This content is sponsored by PRN Pharmacal.

Last June, my colleagues at PRN Pharmacal launched sirolimus delayed-release tablets (Felycin-CA1) a new therapy for the management of ventricular hypertrophy in cats with subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

 As the first product conditionally approved by the FDA for use in cats with HCM, Felycin-CA1 marked an industrywide turning point for feline HCM care, offering hope for cats—and owners—affected by this life-threatening disease.

Feline HCM is a progressive, often irreversible condition that causes the heart’s muscular walls to thicken, impairing its ability to pump blood effectively.

 It can lead to congestive heart failure, arterial thromboembolism, or even sudden death, among other complications.

 Althoughthe causes of HCM aren’t entirely clear, some research has shown higher prevalence in certain breeds—such as Maine Coon, Ragdoll, Persian, and British Shorthair breeds—as well as identified cardiac gene mutations in those most commonly affected, suggesting genetic implications.

Despite being the most common cardiovascular disease in cats—affecting 1 in 7 domestic cats—and the No. 1 cause of mortality in adult cats (>9 years of age), feline HCM can be extremely difficult to detect, let alone manage.

In fact, it’s often referred to as a silent disease, since cats with HCM are typically subclinical, progressing without showing any outward signs or symptoms, and if they do show signs, it’s sometimes not until later stages of the disease.

The FDA’s conditional approval of Felycin-CA1

The active ingredient in Felycin-CA1, sirolimus (also known as rapamycin), was first FDA approved in 1999 as a human immunosuppressant for organ transplants.

 Now formulated as a delayed-release tablet specifically designed for cats, Felycin-CA1 has been proven to help slow the progression of subclinical HCM, via results from the RAPACAT trial, a well-controlled pilot field study that led to its conditional approval, in March 2025.

To receive conditional approval from the FDA, a drug must meet several requirements. Most notably, it must address a serious or life-threatening disease, or an unmet animal or human health need; meet certain manufacturing, safety, and quality standards; and demonstrate a reasonable expectation of effectiveness.

 Through the RAPACAT trial, in addition to the data already established from the use of sirolimus in other species, Felycin-CA1 met the FDA’s conditional approval requirements.

 Although the FDA’s efficacy requirements differ between full approval and conditional approval, the safety standards are the same.

Addressing the unmet need in feline HCM care

Prior to Felycin-CA1, we’ve had very few options to help manage HCM, particularly beyond palliative care.

 In fact, the therapies that were available weren’t managing HCM at all; they were managing the symptoms.

For example, if a cat was diagnosed with HCM and experienced congestive heart failure as a result, a diuretic might be used to help clear fluid from the lungs. Or, in more severe cases, if a blood clot had entered the bloodstream, an antithrombotic might be administered. But ultimately, we had no other choice but to explain to these cat owners that the best they could do was manage the symptoms as the disease progressed.

Hence why Felycin-CA1 is considered so groundbreaking.

 Previous available therapies in this space had failed to slow disease progression, improve quality of life, or show survival benefit in the subclinical setting.

 The RAPACAT trial demonstrated that the left ventricular wall had reduced in those cats with subclinical HCM receiving prolonged administration of Felycin-CA1, suggesting that it may help slow or delay disease progression.

 Consequently, with Felycin-CA1, veterinarians finally have an option that may help manage the pathology associated with subclinical HCM—vs merely what happens to the patient when the heart muscle is failing.

Felycin-CA1 is given to cats at a target dose of 0.3 mg/kg orally once weekly, in conjunction with a meal.

The tablets are available in 3 strengths—0.4 mg, 1.2 mg, and 2.4 mg—and are quite small, about the size of a Tic Tac, making Felycin-CA1 both convenient and easy to administer across a range of patient sizes.

But most importantly, owners of cats with subclinical HCM can breathe a little easier knowing that we veterinarians now have something to start their pet on, instead of waiting for the cat to progress and then supporting them as their heart fails.

As a reminder, Felycin-CA1 is only available by prescription from a licensed veterinarian. Cats should be screened for preexisting liver disease before starting Felycin-CA1, and it should not be used in cats with preexisting liver disease or diabetes mellitus.

Now that we have the first-ever approved disease-modifying agent for subclinical HCM, how do we determine whether a patient is an appropriate candidate? For a cat to be eligible for Felycin-CA1, they must be diagnosed with subclinical HCM.

 Although no single, standardized screening protocol exists for feline HCM—subclinical or not—there are recommendations and best practices.

