IDEXX Labs is making a SARS-CoV-2 test available to veterinarians for cases in which animals have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 or are showing signs of the disease and all other potential causes have been ruled out. Opti Medical Systems, an IDEXX subsidiary, has validated a COVID-19 test for use in people.

A study presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases found high levels of multidrug-resistant enterococci in frozen raw food for dogs sold in the EU, and another found that two healthy people and one dog with a skin infection had the MCR-1 gene mutation for colistin resistance. Another study presented at the conference found that owning a pet does not appear to significantly raise the risk for colonization with drug-resistant pathogens.

Live poultry is again being sold at markets in China, driven by consumer demand for freshly slaughtered meat. The novel coronavirus is suspected to have jumped from an animal to the first human carriers at a live-animal market in China, and CDC research has implicated live poultry markets as a substantial means of human infection with avian influenza viruses.

The Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at Iowa State University is among those throughout the US helping to process COVID-19 tests in collaboration with labs that test samples from humans. Veterinary labs have the needed equipment on hand and have experience running tests for other coronaviruses, including the one that causes porcine epidemic diarrhea.

A farm in North Carolina is offering video footage of its horses or miniature donkey to liven up company meetings or classroom sessions on Zoom.

Emergency and critical care veterinarian Christine Rutter says she's seen an unusually high number of pets with injuries caused by other pets at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine's teaching hospital. Pets need a consistent daily routine that includes exercise and training to minimize stress, and pets that show guarding behaviors might need their own toys and food bowls, Dr. Rutter says.

The AVMA Council on Education approved the 2+2 program at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, which enables veterinary students to complete the first two of their four-year veterinary curriculum at the university's West Texas campus. The program is meant to boost the number of veterinarians in Texas specializing in food-animal medicine.

When someone's request to talk threatens to irritate you, try taking a deep breath and consciously give that person your respectful attention, writes Mitch Ditkoff. "Any time another person seeks you out to speak their mind or express themselves, it's a golden opportunity for you to be of service -- a simple act of human kindness that can be accomplished in three minutes or less," he writes.

Routine testing of animals for COVID-19 is not recommended by the AVMA, CDC, USDA, American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians or National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians. The AVMA's newest addition to its online COVID-19 resources explains when testing may be called for, how testing should be conducted, and where veterinarians can go to get more information on testing animals. View AVMA's "Testing animals for SARS-CoV-2" webpage.