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Are cats more skilled at getting what they want than dogs? A new study suggests that at least in ancient times, that may have been true. Researchers from the Universities of Gothenburg (Sweden), São Paulo (Brazil) and Lausanne (Switzerland) studied over 2000 North American fossils and concluded that felids (wild cats) who migrated from Asia into North America spelled doom on the diversity of the dog family. They contributed to the extinction of up to 40 dog species. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on May 30.

There is nothing more heart-wrenching—or potentially avoidable—than a lost pet. That’s why the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) teamed up to create Check the Chip Day on August 15. The purpose of the annual event is to remind pet owners to make sure their pets’ microchip registration information is current or, if they don’t have a chip, to get one for their pets.

Tetralogy of Fallot is a set of four structural heart abnormalities uncommon in dogs and often fatal before the age of one. Called “blue baby syndrome” in humans, the congenital heart defect prevents oxygenated blood from properly circulating through the body. This was the situation for Lilly Rose, a beagle, before she found herself at Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (CSU-CVMBS), and the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The solution involved two heart operations, one in September 2014 and a second surgery in July.

If your staff and/or clients seem stressed out, consider adding a fish tank to your lobby or break room. It just might calm them, a new study suggests. The study, published on July 27 in Environment and Behavior and conducted at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, UK, showed there are both psychological and physiological benefits to observing a fish tank.

Summer travels include road trips and air travel, often with pets in tow. But just how safe is Fido in that carrier? Given that the pet carrier industry is unregulated, a partnership between the Center for Pet Safety and Subaru of America sought to find out. The results of their study, released on July 24, identified the three top pet carriers and crates, and debunked some myths about other carrier products.

As of June 29, 40 states have reported a total of 181 people who have been infected with strains of salmonella, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The outbreak is from chicks, ducklings, and other live poultry. As a result, on July 1, the CDC issued guidelines for backyard flock owners.

Over 53 million passengers passed through John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport as of December 2014, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (Port Authority). And while the number of pets that traveled through there was unavailable at press time, if the projected size of JFK’s new multi-purpose animal handling and air cargo facility, The Ark, is any indication, it’s a lot. In fact, it's projected to be 70,000.

Accelerometers, or motion-sensing devices, for animals have historically been expensive and complicated to use, including in clinical studies. But with the explosion of human electronic wearables, it was only a matter of time before that changed. A new study published by Colorado State University (CSU) researchers on July 4 in BioMed Central looked specifically at one of those wearables, Whistle, a smart-phone based device, and compared it to a previously-validated accelerometer.

Pigs and horses and chickens, oh my. That seems to be part of the animal-assisted therapy (AAT) equation today for Alzheimer's and dementia patients. They number 5.3 million in the United States, cost taxpayers $226 billion, and result in high caregiver burnout, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. But two pot-bellied pigs, a miniature horse, and a chicken named Clementine are helping.

If you’re an avian veterinarian, it may only be a matter of time before you’ll be learning bird-speak to communicate with your patients. At least, that’s what a new study suggests. A team of international researchers concluded that some birds are offering more than just a pretty song when they sing. They’re also communicating messages. The study was published in PLOS/Biology on June 29.