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On this episode of The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360, the Caring Pathways team joins Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, to talk all about end-of-life care 

Leveling up end-of-life care: Excellence, compassion, and the future of veterinary hospice

Client service representatives are essential communicators, care coordinators, and compassionate advocates at the core of every veterinary team

Why client service representatives matter

With these practical tips for cat weight loss, we can empower clients to help their cats have normal body condition, while maintaining if not improving the human animal bond

Practical weight loss in cats 

Jill Clark, DVM, returns to the Vet Blast Podcast to discuss client service representative education and why it is needed

It's time for evidence-based continuing education for CSRs

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Jb Minter, DVM, MS, DACZM, discusses the unique physical characteristics of amphibians that impact their response to anesthesia and analgesia 

Why amphibians respond differently to anesthesia and analgesia

Joya Griffin, DVM, DACVD, explains anal sac retention syndrome is and which dogs are most at risk

A brief overview of anal sac retention syndrome

Tick Tidbits: Ticking Off the 5 W’s on These Tiny Troublemakers 

New leadership moves, recognition, and achievement

Paws and profits: New veterinary and sales leadership

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Dr. Fertig is a contributing technical editor at 

 and does consulting work for the veterinary industry.

After several years in small-animal practice and a lengthy stint in industry work, I recently began working as a contributing technical editor for Veterinary Medicine.

Editors' Guest: My eye-opening experience in editing a veterinary journal

, the leading multimedia provider of animal health care communications, education and research for veterinary professionals, is thrilled to announce its 2025–2026 Editorial Advisory Board, featuring 17 inspiring new members who are raising the bar for the profession.

The addition of new board members ensures the editorial direction remains current, relevant and responsive to the evolving landscape of veterinary medicine. This year’s board is packed with changemakers who represent diverse perspectives from across the care team, allowing them to contribute to innovation and help shape content that speaks to the challenges and opportunities faced by the profession. By bringing these diverse voices together, dvm360 is doubling down on its commitment to delivering content that is relevant, practical and ahead of the curve.

“We are honored to welcome the 2025–2026 dvm360 Editorial Advisory Board—an exceptional group of diverse and dedicated professionals who represent the very best of veterinary medicine,” said Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, chief veterinary officer at dvm360. “Their insight, expertise, and commitment to the profession will guide our editorial direction as we continue to elevate, educate and innovate for the entire veterinary community. We’re especially excited to welcome 17 new members whose fresh perspectives will help us stay responsive to the evolving needs of the field.”

As critical topics such as well-being, artificial intelligence, technology integration and pain management take on greater prominence, the expanded board brings valuable insight to ensure dvm360 remains aligned with the most pressing needs of veterinary teams and practice environments. Advisory board members bring hands-on experience and thought leadership that directly inform editorial planning and educational programming.

“Veterinary professionals are facing unprecedented changes and opportunities,” said John Hydrusko, vice president of sales for MJH Life Sciences

, the parent company of dvm360. “Our new advisory board members are leaders who understand the realities of practice today. Their insights will help us align our content with what matters most to veterinary teams: delivering better care, fostering stronger teams and embracing innovation with confidence.”

The editorial board’s purpose is to elevate the content quality through the input from professionals who are actively shaping veterinary medicine. The 2025–2026 board members offer expertise in clinical care, practice operations, client communication and team development. Their contributions will help guide content strategy across dvm360’s multimedia platforms, including articles, webinars, videos and national Fetch conferences.

The 2025–2026 Editorial Advisory Board includes (* indicates newly added):

Craig Clifford, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology)

Natalie Marks, DVM, CVJ, CCFP, Elite FFC-V*

Tasha McNerney, BS, CVT, CVPP, VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia)

Christopher Pinard, DVM, DSVc, DACVIM (Oncology)*

Kristin Kirkby Shaw, DVM, PhD, MS, DACVS-SA, DACVSMR

Kristen Ward, BSN-RN, RVT-VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia)*

Fred Wininger, VMD, MS, DACVIM (Neurology)

The appointment of the 2025–2026 Editorial Advisory Board reflects dvm360’s ongoing commitment to excellence in veterinary education and content development. Visit 

 is the leading multimedia provider of animal health care communications, education and research for veterinary professionals. We engage audiences with top-of-the-line, in-depth digital and print news, medical information and veterinary resources focusing on every aspect of a veterinary professional’s life. With our online learning platform, dvm360 Flex, we also deliver a 360-degree solution for continuing education in various mediums including print, digital, in-person and on-demand.


