Veterinary Vertex

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A glow under blue light might be the difference between guessing and knowing where cancer has spread. We sit down with Drs. Elizabeth Maxwell and Veronica Perez to unpack a practical, low-cost approach to sentinel lymph node mapping in dogs using fluorescein sodium, a compound many veterinarians already recognize from everyday clinical use. Our focus stays on one big goal: expanding access to accurate cancer staging in veterinary oncology without requiring advanced imaging, specialized near-infrared camera systems, or a referral-only workflow. 
We walk through the real surgical details: intradermal injections around the tumor, quick massage for lymphatic uptake, then watching the lymphatic channels appear in real time with handheld lights and blue light filtering glasses. Elizabeth and Veronica share why simplicity matters for adoption in general practice, what they learned about black light versus blue light clarity, and why “I can see it with my eyes” can reduce friction in the operating room. 

Then we get into the stakes. In their pilot study of six client-owned dogs, the team identified at least one sentinel lymph node in every case, with rapid visualization after injection. Histopathology underscores the clinical value: metastatic mast cell disease showed up in sentinel nodes, including early nodal metastasis that palpation alone could miss, and even deeper second-tier nodes in some dogs. We also cover key limitations, including small sample size, qualitative assessment, and the need for head-to-head trials against standards like indocyanine green near-infrared fluorescence to define sensitivity, specificity, and false negative rates. 

If you care about affordable veterinary cancer care, better surgical decision making, and practical tools that can move beyond specialty centers, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen, then tell us what would help you adopt sentinel lymph node mapping in your own clinic.
JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/
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Pet food advice is everywhere, but the hardest part is what happens when an owner walks into the exam room already convinced they’ve found the “right” answer. We sit down with repeat guest Drs. Janice O’Brien to dig into what veterinarians say actually blocks effective pet nutrition communication during small animal appointments and what helps break through without shaming clients.

Janice shares insights from a large survey of 500+ veterinarians across the US and Canada, including why the top barrier often isn’t time, it’s owner preconceived notions. We talk behavior change and the pre-contemplation stage, why nuance is tough when people want certainty, and why veterinarians often feel like the last voice in a long chain of breeders, shelters, pet store conversations, online searches, ads, and influencers.

We also get highly practical: when handouts work and when they end up in the trash, how to start weight and obesity conversations with an invitation, and what “direct yet compassionate” sounds like in real life. We cover shared decision making, building trust in short visits, writing specific nutrition and calorie recommendations owners can follow, and how cost and prescription diets can affect adherence. We close with the growing impact of social media misinformation and why a whole veterinary team approach including technicians, nurses, assistants, and client service staff may be key to better outcomes.

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JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.01.0077
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A splenic mass shows up on ultrasound and the question hits like a brick: benign or malignant? We go straight at the uncomfortable truth behind canine splenic cytology. Even when splenic FNA feels like the “do something now” step, the match between cytology and histopathology is only moderate, and that has consequences for how we advise families, schedule rechecks, and decide when splenectomy is the safest path.

We talk with Drs. Janet Grimes and Matthew Aluisio about what their data means in the exam room: why a neoplastic cytology result tends to be more predictive than a non-neoplastic one, and why a benign aspirate does not rule out cancer. We unpack the spleen’s built-in complexity, including extramedullary hematopoiesis, mixed cell populations, and the sampling problem of trying to summarize a large, heterogeneous lesion from a tiny needle sample. We also get specific about the diagnoses no one wants to miss, including hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma, and how tumor exfoliation and overlap with reactive processes can blur the picture.

From there, we shift into action: when cytology is most useful, when serial ultrasound monitoring is a reasonable strategy for smaller, non-ruptured nodules, and when size and rupture risk should move the conversation toward surgery and definitive histopathology. We also dig into the “possibly neoplastic” gray zone and why calling your pathologist can be one of the most practical diagnostic tools you have.

