A Crucial Blind Spot in Veterinary Medicine

The placebo effect shows up in pets too, but these treatments are fooling owners, not their animals.

 A New Approach to Gene Therapy—Now In Dogs, Maybe Later In Humans

Gene therapy has successfully been used to treat age-related ailments in mice. Now it’s being studied in dogs.

 How to Care for an Aging Pet

Older dogs and cats require a little extra love and care, whether they’re new to your home or they’ve been with you for years. Here’s what you need to know.

 Human cancers aren't contagious, but dogs and other animals aren't so lucky

Don’t worry, these diseases can’t spread to people.

 Keeping an Older Dog Vibrant

As with people, probably the most important measure for keeping dogs healthy and promoting a long, active and happy life is to keep them trim.

 Pets Are Like Family. But as Health Costs Rise, Few Are Insured That Way

While much of that money is spent on pet paraphernalia, some of the biggest, and most unexpected, costs are for drugs and medical procedures as pets live longer and occupy a more central role in homes. By one estimate, owners spend $9,000 to more than $13,000 for medical treatments over their pets’ lifetimes.

 The Right Way To Introduce CBD To Your Pets

Despite the rise in experimentation, there remains very little research on the subject. So the very big question remains: Is it safe to give cannabis to my pet?

 The Science of the Sniff: Why Dogs Are Great Disease Detectors

Dogs have been trained to detect a dozen human diseases—most recently, malaria—but even these pups may ultimately find their jobs replaced by machines.

Wild animals endure illness, injury, and starvation. We should help.

Human exploitation of animals is horrific and needs to be stamped out, but we should consider taking action against another considerable source of pain and suffering for wild animals — nature itself.

Common Dog Diseases and Their Link to Diet

The relationship between diet and disease is complicated. However, studies have shown that particular dietary conditions are strongly associated with specific diseases. Certain breeds of dog are also more susceptible to certain conditions than others.

Five diseases you can catch from pets

Some argue for bites and scratches to be included as a zoonosis. If we do include them, they are likely to be among the most common zoonoses. Never nice, always painful, and in disturbing, rare cases – usually involving children – they can be fatal. Cat bites and scratches can transmit a bacterium called Bartonella henselae, the cause of “cat-scratch disease”. Both bites and scratch wounds can become badly infected causing further pain. Scars, both mental and physical, can be lifelong in those that have been attacked. Children and those exposed occupationally, such as postmen, are perhaps most at risk.

Health Check: what bugs can you catch from your pets?

Household pets are often a great source of joy and have positive effects on our mental well-being. For most of us, this outweighs the risk of coming into contact with any bugs they may carry. Household pets can host a number of organisms that cause parasitic, bacterial, fungal and viral diseases in humans. These animal-to-human diseases are known as zoonoses. Bites and scratches from pets can lead to diseases such as pasterurellosis and cat-scratch disease; while psittacosis or parrot fever is contracted when humans breathe in aerosolised droplets containing secretions from infected birds.

Here's The Virus That People Are Catching From Their Pet Rats

Anyone coming in contact with urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents is at risk, but the biggest risk is from aerosolization of the virus, as occurs with vacuuming or sweeping. Hantaviruses are more common in the southwest U.S., but have occurred elsewhere.

Rise in Pets as Therapy for Mental Conditions

Animals increasingly are being used to assist patients with mental disorders, as evidence grows that they can help people with autism, PTSD and other conditions function in their everyday lives. The assistants are usually dogs but sometimes can include miniature horses, chinchillas or other animals.

The State of Rabies: Treating a Disease That Often Leads to Death

The archetypal zoonotic disease, rabies can spread between animals and humans as it has the ability to infect -- and kill -- all mammals.

Top 10 Most Common Medical Conditions for Dogs and Cats

Nation's largest pet insurer unveils top ailments that prompt veterinary visits.

What Animals Are Most Likely To Make You Sick?

Despite hantavirus in Yosemite, the barnyard is more dangerous than the national park.

Your Dog Is Full of Dirty Diseases

Recent research has shown that sharing an ice cream cone with your dog or letting your cat nap on your face isn’t just unhygienic, it could kill you, shit-for-brains, so cut it out.