Wrap up: Protecting your DEA registration during transitions, and other news

Happy Friday, dvm360 readers! With the AVMA Convention behind us, the dvm360 team spent this week bringing you what we heard in Anaheim, from a federal update on the country's screwworm response to an endocrinologist's take on where feline diabetes care is headed. Add in a licensing decision out of Colorado, a hard look at practice partnerships, and a reminder about what your DEA number really makes you responsible for, and it was a full week across the site.

Leading things off, for many veterinarians a DEA registration is simply a tool of the trade, but when it is used to order and maintain a controlled substance inventory, the registrant is 100% responsible for everything that happens with it. In this article, Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBA, and Kelley Detweiler explain why that inventory is legally yours regardless of who paid for it, the 3 ways it must be transitioned when you sell a practice or change roles, how to recognize the "nominal registrant" trap, and what to secure before you walk out the door.

Here is what else came out this week on dvm360.com:

• dvm360's assistant editor Abi Bautista-Alejandre pulled together a comprehensive guide to New World screwworm for veterinarians, drawing on a joint USDA, FDA, and CDC session at the 2026 AVMA Convention along with the latest federal guidance and agency data. The report covers where cases have been confirmed, which animals are at risk, how to interpret the difference between full approval, conditional approval, and emergency use authorization, and what to do if you suspect a case.
• Colorado is moving closer to putting the nation's first veterinary professional associate into practice. The Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine voted to advance the American Association of Veterinary State Boards as the developer of the VPA licensing examination but deferred a decision on the credentialing agency until its August 13 meeting, with Colorado State University's first class of students expected to enroll this fall.
• Is creatine just for bodybuilders and athletes? On this week's episode of The Resilient Vet: Mind & Body Strategies for Success, cohosts Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS, and Jennifer Edwards, DVM, ACC, CPC, ELI-MP, say no. In part 1 of this 2-part miniseries, they break down what creatine is, how it helps replenish the body's energy stores, and why it may benefit professionals facing physically demanding shifts and cognitively intensive clinical decisions.
• Partnership can feel like the logical next step for a growing segment of veterinarians, but owning a business with someone is very different from working alongside them. In this article, CJ Burnett, CExP, walks through the conversations that too often go unhad, including shifting contributions, governance as the ownership group grows, and why the partnership shouldn't double as your retirement plan.
• Ellen Behrend, VMD, MS, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM), sat down with dvm360 at the AVMA Convention to discuss SGLT2 inhibitors and why she considers them one of the most significant developments in feline diabetes care, from easier once-daily dosing for clients to their potential in cats with acromegaly that can be nearly impossible to manage on insulin alone.
• And more!