The Essential Pediatric Protocols for Every Vet Clinic

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New publications in pediatric care

This week we are highlighting two major publications for neonatal and pediatric care.

In August, the RECOVER Initiative published the first evidence- and consensus-based newborn resuscitation guidelines for dogs and cats, filling a long-standing gap between whelping/queening support and adult CPR. The package, which includes the algorithm, dosing chart, and evidence summaries, emphasizes rapid airway clearance, temperature control, and positive-pressure ventilation to aerate lungs—then escalates to chest compressions and targeted drugs for non-breathing or pulseless neonates. AVMA’s write-up underscores the “first minute” sequence and the inclusion of weight-based dosing aids for epinephrine, naloxone, atipamezole, flumazenil, dextrose, and doxapram—practical tools for high-stress C-sections and dystocia cases.

Published as an open-access JVECC special issue, the guidelines distill 28 PICO questions into 59 recommendations, giving teams a common language and workflow from delivery room to recovery. If you already adopted RECOVER’s 2024 adult CPR update, this extends that standard upstream: print the neonatal algorithm, laminate the dosing chart, and run drills with your surgery/ER staff. If you work with breeders, ensure the information is passed along.

Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice also put forth an issue on Neonatology and Pediatrics this past week. The issue reviews the updated RECOVER guidelines and provides necessary updates on other topics including immunology, congenital anomalies, oncology, and the gut microbiota.

Read up and the next time you are snuggling in the new puppy appointment you can be sure you are as prepared as possible for anything that little cutie needs over the next year.

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Petflation Slows to 2.5% in August 2025

The August 2025 Pet Business Professor update shows that petflation—the inflation rate for pet-related goods and services—slowed slightly to 2.5%, down from 2.6% in July. This rate is now 13.8% below the national CPI, which rose to 2.9%.

📉 Key Segment Trends

• Pet Products: Prices dropped, with food down 0.3% and supplies down 0.6%.

• Services: Slight increases, with veterinary and pet services both up 0.1%.

• Veterinary Services remain the top inflation driver, up 6.4% year-over-year, and have seen the highest cumulative inflation since 2019 (+46.2%).

📊 Long-Term Inflation Insights

• Since 2019, pet prices have risen 28%, with 24% of that increase occurring since 2021.

• Pet Products inflation has largely stabilized, while Services continue to climb due to high-income consumer demand.

• Pet Food prices are deflating year-to-date (-0.3%), despite a brief uptick in recent months.

🛒 Retail Implications

• Price sensitivity is expected to impact consumer behavior:

  • Reduced purchase frequency for supplies.

  • Potential downgrading in pet food quality.

  • Shift to online and private label products.

• Tariffs could further pressure supply costs, especially for pet supplies.

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Apoquel Chewables: Tasty but Toxic for Pets

Since the release of pork-flavored Apoquel Chewable in late 2023, accidental overdoses in pets—especially cats—have surged according to reporting from VIN News Services this week. Originally designed to treat allergic dermatitis in dogs, the chewable version’s palatable flavor has made it dangerously appealing to both dogs and cats, leading to severe health consequences and even death.

The drug’s active ingredient, oclacitinib, is a Janus kinase inhibitor that modulates immune responses. While safe at prescribed doses, overdoses can cause vomiting, facial swelling, eye redness, and damage to vital organs including the heart, kidneys, and liver. Cats are particularly vulnerable due to their smaller size and slower drug metabolism.

Veterinary poison hotlines have reported thousands of overdose cases since the chewable form debuted, with 36 confirmed fatalities. Unlike the original unflavored Apoquel, which rarely caused serious incidents, pets now actively seek out and consume large quantities of the flavored tablets—sometimes over 100 at once.

Zoetis, the manufacturer, has issued warnings and is reviewing packaging safety, but overdoses continue to rise.

If this emerging threat to patients was off your radar, be sure to add some client education and communication the next time you prescribe Apoquel Chewables.

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Quick Hits

Here are some of the other stories that caught our eye and we're following this week from around the veterinary world and animal kingdom: