Top Stories
Bodega Cats Make New Yorkers’ Hearts Purr, Even if they Violate State Regulations
Source: ABC News New York City’s iconic “bodega cats” are beloved by locals and visitors alike, but technically violate state health laws prohibiting animals in food-selling establishments. Despite this, many bodegas keep cats to deter pests like rodents and...
267 Animals Dropped off in 24 Hours at San Diego Humane Society
Source: NBC San Diego On a single day, the San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) took in an extraordinary 267 animals, highlighting the growing strain on animal services in Southern California. Among the intakes were 96 guinea pigs surrendered by an overwhelmed owner in...
Animal Sedative Medetomidine is Showing Up in the US Illegal Drug Supply, CDC Says
Source: AP News The animal sedative medetomidine is increasingly appearing in the U.S. illegal drug supply, raising serious public health concerns, according to three reports released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Similar to the Veterinary...
President’s Column: Join Us As We Unite the Veterinary Community
Source: AVMA The AVMA Convention 2025, held July 18–22 in Washington, D.C., will be a landmark event, as it also hosts the 40th World Veterinary Association (WVA) Congress. This global gathering of Veterinary professionals emphasizes collaboration, education, and...
Youngkin Signs Bill Establishing Large Animal Veterinary Grant Program
Source: WVVA On May 9, 2025, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed HB 2303 and SB 921 into law, creating the Large Animal Veterinary Grant Program to address a critical shortage of large animal veterinarians in the state. The program, set to launch by July 1, 2026,...
Louisville Organization Offers Free Eye Exams for Service Dogs
Source: WHAS 11 Bluegrass Veterinary Vision in Louisville, Kentucky, offered free eye exams for service dogs on May 9, 2025, as part of an annual initiative held each May in partnership with Epicur Pharma. The program is designed to ensure that service...
Visitors Possibly Exposed to Rabid Bat at World-Famous CA Zoo, Officials Warn
Source: The Sacramento Bee A wild bat found flying near the only public elevator at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on May 7, 2025, has tested positive for rabies, prompting a public health alert. Although the bat was not part of the zoo’s collection, it was discovered...
New Legislation Aligns Vet Techs with Medical Professionals
Source: The Times Weekly State Senator Michael E. Hastings is advancing House Bill 3360, a measure aimed at ensuring Veterinary technicians in Illinois are properly licensed and trained through accredited programs. The bill would require anyone identifying as a...
He Studies Dogs’ Faces. She Studies Their Brains.
Source: The Harvard Gazette At Harvard’s Canine Brains Lab, photographer Elias Weiss Friedman, known for “The Dogist,” participated in an empathy experiment with Sasha, the Harvard University Police Department’s community engagement dog. Run by professor Erin Hecht,...
San Diego Non-Profit Rabbit Rescue Fights Suspected Online Scam
Source: CBS 8 The San Diego House Rabbit Society, a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing and rehoming rabbits, is fighting back against a suspected scam involving a fake Facebook page impersonating their organization. The fraudulent page, named "San Diego's Bunny," has...
Possibly Rabid Raccoon Bites Man in Market Basket Parking Lot in Portsmouth, Police say
Source: WMUR 9 Police in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, are searching for a raccoon suspected of having rabies after it bit a man in a Market Basket parking lot. The victim was taken to the hospital and will likely begin a rabies vaccination regimen. Authorities have...
AVMA Presents Temple Grandin the 2025 Humane Award
Source: Meat and Poultry The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has named Temple Grandin, PhD, as the 2025 recipient of its prestigious Humane Award, honoring her decades-long contributions to animal welfare. As a professor at Colorado State University and...
Tick-Borne Disease Babesiosis Spreads to Mid-Atlantic Region
Source: 13 News Now A new study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology reveals that cases of babesiosis, a tick-borne disease, are increasing in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, including Virginia. Previously concentrated in the Northeast and...
‘Diversity is Critical,’ New Toronto Program Encourages BIPOC Students to Explore a Career as a Vet
Source: Now Toronto Fifty students from the Toronto District School Board’s Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement participated in the first international Believe & Belong in Veterinary Medicine Pathway Program in Scarborough. The hands-on event...
Mexico Veterinary School Withdraws from US Accreditation
Source: VIN News The Veterinary school at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), the only Mexican institution accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), has voluntarily withdrawn from U.S. accreditation, surprising students, alumni, and...
Clinical Trial for Longevity Drug Meets Goal of Enrolling 1000 Dogs
Source: DVM 360 The STAY study, a major clinical trial by biotech company Loyal, has reached its milestone of enrolling 1,000 senior dogs across 70 U.S. Veterinary clinics to test LOY-002—a developmental drug aimed at extending healthy lifespan in dogs. The goal has...
The Veterinary Care Shortage for Backyard Chickens
Source: Today's Veterinary Practice During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rebecca Stewart began raising backyard chickens, an experience marked by both joy and hardship. In July 2024, a surprise flood severely injured her Delaware hen, Della. After struggling to find...
Many Pet Owners Cannot Afford Veterinary Care, Survey Finds
Source: dvm 360 A recent PetSmart Charities-Gallup study revealed that Veterinary care remains financially out of reach for many U.S. pet owners. Over half (52%) have skipped or declined necessary Veterinary treatment despite 97% considering pets part of the family....
A New Approach to Deworming
Source: Drovers Treating internal parasites in cattle requires a tailored approach based on environment, season, and parasite life cycles, says Dr. Wayne Ayers, DVM with Elanco. Internal parasites, especially the brown stomach worm, can cause severe economic loss,...
Buc-ee’s Suing Missouri Business Barc-ee’s for Trademark Infringement
Source: Fourstates Homepage Texas-based convenience store chain Buc-ee’s has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Barc-ee’s, a pet-related business in Marshfield, Missouri, located near a newly opened Buc-ee’s Travel Center in Springfield. The suit, filed on...
Pillen Announces $150,000 Incentive for Livestock Vets to Practice in Rural Nebraska
Source: Nebraska Public Media Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has launched the Nebraska Rural Veterinary Grant Program to address the state’s shortage of livestock veterinarians. The initiative offers up to $150,000 to 13 recent Veterinary graduates who commit to...
Shocked by Earthquake, Zoo Elephants Form ‘Alert Circle’ to Protect their Young at San Diego Zoo
Source: Los Angeles Times During a 5.2-magnitude earthquake in Southern California, African elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park instinctively formed an “alert circle” to protect their young, a behavior seen in the wild. As the ground shook, elder...
Google Is Training AI to Speak Dolphin
Source: Scientific American Scientists are making strides toward two-way communication with dolphins, using artificial intelligence to decode and replicate dolphin vocalizations. Google, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Wild Dolphin Project (WDP) have...
Recall Warning: Don’t Feed this Popular Mix to your Pets Due to Salmonella, Listeria Fears
Source: Mass Live Blue Ridge Beef has issued a recall of over 2,300 pounds of its 2-pound Kitten Mix and Puppy Mix products due to possible contamination with salmonella and listeria. The affected pet food, shipped between January 3 and 24, was distributed in several...
18 Pounds of Horse Tranquilizer Seized by CBP Officers in Chicago
Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection On April 12, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Chicago seized three shipments containing Xylazine, a dangerous Veterinary sedative increasingly found mixed with opioids. The packages, arriving from China...