Blog Posts by vetstreet.com

By Linda Lombardi | vetstreet.com

Photo courtesy of the Indiana Academy of Science If you live in the Northeast, soon you'll be hearing the drone of periodical cicadas. They've been living underground for 17 years. Now they're back, and they've got one thing on their mind - finding a mate.

The male cicadas make the distinctive noise with an organ under their wings called the tymbal, which is sort of like a drum pad. "Basically the calling attracts the cicadas to the treetops," says Michael Raupp, professor of entomology at the University of Maryland, who has a website called Bug of the Week. "It's a way for them to aggregate. They're saying, 'Party up here!'"

It may be music to their ears, but to us, not so much. In fact, the group call is so similar to the sound of machinery that even the cicadas are sometimes fooled. "Leaf blowers, weed whackers, even some riding lawn mowers send out vibrations that trigger the same response, and the males will swarm users of these power tools," says Gene Kritsky of the

By Dr. Andy Roark | vetstreet.com

ThinkstockJust last week, while I was performing euthanasia for a critically ill patient, the pet's owner looked at me and said, "I bet this is the hardest part of your job." That gave me pause.

For me, putting animals to sleep is not one of the hardest parts of being a veterinarian. That's because euthanasia is often a blessing and gift to a suffering animal. In my experience, the hardest part of being a veterinarian is telling owners that their beloved pet has a terminal illness and will soon be leaving this world. The emotions that pass across their faces, even if they have suspected the worst for some time, are heart-wrenching.

Related: Euthanasia - Why Some Pet Owners Choose to Stay and Some Choose to Go

I still remember the first person I had to share this terrible news with. He was a nice, middle-aged man with two small children and an 8-year-old Rottweiler named Stone. Stone was a member of the family, and when he

By Dr. Marty Becker | vetstreet.com

What can second-hand smoke do to dogs, cats and birds?Q. As part of a workplace stop-smoking class I'm taking, the instructor said secondhand smoke is as bad for pets as it is for people. Is this true?

A. If you've been looking for one more reason to stop smoking, you may have found it. Your instructor is correct: Secondhand smoke puts both people and pets at risk. Health authorities believe secondhand smoke kills thousands of nonsmokers every year, and though the number of pets affected isn't clear, the risk is.

• In cats, exposure to cigarette smoke produces higher than normal rates of mouth cancer and lymphoma.
• In dogs, being around secondhand smoke increases the odds of nasal cancer.
• In birds, lung cancer shows up more frequently with exposure to smoking in the home.

See Also: 26 Common Household Items That Are Dangerous to Pets

A study by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University looked at the link between secondhand smoke and cancer in cats and found

By Carrie Sloan | vetstreet.com

iStockPhoto -- How to properly remove ticks It's going to be summertime soon, when the living is easy - unless you have a pet who will be spending lots of time in the great outdoors. Spring and summer are the most popular (and prolific) seasons for ticks, and they're a problem you should be prepared for. "Ticks are dangerous," says Dr. Rick Alleman, DVM, Ph.D., a researcher on vector-borne diseases and a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Florida. "They transmit much more than Lyme disease." In fact, some can emit as many as four or five pathogens, and cause infections in humans and pets. If a large number of ticks infest a pet, they can suck so much blood that your pet can become anemic - a good reason to nip the prospect of ticks in the bud.

See Also: Can All Dogs Swim? No, and This Popular Breed is Worst

Fortunately, there's preventive medicine that can protect your pet from picking them up in the first place, as well as foolproof techniques to remove them. But

By Amy Sinatra Ayres | vetstreet.com

Morris the Cat in 1978 CommercialSure, those felines made famous by YouTube are all the rage this week with their new documentary, Lil Bub & Friendz, in the spotlight at the Tribeca Film Festival. But before there was YouTube, Buzzfeed recently reminded us, there was Morris.

Remember him? The big orange cat was made famous by his 9Lives commercials. What you might not know is that Morris was a rescue cat, who was "discovered" in an Illinois shelter in 1968.(Below is a classic from 1978.)

As legend has it, Bob Mardwick, an animal trainer who worked for the Leo Burnett advertising agency, found Morris when he wandered into the Humane Society shelter in Hillsdale, Ill., according to Morris' 9Lives biography. Mardwick brought him in for a casting call for 9Lives.

Morris "jumped on the table… and he walked right up to the art director, the big cheese, and bumped him in the head. And then Morris just sat back," Mardwick said. "The art director said, 'This is the

By Shayna Meliker

Whether they're on small pups like the Pug or huge ones like the Mastiff, adorable wrinkles are the envy of many a dog lover - which is exactly why we set out in search of the canine world's most wrinkled breeds.

Sharing your home with one of these dogs isn't all fun and games, though. You'll need to wash their deep skin folds with a soft, damp cloth or a baby wipe, and then dry them thoroughly. Leaving behind moisture in dogs' wrinkles can cause bacterial growth and skin infections, so make sure you're prepared to discuss a skin-care regimen with your veterinarian.

Now that you know what it takes to care for one of these canines, enjoy the scrunched faces and furrowed brows of our favorite wrinkled breeds.

French Bulldog

With his unmistakable bat ears and endearing wrinkles, the French Bulldog is a neighborhood favorite who always makes an impression. The fact that he's a brachycephalic (or "flat-faced") dog and therefore requires minimal exercise

vetstreet.comYour furry friend is growing up. In human years she would be between 6 and 10 years old, depending on her breed. And like her human counterparts, she's playful, curious and perhaps even a little willful. Here's what you can expect over the next few months.

See Also: What to Expect at 7-9 Months With Your Puppy

By 5 months, your puppy's house training should be well established, and she should be able to wait longer between trips outside. She will average four to six trips daily and gradually decrease to three or four as she enters adulthood.

During this period of physical development, your dog will mature sexually. By 5 months old, a male puppy can produce sperm; by 6 months, a female is able to have her first litter. If you don't plan to breed your dog, talk with your veterinarian about spaying or neutering your puppy as soon as possible. Spaying or neutering your pet will eliminate the risk of an unplanned pregnancy, reduce roaming

By Mikkel Becker

iStockPhotoQ. What does it mean when my dog whines - and how can I stop it?

A. At my house we affectionately call our Pug Willy Whiner. As a puppy, whenever he was tense, anxious or even excited, Willy whined. He whines less frequently now, because he has been trained not to, but when he does vocalize, whining is his go-to expression.

Dogs whine for a variety of reasons. Your dog may whine because he wants something or because he is excited. He may whine because he is apprehensive or anxious about something. A dog who is showing appeasement behavior may whine as part of his interaction with other dogs or people.

See Also: Why Does My Dog... Whine So Much?

Dogs with separation anxiety may whine when you leave them, as well as engage in other behaviors, such as pacing, drooling and destruction at exit points. If your dog is exhibiting this type of behavior, talk with your veterinarian about training with a professional, and possibly medication, to help manage