As work continues to find an ideal diagnostic pathway for screening cats for subclinical HCM, echocardiography is currently considered the gold standard.

 Additionally, a comprehensive physical examination, along with blood pressure measurement, should always be performed.

 This should involve auscultation, as heart murmurs or gallop sounds have been linked to the condition.

 It is also recommended that other tests and imaging, like bloodwork and radiographs, be done to help confirm the diagnosis and rule out other causes, such as dehydration and hyperthyroidism.

 Biomarker and/or genetic testing may be used as well—not in isolation, however, but as a supplement to the entire diagnostic workup, and with caution, as results have been found to be inaccurate.

On a more fundamental level, most of this relies on cat owners bringing their pets into the clinic for examination in the first place (which has its own separate challenges). That’s why it’s critical for practitioners not only to encourage cat owners to bring their pet in but also, when they do come in, to have conversations about the importance of screening and early intervention for conditions like HCM, especially with those who have predisposed breeds.

A couple of small tips that can make a big difference:

That practitioners kindly (and firmly) express to cat owners that it is in their cat’s best interest that they be (and stay) quiet during auscultation, so that practitioners can listen more closely and discern a heart murmur. For some reason, in my experience, I’ve always found that pet owners become most talkative as soon as the stethoscope goes on.

To extend feline HCM care beyond the clinic by showing cat owners how to monitor their cat’s sleeping respiratory rate at home. While their cat’s asleep, they can simply watch their chest rise and fall to count the number of breaths per minute. It should be fewer than 30 breaths, but if it’s more, advise cat owners to schedule a veterinarian appointment immediately, as increased respiratory rate has been linked to the progression of feline HCM.

The HALT Study and the path to full approval

Right now, the HALT Study is underway to provide the substantial evidence of effectiveness necessary for the full FDA approval of Felycin-CA1 (referred to as TRIV202 in HALT) for the management of ventricular hypertrophy in cats with subclinical HCM.

Launched in June 2025 by TriviumVet, in partnership with Pegasus Laboratories, the HALT Study is a multisite, blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical field study conducted across various clinical sites experienced in treating cats with HCM.

 It will be both considerably larger than the RAPACAT trial, aiming to enroll 300 cats (vs 43 cats enrolled at baseline in RAPACAT), and longer, examining cats with subclinical HCM over a 12-month dosing period (vs the 6-month period in the RAPACAT trial), with 5 postenrollment study visits.

The size and duration of the HALT Study highlight our hope for greater insights into the efficacy as well as safety of Felycin-CA1—and our commitment to better understanding its long-term implications.

For more information on the HALT Study, including current study sites and enrollment criteria, or to register your cat or a patient, visit 

More hope on the horizon for feline HCM care

Felycin-CA1 represents a big step forward in feline HCM care—and we’re not stopping there. Through the RAPACAT trial, ongoing patient cases, and now the HALT Study, we will continue to learn more about the effects of Felycin-CA1 on managing this complicated condition and push the boundaries of what’s possible in feline heart care.

For full prescribing information, please visit 

FDA conditionally approves drug for management of ventricular hypertrophy in cats. FDA. March 14, 2025. Accessed October 9, 2025. 

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/cvm-updates/fda-conditionally-approves-drug-management-ventricular-hypertrophy-cats

Crossley KC. Novel cardiology therapy for cats is launched. 

. June 18, 2025. Accessed October 9, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/novel-cardiology-therapy-for-cats-is-launched

Kaplan JL, Rivas VN, Walker AL, et al. Delayed-release rapamycin halts progression of left ventricular hypertrophy in subclinical feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: results of the RAPACAT trial. 

. 2023;261(11):1628-1637. Published 2023 Jul 26. doi:10.2460/javma.23.04.0187

Kittleson M, Côté E. The feline cardiomyopathies: 2. hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. 

 2021;23(11):1028‑1051. doi:10.1177/1098612X211020162

McCafferty C. FDA conditionally approves first drug for feline subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. 

. March 14, 2025. Accessed October 9, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/fda-conditionally-approves-first-drug-for-feline-subclinical-hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy

Beck L. First drug OK’d for most common heart condition in cats. VIN News Service. April 24, 2025. Accessed October 9, 2025. 

https://news.vin.com/vinnews.aspx?articleId=86835

Conditional approval explained: a resource for veterinarians. FDA. Updated September 17, 2020. Accessed November 3, 2025. 

