https://phys.org/biology-news/veterinary-medicine/ en-us Veterinary medicine news stories about diseases, disorders and injuries in non-human animals In eastern Ethiopia, pressures like conflict and displacement are changing how people and their camels travel, shifting livestock into new environments and potentially influencing the risk of zoonotic diseases spreading between animals and humans. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-political-cultural-economic-zoonotic-disease.html Veterinary medicine Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:00:11 EDT news710494802 National happiness is influenced by complex relationships beyond basic economic factors, according to a study by Javier I. Borráz-León of the Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation in Mexico City and colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-cats-key-happy-countries.html Plants & Animals Wed, 30 Sep 2026 08:40:15 EDT news709969742 How do we know when an animal virus might pose a risk to humans? Canada confirmed a human case of H5N1 avian influenza (often called "bird flu") in 2024, the first known to have been acquired in Canada. The patient, a 13-year-old from British Columbia, suffered severe symptoms, including respiratory failure, but recovered with intensive care in a hospital. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bird-virus-infect-person.html Veterinary medicine Tue, 29 Sep 2026 12:40:05 EDT news709892402 Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that blood serum concentrations of neuroproteins and neurosteroids are associated with neonatal maladjustment syndrome (NMS) in newborn foals. The work could lead to better diagnostic tools and potential therapies. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-neuroproteins-potential-diagnostic-tool-sick.html Veterinary medicine Mon, 28 Sep 2026 13:40:06 EDT news709813681 For many years, antibiotics have been added to animal feed to help control harmful bacteria and improve growth. But amid concerns about antibiotic resistance—when bacteria adapt to survive treatments that would normally kill them—poultry producers are trying alternatives, including probiotics, which contain helpful bacteria, and essential oils, which come from plants and may have antimicrobial properties. Researchers at Penn State have now found that feeding broiler chickens an antibiotic, a probiotic or essential oils did not significantly affect the overall diversity of antimicrobial resistance genes. Instead, the chickens' age had a much stronger effect on the resistome—the collection of antimicrobial resistance genes—as the birds grew. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-age-additives-affects-antimicrobial-resistance.html Plants & Animals Fri, 25 Sep 2026 10:20:01 EDT news709549922 Researchers at the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Baker Institute of Animal Health have published the first molecular characterization of Marfan syndrome in domestic cats in a paper in the Sept. 19 issue of Scientific Reports. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-case-marfan-syndrome-feline-siblings.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 24 Sep 2026 16:20:08 EDT news709467367 Dog brains segment speech into words in a way previously seen only in humans, a new study from Hungary finds. This suggests that efficient speech processing is not necessarily a consequence of humans' unique language abilities: Regular exposure to speech alone can reshape how the brain functions, even in a mammalian species evolutionarily distant from humans. The discovery by the Neuroethology of Communication Lab at the ELTE Department of Ethology in Budapest is published in Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-dog-brains-track-consonant-patterns.html Plants & Animals Thu, 24 Sep 2026 14:00:25 EDT news709392061 The University of Liverpool's Cat Prospective Aging and Welfare Study (CatPAWS), which follows a group of pet cats from middle age into later life, is celebrating more than nine years of work to improve the health and welfare of cats more than 7 years old. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-feline-aging-years-clinical-trial.html Veterinary medicine Thu, 24 Sep 2026 09:20:08 EDT news709454162 In a new study, cats and dogs showed a short-term preference for kibble containing some protein derived from microorganisms over kibble containing only standard animal-derived protein. Ally Motta de Matos and A.L.B. Cruz of MicroHarvest—an European company that produces protein ingredients through fermentation, with pet food as its first market—present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-kibble-microbial-proteins-appeals-cats.html Biotechnology Wed, 23 Sep 2026 14:00:05 EDT news709290528 There is no "one-fix-for-all" solution for sarcoids, said Sophie Bogers, an assistant professor of large animal surgery. Many require chemotherapy or invasive surgery. But she wants a better solution. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-horse-pea-focused-ultrasound-treatment.html Veterinary medicine Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:40:07 EDT news709378562 A new study led by Australian veterinarians has exposed the challenge of identifying pain in horses with gastric ulcers and highlights an urgent need to better detect when horses are suffering. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-blood-falls-short-quest-gastric.html Biotechnology Wed, 23 Sep 2026 07:40:01 EDT news709363441 Gastrointestinal parasites can cause serious health problems in North American bison, but the drugs producers rely on to control them can become less effective when used too frequently or without knowing which animals actually need treatment. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-reveals-gaps-bison-parasite.html Veterinary medicine Mon, 21 Sep 2026 17:40:06 EDT news709215842 Dr. Jun-Yan Sek, a small-animal surgical registrar at JCUVet, lecturer at James Cook University and JCU veterinary alumnus, led a study investigating the use of xylometazoline hydrochloride during surgery. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-nasal-spray-humans-dogs-surgery.html Veterinary medicine Mon, 21 Sep 2026 08:00:04 EDT news709191601 Diving into cool water can be a quick way to escape the summer heat, but during certain times of year, freshwater can pose hidden dangers to people and pets. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-toxic-algae-pose-hidden-danger.html Plants & Animals Thu, 17 Sep 2026 21:00:03 EDT news708878521 A rare Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) on Kangaroo Island has been confirmed to have died from highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu. The sea lion had recently been attacked by a shark, weakening it. Testing revealed that the virus caused its death. Another dead sea lion is being tested. