When Florida’s marine mammals and sea turtles become sick, injured or die, a quick response is essential to understand the issues at play and, if needed, provide a means for care and treatment. At the University of Florida, the Marine Animal Rescue Program plays that role, working closely with other stranding networks within the state of Florida and nationally when needed. On this show, Dr. Mike Walsh, a clinical associate professor at UF and the program’s director, will discuss some of the program’s accomplishments since its inception, including the recovery of a deceased dolphin and the collaborations that led to a diagnosis of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus.

Join us for a riveting episode of Animal Airwaves – Live! featuring Dr. Cory Woliver, an emergency and critical care expert at the UF Small Animal Hospital. Dr. Woliver delves into the lives of coral snakes, discussing what happens from an envenomation and what makes these snakes unique among venomous serpents. Dr. Woliver will also discuss his groundbreaking clinical trial, which is being used to treat dogs envenomated by coral snakes. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain potentially life-saving knowledge about this elusive fossorial species and the latest advancement in treatment.

Uncover the hidden threat of rat lungworm in dogs with UF experts Dr. Heather Walden, an associate professor of parasitology, and Dr. Amy Stone, a clinical associate professor of primary care and dentistry. Dr. Walden will explore the parasite’s biology, while Dr. Stone will provide crucial insights into canine infection, clinical symptoms, and treatment strategies specific to our four-legged companions. Learn how to protect your dogs from this emerging parasitic danger in Florida.

Sometimes nature can feel cruel, but humans can step in to help out.

Scarlet macaws lay up to four eggs per clutch — that’s the group of eggs produced during one nesting event. But whether in the wild or in captivity, the parents routinely feed only one or two of the chicks, leaving the others to starve. This happens to healthy chicks and whether food is plentiful or scarce.

For reasons not well understood, the last chicks to hatch are the ones left to die. But now a fostering program removes neglected chicks from one nest and places them in another where chicks have been lost to predators. The foster parent birds raise the chicks as their own, allowing them to thrive.

If the program remains successful, it may help endangered parrot species too.

It’s not unusual for people to prioritize their pet’s health over their own. That’s especially true for vulnerable folks with limited means.

But one university is taking a unique approach to people who neglect their own care in lieu of addressing their pets’ needs. The University of Minnesota’s One Health Clinic is a pilot program that will provide health care for pets and their family members together.

The clinic, scheduled to open in 2025, will be run by students from the College of Medicine and the College of Veterinary Medicine, all working under faculty supervision.

The clinic’s initial focus will be on those who don’t have routine access to health care and have little or no health insurance.

In November 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters to six companies selling unapproved drugs said to control seizures in dogs and cats. The products were sold online without requiring a prescription or veterinary oversight.

The letter cautioned that animals taking anti-seizure drugs should be  supervised by a licensed veterinarian who could diagnose and manage their conditions. Many abnormalities can cause seizures.

The FDA has conditionally approved two drugs for canine epilepsy — that is, seizures of unknown origin. KBroVet-CA1 [KAY-broh-vet-C-A-1] is a form of potassium bromide, and Fidoquel-CA1 [FI-doh-quell-C-A-1] is a phenobarbital agent.

If you think these might help you pet, ask your veterinarian.

Have you ever wondered why cats’ claws retract and dogs’ claws don’t? It all has to do with function dictating form.

Cats are solitary hunters that surprise their prey. Retracting claws let their footpads support them in silence. They also use their claws to kill their prey, so they must keep them sharp. If a cat’s claws were always extended, surface contact would wear them down.

Dogs are another story — they’re pack hunters that chase their prey to exhaust them before the kill. They use their claws to gain traction and make quick turns.

So, what about cheetahs that run at high speeds? They also need their claws for traction. Despite being cats, their claws function more like dogs’.

What is it about cats and closed doors? Why do so many of our feline friends swipe, scratch and paw to get under or through them?

There are likely several reasons. Feline FOMO is one of them — their fear of missing out. Cats are very curious by nature, and they want to keep tabs on everything happening in their ’hood. In the wild, they’re both prey and predator, so they must be super vigilant to stay alive and be successful hunters.

Cats also like to have control and make their own choices, and that doesn’t happen when their human closes them out. Closing a door also changes their environment, and they can’t stand that, either.

Many cats also love the attention they get from their human family members — the ones who are often behind those closed doors.

The bird flu doesn’t only affect birds — cats are vulnerable to it as well. Since 2022, over 80 cases of bird flu have been reported in domestic cats.

Most of those cats were from dairy farms, but some were indoor cats with no known exposure to animals shedding the virus. It is surmised that they may have consumed virus-contaminated raw diets or unpasteurized milk. Some commercial raw food brands were recalled recently after testing positive for the virus and being linked to illness and death in cats.

Nearly 70% of cats infected with bird flu will die, so it’s not worth taking a chance on a raw food diet. Even freezing temperatures won’t destroy viruses, so stick with commercial pet foods that are heat-treated to get the job done.

Mexico is on the verge of joining other regions in eliminating dog-transmitted rabies. These include the U.S., Western Europe, Canada, Japan, and some Latin American countries. Other places, like Australia and many Pacific islands, have never had the problem.

But make no mistake. Nearly 60,000 people around the world still die from rabies every year. Some countries still have high rates of canine-transmitted rabies. And just about everywhere, rabies is spread by wildlife, like bats, raccoons, skunks, and other mammals.

So, it remains crucial to vaccinate pets and livestock while also raising public awareness about how rabies is spread. That’s best done with a One Health approach, which recognizes that environmental, animal, and human health are intertwined.