All posts by AMCteam

New York City is in the midst of two human infectious disease outbreaks: Legionnaires’ disease and cyclosporiasis. Both have been in the news recently, and both raise an understandable question for pet families: Could my dog or cat be at risk, too? Here’s what these diseases are, how they spread and what they may — or may not — mean for your pets.

A recent New York Times article, “It’s a Bone of Contention: Mexico and Brazil Are Arguing Over Dogs” caught my attention. This article highlights an ongoing “argument” between Brazil and Mexico over which country can rightfully claim the Caramelo dog as its own. The Caramelo dog is the typical street dog of Latin America. A recent genetics study determined the dogs are neither exclusively Brazilian nor Mexican but a mash-up mutt descended from dogs brought by Portuguese colonial settlers and, later, by immigrants from Italy, Germany, Spain and Japan. Since the New York Times article did not come to a conclusion regarding the nationality of this canine cultural treasure, I decided to ask experts on dogs to weigh in on the Caramelo. I spoke with two of my colleagues from the World Small Animal Association’s Oncology Committee, one from Brazil and the other from Mexico. Here is a condensed version of our conversation.

As the United States prepares to celebrate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, I started to wonder about pets and veterinary care 250 years ago. I did a little digging, and here is what I found about veterinarians and pets of the founding fathers and mothers during the revolutionary period.

Facial expressions are an important aspect of nonverbal communication. We all know what an eye roll or raised eyebrow means. When you think about it, we have even codified our facial expressions into written communications through our devices’ emoji libraries. Since cats don’t speak or write, monitoring their facial expressions can help us better understand what might be on their minds. Here are some interesting facts about feline facial expressions and what your cat’s face may be telling you.

Feeding cats can be fraught. You finally find a food your cat loves and buy four cases. Halfway through the first case, she refuses another mouthful, and you head back to the pet store for new options. Or the food you have been feeding your cat since kittenhood becomes “new and improved” — except your cat disagrees. Then there is the multi-cat household dilemma. Your veterinarian prescribes a kidney-friendly diet for your older cat after a diagnosis of chronic kidney disease, but your older cat wants to eat your middle-aged cat’s food, which is not kidney friendly. Feeding multiple cats different diets is one of the most challenging aspects of living with more than one cat. Today’s blogpost will highlight my tips for successfully feeding cats in a multi-cat household.