Dogs who start life with a nursing mother and a stable puppyhood have the best chance of developing the strong immune system they need to grow up healthy. But some dogs—like Emmy, who was found on the street as a puppy—don’t have those advantages. Without a well-established immune system, Emmy suffered from chronic digestive troubles that worsened until they became life-threatening. But a close look at her gut microbiome (bacteria in the digestive tract) revealed the key to turning her health around.

April 29th is International Guide Dog Day, a day to celebrate the amazing canines that help people who are blind safely navigate obstacles. There are just over a dozen guide dogs schools in the United States, who coordinate an army of volunteers to provide guide dogs - at little to no cost to the owner - to about 2% of people who are blind or have visual impairment (helping over 10,000 people each year). Countless people are involved in the raising and training each guide dog: breeders, breeder hosts, puppy raisers, veterinarians, instructors, family members, guide dog school staff, and of course, the owner. In the article, we address some common misconceptions about guide dogs and share more about our research collaboration with Leader Dogs for the Blind. 

National Scoop the Poop Week (April 24–30) was originally established to highlight the importance of cleaning up after your dog. But there’s more to poop than scooping! Your cat’s or dog’s poop can tell you a lot about their overall health. Sending a sample of your pet’s poop for microbiome analysis can tell you the status of your pet’s gut health, whether the bacteria that make up your pet’s microbiome are in the proper balance, and how to support their gut health and potentially prevent health issues from arising down the road. 

CE just doesn’t stand for Continuing Education, it also stands for Chronic Enteropathy (CE), an umbrella term used to describe gastrointestinal (GI) disease that lasts longer than three weeks in cats and dogs and lacks a more specific diagnosis. Historically, CE has been referred to as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), once histopathological evidence of inflammation has been reported via gastrointestinal mucosal biopsies. Specialists now prefer CE as the term for diagnosis because the predominant inflammatory infiltrate in animal IBD (lymphocytic plasmacytic) is very different from human IBD (neutrophilic & monocytic).

In these strange and stressful times, the good news is that it appears that pets are unlikely to become infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 in people, SARS-CoV-2. Only a few cases have been observed in cats and dogs since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. In all of these cases, the human was infected first and then unknowingly transmitted the virus to their pet.

There has been a lot of discussion about social distancing in the past few weeks. Because this is a new concept for many of us, here is a brief discussion of what social distancing is, why epidemiologists recommend it as a way of slowing the spread of an infection, and what current efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 might mean for pet parents.

You may have seen in the news that a dog in Hong Kong—the pet of a patient who had Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)—tested “weak positive” for the virus. This story has worried a lot of pet parents and brought up questions about whether dogs and cats can become infected with COVID-19. We want to reassure you: at this time there is no evidence that dogs or cats can transmit the new coronavirus to humans or to other animals. Here’s what we know so far.

Bad dog breath is a common condition that can make some pet parents hesitate when getting close to their dog. The American Veterinary Medical Association named February as National Pet Dental Health month; we’re creating awareness about it by talking about causes of bad dog breath, many of which are connected to dental health. Some causes are rather harmless, such as your dog just ate some cat poop, while others causes could be a sign of a serious underlying health condition. While smaller breeds, older dogs, and breeds with short snouts are more prone to having bad breath, a healthy dog shouldn’t have chronic bad breath. In this article, we will explain the common causes of stinky dog breath, the connection between poor oral health and disease, prevention tips, and available treatment options.

Dog breath! If it’s stinky, it could mean gum disease. In fact, 80% of dogs have some degree of gum disease by the age of three. Daily toothbrushing can help, but for many dogs that’s easier said than done. Luckily, there are new, oral microbiome-based approaches to keeping your dog’s mouth healthy. We’ll explain why oral health is such a huge factor in overall health, and we’ll tell you how the new approaches can help you add years to your dog’s life.

There are thousands of pet parents out there who are frustrated in finding a solution to their pet’s digestive or skin conditions. They’ve switched food, researched extensively, and administered prescribed medications or supplements. And while many dogs and cats will positively respond to changes in diet or treatments, other pets experience only minor improvement (if at all) or their symptoms recur. A key factor that may impact how a pet responds to treatment may reside in the status of their gut microbiome. For those frustrated pet parents, there is a growing body of research evidence that fecal transplants can help improve several different gastrointestinal disorders (as well as many other conditions) by changing the gut microbiome. Here we answer some common questions about fecal transplants and what options are available for your cat or dog.