Blog Posts by vetstreet.com

By Dr. Marty Becker

Smooches With KittyThere's a controversy in veterinary medicine that divides the profession, and it's over something that many pet owners never give a second thought: kissing your pets. As you might imagine, I have some thoughts on this topic. Because, yes, I kiss my pets, and yes, I know I probably shouldn't.

To Kiss or Not to Kiss

Not long ago, Dr. Christina Winn came out in favor of pet kissing in a Veterinary Economics cover piece. Dr. Winn was looking at ways to develop better communications with pet owners so pets will be more likely to get the care they need. The antikissing contingent blew her a raspberry soon after, with a letter signed by a handful of veterinarians, including my good friend Dr. Tony Johnson, a clinical assistant professor of critical care at the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. Their point: It is indeed possible to catch something from such close contact with a pet.

See Also: 5 Dog Breeds that Put the "D" in Drool

I've taken

Break out your pink T-shirts and curly tails, fellow swine enthusiasts: March 1 is National Pig Day. According to the Los Angeles Times, the holiday was started in 1972 by sisters Ellen Stanley and Mary Lynne Rave to celebrate "one of man's most intellectual and domesticated animals." To celebrate this special holiday, we rounded up some of the most famous hogs of all time.

See More on vetstreet.com:

* Why Teacup Pigs Make Veterinarians Cringe
* VIDEO: Mini Pig vs. Big Dog: Who Wins the Battle?

* 5 Popular Dog Breeds That Are Worrisome

By Amy Sinatra Ayres

Dog FoodIn the last two weeks, more than 45,000 pets have been signed up to receive Pet Food Stamps. The new program is donation-based, and its non-profit status is pending. Anyone in the U.S. can apply, and the program evaluates each claim by need and income. "It aims to prevent people from having to choose from feeding themselves or their pets or having to surrender their pet to a high-kill shelter,'' executive director Marc Okon told KRQE News. While many local pet food banks across the country offer food on an emergency basis, this program aims to offer longer-term help.

Pet Food Stamps isn't focusing on a city or state. Its goal is to help any approved person who is a U.S. citizen. Response to the program has crashed its web site. The group's Facebook page acknowledges the problem and says the group it trying to fix it. The program is 100% free and available pet food is listed at http://www.petfooddirect.com. The food is mostly geared for dogs and cats, but

By Shayna Meliker

This hilarious parody of T-Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" is tearing through the Interwebs right now, and we're sure you can appreciate why.

Every pet deserves a little pampering now and then - and we saw plenty of products at the 2013 Global Pet Expo that are sure to make your cat, dog or chicken feel like a million bucks.

More on Vetstreet.com:
* 5 Popular Dog Breeds That Are Worrisome
* Watermelon-Shaped Beds, MeowTini's and 8 Other Quirky Pet Products
* Meet America's New Top Dog

As the Oscar race heats up, we noticed there's one interesting standout in the Best Picture category: this year's Life of Pi, which featured a ferociously cool tiger (who was actually played by four tigers and a lot of CGI animation). So does the presence of a furry friend in a film help or hurt award chances? We decided to take a look at some past winners and nominated films that starred a different species to see how they fared.

Last year's Best Picture winner featured the Oscar-winning performance of Jean Dujardin, but for animal lovers, the real star of the film was Uggie, the Jack Russell Terrier. While he may not have walked away with an Oscar of his own, his on-screen tricks won enough hearts to score a book deal. His memoir, My Story, was published last October.

Related: From Toto to Rin Tin Tin: Movies That Made These 10 Dog Breeds Stars

Nominated for Best Picture in 1996, Babe starred a cast of farm animals led by a lovable pig. In one of the

One all the things we love about attending Global Pet Expo, the industry's biggest annual trade show, our favorite is coming across products that amuse us by being unusual or surprisingly clever. Some are truly creative solutions to problems we all face, while others fill a need we didn't even know we had. Regardless, each item in this gallery is sure to make you smile.

More on Vetstreet.com:

* Odd Mating Rituals of 13 Animals

* 10 Surprising Things About How Animals Sleep

* 5 Popular Dog Breeds That Are Worrisome

By Laura Cross

As far as interspecies friendship goes, the love between young Tasuku and his Frenchie, Muu, might be the cutest human-dog relationship in the history of mankind.

The adorable Instagrams of the duo napping, snuggling and watching TV together have gone viral and were featured on Buzzfeed and Huffington Post.

We're not going to lie, we fully admit to spending somewhere between 10 minutes and two hours of the workday scrolling through the pair's Instagram and Facebook page. So although it was extremely tough, we narrowed our favorites down to five to share with you. OK, six.

More on Vetstreet.com:
* 5 Popular Dog Breeds That Are Worrisome
* Why Does My Dog... Sleep Belly Up?
* Meet America's New Top Dog