All animal species can experience certain types of eye disease, but in exotic or wild animals, the diagnosis and treatment eye problems can be difficult, even for highly trained veterinary ophthalmologists. The explosion in popularity of exotic animals as pets, coupled with the need for improved medical attention to endangered species, are reasons …

Proponents of a vegan diet point to its numerous health benefits. It promotes weight loss, improves heart health, is beneficial to gut health and might reduce the risk of some cancers. Now, vegans have something else to brag about. They appear to have a lower risk of contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Brazilian researchers…

Many years ago, the television set was dubbed “the electronic babysitter.” And what parent hasn’t used it for that purpose, if only to get a short respite? Now, new research suggests there’s a downside to putting your toddler in front of the TV too often. Toddlers and babies who get too much TV time may be more likely to show atypical behaviors suc…

Envy the fruit bat. They can eat twice their body weight in sugary fruit without spiking blood sugar endangering their health. In fact, you’ll see a unicorn in the wild before you find a fruit bat with diabetes. We humans aren’t so lucky. Unlike our batty friends, we must watch what we eat. Those of us with diabetes avoid sugary treats. The bats ha…

Don’t forget to eat your vegetables. And your tofu. Oh, and drink your soy milk. Whether it’s in its humble bean form, disguised as a meat alternative, or serving as a dairy substitute, soy continues to wow with its health benefits. A recent analysis looked at how soybeans, cruciferous vegetables, green tea and lignans [LIG-nans] — compounds found …

Spring is nearly here, but some parts of the country may still see some snow. You may not think of shoveling snow as that tough a task. But the American Heart Association says shoveling snow in cold temperatures can be dangerous. Their research indicates that the physical strain of shoveling snow may lead to an increased risk of heart attack or sud…

The public is increasingly conscious of the teeny-tiny particles called microplastics that are turning up everywhere from snow-capped mountains to the ocean. They’re even getting into our food and drinking water. Now Columbia University scientists have figured out how to measure microplastic’s tinier cousin — nanoplastics. Their findings are unsett…

If your dog is suddenly unable to rise, or can’t move its legs, that’s a scary situation for any pet owner. However, the causes for these signs can vary greatly, ranging from trauma – such as being hit by a car – to affliction with tick-borne or other diseases, to name just a few. Getting to the root of the cause of your pet’s problem may require a…

The ancients loved their olive oil. The Greek writer Homer of Iliad and Odyssey fame called it “liquid gold.” It was used to anoint the dead and the heads of kings, besides more pedestrian applications in cooking. One reason why it was so coveted by the old world? Its supposed medicinal qualities. Indeed, physicians in antiquity prescribed it to tr…

Did the ancient Greeks and Romans get age-related dementia? The answer is, surprisingly seldom. A new study suggests severe cognitive decline was not a significant societal problem 2,000 or more years ago. Indeed, the Greeks seem largely free of the condition. And it’s not because the average lifespan is much longer today. A team led by University …

The overwhelming choice of dog foods is enough to make a pooch parent’s head spin, from boutique foods to seemingly infinite types of kibble, each touting itself as most nutritious. How does one make sense of it all? Start by choosing a food made in the United States, where the Association of American Feed Control Officers, or AAFCO, sets dietary s…

Norwegian researchers entered the laboratory, labored over their instruments and eventually emerged with the latest scientific breakthrough. A muffin. Not just any muffin. This might be the healthiest muffin on the planet. And investigators even named it, as if it were a puppy hanging out near the centrifuge. We introduce you to Roselle [Rose-ELL].…

Some people love the heat, counting down the days until frigid winter evenings turn into sweltering summer nights. Others simply tolerate it. Now, a new study suggests that there’s another being with its own variation in heat tolerance — the persistent, and resilient, mosquito. That’s right. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have di…

Depending on where you live, it’s calving season or soon will be. So, now’s the time to plan for common health problems. Recently weaned calves are particularly at risk for respiratory disease. Your first step should be to look for telltale signs like coughing, difficulty breathing and a reduced appetite. Your veterinarian can get a better sense by…

It’s beginning to sound like a broken record, but the United States has a problem with obesity. Almost half of adults over the age of 20 live with the disease, which also comes in as the country’s second-leading cause of preventable death. Only smoking cigarettes carry more health risk. Obesity brings a slew of other health problems, like a higher …

The dangers of air pollution are all too familiar. It heightens the risk of respiratory infection, heart disease and, of course, lung cancer. Long-term exposure can damage other organs, including the brain. If that weren’t bad enough, British researchers have found that pollution might make us lazier. They found a proportional association between t…

