Veterinary Vertex

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Rehabilitation isn’t a luxury line item at the end of a case anymore. It’s becoming the difference between “we fixed the lesion” and “this patient truly returns to function.” We’re joined by Drs. Heidi Reesink, Denise Marcellin-Little, and David Levine to unpack a first-of-its-kind JAVMA rehabilitation Technical Tutorial Video supplemental issue and what it signals about where veterinary rehabilitation and physical therapy are headed.

We talk honestly about what makes rehabilitation challenging and exciting in real clinical practice: plans that look totally different for dogs, cats, and horses; chronic cases like osteoarthritis that demand long-term strategy; and the reality that owner goals, time, and cost shape what care can actually happen. You’ll hear why a multidisciplinary rehab team matters, how technicians and assistants help deliver consistent protocols, and why listening to the patient over time can be just as important as any single test.

From there we get practical and tech-forward. We dig into objective gait analysis using wearable sensors and motion capture, the stubborn underuse of goniometry despite validation, and how ultrasound-guided injections and arthroscopy support both diagnosis and treatment while enabling longitudinal monitoring. We also explore major modalities clinicians ask about every day, including shockwave therapy and underwater treadmill aquatic therapy, plus what we still need to learn to tighten protocols. Finally, we tackle orthobiologics and regenerative medicine evidence, why big studies are so hard in veterinary patients, and how video tutorials can bridge the gap between research and day-to-day rehabilitation outcomes.

If you care about better mobility, clearer measurements, and more predictable recoveries, listen now, share it with a colleague, and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next. After you listen, leave us a rating and review and tell us: which rehabilitation tool has changed your practice most?
JAVMA editorial: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.264.s1.s3
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We sit down with Dr. Lynn Pezzanite to explore a promising angle on aging-related equine osteoarthritis (OA): cellular senescence, the pro-inflammatory state where cells release a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) that can amplify damage inside tissues over time.

We walk through why horses are such a valuable One Health model for osteoarthritis research and why this team compared synovial fluid cells from the joint with peripheral blood mononuclear cells from circulation. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, the study teases apart immune and cellular heterogeneity that bulk methods can blur. One of the most striking takeaways is the compartment split: senescence-associated pathways can be down in peripheral blood yet up in synovial cells, suggesting the joint environment may create a more intense, specialized senescent phenotype.

We also dig into the immune cell story, including why dendritic cells and gamma delta T cells keep showing up as important across both chronic natural OA and early post-traumatic OA work. Then we shift to what this could mean clinically: the promise and cautions around senescence-targeted therapies and the practical case for local intra-articular delivery. Finally, we talk translational hurdles like equine-specific dosing and safety, plus the next research steps to connect senescence burden with OA pain and treatment response.

If you care about equine lameness, osteoarthritis biomarkers, and the future of disease-modifying OA therapy, subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave us a rating and review wherever you listen.
AJVR article: https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.25.09.0343
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Botox for the equine hoof sounds like a punchline until you learn the science behind it. We sit down with Dr. Kali Slavik and repeat guest Dr. Andrew van Eps to explore a simple but high-stakes question in equine biomechanics: what happens when you inject botulinum toxin into the deep digital flexor (DDF) muscle, the muscle-tendon unit that helps control the rotational forces acting on the horse’s foot and distal phalanx (P3)? 

We walk through the anatomy in plain terms and then get into the study design, using healthy horses with one treated limb and one control limb to reduce variability. Kali explains how they used wireless pressure sensor membranes to quantify ground reaction forces at different hoof regions and track center of pressure during stance and at the walk, a powerful alternative to traditional pressure plates when you want more real-world movement data. Andrew shares what he expected to see and what surprised him once the numbers came in. 

Then we dig into the findings that matter most for equine laminitis: reduced toe force during breakover and a meaningful palmar shift in center of pressure, including changes seen even when the horse is just standing still. We also cover the practical realities, including the short-lived effect (about two weeks), who this may best help (think acute onset laminitis tied to SIRS or hyperinsulinemia), why it is less suited to chronic or support-limb cases, and the big barriers of cost and technical ultrasound-guided injections. We close with study limitations and the next research step: a blinded placebo-controlled trial that also looks at P3 rotation outcomes. 

If you care about laminitis treatment options, hoof biomechanics, and how veterinary research turns measurements into better decisions, listen now and share this with an equine colleague. Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and tell us what question you want answered next.
AJVR article: https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.25.12.0452
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Zero re-obstructions sounds almost too good to be true, so we wanted to understand exactly how the data got there and what it means for everyday feline practice. We are joined by study author Dr. Kelly Tart to talk about a prospective, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial evaluating lorazepam for recurrence prevention after feline urethral obstruction in male cats, one of the most common and life-threatening urinary emergencies we treat.

We start with the “why”: feline urethral obstruction can rapidly cause azotemia, hyperkalemia, acidosis, and fatal arrhythmias, and recurrence often hits within the first couple of weeks after discharge. Kelly explains the key anatomic detail that drives the whole hypothesis: the male feline penile urethra contains both smooth and skeletal muscle, and plugs often lodge distally where skeletal muscle dominates. Many past pharmacologic approaches have focused on smooth muscle pathways, which may help explain inconsistent results in recurrence studies. Lorazepam, a benzodiazepine with skeletal muscle relaxant effects, offers a mechanism that better matches where the problem happens.

We also dig into what strong evidence looks like in veterinary medicine and why prospective enrollment, standardized care, placebo control, and double blinding matter when owners and clinicians are judging outcomes in nonverbal patients. You will hear practical discharge details including timing, dosing approach, a 30-day course to cover the highest-risk window, approximate cost, and what adverse effects to monitor such as sedation and ataxia. We close with the clinical “so what”: how this could change post-obstruction management, which cats we would avoid based on prior benzodiazepine sensitivity, and the research questions this opens for lower urinary tract signs beyond true obstruction.

If you found this helpful, subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.
JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.26.01.0045
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What if the IV catheter your hospitalized dog already has could spare them multiple needle sticks a day without sacrificing lab accuracy? We sit down with Dr. Bryan Welch to challenge a common assumption in small animal emergency and ICU care: that venipuncture is the only reliable way to get serial bloodwork. We talk through a validated push-pull blood sampling technique that uses a peripheral IV catheter to collect repeat samples while aiming to reduce stress, preserve veins, and lower the risk of oversampling and hospital-acquired anemia. 

Bryan breaks down the method step by step: flushing with sterile saline, drawing blood back, returning it to the patient, and repeating to clear dead space and reduce dilution. Then we dig into the results that matter to practicing veterinary teams, including how peripheral IV catheter samples compare with venipuncture right after placement and after at least 24 hours of continuous IV fluids and medications. We also clarify a point that trips up a lot of clinicians, statistically significant versus clinically relevant differences, using real examples of when a number changes but your treatment plan should not. 

We also cover the practical concerns that drive hesitation, hemolysis, clot formation, turbidity, and smear changes, plus what the study did and did not evaluate. Bryan shares where he would be cautious, including interpreting sodium potassium ratios for suspected hypoadrenocorticism, and offers simple implementation tips for teams trying the technique for the first time. If you want evidence-based ways to improve patient comfort and streamline hospitalized dog bloodwork, hit play, then subscribe, share with your ICU team, and leave a rating and review.
JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.25.09.0635
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