The NYSVMS Education Foundation launched the New York State Veterinary Care Fund last year to help provide veterinary care for sick or injured animals whose caregivers can’t afford the full cost of treatment. The Fund is divided into regional funds used to help animals within each regional. Grants are awarded to NYSVMS member veterinarians to provide treatment for privately owned animals with fixable conditions, when the owner has a financial barrier to obtaining the necessary care. The Fund’s website is: https://nysvms.org/foundation/. Donations can be made directly on the website, and there’s detailed information for veterinarians on getting started, obtaining grant funds for your practice, a fundraising toolkit, and more.
NYSVMS is currently recruiting for the Power of 10 class of 2026. This is a national initiative designed to cultivate leadership capacity in grads 15 years or less from veterinary school who are current NYSVMS members and provide learning experiences that will enrich the individual and benefit the individual’s practice, community and profession. The program provides NYSVMS members with 4 leadership development sessions. NYSVMS provides the experts and covers all meeting and travel expenses for participants to attend sessions. The topics were: wellbeing, what to do when OPD knocks on your door, restructuring student debt and financial planning and the Insights Discovery program. Applications for the Power of 10 Class of 2026 are currently being accepted now through December 12th. The application is on the Recent Graduate page at: https://nysvms.org/graduate-membership/. For more information, please contact Stephanie Quirini at squirini@nysvms.org .
Dr. Shelley Mehlenbacher begins role as executive director of the Animal Health Diagnostic Center
Dr. Shelley Mehlenbacher joins the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine on Dec. 1 as the executive director of the Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC) & New York State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. She also serves as associate dean for diagnostic operations and government relations. Mehlenbacher succeeds Dr. François Elvinger, who held the role since 2015.
AVMA to consider new policies on animal training, camelid castration
AVMA
When the regular winter session of the AVMA House of Delegates (HOD) convenes January 8-9 in Chicago, one of the items delegates will consider adopting is a proposed policy on animal training and early exposure. The HOD will also vote on a new policy on castrating alpacas, llamas, and other camelids. Plus, the House will consider a handful of proposed amendments to the AVMA Bylaws. These were submitted by the House Advisory Committee (HAC) with a goal of maintaining clarity, accuracy, and internal consistency in the governance document.
AVMA Board updates telemedicine, guardianship policies
AVMA
The AVMA Board of Directors (BOD) updated policies addressing a range of issues, including zoonotic disease surveillance, telemedicine, and pet ownership versus guardianship while meeting November 12-14 at Association headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois. Dr. Sandy Willis, District 11 representative to the Board, chaired the meeting, which also saw new policies on animal training and early exposure as well as camelid castration referred to the AVMA House of Delegates (HOD) with recommendations for adoption.
FDA issues draft guidance to reduce six-month nonhuman primate testing for monoclonal antibodies
DVM360
On December 2, 2025, The US Food and Drug Administration issued draft guidance identifying specific types of monoclonal antibody products for which the agency believes six-month toxicity testing in non-human primates (NHPs) can be reduced or eliminated. According to the FDA, this move is part of a broader roadmap to modernize nonclinical drug evaluation and reduce animal testing by incorporating human-relevant methods and risk-based assessments.
Nutrition for senior horse muscle and joint health
The Horse
How should I adjust nutritional plans for senior horses in work to maintain muscle and joint health? As performance horses age, their diet must supply enough calories to maintain body condition and fuel work, along with nutrients to support muscle tone and joint comfort. Over time it gets harder for the horse to build muscle, and aging starts to take a toll on many body systems. This makes it even more important to feed seniors the correct feed product at the recommended amount to deliver optimum (not just minimum) amounts of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.
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