Officials with the FDA have approved a generic gamithromycin injectable solution for the treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) associated with 

 in beef and nonlactating dairy cattle. The newly approved product (Gamrozyne; Bimedia Animal Health) is the first generic version of Boehringer Ingelheim’s pioneer product Zactran and is bioequivalent.

Gamrozyne is also indicated for the control of respiratory disease in beef and non-lactating dairy cattle at high risk of developing BRD associated with 

, according to the FDA. The generic therapy is available only by prescription from a licensed veterinarian.

BRD is a complex condition, according to Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. It is a leading cause of death in cattle and can affect any breed and age of these ungulates.

An early sign of BRD in cattle is lagging behind their group or self-isolation. Additional clinical signs may include fever greater than 104

 F, eye and nose discharge, coughing, and a tilted head or ear position. Signs of depression such as decreased appetite, slow body movement, and an unwillingness to stand, can also be clinical signs of BRD, according to Texas A&M.

The risk of BRD can be lowered by reducing stress, according to Texas A&M. Proper ventilation, minimal pen movements, use of low-stress handling techniques, clean bedding and proper access to food and water are among the actions that can help reduce stress.

In treating BRD, Gamrozyne is administered to beef and nonlactating dairy cattle through a subcutaneous injection in the neck at rate of 6 mg/kg (2 mL/110 lb) body weight. If the total dose exceeds 10 mL, divide the dose so that no more than 10 mL is administered at each injection site.

FDA approves first generic gamithromycin injectable for treatment and control of bovine respiratory disease in beef and non-lactating dairy cattle. News release. FDA. August 28, 2025. Accessed August 28, 2025. 

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USFDA/bulletins/3edbe06

Pet Talk. The cattle battle: bovine respiratory disease. Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. June 30, 2022. Accessed August 28, 2025. 

http://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk/bovine-respiratory-disease/

Articles

Gamrozyne is the first generic version of Zactran, a pioneer product. 

FDA approves generic therapy for bovine respiratory disease

Ally Sisco, from north of Spokane, is an experienced horse owner who currently cares for eight horses. One morning, she noticed something unusual about Calliope, her 11-year-old Gypsy-Clydesdale: The mare had no interest in her breakfast.

“That was weird for her because she’s definitely into her food,” Sisco recalled. “She was also lying down a lot more than normal. She likes to lay down frequently, but she was lying out flat, which I thought was strange because she only does that when it’s really sunny, and it wasn’t that sunny.

Calliope, an 11-year-old gypsy-Clydesdale, was treated for sand colic at Washington State University (Image courtesy of Washington State University) 

Wanting to help Calliope, Sisco administered Banamine, a drug commonly used to treat mild cases of colic and then walked her to help pass whatever was causing her discomfort. After this did not work, Sisco put Calliope in her trailer and took her for a ride, which is a common thing horse owner to do try and ‘get things moving.’

Calliope showed no signs of improvement, so Sisco asked a local veterinarian for advice, and they told her to take her to Washington State University (WSU) immediately. Once they were at WSU, Calliope was diagnosed with a painful and potentially serious condition in horses, sand colic. This condition is caused by the accumulation of sand or gravel in the intestine, which causes irritation, inflammation, or blockage of the digestive tract.

 According to WSU, their staff sees about 10 to 15 cases of sand colic annually and treat these cases with fluids and supportive care. In severe cases, surgery is required.

For Calliope, her clinicians hoped that supportive care would be enough for her, but after a week of being at the hospital, she was rushed into surgery after she took a turn for the worse. Calliope then developed ventricular tachycardia after being placed under anesthesia. The surgical team stabilized her and then removed around 80% of the gravel and sand before ending the produce to reduce the risk of her being under anesthesia.

“I don’t think anybody really knew just the extent of how much she had in there,” Sisco said. “When they told me it was around 100 pounds, I was so surprised. I’ve been looking all over my property trying to find where she might have gotten into it...I can’t find it anywhere.”

Calliope was able to head home 11 days after her surgery and is now months into her recovery. WSU reported that she is doing well, but will need some follow up imaging done to make sure the other 20% of materials passed.

