All posts by AMCteam

As the new year approached, my inbox filled with dozens of personalized suggestions for New Year’s resolutions. The American Veterinary Medical Association, for instance, sent me “New Year’s Resolutions for Veterinarians.” Google’s AI generated an eleven-point list of common resolutions in case I couldn’t think of any on my own! Even Blue Apron, my meal kit delivery service, sent a list of suggested resolutions. Well, now it’s my turn: I’ve curated the resolutions recommended to me and adapted them for pets and pet owners in the blogpost below.

Since 2022, there has been an ongoing epidemic in wild birds of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the United States. In the press, this virus is often referred to by its acronym, HPAI, or its influenza virus A subtype, H1N5. This epidemic has spilled over into domestic birds like chickens, turkeys and ducks. Mammals have also been infected with HPAI, including large cats like cougars and tigers, small cats, a smattering of wildlife and the occasional human being. While the outbreak is concentrated on the West Coast and in the Midwest, all 50 United States have reported cases of avian influenza. With all this going on, I am worried about bird flu in my canine and feline patients, and that’s the topic of today’s blogpost.

Since the holidays are nearly over, many of you might be thinking about a winter getaway to some place with better weather than where you celebrated the holidays. If that getaway includes a road trip with your favorite furperson riding shotgun, today’s blogpost is an essential read to ensure the safety of both you and your pet.

The end of the year is frequently a time for reflection. This year, I’m thinking about all of the amazing guests and stories I’ve been able to share on my podcast, Ask the Vet. Every month on the show, I highlight a trending animal from the prior month, and for today’s blogpost I’d like to highlight some of my favorite trending animals since we launched the show in 2022.

A cat loving client of the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center is fostering a young male cat. In preparing for his neuter surgery, she found out the cat has a retained testicle and will require additional testing to determine where the testicle is and how best to approach the neuter surgery. The medical term for retained testicles is cryptorchidism, with the root, orchid coming from the Greek for testicle or órkhis. I’ll discuss this uncommon condition in today’s blogpost.