permitted under federal law. According to the Department of Justice, Mason failed to account for thousands of doses of controlled substances, including opioids.

Between March 2018 and July 2023, Mason ordered considerable amounts of hydrocodone-acetaminophen combination and oxycodone hydrochloride from a veterinary pharmaceutical wholesale supplier while practicing under a valid West Virginia veterinary license and holding DEA registration.

Mason purchased 14,200 dosage units of a hydrocodone-acetaminophen combination at 10/325 mg each, 800 dosage units of oxycodone HCL at 10 mg each, and 600 dosage units of oxycodone HCL at 5 mg each, which began to raise red flags. From 2021 to 2023, Mason ordered more hydrocodone-acetaminophen than any other customer of the supplier and from January 2021 to January 2023, her orders of oxycodone HCL represented 74% of all oxycodone HCL sales by their supplier.

“DEA registrants are responsible for handling controlled substances responsibly and ensuring complete and accurate records are being maintained in compliance with the Controlled Substance Act,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott, head of DEA’s Louisville Division.

“Failure to comply with controlled substance regulations puts our communities in grave danger, and any registrant who fails to meet these standards will be held accountable.”

Myths and misconceptions surrounding DEA regulation

Investigators executed an administrative inspection warrant at Mason’s practice on October 11, 2023, where they found controlled substances stored in unsecure locations throughout the property. Mason was then unable to produce dispensing logs, required DEA purchase forms, or federal inventory records during the search, but voluntarily surrendered her DEA registration number.

DEA agents seized all the controlled substances on site during the search and determined after conducting an inventory that at least 6,593 dosage units of hydrocodone and oxycodone were unaccounted for along with other controlled drugs.

"In the days and weeks following the execution of the warrant, Mason provided purported records alleging she dispensed large quantities of opioids to dogs and cats prior to euthanasia. Investigators believe these documents were largely fabricated. Investigators also interviewed several pet owners, and none said they witnessed Mason administering oral medications to their pets," the DOJ press release stated.

The court ruled Mason failed to secure controlled substances, failed to maintain required records, and attempted to cover those failures with falsified documents.

West Virginia veterinarian fined nearly $1M for drug diversion.News release. American Veterinary Medical Association. October 8, 2025. Accessed October 9, 2025. 

https://www.avma.org/news/west-virginia-veterinarian-fined-nearly-1m-drug-diversion

Putnam County Veterinarian Ordered to Pay $956,709 in Civil Penalties. News release. US Attorney's Office, Southern District of West Virginia. August 5, 2025. Accessed October 9, 2025. 

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/putnam-county-veterinarian-ordered-pay-956709-civil-penalties

McCafferty C. Myths and misconceptions surrounding DEA regulation. September 9, 2024. October 9, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/myths-and-misconceptions-surrounding-dea-regulation

A West Virginia veterinarian faces nearly $1 million in penalties for failing to account for controlled substances and allegedly falsifying records.

DOJ fines veterinarian almost $1 million for drug diversion 

Last Halloween, Michelle Ruark and her family were planning to attend a trunk-or-treat event so she purchased a 90-ounce bag of mini candy bars. After hiding them inside a shower in their home, Rurak thought the candies were safe behind closed doors, until their dog Paige, a Labrador retriever, decided to help herself.

“We don’t usually keep chocolate in the house,” Ruark explained. “A couple of nights before Halloween, we came home and found that Paige had literally knocked the shower doors off their hinges, and had eaten the entire bag of candy, wrappers and all.”

Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, and the team at Pet Poison Helpline received the call from Rurak and her family, leading them to work on calculating how much chocolate Paige ingested and factoring in her weight. The team determined that, combined with the wrappers, she ingested a toxic amount of candy. Based on this, the team was concerned about gastrointestinal upset, pancreatitis, polydipsia, hyperactivity, cardiovascular and central nervous system stimulation.

Paige’s family brought her to the Southern Rockies Animal Emergency + Specialty Hospital in Colorado, where their veterinary team induced emesis that resulted in a large amount of candy, still in the wrappers, chocolate, and additional empty wrappers. Based on the amount of chocolate recovered from vomiting, the concerns for severe clinical signs lessened and she was able to be treated and sent home to be monitored by her owners.

“Every kind of Hershey bar was in that bag,” Roark said. “The Pet Poison Helpline toxicologists looked up every single candy and calculated how much chocolate and other potentially dangerous toxins Paige ingested. By the time we got to the emergency room, they had already talked to our veterinarian and discussed a recommended treatment plan. I know that if we had just shown up at the emergency room, they wouldn’t have known how to treat her. Pet Poison Helpline saved our girl’s life.”

For the last 10 years, chocolate has been named a top toxin on Pet Poison Helpline’s Top 10 Pet Poisons of 2024 list, and dogs make up 95% of Pet Poison Helpline’s chocolate calls. Theobromine and caffeine, both found in chocolate, can result in vomiting, diarrhea, elevated heart rate, abnormal heart rhythm, hyperactivity, tremors, seizures, and even possibly death if ingested in toxic amounts.

Ethan, a dog living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also took spooky time to a new level after ingesting green trace dye, which is normally used to detected leaks in water systems and plumbing. Brian Barrett, Ethan’s owner, wanted to have fluorescent green water in his Halloween display and used the green trace dye because it glows under black light.

“I let my dog Ethan out the night before Halloween, and he drank a small amount out of the display,” Barrett explained. “The next day I took him out for a walk and his pee was neon green. The packaging said the liquid was safe, but I called Pet Poison Helpline to be sure. After they heard the details, and researched the ingredients in the dye, they told me what signs I needed to look for and saved Ethan from a trip to the veterinarian. Ethan is doing great.”

On the other side of the country, Lydia Robinson from Maricopa, Arizona caught her dog Shadow playing with a dead bat in their yard. Her other dogs, Gambit and Grim, were with the bat and Shadow as well, but it appeared Shadow was the only one in contact with the bat. Since all dogs were up to date on their rabies vaccinations and no wounds or bite marks were visible, they did not need a trip to their veterinarian but were given a list of signs to look out for. It was also suggested to Robinson to contact her local health department to determine if they wanted to test the dead bat for rabies.

According to Pet Poison Helpline, although ingesting candy and drinking fluorescent green water is a threat to pets, one of the greatest dangers pets face during Halloween is getting out of the house and getting into other types of dangers, like getting hit by a car or stolen.

“According to our partners at AKC Reunite, October is the second highest month for lost-and-found pet reports,” Schmid explained.

 “Pets get anxious from multiple trick-or-treaters coming to the door, and with each visitor you greet, your pet has an opportunity to sneak out and escape the chaos. A loose pet at night is especially dangerous because they cannot be easily seen by motorists.”

A Poisonous Halloween for Pets. News release. Pet Poison Helpline. October 8, 2025. Accessed October 9, 2025.

Chocolate. Pet Poison Helpline. March 3, 2020. Accessed October 9, 2025. https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/chocolate/

Pet owners learn vital Halloween safety tips as chocolate and other dangers threaten pets. Discover how to protect your furry friends this spooky season.