“This was the first time I have ever taken a horse to WSU. They took great care of her,” Sisco said. “When I visited, she looked clean and shiny, and they even braided her mane. It looked like they were really enjoying her, which was nice.”

Erin Pinnell, DVM, MS, DACVIM (LAIM), warns horse owners to not feed horses directly on the ground to help prevent sand colic, and if a horse is presenting with signs of colic, seek veterinary care early. However, ground feeding is not always the problem, such as in Calliope’s case where she was never fed on the ground, but it can contribute to the problem.

“We want owners to know this is something we see in this region,” concluded Pinell. “If you live in an area with sandy or gravelly soil, talk to your vet about preventative measures, because early intervention really can save a horse’s life.”

To this day, how Calliope was able to ingest this much gravel remains unknown to Sisco and her team at WSU.

Rokyta D. WSU veterinarians remove nearly 100 pounds of sand and gravel from horse’s belly. WSU Insider. Published August 22, 2025. Accessed August 28, 2025. https://news.wsu.edu/news/2025/08/22/wsu-veterinarians-remove-nearly-100-pounds-of-sand-and-gravel-from-horses-belly/

An 11-year-old gypsy-Clydesdale cross was brought to Washing State University after she was not acting like herself or eating dinner 

Mare ingests almost 100 pounds of sand and gravel

Meditation opportunity for veterinary professionals

The VetYogi Collective, an online on-demand yoga and meditation subscription service for individuals, practices and associated businesses, announced it is offering a free opportunity for veterinary professionals to try meditation, in recognition of the unique stressors that veterinary professionals are exposed such as long work hours, emotional fatigue, and the mental health impact of involvement in life-and-death decisions.

The VetYogi Collective’s founder Chloe Hannigan, BVetMed, MRCVS, explained to 

 that individual coping strategies like meditation can offer immediate relief and boost long-term resilience to stress.

"Meditation can offer immediate relief to an overwhelmed mind, and boost long-term resilience to stress, anxiety and insomnia. Meditation is not just a wellness trend; it’s a scientifically supported practice that can enhance mental wellbeing, focus, and resolve,” said Hannigan.

“The VetYogi Collective 10 Day Meditation Challenge offers a free opportunity to journey through a variety of meditation and breath work techniques in just 10-minute bursts, providing practical tools that can be applied by busy veterinary professionals in some of our unique day to day stressful scenarios.”

Meditation encompasses various practices aimed at training attention and awareness, fostering mental clarity, and promoting emotional calmness. The VetYogi 10 Day Meditation Challenge has been designed to help participants feel calmer, clearer, and more grounded in just 10 minutes a day.

During each day the event will feature a short 10-minute guided meditation focused on a different theme for each session, with each meditation audio delivered directly into participant’s email inbox. Anyone interested can learn more and register on The VetYogi website.

Biosecurity program exceeds expectations in remoteIndigenous communities

AMRRIC Biosecurity Pilot Project  (image courtesy of The Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities)

A 3-year biosecurity pilot project which set out to improve companion animal health surveillance in 25 remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Northern Australia, has been a resounding success and achieved all its anticipated project outcomes, and exceeding expectations in key areas, according to a recently released evaluation report.

The Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities (AMRRIC) Biosecurity Pilot Project strengthened collaboration between Indigenous organizations, local governments, and health agencies, whilst also enhancing community animal health and biosecurity surveillance capacity.

“It's clear that this pilot project not only strengthened biosecurity surveillance but also delivered real improvements in animal health and Indigenous employment opportunities,” Bonny Cumming BVSc (Hon I), MVS (Cons Med), AMRRIC’s head of innovation and strategy, said to 

“It’s particularly pleasing to see our vision reflected back by our partners — who told us the combination of on-the-ground training, biosecurity surveillance and animal health services, all founded on trusted relationships, is what made the model so effective.”

Building on over 20 years of experience delivering culturally appropriate animal health services, AMRRIC’s project was centered on a ‘no survey without service’ model, which combined door-to-door companion animal census surveys with on-the-job training in biosecurity surveillance and animal health.

