Emerging developments surrounding the spread of avian influenza (H5N1) into our nation’s dairy supply are ongoing and ever-changing.

Meanwhile, Illinois has a new invasive species of tick, the Asian longhorned tick, confirmed by entomologists at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory. The species is capable of carrying tick-borne diseases, first identified in beef cattle.

Advisories on each of these topics were recently issued by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The most recent podcast of Veterinary Today addresses the background of each subject and current practices in monitoring and handling cases of both H5N1 and Asian longhorned ticks that may develop.

Mark Ernst, DVM, State Veterinarian, Illinois Department of Agriculture, joins Debbie Lakamp, CAE, ISVMA Executive Director, in a factual conversation about each development, their current status (as of podcast issue date) and how Illinois veterinarians can manage cases if they are encountered.

When you consider wildlife … specifically wildlife medicine and research … that’s a world as big as all of the outdoors!

Dr. Matthew Allender, Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine’s (UI-CVM’s) Diagnostic Lab, Director at the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab at the UI-CVM’s Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, and Clinical Veterinarian at the Chicago Zoological Society-Brookfield Zoo joins Veterinary Today Podcast host Dr. Joanne Carlson to discuss his intriguing field research with Illinois’ wild turtle population. Land turtles are Dr. Allender’s personal and professional passion, and he discusses how he conducts this research with the aid of specially trained dogs!

He also addresses the critically important work regarding zoonotic disease spread, his career in zoo medicine and his role at the Brookfield Zoo.

An innovative veterinary pharmaceutical clinical trials program has been operating at a central Illinois pet clinic for more than 10 years, allowing pet owners to enroll their dogs and cats in breakthrough drug treatment research.

Pets benefit from potential life-changing and life-saving medicines being developed, treating such conditions as flea infestations and osteoarthritis afflictions, in addition to a wide range of other medical conditions. In the meantime, a pet owner can benefit from free-of-charge attentive medical care for their pet when options for treatment for a medical condition may be non-existent.

Veterinary Today Podcast host, Joanne Carlson, DVM, talks with Larry Baker, DVM, DAVDC, FAVD, owner/operator of Northgate Pet Clinic in Decatur, about the clinical trials program that partners with both pharmaceutical companies and pet owners.