Exposure to smoke is bad for us all, our pets included. Reports from a recent study show that it might even increase the risk of cancer in some dogs. Researchers looked at Scottish terriers, because they already have a higher risk of developing bladder cancer than other breeds. The study followed 120 Scotties for three years, examining their lifest…

Saint Patrick’s Day is right around the corner and for many, there is only one way to celebrate — with a pint. Or many. Even on a celebratory holiday like the Feast of Saint Patrick, you should consider alcohol’s effects on your body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines moderate alcohol consumption as two drinks per day for men a…

When you hear the term “scratches” in an equine context, it doesn’t refer to a superficial wound. Instead, it means a skin infection involving a horse’s lower leg. Sometimes it goes by “greasy heel,” “mud fever” or other colorful term. Scratches is often seen in wet or muddy environments. Horses with long feathered coats, like draft breeds, are mos…

Even though many of us consider our pets family, most of us haven’t created a plan for their care if something happens to us. That means they could end up in shelters once we’re gone. But there are steps you can take now to ensure that doesn’t happen. First, identify a guardian willing to care for your pet. You’ll need to consider costs, including …

Scientists from the University of California, San Francisco are just itching to let the world know what they found in a study about when and why we scratch. It’s only natural: If you feel an itch, you want to scratch it. At some point our body tells our brain that the itch has been satisfied. Scientists haven’t always understood just how these sign…

If you have hearing aids but don’t use them, you might be unknowingly shortening your life. Hearing aids and lifespan may seem incongruous, but consider these recent findings by University of Southern California researchers: People with hearing loss who regularly used hearing aids had a 24% lower risk of mortality than those who never wore them. Wh…

It’s common for horses to have two or more swollen legs after times of decreased exercise. This so-called “stocking up” usually resolves with exercise, which helps move fluid through the lymphatic system. A far more serious condition is lymphangitis [lymph-an-JĪ-tus], which involves acute, painful swelling, generally of a hindlimb. Affected horses …

Late in 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, sent letters to nine manufacturers and distributors, warning them to stop selling illegally marketed over-the-counter antibiotics. The drugs in question are marketed for species like aquarium fish and pet birds but contain antibiotics — like amoxicillin, penicillin, erythromycin and other…

How old is that Pop Tart in the bottom of your desk drawer? Or that wizened granola bar, slowingly becoming as ancient as its alleged grains? Shelf-stable items have their place in the food system, and during emergencies, but the preservatives included come at a cost — to your gut. In fact, new research from scientists at the University of Chicago …

If even the premise of the movie “Snakes on a Plane” sent you into a flop sweat, here’s some possibly comforting news. Those who suffer from two phobias and go through exposure therapy that targets one fear can get some relief for both — even if the fears are completely different. German university researchers conducted a study with 50 participants…

You might think a collar is unnecessary if your pet is always indoors. But here’s why most veterinarians disagree. First, indoor pets can escape. Some pet parents get hung up on the possibility that their pets might possibly could get hung up on their collars. But in most cases, the pros outweigh the cons. And microchips don’t take the place of col…

If your cat has small, crusty bumps on her head, trunk or tail base, she may be suffering from miliary [pronounced like “military” but without the “t”] dermatitis. Other signs can include scratching, inflammation, hair loss or thinning — even behavior changes due to discomfort. Miliary dermatitis is not a single disease but rather an umbrella term …

Surely, you’ve heard the saying that age is nothing but a number. Perhaps you feel younger than you are. Maybe your joints scream that you are older. To understand whether you are aging like fine wine — or like milk — the Norwegian University of Science and Technology developed a fitness calculator. All you have to do is provide details about yours…

Avoiding memory and thinking problems later in life could depend on your sleep quality in middle age. That’s what researchers with the American Academy of Neurology learned recently after studying the association between disrupted sleep among people in their 30s and 40s and cognitive problems as they aged. To better understand it, the scientists wo…

You might think that dogs have an edge when it comes to playing fetch. But it turns out that lots of cats like it too. Just on their own terms. Researchers in Great Britain surveyed nearly 1,000 parents of over 1,100 cats to see if their feline friends retrieved thrown objects. Nearly 95% of them did — and without any specific training — usually st…

The liver is the body’s recycling and detoxifying center. In normal dogs, the portal vein carries blood from the digestive tract to the liver where toxins are removed. Then the blood travels to the systemic circulation to nourish the body. But in some dogs, blood draining the intestinal tract is shunted directly into the systemic circulation, bypas…

Now hear this: Scientists have found a link between hearing loss and the onset of dementia. It’s a curious pairing of medical issues, but scientists in Denmark recently made the connection after studying data from more than a half-million people in that country. In this case, the findings involved people over age 50 whose health was tracked for 15 …

