Top Stories
House Votes to Repeal Student Loan Forgiveness and Repayment Plans — 4 Key Takeaways for the Veterinary Community
Source: My Vet Candy The U.S. House narrowly passed a reconciliation bill (215-214) that would significantly alter the federal student loan system, including over $300 billion in education funding cuts. The legislation proposes eliminating key forgiveness...
52% of U.S. Pet Owners Skipped or Declined Veterinary Care
Source: Gallup A recent PetSmart Charities-Gallup study reveals that over half (52%) of U.S. pet owners skipped or declined Veterinary care in the past year, primarily due to financial barriers. Among these, 71% cited cost as the main reason—regardless of income...
Hill’s and Harvard Launch Web Portal to Accelerate Pet Microbiome Research
Source: Pet Food Industry Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Dr. Curtis Huttenhower of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have launched a new web portal for the One Health Microbiome Resource (OHMR), offering open access to over 2,000 pet gut microbiome samples. This...
How Pets Are Reshaping Employee Benefits
Source: Training Mag As pets become integral to modern family life, companies are increasingly incorporating pet-related benefits into employee packages to support workforce well-being and retention. With over 70% of U.S. workers owning pets, traditional...
Groundbreaking Surgery Saves Injured White Rhino at Onderstepoort Vet
Source: Citizen Houdini, a four-year-old white rhino, is breathing freely again after undergoing a groundbreaking six-hour surgery at Onderstepoort to remove a nasal obstruction caused by a previous poaching injury. Years after surviving a gunshot wound to the nose,...
Life-Saving Blood Donation at Veterinary Teaching Hospital Connects Two Dogs and Their Owners
Source: Virginia Tech University When Arya, a cocker spaniel-hound mix, developed a life-threatening condition with dangerously low platelet levels, her owners rushed her to the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Facing a potential fatal hemorrhage,...
Urban Rats Spread Deadly Bacteria As They Migrate, Study Finds
Source: Veterinary 33 A six-year study led by Tufts University and collaborators has revealed that urban rats in Boston are significant carriers of Leptospira bacteria, the cause of leptospirosis—a potentially fatal disease affecting humans and animals. The research,...
Penn Breaks Ground On Gail P. Riepe Center For Advanced Veterinary Education
Source: Veterinary 33 The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has commenced construction on the Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education at its New Bolton Center campus. This 11,800-square-foot facility, funded by a $6 million...
Cat Visits Surge Amid Slump in Canine Patients
Source: Today's Veterinary Business The CATalyst Feline Market Insights Report reveals a steady rise in feline Veterinary visits and cat ownership since 2023, countering the broader decline in companion animal vet appointments, which is largely due to reduced canine...
Colorado Volunteers Work To Conserve Prairie Dog Colony
Source: CBS News In Longmont, Colorado, neighbors in the Harvest Junction Village community have rallied to protect a prairie dog colony from extermination. After months of advocacy, volunteer work, and public pressure, the homeowner association (HOA) board agreed to...
Why Do Ostriches Have Four Kneecaps If They Only Have Two Legs?
Source: IFLSCIENCE Ostriches, the world’s fastest and largest birds, have a unique anatomical feature: four kneecaps—two on each leg. Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College in London explored this unusual setup using biplanar fluoroscopy to study the bones and...
A-State Veterinary School Given Grant
Source: The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette A $50,000 donation from animal welfare advocate Donna K. Easley will establish the Donna K. Easley Small Animal Practice Support Endowed Scholarship at Arkansas State University. This scholarship will support Arkansas residents...
A 320-Pound Loggerhead Sea Turtle Hit By a Boat Gets An Oversize CT Scan, With a Surprise
Source: AP News A 302-pound loggerhead sea turtle named Pennywise, injured by a boat off Florida’s Atlantic coast, was taken to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach for treatment. However, her massive size prevented the use of standard CT scan equipment....
Keep Your Furry Loved Ones Healthy With These Proactive Tips
Source: KUNC As summer begins, pet-related emergencies surge, with veterinarians seeing more cases of heatstroke, vehicle injuries, and other seasonal risks. Heatstroke is especially common in short-nosed dog breeds like bulldogs and pugs, who struggle to cool down....
Clean Up Efforts At Saint Louis Zoo, Forest Park After EF-3 Tornado
Source: Spectrum Local News An EF-3 tornado struck St. Louis' Forest Park on Friday, causing significant damage across its 1,300 acres. The Saint Louis Zoo, which had 10,000 guests on-site at the time, closed for two days due to debris but reported no injuries thanks...
Mass Honey Bee Collapse May Compromise US Agriculture
Source: AVMA In early 2025, U.S. commercial beekeepers experienced an unprecedented honey bee die-off, with over half of managed colonies suffering near-total collapse. Many beekeepers lost 70% to 100% of their hives within a year, resulting in financial damages...
Largest U.S. Veterinary School Takes Legal Action to Protect Consumers and Their Pets
Source: PR Newswire Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) has filed an antitrust lawsuit against the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), alleging it unfairly restricts competition in Veterinary education. LMU claims the AVMA, through its Council on Education,...
Equus: Story of the Horse — Origins
Source: CBC In Equus: Story of the Horse, anthropologist-turned-filmmaker Niobe Thompson embarks on a global journey to explore the 6,000-year-old bond between humans and horses. Filmed across 11 countries on three continents, the three-part documentary delves into...
America Has A Shortage Of Veterinarians, Putting Students in High Demand
Source: LA Times A recent SPCA survey highlights a critical Veterinary care shortage in California, with over 344,000 shelter animals lacking access to adequate staff. Around 60% of shelters have vacant veterinarian positions, and 54% lack registered Veterinary...
12,000 Chicks Found Abandoned In Postal Truck Raise Concerns About Animal Shipping
Source: NPR A Delaware animal shelter is working to rehome over 8,000 chicks that survived after being abandoned in a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) truck for three days. The chicks, part of a shipment of 12,000 from Pennsylvania-based Freedom Ranger Hatchery to farms...
1,700 Sheep Set Up Between Solar Panels Reveal An Incredible Transformation
Source: Daily Galaxy A three-year study at the Wellington Solar Farm in New South Wales, Australia, has shown that integrating sheep grazing with solar panel installations—an approach known as agrivoltaics—can benefit both renewable energy production and animal...
Four-Legged Investigators Sniff Out Spotted Lanterfly Eggs To Slow The Spread Of Invasive Pest
Source: AP News The invasive spotted lanternfly, a pest damaging to grapes, fruit trees, and hardwoods, has rapidly spread from the East Coast into the Midwest over the past decade. In response, researchers have turned to a novel and effective method to control its...
Bees Face New Threats From Wars, Street Lights and Microplastics, Scientists Warn
Source: The Guardian Bees face a growing array of threats that could severely impact pollination and global food systems, according to a new report from the University of Reading. The study identifies 12 emerging dangers to pollinators over the next decade, including...
Pets Might Be Adding To Antibiotic Resistance
Source: U.S. News Antibiotic resistance, a growing public health concern, is being worsened by the overuse of antibiotics in pets, researchers report. Many of the same antibiotics used in human medicine—like Clavamox for pets and Augmentin for people—are prescribed to...
Annual CAPC Pet Parasite Forecast Predicts Continuing Spread Across US
Source: AVMA The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) has released its 2025 Annual Pet Parasite Forecasts, revealing continued geographic spread of four major vector-borne diseases: anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, heartworm, and Lyme disease. This expansion is largely...