Picture this: a beloved cat, playful and healthy one day, falls mysteriously ill the next. Soon after, the shocking culprit is revealed -- bird flu, a virus that most people associate with poultry and wild birds.
Now, scientists are warning that domestic cats could pote...
When a black cat named Pepper dropped a dead mouse on the carpet at his owner's feet on a day back in May 2021, neither of them knew then that it would alert scientists to the arrival of an exotic virus to the United States.
Pepper is a skilled hunter who regularly leave...
Artificial intelligence can accurately detect heart murmurs in dogs, a new study finds.
The AI program detects heart murmurs in canines with 90% accuracy, similar to the accuracy of expert cardiologists, researchers report.
And in more than half the cases tested, t...
The 2023 illness and death in Nebraska of a stray kitten infected with rabies set off a large-scale effort to discover how the feline became infected in the first place.
That's because the strain of rabies the 6-week old kitten carried had never been detected so far west...
The short but much-loved life of a French bulldog named George leaves a legacy of learning for those who care for animals and humans.
George's owner Louis Tavares, of Windemere, Fla., brought him to doctors at the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine&rs...
A raw diet pet food company is recalling cartons of frozen beef and chicken dog food that could be tainted with salmonella or listeria germs.
Answers Pet Food announced the recall this week a...
A cavalry of sorts can come to the rescue of combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new study says.
Combat veterans who regularly care for horses experience an easing of their PTSD symptoms, as well as an overall improved mental outlook, ...
Therapy dogs can help boost the spirits of health care workers in the same way they brighten the moods of hospital patients, a new study shows.
The furry, four-legged friends reduced emotional exhaustion and
'Fetch': It's not just for dogs.
New research finds that lots of cats -- 41% -- love retrieving toys tossed by their human.
“Although cats and dogs are very different in many aspects of their behavior and in how they ended up being companion animals, we find...
Tiny turtles are the cause of a outbreak of 51 cases of salmonella in 21 states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday.
In almost half of cases, the illness has been so s...
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 7, 2024 (HeathDay News) -- Researchers are gleaning important insights into miscarriages in women from an longtime four-legged friend: horses.
It shouldn't come as a surprise, since female horses have long pregnancies (11 months) and embryos of both speci...
In her youth, Shola, an English Shepherd Dog, was a member of the Edale Mountain Rescue Team, a corps of U.K. pooches charged with helping hurt and stranded hikers.
But Shola was retired as part of the Rescue Team after a rare genetic disease affecting dogs, called prog...
Dogs can sniff out whether a human is stressed or relaxed, new research suggests, and that sensory feedback appears to influence canine emotions and choices.
The dog doesn't even have to know the human well to interpret odor in this way, the British researchers noted.
Pudgy with a purpose: Fat cats could help humans better understand the way gut bacteria influences conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes, a new study claims.
Food-related changes in obese cats’ gut microbiome have striking similarities to the way diet affect...
Lizards called bearded dragons may not breathe fire, but they can be a source of one nasty infection: Salmonella.
So warned the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a health advisory on Fr...
The first two cases of a diphtheria-like illness being transmitted in the United States between people and their pets have been reported in Utah and Colorado.
The respiratory illnesses occurred in 2022 and 2023 and involved the Corynebacterium ulceran bacterium...
Shelter dogs do better with a buddy, a new study finds.
Dogs show fewer signs of stress and are adopted more quickly if paired up with another canine rather than housed by themselves, researchers found.
"Despite being a social species, dogs are often housed alone i...
Military veterans often struggle with their mental health once their service ends, but the first clinical trial of its kind has found that having a service dog helps lower the risk of PTSD for these former soldiers.
Veterans paired with a service dog had 66% lower odds o...
Backyard chickens are causing outbreaks of salmonella across the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns.
About 109 people in 29 states have gotten sick from salmonella after touching or caring for backyard poultry, the CDC said in a
Mice, rats and other wildlife can pick up bacteria called leptospira from water or soil and excrete it in urine.
If your dog contacts any soil or water contaminated by the germ (especially if they have an open wound) they can easily develop a potentially deadly...
Dogs brought into the United States from abroad must be compliant with new rules to help fight rabies in this country, according to updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Wednesday.
"Starting on August 1, 2024, all dogs entering...
Pets and pet owners who come into contact with Bausch & Lomb's "Project Watson" dog eye wipes could be at risk for infection if the products come from certain lots.
The wipes are used to clean a dog's eyelids, but two specific lots (numbers A09050 and A10055, printed...
People worry about contracting Lyme disease from ticks, but they should be concerned for their furry friends as well, veterinarians say.
Dogs throughout the United States are increasingly vulnerable to the tick-borne illness, say experts from the Virginia-Maryland Colleg...
The emotional turmoil caused by a stolen dog is akin to that of a parent losing a child, a new study finds.
The findings support ...
Dogs and cats can pass antibiotic-resistant bacteria to their owners, raising concerns that household pets could be contributing to the world's antibiotics crisis, a new study says.
Cases of these "superbugs"being passed between sick dogs and cats and their healthy owner...
A rare fungal infection has been diagnosed in two cats and a vet tech who treated one of the animals, a new report warns.
