Category Archives: Wellness

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.

I know pet owners have a hard time figuring out when it is time to go to the veterinarian. If you get a reminder for routine care, like your pet’s annual wellness exam, it’s easy. The harder question is illness: when is your pet sick enough to go the veterinarian? For example, I recently saw a young terrier whose owners noticed him shaking his head and developing a brown discharge from his ear. They correctly suspected an ear infection. That same day, I saw a cat whose owner was worried about a growth in the abdomen—but it turned out to be a normal fat pad that some cats have between their back legs, in the inguinal area. These examples highlight an important point: sometimes pet owners recognize a problem accurately, and sometimes they don’t. Today’s blogpost will give some guidance on when pet owners should seek veterinary care for their pet.

There was a sad animal story out of Thailand last week. 72 tigers in two different animal parks died. The initial concern was avian influenza, or bird flu, which despite its name can infect a wide variety of species. However, autopsies revealed a surprising cause of death: canine distemper. In this blogpost, we’ll discuss canine distemper and how you can protect your pets.

The end of 2025 is upon us—a natural time to reflect on the past year and set goals for the new one. Many of us will make New Year’s resolutions to improve our own health and habits, but what about those of our pets? If you’re hoping to prioritize your pet’s well-being in 2026, the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center’s Usdan Institute for Animal Health Education can help. In 2025, the Usdan Institute held twelve educational events, nine community events and three AMC signature events. In this blogpost, I’ve curated a list of on-demand recordings that align perfectly with common pet-health resolutions.

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.