Pet Columns

Vet student Hannah Vander Ploeg and Dr. Alyssa Baratta-Martin examine a black female dog. Photo by Fred Zwicky.

Recent

Pyometra: Potentially Fatal but Preventable Uterine Infection in Pets
July 3, 2025

Most pet owners think of spaying their female pets to avoid unwanted litters and behaviors. But there’s another, much more urgent reason to spay your dog or cat: to protect her from a potentially life-threatening…
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Species

a student holds two turtles trapped for a health monitoring study

Why Did the Vet Student Catch the Turtle?

August 19, 2024

Every spring and summer, students from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine venture into Illinois forests and waterways to save the world … one turtle at a time. The veterinary students work in…
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close-up of tick "questing" for a host

Prevent Tick Bites for Pets and People

July 18, 2024

They crawl on your shoes as you hike. They burrow in your scalp. They crawl around in the hair of your dog and nestle in the skin of your cat. “They” are ticks! Every veterinary…
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dairy cows outdoors by birds

Why All the Fuss about Avian Influenza?

July 08, 2024

You’re coughing and you feel miserable. Is it “the flu”? Maybe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that, most years, around 30 million people in the United States will become ill with influenza,…
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Cicada on a rock

Cicadas: Pet Treat or Pet Threat?

May 02, 2024

Periodical cicadas have an unusual but ancient life cycle. They spend most of their life underground, emerging every 13 or 17 years (depending on which brood of periodical cicada they are) for a rush of…
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A young bird receives care at the Wildlife Medical Clinic

When Does a Wildlife Baby Need Human Help?

April 11, 2024

This time of year, people begin to notice baby birds hopping on the lawn, while their pets begin to find hidden bunny nests. It’s orphan season, when wildlife have offspring and some of these offspring…
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a mare licks her newborn foal

Failure of Passive Transfer in Foals

March 12, 2024

Springtime means foaling season! Unfortunately, some new foals run into trouble and need veterinary support. Failure of passive transfer is one of the most common reasons that bring foals to the University of Illinois Veterinary…
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