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/resources-you/conditional-approval-explained-resource-veterinarians

Felycin-CA1. Prescribing information. PRN Pharmacal; 2025. Accessed October 23, 2025. 

https://www.triviumvet.com/hubfs/Felycin-PI-Detailer_PRN_02JUN2025.pdf

Häggström J, Luis Fuentes V, Wess G. Screening for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats. 

 2015;17(suppl 1):S134-S149. doi:10.1016/j.jvc.2015.07.003

The HALT HCM Study. HCMinCats.com. Accessed October 23, 2025. 

TriviumVet launch the HALT HCM Study recruiting 300 cats with diagnosed subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). TriviumVet. June 25, 2024. Accessed October 23, 2025. 

https://www.triviumvet.com/blog/triviumvet-launch-the-halt-hcm-study-recruiting-300-cats-with-diagnosed-subclinical-hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy-hcm

Articles

At last, with Felycin-CA1, veterinary professionals finally have a therapy that extends beyond palliative care for feline HCM.

Changing what’s possible in feline heart care: Felycin-CA1 offers hope for cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

OS Animal Health may soon stand on its own. A subsidiary of OS Therapeutics—a company known for 

-based oncology immunotherapies for humans—OS Animal Health intends to become a public company on the national stock exchange in 2026.

OS Animal Health is currently developing OST-HER2 for canine osteosarcoma. It uses the immune-stimulatory effects of 

 to initiate a strong immune response targeting the HER2 protein.

Initially developed by OS Therapies for treatment of osteosarcoma in humans, the drug has received conditional approval from the USDA canine use.

 “The trials that we've done, both in humans and in canines, are very safe and seem to extend life and control the disease,” Paul Romness, MPH, chairman and CEO of OS Therapies, said in a 

 “The genetic makeup of osteosarcoma in canines and humans is...99% exact.”

Romness noted that OS Animal Health has worked to create a critical mass of industry leaders, regulatory experts, management candidates, potential investors, and potential commercial manufacturers needed for the company to be successful as a standalone venture. "With a path forward for OST-HER2 in human osteosarcoma based upon the FDA's August 18, 2025, draft regulatory guidance that outlines the importance of increasing overall survival as the overarching efficacy end point in oncology clinical trials, we believe it is now prudent to have a separately financed entity bringing the canine version of this product forward," he said in a news release.

 “We have a high degree of confidence that [the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)] will allow OST-HER2 back on the market.”

According to Romness, osteosarcoma is very rare in humans but much more prevalent—and deadly—in canines. “In dogs, it's approaching 100% fatality within 12 months. In humans, 10% of the kids [with osteosarcoma] pass away. Of the 90% [of children] who survive the 9 months of chemotherapy, half of them go on to live their life with the [adverse] effects of chemotherapy and the surgery,” he said.

“There is significant interest and significant demand in the canine osteosarcoma market,” Gerald Commissiong, chief business officer for OS Therapies, said in a 

 interview. “OST-HER2 is a molecularly targeted therapy. So while it does have applications in osteosarcoma, because many osteosarcoma cases are HER2 positive, the reality is that many cancers beyond osteosarcoma are also HER2 positive. And so, as we think about how OST-HER2 could be used to treat osteosarcoma, and other canine cancers separately as well, there's an opportunity, once it's on the market, for veterinarians to explore the potential use of this and other indications…. Additional research can be done to expand the potential uses.”

Logistics is also a consideration in transitioning OS Animal Health into a standalone company. The move will help OS Therapeutics focus on its primary mission, developing human therapies, Romness said, while also responding to the needs of the veterinary market.

Commissiong noted that there is “a big distinction” between the regulatory processes for human and canine osteosarcoma products. “So, when we're producing a product for human osteosarcoma, it's got to be manufactured in an FDA-certified facility, and those products cannot be used to treat animals. The animal biologic product must be manufactured in a USDA-sanctioned facility. So that kind of product distinction is really at the core, because we can't manufacture in one facility and then service the other species,” he added.

Meanwhile, the science and research behind OST-HER2 were featured in the Emmy-nominated documentary 

. The film shows veterinarians and other health experts from multiple academic and government institutions as they investigate comparative oncology.

The documentary recently won an Anthem Award under the awareness category for health.

 The Anthem Awards credited the impact of “highly engaged media and social media campaign” that supported the documentary’s broadcast, streaming, public screenings, and panel discussions for building awareness about clinical trials and their importance for new cancer treatments.

