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Working Dogs Are Athletes Too: Why Their Jobs Matter to Their Health
When we think about a “working dog,” many of us picture a police dog or a search and rescue dog. But dogs do many different jobs. Some dogs find missing people. Others guide people who cannot see. Some protect livestock, detect drugs or explosives, help people with disabilities, herd animals,… Listen ⇢
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Librela in Horses: What a New Study Found and What It Did Not Study
I have written before about Librela for dogs and Solensia for cats. These drugs block nerve growth factor, or NGF, which helps the body sense pain. A new study looked at what happened when researchers gave Librela to horses. The finding is simple: Librela was still in the blood of… Listen ⇢
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After TPLO: When Can My Dog Really Return to Activity?
Bone healing is only part of recovery One of the most common questions after a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy, or TPLO, is, “When can my dog go back to normal activity?” There is no single date that applies to every dog. A radiograph showing bone healing is important, but it… Listen ⇢
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Could Blocking Nerve Growth Factor Affect More Than Pain?
Librela has changed how veterinarians treat arthritis pain in dogs. Librela, or bedinvetmab, is a monoclonal antibody that blocks nerve growth factor, usually called NGF. NGF plays an important role in pain, especially arthritis pain. But NGF does more than carry pain signals. A new paper published in Frontiers in… Listen ⇢
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Three Months at a Time: Why the New Longer-Acting Arthritis Drugs for Dogs and Cats Concern Me
Two new arthritis drugs are arriving for dogs and cats. For dogs, there is Lenivia (izenivetmab). For cats, there is Portela (relfovetmab). Both are designed to control osteoarthritis pain for about three months after a single injection. Both drugs block nerve growth factor, or NGF. In other words, we are… Listen ⇢
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FDA Proposes New Safety Guidelines for Monoclonal Antibody Drugs in Pets
Monoclonal antibody drugs are becoming more common in veterinary medicine. You may already know some of them. Librela is used to control osteoarthritis pain in dogs, while Solensia is used for osteoarthritis pain in cats. In September 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released new draft guidance about… Listen ⇢
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Exercise or Rest? What Arthritic Dogs and Cats Actually Need
Rest is useful sometimes, but movement matters When a pet has arthritis, owners are often told to limit activity. That advice can be appropriate during an acute injury or a painful flare. But long-term inactivity creates its own problems. Muscle becomes weaker when it is not used. Endurance decreases. Movement… Listen ⇢
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A Common Problem in Working Dogs, With an Uncommon Cause
Lower back problems are unfortunately common in working dogs. It is the #1 reason why a working dog is retired early. These dogs sprint, jump, climb, search, apprehend, and repeatedly push their bodies in ways that most pet dogs never have to. All of this places tremendous stress on the… Listen ⇢
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Osteoarthritis in Dogs Can Start Earlier Than You Think
When most people think about osteoarthritis (OA), they picture an older dog who is stiff, slow, and having trouble getting up or walking. But osteoarthritis does not suddenly appear when a dog gets old. OA is a disease that can develop and change throughout a dog’s lifetime. In some dogs,… Listen ⇢
Matt Brunke, DVM, DACVSMR (Canine)
Topics on animal mobility, chronic pain, and One Health overlap
