Vet Candy – Veterinary Lifestyle, News & Learning

Our fifth host is finally here! Meet Emese Avdeyenkova, a first-year veterinary student at Rowan University, former U.S. Army officer, and mom to a one-year-old, as she shares how she's balancing vet school, parenting, and a brand-new career path.

Also on this episode of Vet School After Dark:

Jeremiah Pouncy (Cornell, fourth year) reveals his summer plans: co-hosting a wellness retreat and wildlife medicine excursion in Costa Rica with Dr. Sheddy, the sailing vet.

Jess Michell (Ohio State, second year) leads a serious conversation about rising rabies cases in the US. Is vaccine hesitancy to blame, or are economic barriers to pet care the real driver?

JC Alvarado Colon (Colorado State, fourth year) breaks down artificial intelligence in veterinary medicine and what it means for students and future vets.

Kennedi Robinson (Purdue, fourth year) wraps things up with a game of Two Truths and a Lie. Can you guess which one's fake?

We get advice from Dr. Matt Evans, veterinarian, author of Chomping at the Bit, and comedian!

Vet School After Dark is the podcast hosted entirely by veterinary students, sharing the real side of vet school: the wins, the stress, the clinical rotations, and the life in between. Whether you're a pre-vet student, a current DVM student, or a veterinary professional, pull up a chair.

Sponsored by NAVLE Warriors, Vet Candy's free 12-week NAVLE prep program.

Subscribe, tag @myvetcandy with your thoughts, and thanks for listening. Only on Vet Candy Radio.

#veterinarypodcast #veterinary #animalhealth #pets

Our fifth host is finally here! Meet Emese Avdeyenkova, a first-year veterinary student at Rowan University, former U.S. Army officer, and mom to a one-year-old, as she shares how she's balancing vet school, parenting, and a brand-new career path.

Also on this episode of Vet School After Dark:

Jeremiah Pouncy (Cornell, fourth year) reveals his summer plans: co-hosting a wellness retreat and wildlife medicine excursion in Costa Rica with Dr. Sheddy, the sailing vet.

Jess Michell (Ohio State, second year) leads a serious conversation about rising rabies cases in the US. Is vaccine hesitancy to blame, or are economic barriers to pet care the real driver?

JC Alvarado Colon (Colorado State, fourth year) breaks down artificial intelligence in veterinary medicine and what it means for students and future vets.

Kennedi Robinson (Purdue, fourth year) wraps things up with a game of Two Truths and a Lie. Can you guess which one's fake?

We get advice from Dr. Matt Evans, veterinarian, author of Chomping at the Bit, and comedian!

Vet School After Dark is the podcast hosted entirely by veterinary students, sharing the real side of vet school: the wins, the stress, the clinical rotations, and the life in between. Whether you're a pre-vet student, a current DVM student, or a veterinary professional, pull up a chair.

Sponsored by NAVLE Warriors, Vet Candy's free 12-week NAVLE prep program.

Subscribe, tag @myvetcandy with your thoughts, and thanks for listening. Only on Vet Candy Radio.

#veterinarypodcast #veterinary #animalhealth #pets

Summer is officially over, and JC, Jeremiah, Jess, and Kennedi are here with stories, questionable life choices, and the reality check that comes with another year of vet school.

Kennedi is fresh off an externship in Miami - literally, she just landed back in Indiana- and still mourning the beach, while the crew catches up on summer adventures and what they are looking forward to this year.

Then things get real. They talk about food insecurity in veterinary school, what it actually looks like, why so many students quietly struggle with it, and where to find help when money gets tight. Because surviving vet school is hard enough without wondering where your next meal is coming from.

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Vet Candy is the veterinary podcast network for veterinarians, veterinary students, vet techs, and animal health professionals who want real conversations about veterinary medicine.

Listen to podcasts covering veterinary news, clinical medicine, new research, NAVLE prep, vet school life, veterinary careers, mental health, wellness, leadership, technology, and the changing animal health industry.

From Vet School After Dark, where veterinary students talk honestly about life inside vet school, to conversations with veterinarians, specialists, researchers, innovators, and industry leaders, Vet Candy brings you the stories and voices shaping veterinary medicine today.

Whether you are studying for the NAVLE, surviving clinical rotations, building your veterinary career, looking for the latest animal health research, or just want a veterinary podcast that actually feels like it was made for you, you will find it here.