OS Therapies to spinoff OS Animal Health into standalone public company. News release. OS Therapies. November 20, 2025. Accessed November 20, 2025. 

https://ir.ostherapies.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/89/os-therapies-to-spinoff-os-animal-health-into-standalone

Crossley KC. Canine oncology drug featured in Emmy-nominated documentary. 

. October 20, 2025. Accessed November 20, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/canine-oncology-drug-featured-in-emmy-nominated-documentary

Bautista-Alejandre A. New immunotherapy treatment may delay metastasis in dogs with osteosarcoma. 

. April 14, 2025. Accessed November 20, 2025. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/new-immunotherapy-treatment-may-delay-metastasis-in-dogs-with-osteosarcoma#:~:text=2%20(HER2).-,1,2

Shelter Me: The Cancer Pioneers. Anthem Awards. Accessed November 20, 2025. 

https://www.anthemawards.com/winners/list/entry/#!health/documentary-or-film/shelter-me-the-cancer-pioneers/0/shelter/609668

OS Therapeutics' veterinary division is developing OST-HER2 for canine osteosarcoma treatment.

Pharmaceutical subsidiary plans to become a public animal health company

Zachary Wright, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), discusses the unique aspects of mast cell diseases in cats compared to dogs.

Clinical insights into feline mast cell disease

 at our 2025 Fetch National Harbor conference, Zachary Wright, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), explained the differences between feline mast cell disease and canine mast cell disease, including the unique challenges in diagnosing and managing this disease in cats. He noted that although cutaneous mast cell tumors in cats—especially when located on the head and neck—are typically benign, more concerning forms can also impact feline patients.

Below is a full transcript, edited lightly for clarity.

: Starting with your name, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

 My name is Dr Zach Wright. I'm a veterinary medical oncologist and the medical director at VCA Dallas [Animal Specialty Hospital] in Dallas, Texas. I also chair the Mars Veterinary Health Oncology Advisory Board.

: How does the biological behavior of feline mast cell disease typically compare with its canine counterpart?

Cats don't get enough attention, right? All of this stuff is about dogs. So, I'm happy to focus on cats. But I think the biggest take-home [message] about cats [with] mast cell diseases [is that] it's essentially a different disease process than dogs. Yes, cats absolutely will get cutaneous mast cell tumors, particularly of the head and neck, but simplistically, those are most often a benign process, not something we have to clinically worry about. The diseases that we need to worry about for cats are the visceral forms, where they arise in either the spleen or the intestines. And again, those [have] a very different clinical presentation and clinical outcome compared [with] a dog with a mast cell tumor on its elbow. 

Primary visceral disease in dogs is noted, but it's quite rare. So for cats, we can end up on a diagnosis of visceral mast cell disease with cats who generally [have adverse drug reactions] and have a variety of clinical symptoms...chronic vomiting, lethargy, decreased appetite, any collection of those things. And it's often related to the location, [as] an intestinal mast cell tumor can cause a full or partial obstruction, but also the systemic histamine toxicity associated with splenic involvement. 

So again, just a very different clinical presentation. [Although] both...are intended to be surgical diseases—and that's true even in the visceral form—I think the biggest [takeaway] is that their clinical presentation is very different. We're not looking for a skin tumor when it comes to a collection of these mast cell diseases in cats.

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Zachary Wright, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), highlights the unique clinical presentations of mast cell disease in cats compared with dogs.

Image Credit: © Chaosamran_Studio | stock.adobe.com

Kathleen Allison-Black, DVM, is a small-animal practitioner based in Maryland who lives in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM), Allison-Black has worked in relief, emergency, and shelter medicine and has practiced general practice at the same clinic for the past 5 years. Frustrated by administrative burden and incomplete records, she began using artificial intelligence (AI) tools—particularly ambient scribes—to improve documentation, client communication, and workflow. In this interview, she discusses which tools she trusts, how to evaluate an AI scribe, privacy and liability considerations, and practical steps for clinics that want to get started.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Where content was clarified or standardized for readability, language was smoothed, but the meaning was preserved.

: To start, tell our readers briefly who you are and your background.

 I’m Kathleen Allison-Black, DVM. I live in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and practice in Maryland. I’m originally from Tennessee and graduated from UTCVM in 2002. Over the years, I’ve worked in relief, emergency, and shelter medicine. For the past 5 years, I’ve been working in one general practice, which has been a big change from moving around. I began using AI because I was frustrated with the pace of practice and keeping records accurate and complete. I originally started using AI as a scribe.

