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If you are looking for cutting edge studies on animal research and practice management, you need look no further than this years Ig Nobel Prize winners.

Advising a client or potential client on what type of pet is best for their family can be tricky. But a new study might make the answer at least a little clearer.

AAHA members will now have the member-only newsletter NEWStat delivered to their inboxes once a week instead of twice a month.

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) has launched Trends Today, an online publication inspired by the Association’s award-winning Trends Magazine.

Rabies kills an estimated 55,000 people each year, mostly in Asia and Africa. This week marked the fourth annual World Rabies Day, a global effort to increase rabies knowledge and prevention.

A new drug is showing promise as a treatment for lymphoma in dogs, researchers at the University of Illinois have found.

The red piddle pad was rolled out in full force Saturday at the first annual DogTime Pet Blog Awards (aka “the Petties”) for best animal-related blogs.

With so many online classes available for veterinary technicians, it is no wonder that many boards and associations are accepting these courses as part of their continuing education (CE) requirements for re-licensure, re-certification or re-registration. For example, Louisiana this year decided that half of the total required CE for technicians (10 hours per fiscal year) can be online or self-help courses. North Carolina allows three hours (out of a required 12) of on online training each two-year renewal period. However, one state is actually moving away from online CE in an effort to increase the quality of technician education. Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians (CACVT) Executive Director Denise Mikita, MS, CVT, said CACVT’s certification committee meets every two years to evaluate the CE options in the state, and to decide what qualifies as CE.

As veterinary medicine progresses, many pet owners have grown to expect the same type of care for their pets as they expect for themselves or human loved ones. One of these expectations is hospice care. At the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) annual convention in Atlanta, Ga., this year, an entire day was devoted to hospice and palliative care and end of life choices for pets. The sessions were well-attended, with many having standing room only, a testament to growing interest in this field among veterinarians and technicians. One attendee, Gina Smith, DVM, a veterinarian at Allatoona Animal Hospital in Woodstock, Ga., said she was looking for ideas for how to start providing this service in her practice. Smith said there is some demand for hospice care among her clients. “It’s not considerable, but there is some,” Smith said. “Especially clients who can’t afford expensive procedures like chemotherapy, they want to keep their pet comfortable and happy within a tight budget.”

Why do animals yawn? Why do cats eat grass? These and other pressing questions were explored in an entertaining animal behavior session at the AVMA’s annual convention in Atlanta, Ga., this weekend. Benjamin Hart, DVM, PhD, DACVB, distinguished professor emeritus at the University of California –Davis, spoke about some of the more inexplicable behaviors of companion animals in his talk: “Why do they do that? Purring, yawning, flipping out on catnip, and eating poop.”