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Cat, or other pets, may experience placebo effects, according to a study at North Carolina State University evaluating a novel approach for cats with degenerative joint disease. Though conducted in 2014, interesting results were aired this week.

People have been traveling with emotional support animals for years, claiming they serve a mental health purpose. But the scientific case for comfort animals is very weak, according to this Prevention article. “These animals provide the sole purpose of emotional support,” says Molly Crossman, a doctoral student in clinical study at Yale University who authored a study about how animals impact human psychological distress.

Your client’s dog used to run toward the vacuum cleaner. Now he runs away from it.He didn’t used to be afraid. What changed?

Veterinary behavior is a relatively new specialty in our profession. Unfortunately, as such, plenty of old wives tales persist. As veterinarians and veterinary nurses, we critically evaluate and use evidenced-based medicine for our patients on a daily basis, and this should apply to behavior and training, as well. Here are some of the most common misconceptions about our patient’s behaviors that still are being propagated, despite scientific evidence to the contrary.

Feeding dogs raw chicken meat, particularly chicken necks, has been linked to a rare but potentially fatal type of canine paralysis. A study by researchers at University of Melbourne’s U-Vet Werribee Animal Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, found that dogs who consumed raw chicken meat had a 70% greater risk of developing acute polyradiculoneuritis (APN).

He’d be all over Don Knotts. A new study by researchers at the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom indicates that anxious people are more likely to be bitten by dogs than relaxed people.

Seventy percent of cats show a paw preference when taking that first step down a flight of stairs. And if they use their right paw, odds are she’s a female.That’s the conclusion drawn by researchers from Queens University Belfast in a new study on limb preference in cats.

Why do dogs eat poop? Theories abound: They’re bored; they have enzyme deficiencies; it’s a problem with the pancreas; they do it for attention (if so, it’s working, but maybe not the way they were hoping); they like the taste (ugh); and, most annoying of all

It’s like the paleo diet, only for pets. Grain-free, all-meat, and raw-food diets are hugely popular with pet owners who like the idea of feeding their cats and dogs a diet that’s closer to what their ancestor ate in the wilds. The problem is, there’s no hard, scientific evidence that raw meat–based diets (RMBDs) are any healthier than traditional dry or canned pet foods.

How can you tell if a dog is a pessimist or an optimist? Check his paws. A recent study indicates that a dog’s paw preference (righty or lefty) can be a predictor of how well he responds to and deals with emotional and environmental stress.