: What workflow improvements can clinicians realistically expect from AI scribing and other AI tools? Are there cost savings or hidden costs we should consider?

 The biggest practical benefit of an ambient AI scribe is that I don’t have to rely on my memory or on staff who are on-the-job–trained and may lack clinical vocabulary. For example, a technician might not document a rectal exam as “normal”—they might just leave it blank. An AI scribe captures what I say, so if I say a rectal is normal, it’s in the chart.

Operationally, I can go into an exam room, start and stop a recording, do the exam, state my plan, check the transcription quickly, and paste it into the record. That immediacy lets my staff access the plan right away; they can read the transcript and pull the items they need without interrupting me. I can also instantly generate a client email or go-home instructions from the visit summary and send that to owners, which saves time and reduces phone follow-up.

Practically, this turned me away from having 4 hours of charting after work. I used to bring work home; I don’t anymore. That was huge for my work–life balance. It also calms my anxiety about missing details. I have ADHD, and knowing the record is complete helps me stay focused.

There are costs: subscriptions, and hardware (a phone, a tablet, or a computer with a good microphone). There’s also an initial investment of time to trial systems and train them to your workflow. But the time savings and improved communications often outweigh those costs.

 You mentioned trying several scribes. How big a difference is there among products?

 Huge. Not all AI scribes are equal. I trialed 7 or 8. Some transcribed poorly or hallucinated content; others were very accurate. The one I settled on had the best mix of accuracy, low hallucination, and responsiveness from their development team. For example, I tested a scribe embedded in another software, and it produced notes that lacked most of the physical exam content. That frustrated me and reinforced that you must test tools in your real workflow. Most companies offer free trials; use them, run head-to-head comparisons, and choose the one that matches your clinical style.

 What should clinics look for when evaluating an AI tool? Any red flags?

 Prefer tools developed or vetted by DVMs. Veterinary terminology and concepts differ from human medicine.

 End-to-end encryption, clear policies on data storage, retention, deletion, and who has access.

 The tool should let you customize templates (SOAP notes, go-home instructions, lab summaries, radiology/ultrasound reports, vet-to-vet communications). It should also learn corrections. For example, if it mishears a proper name, you should be able to correct it once and have it remember.

 Good support from the vendor and fast issue resolution.

 The language model should be trained on veterinary concepts so that summaries and plan outputs will reflect veterinary reasoning, not just surface transcription.

 If there are no DVMs on the development or advisory team, that’s a red flag.

Also, test for hallucinations. If the scribe invents that you discussed something you did not, that’s unacceptable and a reason to switch.

 How do you balance time savings with clinical oversight? How much checking is enough to avoid errors, hallucinations, or incorrect emails to clients?

 The scribe is a tool, not a decision maker. In my workflow everything is a cut-and-paste step: I always review the transcript or the generated note before it goes into the permanent record or before I send an email to a client. Over a year with the same scribe, it’s learned my accent and vocabulary, so small corrections are easier. Misspellings are flagged automatically by my system. If something looks off, I correct it.

For decision-support tools that suggest differentials, I use those as a check, not as the origin of my plan. I might use a diagnostic plugin to surface differentials or "do-not-miss" diagnoses and citations, then verify against the literature and my clinical judgment. I also build my own algorithms after reading primary sources, then optionally load them into a closed model to check that output against my sources.

In short, use AI to augment documentation and to organize knowledge, and retain clinician judgment and verify anything that would change care.

 Do you feel AI has made you a better clinician?

 Broadly, yes. It’s made me happier and less anxious. I can communicate more clearly and quickly with owners. Lab summaries, patient summaries, and next-step plans can be generated in 1 to 2 minutes and emailed immediately. That reduces long phone calls and the risk of miscommunication when someone else (a technician or a family member) relays information. Clients appreciate the documentation, and I think that improves compliance and trust.

Kathleen Allison-Black, DVM, explains how veterinary clinics can use AI scribes and closed LLM tools to streamline documentation, improve client communication, protect patient data, and retain clinician oversight while reducing after-hours charting.

How to stop bringing work home by using AI scribes

“We've proven what was once considered aspirational is now achievable, and that opens doors for endangered and exotic animals worldwide," Brent Teeter, founder and owner of Infinity Exotics, said in a news release.

