Bird migration is a monumental and mysterious process — especially given that most birds fly solo and overnight.

Migration behavior varies across bird species, and it’s presumed to be at least partly inherited. The Earth’s magnetic field is thought to be another factor that helps birds migrate so precisely.

Amazingly, quantum mechanics may play a role too. Simply put, unpaired electrons, or free radicals, in cells have a property called “spin,” which is especially sensitive to magnetic fields. Light is one way to stimulate free radical production, and a protein called cryptochrome 4 is important as well. That protein is higher in migrating versus nonmigrating birds.

It’s all too complex to fully cover here, but it sure gives the term “bird brain” a whole new meaning.

Summer means mosquitoes, and that can signal problems for pets in the form of heartworm disease. Even if you don’t live in a high-risk area, heartworm disease has been diagnosed in all 50 states.

You may travel with your pet to a locale that has a higher incidence of heartworm disease than your own — or the disease may land on your doorstep when heartworm-positive pets are adopted from elsewhere.

Stray dogs and wildlife — like coyotes, foxes and wolves — may be heartworm-positive too. Infected mosquitos can even be blown by the wind from other areas.

Because risk factors for heartworm disease are so difficult to predict, it’s best to get your pet tested yearly for heartworm and keep them on heartworm prevention throughout the year.

A group of international researchers has recently identified a genetic mutation associated with progressive retinal atrophy, or PRA, a disease that can cause blindness in Labrador retrievers.

Three littermates with PRA were brought to the attention of the researchers by a foundation that breeds service dogs for visually impaired individuals. The researchers identified a genetic mutation in the three affected dogs that wasn’t found in the general U.S. population of Labrador retrievers. They also found 19 Labrador retrievers from the same kennel that carried the gene but were clinically unaffected.

Now that a gene has been identified, the goal is to develop a diagnostic test to help prevent genetic carriers from being used in breeding.

Felycin-CA1 [fel-i-sin C-A-1], or sirolimus [si-ro·-li-​mus] delayed release tablets, recently received conditional approval for the management of ventricular hypertrophy [high-PER-trō-fee] in cats with subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM.

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle, and HCM causes thickening of the heart’s left ventricle — that’s the lower left chamber of the heart, which pumps blood out to most of the body. HCM is a progressive disease that’s one of the most common causes of feline deaths. Cats with subclinical disease have thickening of the left ventricle but are not showing clinical signs.

Conditional approval may be granted if a drug addresses a serious or life-threatening disease and clinical trials would be especially difficult to implement.

Felycin-CA1 [fel-i-sin C-A-1] is only available by prescription from a veterinarian.

When you find a munched-on pair of shoes, does it make you wonder why dogs have the urge to chew?

Wild dogs stay nourished by chewing carcasses, nuts, berries and bugs. But chewing also confers other physical, psychological and emotional benefits.

The abrasive action of chewing is beneficial for a dog’s dental health, while between-meal chewing can aid digestion and help maintain a healthy gut microbial population.

Chewing also has the ability to both stimulate a bored dog and calm an anxious pooch. Chewing even helps maintain cognitive function in our dogs as they’re living longer.

You can embrace your pup’s penchant for chewing by providing canine-safe, chewable objects. Ask your veterinarian for tips.

Shelters inundated with animals are nothing new — but increasingly ingenious methods are being used to find them homes.

One TikTok personality promoting an animal shelter down south has conjured some creative names for various canine breeds. For example, a curly-furred dog became a “Himalayan fur goblin,” which joined other imagined breeds, like the “Teacup werewolf” and the “Creamsicle push-up pup.” Then, to promote the shelter’s population of pit-bull mixes, she sang “I Want a Pitt-o-potomous for Christmas.”

Judging by the numbers, it’s working. Between 2021 and 2024, the shelter’s adoption rate jumped by over 25%.

Another shelter created “Diary of a Shelter Dog” on social media. Still others waive adoption fees — all to help animals find their forever homes.

Canine osteoarthritis — or OA — affects about 20% of dogs older than one year and up to 80% of dogs over eight years of age. However, only about one in 8 pooch parents knows much about it.

OA is a chronic inflammatory disease that progressively damages a dog’s joints, causing pain, reduced activity and lost mobility. Certain breeds and dogs with early injuries are most at risk. Pooch parents should be aware of early subtle signs, like unusual postures, hesitancy in climbing stairs —even changes in a dog’s sleeping habits. It’s important to communicate any of these changes to your veterinarian.

Frequent wellness exams also help your veterinarian pinpoint signs. Remember — the earlier OA is detected, the more effective treatment is likely to be.

Allergies in captive animals appear to be on the rise — just as they are in people, especially urbanites in Western countries. That’s probably no coincidence.

This phenomenon isn’t just affecting pets and domestic animals. From bats and rhinos to dolphins and bears, more animals in zoos are itchy than ever before. Researchers suggest this is linked to animals being raised in manmade environments where they have decreased exposure to natural antigens. The result can be a faulty immune system that overreacts to harmless substances. The same may be said for people.

Another factor that could be driving allergies is climate change, which leads to higher pollen counts during longer allergy seasons.

Most allergies can be treated — but wouldn’t it be even better to nip this trend in the bud?

A personalized immunotherapy has recently been approved for canine osteosarcoma, a bone cancer diagnosed in about 10,000 dogs each year.

The first step of production involves collecting some of the patient’s cancer cells, which the manufacturer uses to create vaccine unique to that dog’s cancer.

Next, some of the dog’s T cells are collected once they’ve been exposed to the cancer vaccine’s antigens. These T cells are sent to the manufacturer where their cancer cell-fighting properties are unleashed. These super-primed T cells are then delivered intravenously back to the patient, followed by another immune-boosting agent.

The goal is that the dog’s immune system then would recognize and destroy osteosarcoma cells.

Did you know that many wild animals have ways to administer first aid?

For example, mice may tug on the tongues of their unconscious brethren and clear their mouths to help open their airways.

Elsewhere, chimpanzees with intestinal parasites munch on bitter leaves from the Aspilia [ass-PILL-ee-ya] plant, and brown bears eat razor-sharp grass to help clear tapeworms.

Closer to home, some urban songbirds weave cigarette butts into their nests to leverage tobacco’s mite-killing properties.

Even termite-hunting African ants have impressive first-aid routines. During their large-scale raids, those injured by termites are carried back to their nests, where caretaker ants lick their wounds with antibiotic-rich saliva.

These are just some of the many ways animals take care of their own.