New veterinary podcasts and episodes added regularly. Follow Vet Candy and never miss what is happening in veterinary medicine. #veterinary #vetcandy #veterinarymedicine

cat that suddenly started walking on its tiptoes leaves everyone scratching their heads. In this episode of Medical Mysteries with Dr. Courtney, Dr. Courtney Campbell joins veterinary surgeon Dr. Rebecca Webb to unravel a baffling feline case. Could an unusual gait be the clue that leads to a surprising diagnosis? Tune in to find out if they can get this kitty back on all four paws.

What does it take to bring one of veterinary medicine’s most iconic conferences to Music City for the very first time?

On this episode of Living Well with Dr. Jessica Turner, Dr. Jessica sits down with Andrea Davis, CEO of Viticus Group, the organization behind the legendary WVC veterinary conferences, for a behind-the-scenes look at WVC Nashville and the people, planning, and big ideas bringing this nearly 100-year-old veterinary tradition to Nashville.

Andrea shares what goes into creating a conference veterinarians genuinely don’t want to miss, from hundreds of hours of continuing education and hands-on learning to KNACK Tracks, incredible speakers, live music, networking, and unforgettable events. WVC Nashville is taking everything veterinarians love about WVC and mixing in a serious dose of Music City energy.

But this conversation goes well beyond the conference.

Jessica and Andrea talk candidly about leadership, ambition, family, and what it means to build a career at the highest levels of veterinary medicine. Andrea shares her perspective on leading as a female CEO in an industry where women dominate the profession but remain far less represented in its top executive roles. They also talk about something many working parents understand all too well: how to pursue a big career while still making room for the people who matter most.

Sign up here: https://www.viticusgroup.org/wvc-nashville?utm_campaign=45126685-WVCN26%20-%20Vet%20Candy&utm_source=1600x400px%20%28leaderboard%20webpage%20ad%29&utm_content=1600x400px%20%28leaderboard%20webpage%20ad%29

And this week, both Andrea and Jessica are bringing their families along for the WVC Nashville experience, proving that sometimes the best business trip can also include a little family time, great music, and a whole lot of Nashville.

Dr. Jessica will be at WVC Nashville as a Vet Candy Ambassador, and you can meet her in person on Monday at the Chewy booth, where she’ll be signing copies of her new book, Blackbird. Stop by, say hello, and grab a free signed copywhile supplies last.

It’s leadership, veterinary medicine, family, CE, and Music City all rolled into one episode.

WVC Nashville is here. And if Andrea Davis has anything to say about it, Nashville is only the beginning.

#veterinarymedicine #wvcnashville #vetmed #animalhealth 

Brain Smarts Live from WVC Nashville, with The Career Coach Vet, Dr. Ashley Hopkins

Hosts Clay and Caitlin Palmer bring Brain Smarts live from Nashville ahead of WVC Nashville 2026. Guest Dr. Ashley Hopkins, Career Coach Vet and founder of Hopper Vet, takes on trivia covering Bobcat Fever in cats, proposed UK veterinary reforms, and Arizona State University's fast track to full AVMA accreditation. Then an uninvited guest from the previous night's honky tonk crashes the taping with a career plan that is, generously, ambitious.

Recorded live ahead of WVC Nashville, August 15 to 18 at Music City Center.

Join us at WVC Nashville by registering here: https://www.viticusgroup.org/wvc-nashville?utm_campaign=45126685-WVCN26%20-%20Vet%20Candy&utm_source=1600x400px%20%28leaderboard%20webpage%20ad%29&utm_content=1600x400px%20%28leaderboard%20webpage%20ad%29

#veterinary #vetmed #veterinarymedicine #funnypodcast #comedy

 Hosts Clay and Caitlin Palmer bring Brain Smarts live from Nashville ahead of WVC Nashville 2026.

Guest Dr. Ashley Hopkins, Career Coach Vet and founder of Hopper Vet, takes on trivia covering Bobcat Fever in cats, proposed UK veterinary reforms, and Arizona State University's fast track to full AVMA accreditation.

Then an uninvited guest from the previous night's honky tonk crashes the taping with a career plan that is, generously, ambitious.

Recorded live ahead of WVC Nashville, August 15 to 18 at Music City Center.