Pope, the Bongo calf, with surrogate Eland mother at Infinity Exotic (image courtesy of Infinity Exotics) 

Infinity Exotics located in Central Texas recently announced what they are calling one of the most significant advancements in wildlife reproductive science in decades: the birth of a Bongo antelope from a surrogate Eland antelope. The healthy male calf born was named Pope, in honor of Earl Pope, PhD, the pioneer researcher who first achieved an interspecies embryo between a Bong and Eland surrogate in 1983.

“This calf represents decades of research and determination. It validates the belief that we can use modern veterinary science not only to treat animals, but to fundamentally change their conservation outlook. What we've learned here could be applied to countless species facing similar genetic and reproductive challenges," Will Weise, DVM, the veterinarian who worked on the project at Infinity Exotics, said in the release.

According to the release, with the successful creation and implantation of viable Bongo embryos into a closely related surrogate species, a door has been opened for scientists to explore new reproductive pathways to help ensure the survival of specials that are too small or fragmented to recover naturally.

Eastern Bongos are a critically endangered species with less than 100 left in the wild because of habitat loss from illegal logging, increased hunting, and disease.

 Native to the mountainous forests of central Kenya, these animals have brown coats with a series of white vertical stripes, and both male and females have long twisted horns. Typically, female Bongos are more brightly colored that the males. In captivity, Bongos can live up to 20 years, but little is known about their life expectancy in the wild, which experts believe is less than life in captivity.

"This is a pivotal moment in safeguarding the future of the Bongo antelope and other endangered species," Brittni East, DVM, founder of Exotic Wildlife Veterinary Services, said in the release.

 "This breakthrough demonstrates that assisted reproductive technologies, once limited to agricultural or laboratory settings, can now be effectively adapted to save species at the edge of extinction."

With the success of this birth, the Infinity Exotics team and its partners plan to explore how these reproductive technology could be standardized and scale to provide support to other endangered species across the globe.

Historic Breakthrough in Veterinary Science: Birth of Endangered Bongo Antelope from Eland Surrogate Signals New Era for Wildlife Conservation. News release. Infinity Exotics. November 19, 2025. Accessed November 19, 2025. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/historic-breakthrough-in-veterinary-science-birth-of-endangered-bongo-antelope-from-eland-surrogate-signals-new-era-for-wildlife-conservation-302619676.html

Bongo. Dublin Zoo. May 23, 2022. Accessed November 19, 2025. https://www.dublinzoo.ie/animal/bongo/

Innovative reproductive science at Infinity Exotics births a Bongo antelope from an Eland surrogate.

Endangered Bongo antelope born through Eland surrogate

Real resilience starts with understanding what matters most to you, explain Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS, and Jennifer Edwards, DVM, ACC, CPC, ELI-MP.

From ‘I should’ to ‘Why’?: A different approach to burnout 

“We all know that burnout in [veterinary] medicine is really kind of an epidemic,” cohost Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS, begins in this episode of 

The Resilient Vet: Mind and Body Strategies for Success

. In this installment, Shaw and Jennifer Edwards, DVM, ACC, CPC, ELI-MP, dig into why veterinary professionals continue to struggle with burnout despite the abundance of wellness information available.

They suggest that the issue is not a lack of knowledge, but cultural norms and personal barriers that make it difficult to implement meaningful change. According to Shaw and Edwards, addressing burnout starts with identifying an individual’s true “why,” recognizing what gets in the way, and shifting from gathering information to taking action in meaningful, personalized ways.

 it becomes kind of like a drill down process—[we] go a layer deeper, then a layer deeper, then a layer deeper, then a layer deeper, and then a layer deeper.... A lot of people want things like health and fitness and eating well. The “should” comes from sometimes superficial reasons. Like, “I should be skinny or I should look a certain way for society” and all of these things. But what if I don't care? [What if the person says,] “I've got my partner and she loves me just the way I am and I don't care that I'm 20 pounds overweight.” Not everybody is motivated by those “should” factors.

When we really pare it down into what they want for 

—their lives—when they think about their children, when they think about [how] they love nature, when they think about the idea of their children someday having their own children and being a grandparent, hiking a mountain, being able to walk down a beach, being able to get in and out of a fun little car easily, being able to get down on the floor with the neighbor's puppy and play with it...I might not be motivated to go to the gym because I want to be skinny and sexy in a bikini on the beach. That ship has sailed for me. I don't care, honestly. That's not motivating for me. But when I think about my daughter, like, that's my ‘why.’

So, for each person, I would start to really consider what's important to you in your life. For example, if there is a grandchild or a niece or a nephew or a puppy or a beach, that can be your motivation...

Transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and cohesion.