Animal Health News and Notes · June 26, 2026
Editor: Christine Merle DVM, MBA, CVPM
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Earnings News
- General Mills reported its Full Fiscal Year 2026 (ending May 31, 2026) results with net sales of $18.4B, a decrease of 5% (including impact of divestures, acquisitions, currency exchange and 53rd week) over the previous year. Its North America Pet Segment reported $2.6B in net sales, a 6% increase due to acquisition and 53rd, (company press release)
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US Company News
- Hill’s Pet Nutrition enters the fresh dog food category with the introduction of Hill’s Science Diet Single Protein Dog Food Rolls. (company press release)
- Anivive Lifesciences announced the full FDA approval of Laverdia (verdinexor) for the treatment of canine lymphoma. The product is now available through Dechrato veterinarians. (company press release)
- Daniel (Dani) Bendheim became CEO and President of Phibro Animal Healtheffective July 1, 2026. (com)
- Marsand Google Cloud announced an expansion of their strategic partnership designating Gemini Enterprise as the primary AI operating system for Mars’ global workforce. (company press release)
- OS Animal Healthannounced the peer-reviewed publication of data from its Phase 2 clinical trial of OST-HER2, a gene-edited, Listeria-based cancer immunotherapy for the treatment of canine osteosarcoma. (com)
- Egg producers’ Cal-Main Foods, Versova and Hickman’s Egg Ranchhave reached a settlement with the US Justice Department and 17 states to resolve allegations of collusion in setting prices agreeing to pay $3.3M and donate 53 million eggs. (com)
- Texas Biomedand Flyttr have announced a partnership to design and develop advanced biological suppression technologies as solutions for New World screwworms. (com)
- The acquisition of InsideTracker’s Verax, a predictive farm analytic platform, was announced by dsm-firmenich Animal Nutrition and Health. (com)
- The launch of Doubtless Pet Carecombines pet insurance brands from Independence Pet Holdings and the Pinnacle Pet Group insuring 6 million pets across 10 global markets including North America, Europe and UK. (com)
- Lakefield Veterinary Grouplaunched the Care Beyond Limits Fund, providing financial assistance for qualifying cases at its network of veterinary hospitals in the US. (company press release)
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International Company News
- CA – SteriMax, a Canadian pharmaceutical company including sterile injectables, announced the acquisition of Andone Pharmaceuticals, a Canadian pharmaceutical and medical device company. (company press release)
- EU – Eco Animal Health announced the launch of ECOVAXXIN MS across the European Union. (company press release)
- UK – LatusPet,a University of Oxford biotech startup, announced the publication of a study with its proprietary SINO platform, could detect cancer, cardiovascular disease and overall health in dogs with a blood sample. (com)
- UK – Virtue Vets, an independent veterinary group in London, announced expansion plans for more than 60 locations by the end of 2028. (com)
- UK- Years, a pet nutrition company with proprietary Cupboard Fresh technology announced investments from Verlinvestand Five Seasons Ventures with the goal of accelerating international expansion. (com)
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Animal Health Industry News
- GLOBAL – The World Animal Health Organization published new guidelines to support evidence-based use of African Swine Fever vaccines. (org)
- PL – A recent publication of a study completed on cattle farms in Poland has confirmed the presence of bovine blood and Bovine Leukemia Virus DNA in both Culicoides Biting Midges and the Stable Fly (Stomaxys caclitrans)providing support of the possible role these insects might have in mechanical transfer of Bovine Leukemia Virus between cattle. (ncbi.nim.nih.gov)
- US – The Bridge Club is seeking nominations for its 2027 ICON Award,this year with support from the Veterinary Hospital managers Association (VHMA) they will honor a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) for excellence in practice leadership. (org)
- US – The FDA released its MUMS Blueprint for Success: 2026-2028, its plan to modernize and expand the Minor Use and Minor Species (MUMS) program. (organization press release)
- US – The fox tapeworm, Echinoccus multilocularis,previously thought not to be present in the Pacific Northwest has been confirmed in coyotes and now a fox making many believe that the parasite is already established in the region. The tapeworm is zoonotic and can infect both dogs and humans. (wsu.edu)
- US – A studyfrom researchers at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences have detected DNA from Rickettsia typhi-a bacterium that causes flea-borne murine typhus in humas- has been found in cat fleas collected from domestic cats. (tamu.edu)
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Brakke Consulting Viewpoint
When Paul Revere rode his horse to warn of the British arrival to spark the American Revolutionary War, the horse was a vital part of every aspect of the colonies. As the new country forged its way, that dependency continued for another 175+ years until cars, roads (1910-1930’s) and mechanical farming (1940 – 1950’s) transitioned them to their current role in society. In the 1920’s an estimated 25% or 5 to 6 million households owned horses. Today they represent approximately 2 million households; they dwarf the 71 million households that have dogs (according to the 2025 APPA National Pet Owner survey).
Horses once played a critical role in people’s lives, but innovation changed that- however that doesn’t necessarily mean that as a profession and an industry we should focus our time, efforts and most importantly financial investments on species that have the largest numbers or households. Investing in areas that meet a specific need/ niche offers larger opportunities than can be anticipated. We are seeing some of those now (i.e. Dalan’s Bee Vaccine) and I hope we see more in the future.
Dr. Christine Merle
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Your View
Last week we asked what country participating in the World Cup has the best fans?
Seems like the Scotland Army convinced us with 38%, the Netherlands Orange Army came in at 21%, while the USA (12%) beat Norway’s Viking Rowers (9%) the remaining votes went to Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador and Japan.
This week we want to know how you spent the 250th anniversary of the United States?
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