MJH Life Sciences is the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels, providing health care professionals with the information and resources they need to optimize patient outcomes. MJH combines the reach and influence of its powerful portfolio of digital and print product lines, live events, educational programs and market research with the customization capabilities of a boutique firm. Clients include world-leading pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic and biotech companies. For more information, please visit 

Big ideas. Bold voices. A fresh wave of insight is here.

dvm360® unveils 2025–2026 Editorial Advisory Board: Fresh perspectives spark innovation across the veterinary field

A recent study of koalas affected by bushfires in Australia revealed severe burns to footpads that hindered their ability to climb trees and to escape the dangerous conditions. Lung damage and generalized burns to the skin and furred regions were also found in these marsupials.

, the study was supported by a $54757 grant from the Morris Animal Foundation based in Denver, Colorado. The investigation relied on clinical data from koalas affected by catastrophic bushfires that occurred in the Australian summer of 2019-2020. Data collected included comprehensive health assessments of koalas, sample analysis, statistical analysis and extensive collaboration with wildlife rescue groups and veterinarians.

The histopathological features and the depth of burns in koala skin, and smoke-induced respiratory tract damage were studied. In 4 koalas affected by bushfires that were euthanized, burns to skin in various body regions were scored based on clinical appearance as superficial, partial thickness, or full thickness. Furred regions on the ear margins and dorsum were histologically more severe than other body regions. However, the study’s results found the most commonly burned body region was the plantar footpads in the hind legs, which investigators theorized was likely because of the koalas’ descent from trees to scorched ground. Investigators also found that pulmonary oedema and congestion were evident in the respiratory tracts of all studied koalas.

Investigators concluded that understanding of the injuries incurred by the studied koalas can be used to better assess the likelihood of survival, rehabilitation and release for these marsupials. “Compounding the effect of burns on the health of the koalas, a high likelihood of lung damage due to smoke inhalation has also been found by this study, and this is an important additional consideration for veterinarians triaging rescued koalas,” said Natasha Speight, a senior lecturer at the University of Adelaide, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, who led the study, in a news release.

Investigator noted that, overall, the study results demonstrate that cutaneous burn lesions on furred and footpad surfaces can have higher severity based on the burn depth than is clinically apparent. Therefore, they noted in the publication, there is a need to consider burn depth when developing treatment plans and establishing prognosis at triage for koalas that have been burned, as well as the high likelihood of pulmonary oedema exists, they wrote.

The study’s findings provide critical information that will improve koala care during future fire seasons. The study results also significantly advance understanding of the impacts of bushfires on wildlife, which is crucial for future planning and care coordination, according to investigators. “These resources can then be used by the government, wildlife carers and veterinarians to assess the prognosis for koalas that have injuries due to bushfires, as well as aid coordination of bushfire response efforts,” Speight said, in the release.

Publication identifies risk factors in koalas. News release. Morris Animal Foundation. January 9, 2023. Accessed January 9, 2023. 

https://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/article/publication-identifies-risk-factors-koalas

Baek C, Woolford L, Funnell, et al. Cutaneous and respiratory lesions in bushfire-affected koalas. 

. 2023;10(11):658. doi:10.3390/vetsci10110658

The investigators’ findings may prove critical to improving care for wildlife affected by future fires

Clinical

Study analyzes severity of injuries in koalas affected by Australian bushfire

You know the importance of full mouth dental radiographs for your patients. However, the time it takes to get a diagnostic full mouth study is making you second guess this step.

If you want to ensure all patients get full mouth dental radiographs in a reasonable timeframe, and the bisecting angle technique makes you anxious, this article is for you. The subtle changes to the bisecting angle technique that will feel like “cheater codes” as well as this author’s approach to “bad radiographs” will be addressed.

These 2 things will help you and your team get consistently better radiographs faster. However, before we get to the “cheater codes” and “bad radiographs” we will start with a general overview of the 2 main intraoral dental radiology techniques: Intraoral Parallel Technique (IPT) and Bisecting Angle Technique (BAT).

