Cooperative Extension Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory

July 4 Safety Fireworks, picnics and other Fourth of July traditions can be great fun for people; but all of the festivities can be frightening and even dangerous for animals. Noisy fireworks and other celebrations can startle animals and cause them to run away; holiday foods can be unhealthy; summer heat and travel can be […]

Dr. Maro: Are flea, tick and parasite prescriptions safe for pets? By Dr. Cynthia Maro, Special to The Times, June 26, 2023 Several years ago, I contracted Lyme disease. Like many of my dog patients (and cats, too), I didn’t develop symptoms immediately. Some pets and people become ill within a few days of exposure, […]

Nearly half of US honeybee colonies died last year. Struggling beekeepers stabilize population. By Seth Borenstein, June 22, 2023 WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s honeybee hives just staggered through the second highest death rate on record, with beekeepers losing nearly half of their managed colonies, an annual bee survey found. But using costly and Herculean measures […]

Scientists find ‘forever chemicals’ in the blood of North Carolina dogs and horses By Sharon Udasin, June 21, 2023 A team of North Carolina State University scientists have identified elevated levels of “forever chemicals” in the blood of every pet dog and horse they tested in a recent community study. The research, published Wednesday in Environmental […]

Veterinary Professor Finds Harmful Bacterial Pathogen in Virginia Farm-raised Rainbow Trout By Staff, June 16, 2023 An emerging strain of harmful bacteria has been found for the first time in farm-raised rainbow trout in Virginia. “Other people that are culturing trout in the state need to know about it, and individuals in states around our […]

Vaccination, weaning can contribute to IAV spread on swine farms Hands of the farmworkers handling the infected 3-week-old piglets had a 91% contamination rate, while their clothes had a 97% contamination rate. By Staff, June 15, 2023 New research led by researchers at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine reveals that farmworkers vaccinating […]

Wildfire smoke endangers animal health By R. Scott Nolen, June 12, 2023 Veterinarians are reminding animal owners that poor air quality can be as hard on animals as humans, if not more so. Smoke from the worst wildfire season in Canada’s history has been drifting southward since March, triggering air quality alerts across the United […]

Cases of tick-borne diseases in pets spiking in Maine Lyme, anaplasmosis, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever are increasing among dogs. By Vivien Leigh (NEWS CENTER Maine), June 1, 2023 Maine — As warmer temperatures draw more people to the Maine outdoors, veterinarians are warning that pets are also at risk for tick-borne diseases, just like […]