Working alongside AMRRIC staff, community organization trainees collected data using AMRRIC’s custom app while the AMRRIC’s veterinary staff provided preventative treatments and first aid to companion animals in the remote communities.

“This integrated approach not only delivered tangible animal health benefits and strengthened local biosecurity capacity but also strengthened the trusted relationships that are central to AMRRIC’s work in remote Indigenous communities,” Cumming explained.

AMRRIC Biosecurity Pilot Project on the Tiwi Islands

Extraordinary philanthropic gift to benefit veterinary school

The Murdoch University veterinary school in Perth will undergo a complete redevelopment thanks to an unprecedented AUD$100 million philanthropic gift from Ted Powell, a long-term supporter of the university.

The philanthropic gift will upgrade and expand the aging veterinary school to support next generation world-class teaching and research at Western Australia’s only veterinary school and animal teaching hospital.​

According to a statement on the Murdoch University website, Andrew Deeks, vice chancellor Professor said Powell’s extraordinary act of generosity would help ensure Western Australia continued its role as a leading hub for animal research, teaching and training.

“On behalf of Murdoch University, I cannot thank Ted Powell enough for his generosity, support and foresight. He will leave a legacy for the Western Australian veterinary profession, animal research - and for animals great and small - which will resonate for generations to come,” Deeks expressed.

In the redevelopment, the existing veterinary school will be replaced by a 9,600 square-meter state-of-the-art facility large enough to support a 50% increase in the number of veterinary students who can be trained in Western Australia.

Updates on a meditation opportunity for veterinary professionals, outcomes of a biosecurity project in remote Indigenous communities exceeds expectations, and more

Veterinary scene down under: Australian veterinary school receives massive philan-thropic donation, and other news

Explore the fascinating world of ear mites as a veterinarian reveals the differences between male and female Otodectes cynotis and their impact on pets.

A microscopic look at live ear mites

As Itchy Pet Month comes to a close, Christopher Lee, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, takes viewers into a live, microscopic look at the ear mite, 

, differentiating male from female and highlighting features that distinguish this species from other mites.

, which can be found on cats, dogs, and ferrets, is a common culprit of ear disease and infection, and pruritus.

 Clinical signs may vary, but can include

Ear irritation that leads to scratching at the ears

Discharge from the ear that is dark, waxy, or crusty

Alopecia caused by excessive scratching or grooming

Crusting dermatitis in and around the ear.

Aural hematoma, caused by scratching at the ears—a blood-filled swelling of the ear pinna resulting from the rupture of small vessels between the skin and cartilage

: How often do you find these beautiful creatures hiding out in a cat's ear? How sure are you with what species they are? And what makes a boy mite and a girl mite different? Let's take a look.

Look at these little guys go. They're so cute and so beautiful sitting in that oil. Meet Miss 

, the glamorous gal of the ear canal. She's single and ready to mingle. Better catch her quick, as she only lives 2 to 3 weeks and wants to lay up to 20 eggs inside of your cat's ear.

We can see here the tick's head. And if we look close at these arms, we can see suckers. We zoom in a little bit, we'll see these suckers, also called caruncles, situated on a very short stalk. By having a short stalk, we know that this is not 

Now, if we look at the posterior end, we will see these legs that extend beyond the body outline. That tells us that this is likely a non-burrowing mite, rather than a burrowing mite, such as 

, which would be another mite that we may see in cats.

We take a look at this, we also will recognize that this is a female, partly because we have on these long setae on the third set of legs, and we have a vestigial set of fourth legs. We can compare that to a male.

Here we will see the male. Here is the head with 4 forearms, and we will have 4 legs with suckers. Yes, these guys are arachnids. They are closer to ticks and spiders than they are fleas or flies.

So here we can see a very active, wiggling male in the oil, next to a more sedentary female at 5 o'clock. And that, my friends, is 

Barnes C, Weir M, Ward, E. Ear mites in cats and dogs. VCA Animal Hospitals. Accessed August 27, 2025. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/ear-mites-otodectes-in-cats-and-dogs

A crash course video on Otodectes cynotis with Christopher Lee, DVM, MPH, DACVPM. 

