All posts by AMCteam

Since June is Adopt a Cat Month, I normally write my four weekly blogposts in June specifically about cats. Today, I am breaking that tradition because of an important disease affecting both cats and dogs that has recently appeared in the United States: the new world screwworm (NWS). For many months, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been warning Americans about the new world screwworm. This parasitic fly is in Central and South America, but recent cases have been moving north. Government officials have been predicting the arrival of the new world screwworm in the United States, and on June 3, 2026, it was identified in a calf in Texas for the first time in 60 years. Please note: New World Screwworm’s arrive in the United States is an evolving situation. For the latest information and updates, please visit the USDA’s website.

June is Adopt a Cat Month and, from a blog writing perspective, my favorite month because I get to write about cats for four consecutive weeks! Today, I’m going to start at the beginning and talk about kittens. That’s because Adopt a Cat Month also coincides with peak kitten season — the time of year when shelters, rescues and veterinary teams see more kittens needing care.

One of my long-time canine patients developed a tumor on his gum. A key principle in treating cancer is removing the entire tumor, and one treatment option for this particular tumor involved surgery to remove the bone and teeth underlying the tumor. While discussing treatment options with the family, I fielded this question: “Will he be able to chew his food after the surgery?” I thought it was a good question — and one that made me think it would be helpful to share what I know about eating, chewing and tooth loss in pets.

Practically every day, I get an email with a photo of patient poop. The worried owner is usually concerned about constipation or diarrhea. Assessing a pet’s stool quality is a critical part of a complete medical history — so much so that veterinarians use fecal scoring charts to quantify stool quality. This visual scale helps veterinarians communicate clearly about what is normal and what is not. Quantifying stool quality helps veterinarians and clients to speak the same language, ensuring you and your veterinarian agree on whether your pet truly has diarrhea, constipation, or a healthy stool.

Recent headlines about Hantavirus have understandably made many people anxious. There are several reasons for the concern. First, there is no treatment for the virus, and infection carries a high mortality rate. Second, after living through the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all a bit more on edge with reports of emerging viruses. Finally, Hantavirus has been relatively unknown until recently, when it was implicated in the death of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman’s wife and now to illnesses aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship. As a veterinarian, I thought it would be helpful to explain what Hantavirus is, how it spreads and whether pet owners should be concerned about their dogs and cats.