Recent reports of rabies-positive skunks in Washington County, Maryland offer an important reminder for pet owners everywhere: keeping pets up to date on their rabies vaccinations protects both animals and people. Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the nervous system and is almost always fatal once symptoms develop. It can affect wildlife as well as domestic animals, including cats and dogs.

A Dayton-area cat recently returned home after an extraordinary six years apart from his family, offering an important reminder about the value of microchipping pets. Fourteen-year-old Booger disappeared in 2020. Six years later, he arrived at the Humane Society of Greater Dayton as a severely ill stray. After months of recovery and a microchip, he finally made it home.

As animal shelters face capacity challenges, rising intake, and preventing unplanned litters is an important part of reducing pressure on shelters and keeping pets with their families. In this webinar from United Spay Alliance and Community Cats Central, Pet Friendly Services of Indiana shared lessons from 50 years of experience building and managing a statewide spay/neuter assistance program.

A longtime provider of affordable veterinary care in central Ohio has closed its doors. Shelter Outreach Services of Ohio (SOS Ohio), a nonprofit clinic serving rescue organizations and pet owners, announced its closure in late July. The organization cited a nationwide veterinarian shortage, rising operating costs, and increasing demand for affordable veterinary services as factors.

Rabies is one of the oldest and deadliest diseases known to humanity. It is also one of the most preventable. In the US today, fewer than 10 human deaths occur each year from rabies. That progress did not happen by accident. It happened because of vaccination of pets, strong animal control programs, and public health tracking. And at the foundation is spay/neuter.

A veterinary emergency can happen when you least expect it, and the cost of care can quickly become overwhelming. If you're struggling to afford emergency treatment for your pet, financial assistance may be available. Ohio Animal Advocates has compiled a list of nonprofit organizations that offer emergency veterinary expense grants.

Veterinary care has become significantly more expensive over the past decade, with costs rising much faster than overall inflation. While advances in veterinary medicine, staffing shortages, and higher operating costs all play a role, another factor is receiving increased attention: the growing number of veterinary practices owned by private equity firms and large corporations.

When advocating for affordable spay/neuter programs, compassion matters, but so do the numbers. Our partners at United Spay Alliance have released The Financial Case for Spay/Neuter: A Guide for Advocates, a free resource designed to help advocates demonstrate how investing in prevention can save local governments money while reducing pet overpopulation.

After decades of successful eradication efforts, New World screwworm has returned to the United States. While the parasite primarily affects livestock, veterinarians recently confirmed the first canine case associated with the current outbreak, a reminder that pet owners should be aware of the signs while avoiding unnecessary panic.

When a beloved animal becomes sick or injured, most people expect veterinary decisions to be guided by medical expertise, compassion, and the best interests of the patient. But what happens when financial investors increasingly shape the veterinary industry? That is the central question explored in Pets for Profit: An Insider's Account of How Private Equity Ruined Veterinary Care

Vaccines have become one of the most emotionally charged public health conversations of the past decade. What was once primarily a debate surrounding human medicine has now spilled into the world of companion animals and according to recent research, the consequences could be devastating for both dogs and people.

In a recent article titled “Vaccine Hesitancy Now Affects Dogs, Putting Humans at Risk,” psychologist and canine researcher Stanley Coren explores the growing number of pet owners choosing not to vaccinate their dogs. The article cites studies showing that approximately 22 percent of dog owners in the United States are now considered vaccine hesitant.

For years, a diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) felt like a death sentence for cat caregivers and veterinarians alike. Shelters, rescues, foster homes, and cat owners across the country experienced the heartbreak of losing kittens and cats to a disease that once had no effective treatment. Today, that reality is changing.

In a recent episode of the Community Cats Central, renowned pet journalist and feline advocate Steve Dale shared a message that brought veterinarians around the world to tears:

“I’m announcing that FIP is no longer considered fatal.”