Taking a microscopic look at live ear mites

In this episode of The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360, host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, welcomes Alexa Romano, DVM, to the show to discuss her life as a veterinarian, plus her new business venture outside of the industry

An entrepreneurial veterinarian

This week's episode of The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360 welcomes special guest Alexa Romano, DVM to discuss navigating what it was like entering veterinary medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, plus her passions within the industry. Host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, and Romano also take a deep dive into her new business venture, Cool Beans Coffee Company and what it is like to work as a veterinarian while also having a business on the side outside of the industry. 

Below is a partial transcript, edited lightly for clarity. 

So, for 5 years, what do you think of the profession where it is now? Like, what are some things that you're seeing that maybe we could do better? What are your thoughts?

That's a tough one. I heard just because I shadowed and I 'teched' before I went to vet school, so I got to kind of see pre-COVID and like pre those times vet medicine. And I don't know what changed it, but I think, like the work-life balance and also kind of setting your boundaries. I think that's kind of something people are getting better at, but I also think it's something that not all clients are used to sometimes, you know? So I feel like that's been the hardest thing. 

I don't know if it's the old school vets. Like, they would stay all night, they would tell you to come in, they would give you their personal phone numbers and I think [that's] shifted a lot. I think that that's something that in vet school, they're telling us a lot, like work-life balance, mental health. I think they're making that more known, which is great, yeah, but I think that it's getting people used to that too.

I think it's great that this newer generation of veterinarians know how to do work-life balance. If I had to tell the younger Adam Christman, I'd be like, what were you thinking? You know, because the fact that you have these boundaries, I find that [with] the new graduates, they work smarter in the sense that they know how to be more efficient. 

I think their communication skills are outstanding, outstanding. Their ability to relay to the pet owner, I think it's just incredible. And to your point, I think a lot of the new graduates too, have worked as technicians, so they kind of have like appreciation for all aspects within the field of vet med.

Podcasts

Discover how Alexa Romano, DVM, balances veterinary medicine and entrepreneurship with her new business, Cool Beans Coffee Company.

Client education, both in and out of the exam room, is an essential component of providing comprehensive veterinary medicine. Providing pet owners with accurate and accessible information not only elevates the quality of care for patients but also fosters strong partnerships between the veterinary team and the client. By educating your clients, you are empowering them to take an active role in their pet’s care, creating compliance and buy in to treatment plans, along with advocating for their pets’ health and their needs as well.

However, incorporating robust client education into an already demanding clinical workflow can be challenging. Developing educational material and ensuring consistent communication may feel like an added burden for busy teams. The following strategies can help integrate client education seamlessly into daily operations with the goal of keeping pet owners informed and engaged while supporting, rather than overwhelming, your team.

Prioritizing education, while safeguarding the wellbeing and bandwidth of your team, creates meaningful benefits for both clients and patients.

If you don’t provide it, they will find it. Pet owners increasingly seek credible, accessible information that empowers them to keep their pets healthy and thriving. The time you are investing now saves time in the future when difficult or challenging conditions occur. Well-designed educational materials can help clients: 

Understand the value of preventative and proactive care including vaccine protocols, nutrition, and behavioral health. Clients might not fully understand the value of preventative medicine, but they seek to understand daily scenarios they see every day, like whether their pet should be eating kibble, or understanding why their dog is chasing their own tail.

Recognize early signs of illness and facilitate timely veterinary intervention. Better informed clients are more likely to invest in annual examinations and to trust your care first when they see conditions they don’t understand.

Improve the ongoing management of chronic conditions through consistent monitoring and adherence to treatment plans.

Supplementing in-clinic discussions with at-home resources reinforces key messages, improves the retention of information, and encourages proactive engagement in their pet’s healthcare. Client education fosters trust, confidence, and provides peace of mind to pet owners who know they are 

making informed decisions in partnership with their veterinary team.

 “Buddy,” a 7-year-old Golden Retriever



 Dr Martinez has completed team training on effective client communication, including how to explain chronic conditions in plain, relatable terms. During Buddy’s exam, she notices early signs of arthritis and gently walks Ms Smith through what arthritis means for dogs, using a visual joint diagram available in the exam room.


