Creating A Disaster Preparedness Plan For Your Pets
Recently, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a wildfire disaster declaration for about 75% of the state’s counties and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also released an updated hurricane season outlook that includes a 70% chance of 14-21 named storms before the season ends in November. With these potential weather threats in mind, now is […]
Take Action Now To Prepare Pets For Evacuation
When a disaster strikes, there’s often not much time to prepare yourself, let alone your pets, to evacuate to a safe location, and the stress of the situation only compounds the likelihood of forgetting something important. That’s why the best way to deal with a disaster is to plan ahead as much as possible. In […]
Pandemic Pet-Care Precautions
Although only a small number of companion animals have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, pet owners may experience anxiety about the best way to care for their pet amidst a pandemic when stories about confirmed cases in pets begin appearing closer to home, such as those recently reported by the United States Department of […]
Grains Or No Grains: Addressing Pet Owner Concerns
Pet parents want to feed their dogs the best diet possible to keep their furry friends happy and healthy, but there are so many options on the market: prepackaged or home-cooked, wet food or dry, and grain-free. Recently, interest has arisen surrounding grain-free diets and their impact on canine health. When searching for the right […]
Bathing Our Furry Friends Can Reduce COVID-19 Transmission
The rapid and dynamic spread of COVID-19 necessitates that we all make changes to our lifestyles, including important measures such as social distancing, increased hygiene, and maintaining a sanitized environment. Pet owners may need to take additional precautions, because, while there is currently no evidence that pets can contract COVID-19, a pet’s body, like any […]
When to be Concerned about Coronavirus with Your Pet
The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak has been at the front of many health professionals’ minds, especially with the World Health Organization’s recent declaration of the virus as a public health emergency of international concern. Although the threat of the mutated 2019-nCoV strain should be taken seriously, veterinarians at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary […]
Feeling the Heat
Dr. Deb Zoran uses her work with Texas A&M Task Force urban search and rescue dogs to study how different breeds have unique temperature ranges and how that impacts their ability to save lives. They are, perhaps, among the unsung heroes of the rescue world. The canine members of the Texas A&M Task Force (TX-TF) […]
The Truth About Feline AIDS
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is commonly known as Feline AIDS because of its similarities to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). FIV is relatively uncommon, but it can have serious impacts on a cat’s health and well-being. With proper care, cats with FIV can live many years and usually can share a household with other, FIV-negative cats. […]
Choosing the best diet for your kitten
Kittens have very specific dietary needs in order to grow into healthy, active adult cats. As carnivores, all cats need more protein than many other pets, but kittens also require a variety of nutrients to provide energy for growth and development. Dr. Deb Zoran, a professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & […]
Cats are carnivores, so they should eat like one
Diet can have a big impact on health. Just like humans, cats have special dietary needs to help them stay healthy. However, feline diets are a lot different than human diets. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they require meat in their diet and need little carbohydrates. In the wild, cats usually prey on small animals, […]