The three cases -- discovered in Kansas in late 2022 and early 2023 -- were caused by a fungus called Sporothrix schenckii, researchers from...
As their aging brains shrink, older dogs can suffer the same memory and thinking problems as many older humans do.
But dogs are just like humans in another way -- playtime and social activities can help preserve their brain function, a new study finds.
Exercising, ...
People worry about deadly viruses leaping from animals into humans, but a new study suggests that wildlife is more at risk than humans are.
Roughly twice as many viruses pass from humans to animals than the other way around, researchers report March 25 in the journal
It's well-known that dogs can learn words for spoken commands like "sit,""stand"and "heel."
But a new study has found they also can tell their "ball-ball"from their "dolly,""teddy,""chewy"or "squeaky squeak."
Brain scans reveal that dogs generally know that certain...
Cuddly, friendly, fun: Your pet brings so much to your life, but experts warn that, in rare cases, they can also bring illness.
The health benefits of pet ownership are many, noted Dr. Stacey Rose, an asso...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug to treat yeast ear infections in dogs.
DuOtic is also the first ear infection medication that does not contain an antibiotic, the FDA said in its
A parasite that can kill dogs has been found in a portion of the Colorado River that runs through Southern California.
Heterobilharzia americana is a flatworm usually referred as liver fluke. It has never been reported this far west, according to scientists at ...
Playing fetch or grooming Fido isn't just good for your precious pooch -- it also benefits your brain.
Such interactions appear to strengthen brain waves associated with rest and relaxation, South Korean researchers report in the March 13 issue of the journal
Nearly a quarter of Labrador retrievers are more likely to be obese due to a genetic "double-whammy,"a new study finds.
This gene mutation causes Labradors to both feel hungry all the time and also burn fewer calories, British researchers report.
The mutation invol...
The vast majority (84%) of Americans with pets say their animal companion brings a positive mental health impact to their lives, a new poll shows.
The poll of more than 2,200 adults conducted early last month also found about two-thirds of respondents calling their pet ...
Perhaps by reducing anxiety, a service dog can help reduce seizures in people with tough-to-treat epilepsy, a new study finds.
A group of 25 study participants had an average 31% fewer seizures after months of owning a service dog trained to help people with epilepsy.
One in 10 homeless people has a pet, and one-stop health clinics where both can get health care would benefit both, a new study suggests.
The study, published Feb. 19 in the journal Human-Animal Interactions, found that joint people-pet clinics, free veterinary...
Imagine being subjected to domestic violence in your home, wanting to escape -- but there's no place you can go that will accept a beloved pet.
That's the gut-wrenching situation facing too many victims of domestic abuse, according to a new data review spanning 27 years....
If your dog is looking like he needs to drop some weight, a new study shows probiotics might do the trick.
Researchers identified two strains of probiotics that helped obese canines shed pounds.
"The strains we carefully selected demonstrated remarkable success in ...
Ever wonder what your dog most likes to watch on TV?
Think nature documentaries, Lassie or good old Scooby-Doo, a new study suggests.
Dogs are most engaged when watching videos that feature other animals, according to a new study published recently in the journal <...
The average size of your dog's breed plays a role in which diseases your pet is more apt to develop, a new study has found.
It turns out that larger dogs are more prone to a different set of diseases than small dogs are.
Prior research has found that smaller dogs t...
Millions of revelers hit the road after New Year's Eve celebrations and the inevitability of impaired drivers make the holiday one of the nation's deadliest.
High blood-alcohol levels are a factor in more than 50% of crashes on New Year's Day, the American Safety Council...
For the growing number of American seniors who live alone, having a beloved dog or cat by their side could help them maintain a healthy brain.
New research on more than 7,900 people averaging 66 years of age found that those who lived alone were able to stave off losses ...
People whose beliefs or concerns make them hesitant to get vaccinated are also likely to forgo vaccinating their pets, new research shows.
That could threaten the health of people and their four-legged friends, researchers said.
"Decreasing pet vaccination rates po...
Blue Ridge Beef, a maker of raw pet foods, has announced it is recalling some of its products for kittens and puppies because of possible contamination with salmonella and listeria.
After being notified earlier this month by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture a...
The holidays are all about treats and most pets are thrilled to partake in the indulging, but some foods you might give them could make them sick or worse.
"Pets tend to get more treats at holiday time -- from their owners or from houseguests -- which can put them at ris...
French Bulldogs might be the most widespread breed in the world, but the fancy, flat-faced pooches pay a high price for their popularity, a new study warns.
The shortened skulls and large, round heads that make Frenchies so cute also leads to worse sleep, thanks to breed...
A new type of bacterial infection could be the culprit behind a mysterious canine respiratory illness that has been infecting dogs from coast to coast, New Hampshire researchers say.
Genetic sequencing of samples from 70 infected dogs from New Hampshire, Rhode Island and...
If you belong to one of the 46 million American households with a cat, you already know how stressful a trip to the vet can be for your feline -- and you.
Rescue might be on the way: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a new medicine to help calm cat...
FRIDAY, Nov. 10, 2023 (Healthday News) -- Two federal health agencies are investigating a salmonella outbreak linked to dog food that has sickened seven people in seven states, nearly all of them infants.