If you work up splenic masses in dogs and want clearer owner conversations, better monitoring plans, and fewer false reassurances, this one is for you. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a rating and review so more clinicians can find the show.
JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.01.0006
INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO JAVMA ®  OR AJVR ® ?
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JAVMA ® :
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Facebook: American Journal of Veterinary Research - AJVR | Facebook
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JAVMA ®  and AJVR ®  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/avma-journals

Send us Fan Mail
A splenic mass shows up on ultrasound and the question hits like a brick: benign or malignant? We go straight at the uncomfortable truth behind canine splenic cytology. Even when splenic FNA feels like the “do something now” step, the match between cytology and histopathology is only moderate, and that has consequences for how we advise families, schedule rechecks, and decide when splenectomy is the safest path.

We talk with Drs. Janet Grimes and Matthew Alusio about what their data means in the exam room: why a neoplastic cytology result tends to be more predictive than a non-neoplastic one, and why a benign aspirate does not rule out cancer. We unpack the spleen’s built-in complexity, including extramedullary hematopoiesis, mixed cell populations, and the sampling problem of trying to summarize a large, heterogeneous lesion from a tiny needle sample. We also get specific about the diagnoses no one wants to miss, including hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma, and how tumor exfoliation and overlap with reactive processes can blur the picture.

From there, we shift into action: when cytology is most useful, when serial ultrasound monitoring is a reasonable strategy for smaller, non-ruptured nodules, and when size and rupture risk should move the conversation toward surgery and definitive histopathology. We also dig into the “possibly neoplastic” gray zone and why calling your pathologist can be one of the most practical diagnostic tools you have.

If you work up splenic masses in dogs and want clearer owner conversations, better monitoring plans, and fewer false reassurances, this one is for you. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a rating and review so more clinicians can find the show.
JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.01.0006
INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO JAVMA ®  OR AJVR ® ?
JAVMA ® : https://avma.org/JAVMAAuthors
AJVR ® : https://avma.org/AJVRAuthors

FOLLOW US:

JAVMA ® :
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Twitter: JAVMA (@AVMAJAVMA) / Twitter
 
AJVR ® : 
Facebook: American Journal of Veterinary Research - AJVR | Facebook
Instagram: AJVR (@ajvroa) • Instagram photos and videos
Twitter: AJVR (@AJVROA) / Twitter

JAVMA ®  and AJVR ®  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/avma-journals

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Routine stifle exploration during canine cranial cruciate ligament surgery sounds like common sense, until you ask the uncomfortable question: what if “doing more” doesn’t reliably improve long-term function for most dogs? We sit down with Dr. Dan Low to unpack long-term outcomes after high tibial osteotomy procedures (TPLO and CCWO) performed without routine arthroscopy or arthrotomy and without proactive meniscal evaluation, a real-world approach many clinicians use but rarely see studied in depth.

We break down what high tibial osteotomy actually changes in the cruciate-deficient stifle, then get practical about evidence. Dan explains why this large case series matters, how uncommon events become easier to estimate with bigger numbers, and why validated owner-reported tools like LOAD (Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs) and the Canine Orthopedic Index give us a more standardized view of recovery than vague “good” or “excellent” labels. We also discuss one of the most debated points in veterinary orthopedics: late meniscectomy. When a meniscal sparing strategy produces a low late-intervention rate that looks similar to rates reported in explored joints, it raises a bigger issue about which meniscal lesions are truly clinically meaningful.

We don’t pretend one study settles the debate. You’ll hear the strongest criticisms of this design, the patient groups where exploration still makes sense (uncertain diagnosis, revision cases), and the unanswered research questions that could reshape how we balance morbidity, time, and cost in dog knee surgery. If you treat CCL disease, refer cruciate cases, or counsel owners through surgical options, this conversation will sharpen how you explain risk-benefit decisions without defaulting to habit.

Subscribe for more evidence-focused veterinary conversations, share this episode with a colleague, and leave a rating or review wherever you listen.
JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.25.11.0736
INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO JAVMA ®  OR AJVR ® ?
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AJVR ® : 
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JAVMA ®  and AJVR ®  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/avma-journals