Before Ms Smith leaves, Dr Martinez hands her a printed arthritis care handout (kept stocked in-clinic) that covers symptoms, treatment options, and home comfort tips.


In Buddy’s discharge notes, Dr Martinez includes direct links to reputable online resources like a PetMD article on arthritis and a short video on at-home exercises for senior dogs.


Ms Smith leaves the clinic feeling informed and empowered. She starts Buddy on a recommended joint supplement immediately and schedules a follow-up in 3 months. This proactive approach reduces repeated questions, improves patient care, and strengthens Ms Smith’s trust in Dr Martinez.

While client education directly supports the pet owner’s confidence and the health of their pet, it can also deliver measurable advantages for your veterinary team. Providing effective client education material can help with:

 Educated clients are more likely to trust your recommendations, follow through with treatment plans, and arrive prepared for their pet’s appointment. When clients have access to accurate information in advance, it can encourage collaboration and reduce their skepticism and some repetitive questions. This ultimately supports a healthier work environment for the veterinary team by decreasing the frequency of emotionally taxing visits.

 Establishing a standardized process for delivering accurate pet healthcare information, before, during, and after appointments can streamline communication across channels. By providing vetted resources, you can minimize the back-and-forth phone calls, emails, and free up time for direct patient care and other essential tasks.

Education strengthens the veterinary-client relationship through shared understanding and transparency. Trust built in the exam room drives client loyalty leading to long-term relationships that benefit both the patient, veterinary team, and practice.

Many veterinary professionals enjoy the opportunity to share their knowledge with clients. This allows them to have fulfillment in their roles and encourages positive relationships with their clients.

Streamlined workflows, stronger client relationships, and a happier team are compelling goals, but dedicating time to education can be challenging when resources are already stretched. Although not every practice has the capacity to create accurate, engaging, and accessible materials from scratch, there are effective solutions that exist.

However, before rolling out client-facing educational materials, it’s essential to ensure the team itself is prepared and confident in using them. Simply handing staff a packet or link isn’t enough. Consider that the way these resources are introduced, explained, and reinforced directly impacts client understanding and trust.

Start with baseline behavioral and communication training:

Make sure every team member understands the “why” behind each resource.

Provide role-playing or guided practice for introducing materials to clients in a clear, empathetic way.

Reinforce active listening skills and strategies for addressing common follow-up questions.

This initial training builds a foundation of confidence so staff can focus on the client’s needs rather than worrying about what to say or how to say it. Once those fundamentals are in place, the practice can layer in in-clinic educational materials in the form of handouts, videos, and visual aids to encompass a consistent, proactive education plan.

baseline behaviors, communication confidence

refreshers, team discussions, peer feedback

that support conversations and reinforce the guidance provided during the appointment

When team readiness and educational tools work together, the result is a smoother workflow, better-informed clients, and fewer post-visit calls, thus creating a cycle of trust and efficiency that benefits everyone.

Make a list to identify essential content

Begin by outlining the foundational content your clients need the most. Time estimates set clients’ expectations, make the resources feel approachable and helps you frame them as a small investment now that saves time later.

are the questions that are quick to answer individually, but highly repetitive across appointments. Providing clear, consistent resources can save time and ensure accuracy. Examples include:

Nutrition basics (5-10 minutes to review):

 Recommended diets for life stages (puppy/kitten, adult, senior), feeding guidelines, and portion control.

Behavioral concerns (10-15 minutes to review):

 House training, excessive barking or meowing, scratching, chewing, and socialization strategies for pets of all ages.

Parasite prevention basics (5 minutes to review):

 How and when to administer flea, tick, and heartworm preventives.

Routine visit expectations (5 minutes to review):

 Why annual or biannual exams are important, even for seemingly healthy pets.

are topics that frequently arise during visits and can be supported with supplemental educational materials to reinforce at-home care. Examples include:

 Allergies, hot spots, seasonal skin irritation, and proper bathing routines.

 Vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and dietary changes.

 Cleaning techniques, how to recognize signs of infection, and understanding recurrence risks.

