UF Health Podcasts

Peregrine [peh·ruh·gruhn] falcons are one of nature’s marvels. Achieving speeds of at least 200 miles per hour in a hunting dive, they’re the world’s fastest birds. They’ve also learned to thrive in cities, making nests high on bridges and buildings.

Decades ago, their numbers were decimated by pesticides, and now they’re in another struggle.

This time, the culprit is avian flu. Peregrines hunt other birds, and along the coasts, those include ducks, geese and other waterfowl — the birds most often infected with avian flu. Ironically, while coastal populations of peregrines are declining, their urban brethren that live on songbirds and pigeons are faring much better.

In fact, New York City, with its 30 nesting pairs, may now have the world’s most concentrated population of peregrine falcons.

In our well-meaning attempts to help wildlife, we often do more harm than good — like when we try to rescue what we assume are abandoned offspring. Most of these animals aren’t abandoned at all.

Many wild animals leave their young alone for relatively long periods as they search for food. For example, cottontail rabbits and deer may check in with their young only every 12 hours or so. And sometimes, fledgling birds and baby squirrels fall out of their nests when their parents are away.

Wildlife parents rarely abandon healthy offspring. If you think a fledgling or another youngster has been abandoned, monitor it from afar for several hours to see if a parent returns. If an animal has an obvious injury or is still on its own, contact your veterinarian or local Fish and Wildlife office.

Vaccination is one of the best ways to keep your horse healthy. But which vaccinations are necessary?

Every horse needs what are called core vaccinations to protect against highly contagious and often fatal diseases. These include rabies, tetanus, West Nile virus and equine encephalitis. In contrast, risk-based vaccinations may be recommended based on location, activities and exposure risk. Some examples include vaccination against influenza, rhinopneumonitis or Strep equi [Strĕp EE-kwee].

Be sure to follow a vaccination schedule recommended by your veterinarian. Annual rabies vaccinations are the rule, while other core vaccines are generally administered twice a year. The timing of risk-based vaccinations depends in large part on your horse’s exposure risk.

During a single month in the spring of 2025, sixteen horses in Delaware died soon after showing neurologic signs. Testing ruled out infection, and postmortem findings pointed to a toxin. Feed analysis finally revealed the culprit: fumonisin [foo-MON-ah-sin], a fungal toxin.

Fumonisin is produced by mold growing on corn — that is, it’s a type of mycotoxin [my-koh-tock-sin]. Although mycotoxins can harm all kinds of animals, horses are among the most sensitive. Telltale damage involves softening of the brain, which causes a variety of symptoms — like head pressing, blindness and a lack of coordination — and can be fatal.

The only treatment is supportive care, so prevention is crucial. That includes buying feed guaranteed to be mycotoxin-free and storing all feed appropriately.

Most horses in the U.S. have some degree of asthma and nearly 15 percent have a severe case. But now, thanks to collaboration between a medical school and a veterinary college, a specially designed equine respirator may help these horses while cutting down on their medications.

Although human respirators cover the mouth and nose, a horse needs its mouth free to graze and drink. After considering many approaches, researchers eventually designed a respirator that covers only a horse’s nose by snuggly fitting on its bridle. A flexible silicone seal keeps it in place, and a foam filter reduces the amount of dust the horse inhales.

Most horses get used to wearing the respirator all the time. That’s important, since they’re constantly exposed to particulate irritants in hay.

A recent article in a medical journal highlighted the looming threat of the H5N1 avian flu. Virologists from over 40 countries signed on, urging global leaders to increase surveillance, boost biosecurity and prepare for person-to-person transmission.

The paper’s authors cited some sobering facts. Over 995 dairy herds and at least 70 people have been infected with bird flu. Some cases have been severe and at least one person has died.

Among the suggested mitigation strategies are continuous animal and caretaker surveillance, tracking H5N1 evolution that could lead to human-to-human transmission, self-administered diagnostic testing and vaccine development.

The good news is that past pandemics have left us with many tools for preventing viruses’ spread.