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bird-flu-australian-sea-lion.html Ecology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:40:01 EDT news708788881 How can we tell when a hedgehog is stressed? Ph.D. researcher Emily Harper explains how her new research has validated a non-invasive method for measuring stress by analyzing hormones in hedgehog feces. The method could help researchers understand how different stressors, or threats, affect hedgehog health and welfare, supporting conservation and rehabilitation of this declining species. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-importance-stress-hedgehogs-method-welfare.html Plants & Animals Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:00:08 EDT news708771476 When we tell a dog "no" and it resists temptation, what happens in its brain? New research from the Department of Ethology at ELTE and the HUN-REN Research Centre of Natural Sciences suggests that dogs may do more than respond automatically: When they restrain their behavior, their brains show a pattern of activity resembling the human neural signature of self-control. The study is published in the journal Animal Cognition. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-dogs-human-brain-restrain.html Plants & Animals Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:30:01 EDT news708786513 Washington State University researchers have discovered how a group of coronaviruses circulating in hedgehogs invades host cells, a key to understanding their potential to jump between species and their risk of causing a pandemic in humans. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hedgehog-coronaviruses-threaten-cats-humans.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:40:10 EDT news708779101 This year, greyhound racing in Britain turns 100 years old. The first race took place on July 24, 1926, in Manchester, where six dogs chased a mechanical hare around a track. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-greyhound-dogs-fine.html Plants & Animals Tue, 15 Sep 2026 20:00:01 EDT news708697059 Laboratory animals are anesthetized to avoid pain during invasive procedures. Anesthesia is necessary for these animals' welfare, but it is not always without problems: Substandard anesthesia can cause suffering, distort experimental results and force researchers to repeat tests on more animals. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-animal-smallest-rodent-safe-anesthesia.html Veterinary medicine Mon, 14 Sep 2026 17:20:08 EDT news708619322 Parasites in wildlife don't just pose a risk to their wild hosts—they can also spread to domestic animals and humans, making safe and reliable ways to screen for these pests critical to promoting better health for all. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-parasites-pose-health-dogs-humans.html Veterinary medicine Mon, 14 Sep 2026 10:20:04 EDT news708598021 It turns out that one of the smallest dog breeds, the Chihuahua, is part wild coyote, according to recently published genetic research. The Chihuahua breed originated in Mexico but is now a popular canine companion worldwide. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-chihuahua-dogs-coyote-small-mighty.html Evolution Fri, 11 Sep 2026 11:40:10 EDT news708340681 Dogs and cats may carry strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae, a potentially serious bacterium that can cause infections and is also found in humans, according to new research from Bournemouth University published in the journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-dogs-cats-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:00:04 EDT news708334861 As a veterinarian who studies infectious diseases in cats, I've been repeatedly asked whether Australia's outbreak of the H5 bird flu poses a risk to pets. The short answer is yes. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-veterinarian-outlines-pets-bird-flu.html Veterinary medicine Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:40:10 EDT news708242462 Dogs trained in scent detection may be better at sniffing out the right smell after breakfast, with new research finding hungry dogs working for treats are more likely to falsely identify the wrong scent. The study, led by researchers from the University of Waikato and Adelaide University, explored how meal timing affected dogs' accuracy in detecting target scents. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hungry-scent-dogs-cry-wolf.html Veterinary medicine Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:40:01 EDT news708248526 The scavenging behavior of many wild birds plays an important role in the type, number and variety of viruses they have, a new University of Otago–Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka-led study has found. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scavenging-linked-virus-variety-wild.html Ecology Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:00:03 EDT news708238921 Pelicans have resided in St James's Park, London, for 360 years. But the current flock has been a summer sensation because of the first chicks to hatch in the park's history. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-positive-stress-welfare-zoo-animals.html Ecology Wed, 09 Sep 2026 16:20:03 EDT news708176161 A new study reveals that horse personality is not only a matter of genetics, age or breed but also systematically linked to how horses are housed, ridden and cared for, and to the quality of the relationship they share with their owners. The findings underscore the importance of everyday management decisions for equine personality and welfare. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-engage-horses-personality.html Plants & Animals Wed, 09 Sep 2026 11:40:04 EDT news708166321 As large-scale disasters—including earthquakes, torrential rains, typhoons and wildfires—become increasingly frequent, ensuring that pets as well as their owners can evacuate safely and receive appropriate care has become an important part of disaster preparedness. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-disaster-pets.html Veterinary medicine Tue, 08 Sep 2026 19:20:06 EDT news708097692 A new study has found that expanding dog vaccination, rather than introducing routine pre-exposure vaccination for children, is the most effective and cost-effective way to eliminate rabies deaths in people in Kerala, India. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-vaccinating-dogs-people-key-rabies.html Veterinary medicine Tue, 08 Sep 2026 07:20:02 EDT news708065401