Veterinarians prescribing parasiticides for domestic cats continue to prioritize factors such as ease of administration and owner preference, relegating environmental concerns and resistance risks. Recent studies show that the persistence of these substances in the environment can affect insects and birds, raising questions for the One Health approach and the sustainability of veterinary practice.
\nA study by Hobbs and Duszak-Kowal involving 16 veterinarians in the United Kingdom found that 81% of professionals consider ease of administration the main criterion when choosing a parasiticide for cats. Owner preference also has significant influence, being decisive for 44% of respondents. In contrast, only 6% said that concerns about environmental contamination or drug resistance guide their prescription decisions. Prophylactic use was identified as the most effective strategy by 63% of participants, while only 38% keep up to date with parasiticide treatment guidelines.
\nParasiticides from the isoxazoline class, such as fluralaner and lotilaner, are widely used in cats and dogs for flea and tick control. According to Berny and colleagues, these compounds have a fecal elimination half-life of 15.5 days for fluralaner and 22 days for lotilaner in cats, and can be detected in feces even after the recommended treatment period ends. The main route of elimination is biliary/fecal, which favors the release of these substances into domestic and natural environments. Simulations indicate that insects feeding on feces may be highly exposed to these active ingredients, especially fluralaner and lotilaner.
\nThe environmental impact of veterinary parasiticides goes beyond invertebrates. A study published by Tassin-de-Montaigu and collaborators showed that residues of parasiticides applied to dogs and cats can contaminate bird nests when birds use animal hair to line their nests. A correlation was observed between the concentration of pesticides in hair found in nests and in unhatched eggs or dead chicks, suggesting direct transfer of substances to bird tissues. This reinforces the need to assess the environmental risks of veterinary products not only for insects but also for wild vertebrates.
\nDespite the concerning findings, the studies have important limitations. The research on parasiticide prescription was conducted with a small sample of 16 veterinarians and limited to certain regions of the United Kingdom, which may restrict the generalizability of the results. The studies on environmental persistence, while demonstrating the prolonged presence of compounds in the environment, still lack quantitative data on the real impact on insect and bird populations. Markowska-Buńka and colleagues highlight that, despite the efficacy and safety of isoxazolines for domestic animals, toxicity to non-target invertebrates and environmental persistence are emerging concerns that require integrated assessment.
\nThe data suggest that environmental sustainability is still not a determining factor in the choice of parasiticides for cats, even in the face of evidence of environmental contamination and One Health risks. Most veterinarians prioritize convenience and owner preferences, while aspects such as resistance potential and ecological impact remain secondary. Experts advocate for stewardship programs and continuous professional development, as well as the creation of guidelines that incorporate environmental risk assessments into veterinary drug prescriptions.
\nIn conclusion, although modern parasiticides are effective and safe for cats, their persistence in the environment and potential impact on non-target wildlife highlight the urgency for veterinary practices more aligned with One Health. Raising awareness and integrating environmental criteria into prescription decisions can contribute to a more sustainable and responsible approach to parasite control in companion animals.
", "sources": [{"title": "Factors influencing feline antiparasitic prescriptions by veterinarians and demographics across parts of the UK", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1002/vro2.70042", "doi": "10.1002/vro2.70042", "organization": "Veterinary record open"}, {"title": "Prolonged fecal elimination of isoxazoline antiparasitic drugs in dogs and cats: is there a risk for nontarget species?", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/etojnl/vgaf285", "doi": "10.1093/etojnl/vgaf285", "organization": "Environmental toxicology and chemistry"}, {"title": "Pharmacology and toxicology of veterinary isoxazolines: a review", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpddr.2026.100645", "doi": "10.1016/j.ijpddr.2026.100645", "organization": "International journal for parasitology. Drugs and drug resistance"}, {"title": "Transfer of veterinary parasiticides from the fur lining bird's nest to eggs and chicks", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-026-37654-7", "doi": "10.1007/s11356-026-37654-7", "organization": "Environmental science and pollution research international"}, {"title": "Factors influencing feline antiparasitic prescriptions by veterinarians and demographics across parts of the UK", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1002/vro2.70042", "doi": "10.1002/vro2.70042", "organization": "Veterinary record open"}]}, {"id": 201, "lang": "en", "title": "Raw feeding increases risk of resistant bacteria in dogs", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/raw-feeding-increases-risk-of-resistant-bacteria-in-dogs/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T13:11:42.922903+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:37:00.554068+00:00", "subtitle": "Studies highlight pathogen and antimicrobial resistance risks in raw diets.", "summary": "Recent research indicates that feeding dogs raw diets may increase the risk of transmitting antimicrobial-resistant bacteria such as Salmonella and Listeria. Veterinarians and owners differ in their perception of these risks, but evidence suggests the need for vigilance and hygiene.", "category": {"slug": "saude-unica", "name": "Biosecurity and One Health"}, "tags": ["antimicrobial resistance", "raw feeding", "dogs", "biosecurity", "salmonella", "one health"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/alimentacao-crua-aum.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "Dog being fed raw meat in a domestic setting, highlighting contamination risk.", "body_html": "Recent scientific evidence shows that raw feeding in dogs is associated with an increased risk of transmitting antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, such as Salmonella and Listeria. This scenario demands greater attention from veterinarians and owners regarding food safety and household biosecurity. The rise of raw diets for dogs, especially in the United Kingdom and Europe, has raised concerns about potential impacts on animal, human, and environmental health.