Dogs are an integral part of most Native American communities, but in low-income environments, veterinary needs often run up against financial challenges. That’s when First Nations Vet steps in.

Also known as Friends of the Rez Dogs, this nonprofit group offers free exams, spay and neuter services and wellness care — like vaccinations and flea and tick preventatives — to both dogs and cats. Even microchipping is covered. In addition, First Nations partners with Fences for Fido, which sets up free fences and insulated dog houses.

Grant funding helps First Nations Vet volunteers travel to reservations, where their work prevents about 300 animal births per reservation. This reduces cases of aggression and pet surrenders due to overpopulation, benefiting both pets and people.

Ehrlichiosis [air-leek-ee-OH-sis] is a tickborne disease, particularly affecting dogs in Southeastern and Southwestern states.

Rickettsial organisms — a genus of bacteria — spread the disease. The most common carrier is the brown dog tick, but other tick species can also be carriers.

Most dogs are diagnosed in the acute stage of disease, when they may have a fever, swollen lymph nodes, bleeding disorders or neurologic signs. From there, they may clear the infection or progress to a relatively symptom-free stage. The final stage, chronic ehrlichiosis, is associated with a wide range of serious clinical signs.

Prevention of ehrlichiosis is much easier than treatment. That’s why canine tick preventatives are crucial year-round.

What’s better than butter? Well, probably a longer lifespan.

A major study tracked more than 220,000 Americans over 33 years to learn about how butter and plant-based oils impact mortality. When it came down to the age-old question of buttering or not, the results were clear.

Those who opted to consume butter saw a 15% higher chance of early death versus those who opted for plant-based oils like olive, soybean or canola oil. In fact, the oil-inclined participants even saw a 16% reduction in mortality risk.

That being said, there is some good news for butter-based bakers out there. The study did not find any correlation between using butter in baked goods and an increase in risk of mortality.

For those who like to spread a bit of butter on their bread, swapping out two teaspoons of butter for certain plant oils can reduce the risk of mortality by 17%. Olive, soybean and canola oils were linked to lower mortality risk. Corn and safflower oils did not demonstrate notable benefits.

Researchers also noted that butter intake was associated specifically with higher risk of cancer and heart disease. This could be due to saturated fats in butter increasing harmful cholesterol and promoting inflammation.

The study highlights how dietary substitutions can be important and reminds us that it’s not always about eating less of something — but considering what we might replace it with instead.

The researchers said that even cutting back on butter and adding more plant-based oils to daily diets can deliver real health benefits in the long run.

So remember: When it comes to choosing between butter and plant-based oils for your dinner rolls, it’s OK to spread the love.

As the story goes, Ponce de León never found the fabled Fountain of Youth. The Spanish explorer, however, didn’t have a molecular biologist on his team.

He could have used one.

That’s because a modern team of them recently found that a protein released by our muscles can reverse some age-related declines in muscle and bone. As you might expect, the protein surges during exercise.

The protein is composed of the cardiotrophin-like cytokine [Pronounced CAR-dee-oh-troh-fin-like SIGH-toh-kine] factor 1 molecule, or CLCF1. And scientists say it can help even an active 80-year-old outperform a sedentary person half their age.

The hope is that the “youth molecule” might eventually lead to treatments for age-related muscle loss and osteoporosis.

Our CLCF1 levels fall as we age. But even then, exercise can temporarily revive production to more youthful heights.

A team of South Korean scientists recently published a study in which they gave elderly mice the protein. A 20-month-old mouse, by the way, is the equivalent of an 80-year-old human. The mice were then able to regain the bone density and muscle strength of much younger members of their species.

Researchers also learned that, by blocking the protein, exercise lost its anti-aging benefits.

While this is a mouse study, researchers are confident the effects of the protein apply to humans as well. For example, just as in mice, the protein levels decline with age.

That might explain why bones and muscles become weaker as we get older. Supplementing the body’s store of this protein, however, helps counter that natural depletion over time.

Perhaps the Fountain of Youth does exist. It’s in your local gym.