As cute as they are, flat-faced — or brachycephalic [brā-kē-sĕ-FӐ-lĭk] — dogs, like Frenchies, Boston terriers and pugs, have lots of health problems. One of them is sleep deprivation. Caused by sleep apnea, it’s a result of the breeds’ shortened heads and resulting upper respiratory tract malformations. Brachycephalic breeds have longer periods of…

Scientists had long wondered why northern Europe had the world’s highest prevalence of multiple sclerosis. Thanks to the world’s largest ancient human gene bank — which includes bones and teeth from nearly 5,000 humans who lived across western Europe and Asia as long as 34,000 years ago — it’s no longer a mystery. A United Kingdom-led research team…

For those who love sushi, here’s something to remember: Japanese wasabi might boost short- and long-term memory in older adults. We all know the sushi condiment from the often-pungent blast that punches the nose more than our taste buds. Wasabi cultivation dates to the eighth century. But it only became better known in the United States after 1980 …

More than a month into 2024, how are your New Year’s resolutions holding up? It can be difficult to stay disciplined, especially this time of year, when cold and gloomy weather can make comfort food appealing. If you are still trying to lose weight, perhaps a new diet would be in order. A new study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition has …

When you hit your head, the consequences can be as benign as an unsightly bump or as significant as a traumatic brain injury, which affects how the brain works — and can result in death or disability. Now, researchers are digging into how brains respond to injury … and signs point to Snail. No, not our slimy, mobile-housed gastropod. In this study,…

Humans have been balking at the idea of getting enough sleep since they were born. Newborns are famously fussy; teens prefer TV and phones; adults prioritize work or fun; and no one is busier than a toddler at bedtime. Now, once more, we’re reminded that getting enough sleep is good for you — and this time, it’s with 50 years of research to cement …

If you give a lick about hearth health, you might want to consider cutting back on your daily salt intake. High blood pressure affects about 1 in 3 adults and is the leading cause of mortality in the world, contributing to heart attacks, heart failure, kidney damage and stroke. While it’s long been known that there is a connection between sodium an…

While cardiovascular disease in horses is less common than in people, dogs and cats, because horses are often expected to perform work or athletic feats, their cardiovascular condition may be relatively more important, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual. On this show, Dr. Meg Sleeper, a veterinary cardiology specialist, will discuss how heart…

For premature infants, an incubator is usually their first stop after entering the world. Now, science may have found a better landing spot. Immediate skin-to-skin contact between a premature newborn and a parent helps to develop the child’s social skills. That’s what researchers in Sweden determined recently after observing about 100 babies in a c…

Drinking coffee in the morning is a routine for millions of people. Nothing beats that first sip; it instantly gets you ready for the day. But what if we told you that you could enjoy a different cup of Joe, and that it would be better for your health? Coffee is a favorite beverage around the world. It’s notable for its smell and aroma, along with …

Tendon injuries in any species have a tough time healing. The repair tissue is more like a scar than regular tendon — it’s less elastic and weaker, making it susceptible to re-injury. Some tendon injuries are also at risk of mineralization and adhesion — that is, hardening and sticking — decreasing the tendon’s range of motion. Stem cells are being…

Here’s a little test for you. Picture two beverage glasses, each containing a drink with identical nutritional content. Not a sugar molecule’s worth of difference. Indeed, the only thing differentiating these two beverages is color. One is clear, the other pink. True or false? The pink drink will supercharge your workout and increase exercise perfo…

Every year, car accidents take a sobering toll on human health and lives. But sadly, there are no statistics on the number of vehicular injuries and deaths for pet passengers. Although many pets ride with their humans, there are no regulations for their safety, only general recommendations. In an accident or even sudden breaking or swerving, a pet …

In recent years, social media has been a consistent scapegoat — and often the guilty party — for problems plaguing teens, ranging from those related to how they navigate their relationships and social circles to their physical health, like how early (and often) they get enough sleep. Though some parents may wish otherwise, social media won’t be goi…

February is National Pet Dental Health Month, so it’s a great time to focus on our pet’s pearly whites. Good dental health is a key part of any pet’s overall health. For example, periodontal disease — inflammation or infection of the gums and other soft tissues around the teeth — can spread to other parts of the body. That’s why your pet should hav…

Winter can be a tough time for cows, depending on their condition and fluctuating temperatures. Cows in good condition with thick winter coats generally hold their own in temperatures down to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. But for thin cows or those with wet haircoats, temperatures between 40 and 60 degrees can cause trouble. For each degree below those te…

When is poop too soft or too hard? Poop quality can be a source of worry especially for new pet owners. Is there something wrong with the diet or is the gut working normally? Is a visit to your veterinarian or even referral to an internal medicine or nutrition specialist a good idea? On this show, Dr. Richard Hill, who is board-certified in both sm…