Animal Airwaves

If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, have you considered your pet’s affect?

In the U.S., over 25 percent of the environmental impact from meat consumption comes from dog and cat foods. Cats need more animal protein than dogs do, and keep in mind that chicken and fish are environmentally friendlier than beef.

Feeding kibble and wet pet food has a lower environmental impact than feeding human-grade food, because these foods contain animal parts we would otherwise discard. Also, be aware that pet food brands aiming for sustainability might be labeled as climate neutral certified, regenerative organic certified or a certified B corporation.

And it’s not just about your pet’s diet. Consider durable toys and accessories made from recyclable materials that are gentler on the planet.

New World Screwworm, or NWS, hasn’t arrived in the U.S. yet and livestock owners want to keep it that way.

NWS flies produce larvae that feed on live tissue, causing pain, infection and death if left untreated. One of the best ways to protect animals — most commonly cattle, goats, sheep and horses — is to keep a close eye on them. Fly control is important, too.

NWS targets wounds, so daily inspection of animals and prompt wound care are key, including covering wounds to keep flies out. Bringing animals with wounds closer to the barn facilitates frequent monitoring. As larvae burrow deeper, wounds may develop a foul odor, and animals tend to get restless and lose weight. Ask your veterinarian what else to look for and  call immediately if you suspect NWS.

Traditional glucose monitoring in diabetic dogs and cats involves manual collection of blood for testing. Another option may be continuous glucose monitoring, or CGM.

CGM is currently used off-label in pets. A veterinarian applies the sensor to a shaved patch of skin on the pet’s upper back. Glucose levels are then measured every one to 15 minutes, and data are transmitted to a reader or smartphone for up to 15 days.

CGM can identify short- and long-term glucose trends. In addition, alerts to levels outside pre-set ranges allow for timely intervention.

However, CGM sensors can cost at least $200 per month. The limited range of sensor transmission to a data reader also means that data cannot be accessed remotely.

Veterinarians can help folks weigh the pros and cons to see if CGM may work for their pet.

A new study on how people perceive cats may contain valuable clues for feline care and welfare.

Researchers showed 665 study participants images of 12 cats, which included AI-generated backgrounds of both indoor and outdoor settings. Participants were then asked to rate the cat’s emotion in each setting.

Indoor backgrounds led to higher ratings of positive emotions, while outdoor backgrounds were associated with more unsettled ones. This trend held even among people who thought cats should be allowed outside. What’s more, the participant’s own emotions tended to reflect how they judged those in cats.

Our perceptions about cat communication strongly influence how we care for them — including how to best position those needing homes. Results of the study could be a valuable teaching tool.

With all the buzz about GLP-1 drugs in people, could they potentially benefit obese or diabetic dogs and cats, too? Several veterinary pharmaceutical companies are exploring these options.

About 60 percent of U.S. dogs and cats are obese, and hundreds of thousands are diabetic. Simply stressing diet and exercise isn’t significantly easing the obesity epidemic. As for diabetes, pets often need insulin injections twice daily, making this a labor-intensive and costly treatment.

Late in 2025, a pharmaceutical company in San Francisco began a pilot study of a GLP-1 drug in obese cats. Small injectable implants slowly release the drug over six months. If results live up to the promise, a larger trial will be launched with the aim of applying for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval within two years.

Your senior cat’s increased affection and chatty behavior may seem charming, but these could be early signs of feline cognitive dysfunction, or FCD, a type of progressive feline dementia.

A recent  study showed that brain changes in cats with FCD are very similar to those in people with Alzheimer’s disease. However, with cats, we often mistake the behavioral changes for normal aging.

Most cats with FCD vocalize more, have accidents in the house and seem clingier. Additional signs may include restless sleep, anxiety and disorientation, slowing down and memory lapses.

Other common conditions in elderly cats — like pain, high blood pressure and hyperthyroidism — can also cause these signs. So, it’s important to have your veterinarian rule them out and formulate a plan to make your cat more comfortable.

As of early December 2025, 60 cases of equine herpesvirus-1, or EHV-1, have been reported in horses from eight states, with most showing neurologic signs.

EHV-1 and EHV-4 are the most common of the nine EHV viruses and the ones posing the highest risk to horses. Both can cause mild self-limiting respiratory disease and abortion, but EHV-1 can also cause potentially fatal neurologic disease.

Carrier horses with no clinical signs can spread EHV to other horses. Vaccines are approved for the respiratory and abortive forms of EHV, but there’s no vaccine currently labeled for the neurologic form.

Disease spread can be mitigated by isolating and monitoring new or returning horses for at least 21 days and regularly cleaning and disinfecting equipment and surfaces.

After a family’s pet goat was euthanized, the land on their farm precluded burial. Instead, they cremated the animal’s remains, assuming that high heat would reduce them to ashes.

Unbeknownst to them, their dog sniffed out the site. The next day, her gait was unsteady and she started vomiting. Fortunately, someone collected the charred bits that came up.

With their dog’s condition quickly declining, the family arrived at the university veterinary hospital. The sample and history suggested to the veterinarian’s that the dog had been secondarily poisoned by pentobarbital in the euthanasia solution. After receiving the appropriate treatment, she made a full recovery.

This serves as a warning — both regarding the safe disposal of euthanized animals and the importance of collecting samples.

With the goal of reducing catastrophic fractures in racehorses, researchers in Australia aimed to stop bone damage altogether. They found that intensive training suppresses bone remodeling, which is how bones repair microdamage before it develops into fractures. In contrast, normal exercise stimulates the growth of thicker bone that’s more fracture-resistant.

They developed a mathematical model to simulate how bone sensors naturally detect exercise stress and transmit signals for repair. The model also showed that high-speed running over long distances overwhelms this repair system and allows bone damage to accumulate.

To strike a balance for training, the researchers posited that high-speed training could be shortened in distance and duration, with rest periods of normal exercise offered more frequently.

A recent study of nearly 45 hundred dogs linked stressful events during puppyhood to aggression and fear later on.

Pet parents used a validated questionnaire to report their dog’s history and behavior. Higher scores meant stronger fearful or aggressive responses to common triggers.

A third of the dogs had experienced trauma, such as physical abuse, surrender to a shelter or serious injury. Compared to those that faced adversity later in life, dogs exposed before six months of age scored higher on fear and aggression scales. Behavioral responses to the same triggers also differed from one breed to another, showing that genetics and environment interact to form a dog’s behavior.

Even with dogs that have a rough start, loving care, individual training and environmental enrichment can help with behavioral issues.