The IPT is the same technique used to acquire diagnostic images for the rest of the body. The plate or sensor—

 will be used for both throughout the article—used to capture the image is positioned parallel to the target anatomy. The generator, also called the tube head, is positioned perpendicular to both the sensor and the patient.

The IPT is preferred as it allows for the most accurate image of the target anatomy with minimal distortion.

 If we could use this method for full mouth dental radiographs in our canine and feline patients it would be ideal. However, because of the absence of a vaulted palate and the presence of a mandibular symphysis, the sensor can only be placed parallel to the entire tooth for the mandibular molars and, in some patients, the most caudal mandibular premolars.

The anatomic differences between humans and veterinary patients means that the majority of our patient’steeth will require the BAT to obtain radiographs. The BAT is most commonly used in patients’mouths where the IPT cannot be used. However, it can be used for all teeth in patients’ mouths.

This is because the BAT is based on a geometric theorem: Cieszynski rule of isometry (

). This theory, coming from the geometric Law of Isometry, is applied to dental radiographs to obtain an accurate image when IPT cannot be used. The law has also been called the theory of equilateral triangles

, stating two triangles are equal if they have 2 equal angles and a shared side.

The reason for all this geometry is to ensure the image captured has the least amount of distortion. The other way to consider this is that BAT is a way to create an IPT when the sensor cannot be placed parallel to the entire tooth. Remember, the IPT has the tubehead directed perpendicular to BOTH the tooth and the sensor, which is not possible for most of our patient’s teeth. By bisecting the angle between the sensor and the tooth, this creates the angle to which the tubehead can be placed perpendicularly,similar to the IPT. While the BAT works for all teeth, the canine teeth given their curvature present a challenge. This article will first focus on the approach for imaging the majority of teeth and then will review the slight changes needed for imaging canine teeth.

Now that both intraoral dental radiography techniques have been reviewed, we can progress to the “cheater codes” to help improve your technique and speed.

The first way to simplify the BAT is to simplify the angles involved. Although many authors

 advise to place the sensor “as parallel as possible” to the tooth, it is this author’s recommendation and others

 that the sensor be placed perpendicular to the tooth. This small change in sensor positioning allows for a 90-degree angle between the tooth and sensor which is visually much simpler to bisect: 45 degrees. (

To ensure the sensor is perpendicular to the long axis of the maxillary teeth, the sensor should be placed parallel to the hard palate. For the mandibular teeth: using the patient’s tongue to fill the intermandibular space will give your sensor a flat surface to lay against that is perpendicular to the tooth roots. (

Positioning your patients in dorsal recumbency allows you and your team to complete the entire Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment (COHAT) , including full mouth dental radiographs, without moving the patient or disconnecting any monitoring equipment. With the patient in dorsal recumbency, rotate their head 45°. By rotating their head and using the above simplification the bisecting angle will now be a vertical line which results in the tubehead angle being 0° or horizontally positioned. (

Once you get the correct angle for the first radiograph in the quadrant, do not change the angle of the patient, sensor or the tubehead. The only change to be made is to the move the sensor and tubehead either mesial or distal along that quadrant. This will save time by not rechecking any of the angles.

The biggest challenge to the bisecting angle simplification are the canine teeth. This is because while the rest of our patient’s dentition have similar angles between the crowns and roots, the canine teeth do not. (

Instead of using the angle of the crown for the canine tooth, the angle of the rostral mandible should be used. This is because the root of the canine tooth follows that curvature. (

) Canine teeth are a bit of an anatomical exception, given their crowns and roots do not have the same angle, you need to use the root angle to get the correct bisecting angle. 

Often a nondiagnostic radiograph, missing part of the tooth or inappropriate angle, is called 

. The radiograph is only bad if you do not then use it to help you get the diagnostic radiographs you want.

In this author's experience teaching dental radiography, most participants are quick to be critical of nondiagnostic radiographs. They often change patient, sensor and tubehead positioning or angle all at once. 

Instead, it is important to focus on the positives of the nondiagnostic radiograph, to determine what should not be changed. The main 2 things to focus on are whether the angle is correct and whether the teeth of interest are in the radiograph in their entirety. 

A veterinary dentistry expert shares tips for achieving full mouth images using 2 main techniques and 'cheater codes'

Dana L. Fertig, DVM, MS

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