Join us at WVC Nashville by registering here: https://www.viticusgroup.org/wvc-nashville?utm_campaign=45126685-WVCN26%20-%20Vet%20Candy&utm_source=1600x400px%20%28leaderboard%20webpage%20ad%29&utm_content=1600x400px%20%28leaderboard%20webpage%20ad%29

#veterinary #vetmed #veterinarymedicine #funnypodcast #comedy

Can one of veterinary medicine's top neurologists outsmart the week's biggest headlines?

On this special WVC Nashville 2026 edition of Brain Smarts, hosts Caitlin and Clay Palmer put Dr. Lauren Downey Koos—clinical neurologist at BluePearl Veterinary and WVC Nashville headliner—through Vet Candy's fast-paced veterinary trivia showdown.

From CRISPR-engineered screwworms to augmented reality surgery, a $230 million veterinary teaching hospital, and the surprising science behind your cat's slow blink, Dr. Koos breaks down what's hype, what's real, and why these stories matter to veterinarians.

Along the way, she tackles rapid-fire questions, shares specialist insights, and proves that even neurologists can be stumped.

Whether you're a veterinarian, veterinary technician, student, or simply obsessed with veterinary medicine, you'll walk away with surprising facts, practical takeaways, and a few laughs.

About Dr. Lauren Downey Koos

Dr. Lauren Downey Koos is a clinical neurologist at BluePearl Veterinary in Franklin, Tennessee, and a featured speaker at WVC Nashville 2026, where she'll share the latest advances in veterinary neurology.

About Brain Smarts

Brain Smarts is Vet Candy's fast-paced veterinary news game show, where the brightest minds in veterinary medicine compete against the week's biggest headlines. Think Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!—but for veterinarians.

Don't miss WVC Nashville 2026!

Join thousands of veterinary professionals August 15–18 in Nashville for four days of world-class CE, hands-on labs, networking, and the biggest names in veterinary medicine—including Dr. Lauren Koos. Sign up here: https://www.viticusgroup.org/wvc-nashville?utm_campaign=45126685-WVCN26%20-%20Vet%20Candy&utm_content=280x1920px%20%28webpage%20ad%29&utm_source=280x1920px%20%28webpage%20ad%29

Subscribe to Vet Candy for weekly veterinary news, research, expert guests, and trivia that every veterinary professional should know.

#veterinarypodcast #vetcandy #veterinarian #veterinarymedicine #animalhealth

Can an internal medicine specialist outsmart the week's wildest veterinary headlines?

On this episode of Brain Smarts, hosts Caitlin and Clay Palmer welcome Dr. Stephen Carey, veterinary internal medicine specialist and Associate Dean at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, for a fast-paced game comedy show.

Sign up for WVC Nashville here: https://www.viticusgroup.org/wvc-nashville?utm_campaign=45126685-WVCN26%20-%20Vet%20Candy&utm_content=280x1920px%20%28webpage%20ad%29&utm_source=280x1920px%20%28webpage%20ad%29

From surprising research and bizarre animal stories to the latest breakthroughs in veterinary medicine, Dr. Carey puts his knowledge (and sense of humor) to the test. Along the way, you'll hear about some of the biggest stories shaping the profession and get a preview of one of the featured speakers at WVC Nashville 2026.

Whether you're a veterinarian, veterinary student, technician, or simply love veterinary medicine, this episode delivers laughs, learning, and plenty of unexpected moments.

In this episode:

Subscribe to Brain Smarts for new episodes featuring veterinary experts, news, trivia, and the stories everyone in vet med is talking about.

#veterinary #veterinarypodcast #veterinarymediciine #funnypodcast #smartpodcast

Vet Candy's Medical Mysteries with Dr. Courtney Campbell Episode: The Mystery of the Cat with the Big Belly

A cat walks in with an acutely enlarged abdomen and a history of "not doing right."

That's it. That's all you have.

What do you do next?

On this episode of Vet Candy's Medical Mysteries, Dr. Courtney Campbell sits down with veterinary technicians Peter Carlos and Jaycee to unpack one of the most unforgettable cases they have ever worked together. A cat. A big belly. A story that takes more turns than anyone in that exam room expected.

Peter and Jaycee were there from the beginning. They know exactly what happened. And they are ready to tell it.

Press play. You will not believe what happens next.