 Recognizing early symptoms, pain management strategies, and safe exercise recommendations.

topics help clients understand the value of proactive health management, which can reduce the risk of serious illness. Examples include:

 Core vaccinations, parasite prevention, microchipping, and spay/neuter guidelines.

 Core vs. non-core vaccines, timing, and the importance of boosting vaccinations.

 Monitoring body condition scores, appropriate exercise routines, and feeding plans.

 The role of annual bloodwork, urinalysis, and dental exams in early disease detection.

 Proactive behavioral education around creating feline-friendly spaces, canine socialization, and leashing walking.

are particularly important for first-time clients or those unfamiliar with veterinary protocols. These resources can reduce anxiety and improve compliance. Examples include:

 Check-in procedures, examination steps, and how diagnostic tests are performed.

 How to choose a pet insurance plan, what is typically covered, and how to file claims.

 When to call for help, what constitutes a veterinary emergency, how tele-triage works, and a list of trusted local emergency clinicians.

 What to expect after surgery or sedation, pain management, and follow-up instructions.

are areas that often have significant impact on health but are commonly overlooked or underemphasized during appointments due to time constraints. Examples include:

 The link between oral health and systemic disease, signs of dental pain, and proper home dental care (brushing, dental chews, rinses).

 Why prevention is important even in colder climates, risks of heartworm and tick-borne diseases, and the importance of consistent dosing.

 Mental stimulation, safe toys, training games, and environmental modifications to reduce stress.

 Special dietary needs, mobility support, cognitive health, and routine screening for age-related diseases.

Maximize client engagement with educational materials you provide and offer resources in a variety of formats.

 Use printed articles, care sheets or illustrations during appointments to support explaining complex conditions or treatment plans.

 Ensure information discussed during the visit is available after the appointment by providing printed handouts or digital follow-ups via email, patient portals, or apps.

 Clients will inevitably search online for educational materials. Reduce the spread of misinformation by linking clients to reputable veterinary-reviewed educational content on your website or social media channels.

Client education is most effective when the entire team is equipped to participate.

Ensure every team member understands the educational tools available and knows how to share them with clients.

 Ask clients what topics they want to learn more about. Ask questions when the client arrives, use short post-visit surveys or in-person conversations to guide educational content priorities.

Utilize existing tools to streamline the work

The veterinary team’s priority is patient care, not necessarily content creation. Leveraging professionally developed resources can ensure accuracy without adding to your workload.

Platforms like PetMD offer a wide range of veterinary-written and reviewed educational materials, including:

Medical illustrations and care sheets to use in the exam room.

Articles across a variety of species and conditions that are ready to be printed or shared digitally.

By using trusted, vetted resources, the team can deliver consistent, reliable information while focusing on patient outcomes and building client relationships.

With the right systems in place, client education becomes a seamless part of the practice workflow by enhancing efficiency, strengthening trust, and most importantly, improving patient outcomes.

Ensure accessibility to educational resources in both the clinic and at home, reducing reliance on unverified online sources.

Leverage vetted external tools to provide high-quality, veterinary-reviewed resources without requiring your team to develop materials from scratch.

Empower pet owners with knowledge to be proactive partners in their pet’s healthcare. Ultimately, well-informed clients lead to healthier pets as well as a more sustainable and satisfying practice environment for veterinary teams.

, is the learning & development manager for Chewy Vet Care, leading content creation and professional development. Bledsoe brings years of small-animal practice experience and advanced certifications as a certified hospice and palliative care veterinarian and in veterinary acupuncture. Previously, she supported the development of Connect with a Vet, Chewy’s tele-triage platform, and has a special interest in effective communication and client experience. A 2012 graduate of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine with a clinical year at Auburn University, Bledsoe earned the Gentle Doctor Award for outstanding patient care and client communication. She lives in Florida with her sweet cats, Ottley and Saba.

The views and recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of dvm360®. References to external resources are provided for educational purposes only, and dvm360 does not endorse any specific companies or services.

Veterinary-reviewed articles and pet health resources. PetMD. Accessed August 6, 2025. 

Effective client education improves veterinary care, empowering pet owners and improving patient outcomes while fostering strong relationships between clients and veterinary teams.