All posts by AMCteam

The Schwarzman Animal Medical Center’s tripartitie mission centers on providing compassionate and collaborative care to animals and leading the advancement of veterinary medicine through innovative clinical research and education. This mission defines AMC’s purpose and directs our work to effect positive changes in veterinary care.

Human body language refers to nonverbal communication that includes facial expressions, amount of eye contact, gestures, posture, how close you stand to someone, how you touch them and your tone of voice. While some people are very good at reading body language, others struggle. Since animals have a limited verbal repertoire, body language is their primary means of communication. Today’s blogpost will highlight some telltale nonverbal cues of cats and dogs.

With National Mutt Day just around the corner on July 31, it’s the perfect time to explore our favorite mixed-breed companions. A mutt is a dog of mixed or unknown breed heritage, and there’s a common belief that mutts are healthier due to “hybrid vigor.” Hybrid vigor is the improved health of offspring due to the mixing of parental genetic traits. But how true is this claim? I’ll try to answer that question in today’s blogpost.

The nature versus nurture debate has captivated scientists since the 1800s, when Gregor Mendel cultivated peas in his garden while Charles Darwin explored the world aboard the HMS Beagle. This enduring discussion centers on the relative importance of genetics (nature) and environment (nurture) in shaping an individual's traits and behaviors. In my last blogpost, I wrote about genetic mutations in pets. These mutations—like those causing stumpy tails in Manx cats, extra toes in polydactyl cats, or drug sensitivities in pets with the AMC transporter mutation—demonstrate how genetics shape our animals’ appearance and health needs. But what about nurture? How does the environment our pets share with us impact their well-being?

Each year on July 22, the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center celebrates American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Accredited Hospital Day. We celebrate because we have been an AAHA certified hospital since 1976 and a certified referral hospital since 2023. AAHA is an industry leader that originally set the standards for small animal hospitals in North America but now has certified hospitals in Japan, South Korea, China, the West Indies and Guam.