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Some of my favorite viral images involve cats squeezing into small spaces and adapting to the shape of their containers. By definition, a material that adapts its shape to fill a container is a liquid. But, when removed from a container, a cat will hold a specific shape, making him or her a solid. This begs the question, are cats both a liquid and a solid? In 2017, French physicist Marc-Antoine...
If you’ve ever lost a pet, you know how horrific the experience can be. Maybe the cat ran out the front door when a guest arrived, or the dog dug under the fence and got out of the yard. No matter the circumstances, you may be unsure where to turn or what to do first. Thankfully, these days, there are more options than ever to help find lost pets. Finding a Lost Dog or CatTraditional search...
Medical privacy is a big deal. Nobody has the right to know what’s going on with regards to your health without your consent. But is the same true when it comes to our pets? The answer is, “Not exactly.” To start with, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) that governs privacy when it comes to human medical care does not apply to veterinary patients. In fact, there...
You may have been researching potential treatment options for your pet online and come across many facilities or institutions that are partaking in or directly running clinical trials. Clinical trials are research studies that prospectively evaluate new or novel treatments or diagnostics for patients with particular disease processes (and, in our case, cancer). Translational medicine is an...
I let my dog sleep in bed with me, but I don’t let him lick me. He is on monthly preventatives, and I bathe him regularly. I figure that’s good enough to reduce my risk of getting fleas, ticks, and intestinal parasites. But I think dog “kisses” are gross. My dog doesn’t eat poop (that I know of), and I brush his teeth. But he licks himself in all the wrong places and puts all sorts of...
In a new study, researchers from the University of Arizona examined the influence of two hormones—oxytocin and vasopressin—on canine social behavior and aggression. Oxytocin has been popularized by the media as the “love” hormone. It plays an important role in birth, the formation of bonds, and social behavior. It may also work to suppress the release of cortisol (the body’s main stress...
Cats and yoga…a crazy combination or not? First, full disclosure. As a practicing veterinarian whose clinic has held gold-level Cat Friendly Practice status since 2015 and has a complete cat gym upstairs (yes, a cat gymnasium), and as a guy who regularly travels with my cat, Bug, I may not represent your typical veterinarian. But I see cat yoga as having benefits for cats, cat owners, adoptable...