\nRaw feeding, based on uncooked meat and slaughterhouse by-products, has gained popularity among owners seeking alternatives considered more natural for their dogs. However, this trend raises concerns about the presence of zoonotic pathogens and the risk of spreading antibiotic-resistant bacteria. According to Furtado and colleagues, both veterinarians and owners recognize the potential microbiological risk of these diets but tend to consider it less important than other factors, such as nutrition.
\nMonitoring conducted in the United Kingdom between 2013 and 2022 identified an increase in the presence and diversity of Salmonella in raw dog foods. The number of Salmonella isolates in raw foods rose from 4 in 2013 to 606 in 2022, covering 39 different serovars. Between 2021 and 2022, there was significant overlap between the most common serovars in raw foods and clinical samples from dogs, including S. Typhimurium, monophasic S. Typhimurium, and S. Infantis, all relevant to public health. Regarding resistance, 9.9% of S. Infantis isolates from raw foods showed resistance to ciprofloxacin, and one case of S. Kentucky resistant to cefotaxime, ceftazidime, and ciprofloxacin was detected in a dog, according to Snow and colleagues.
\nAnother study reported a salmonellosis outbreak in a Rottweiler kennel in Bulgaria, linked to the consumption of raw meat from an unlicensed source. All affected dogs showed clinical signs of infection and fecal shedding of Salmonella Agona, which was resistant to cephalexin, aminoglycosides, lincosamides, macrolides, and fusidic acid. After suspending the raw diet and adopting biosecurity measures, the outbreak was controlled, highlighting the importance of source control and hygiene in raw feeding, as noted by Boneva-Marutsova and colleagues.
\nThe concern is not limited to Salmonella. A genomic analysis identified a multidrug-resistant strain of Listeria monocytogenes (BF11) isolated from raw pet food. This strain, in addition to carrying multiple resistance genes, shows high virulence and the potential to invade human cells, representing a public health threat and possibly escaping traditional surveillance systems, according to Mataragka and collaborators.
\nBeyond bacteria, the inclusion of slaughterhouse by-products in raw diets can facilitate the transmission of zoonotic parasites. In a survey conducted in Sardinian slaughterhouses, 67.7% of sheep had Echinococcus granulosus, with other parasites such as Cysticercus tenuicollis (2.4%) and Dicrocoelium dendriticum (14.7%) also identified. In cattle, the parasite load was lower but still relevant. Ahmed and colleagues emphasize that the high prevalence of these parasites reinforces the need for strict sanitary controls and decontamination measures before using these by-products in raw diets, especially in endemic regions.
\nDespite the evidence, there are differences in risk perception. Furtado and colleagues observed that veterinarians tend to value the dangers related to antimicrobial resistance more than owners, who trust in dogs' immunity and in their own food preparation processes. Professionals highlight that the introduction of resistant bacteria can occur at various stages of the production chain, while owners minimize these risks. This difference in perception hinders communication and the adoption of safe practices.
\nThe reviewed studies have limitations, such as the difficulty of establishing direct transmission routes between raw food and infection in dogs or humans. Most data are based on passive surveillance and outbreak reports, which may underestimate the true prevalence of pathogens. In addition, broad-spectrum antibiotic resistance is still considered rare in these contexts, although the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains remains a concern.
\nIn practice, the findings reinforce the need for active veterinary guidance on the risks of raw feeding, with emphasis on biosecurity, traceability of food sources, hygiene in preparation, and monitoring of animal and human health. Increased sanitary surveillance and the adoption of decontamination measures are recommended, especially in areas with high parasite prevalence or a history of bacterial outbreaks. Clear communication between veterinarians and owners is essential to balance nutritional benefits and health risks of this feeding practice.
\nIn summary, although raw feeding in dogs continues to rise, scientific evidence points to concrete risks of pathogen transmission and antimicrobial resistance, requiring an integrated One Health approach and greater rigor in biosecurity practices and owner education.
", "sources": [{"title": "Exploring veterinarian and pet owner perspectives on the risk of antimicrobial resistance when feeding raw meat diets to dogs", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1002/vro2.70040", "doi": "10.1002/vro2.70040", "organization": "Veterinary record open"}, {"title": "<i>Salmonella</i> surveillance in raw pet food and dogs in Great Britain, 2013-2022", "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2026.1750907", "doi": "10.3389/fvets.2026.1750907", "organization": "Frontiers in veterinary science"}, {"title": "Salmonellosis Outbreak in a Rottweiler Kennel Associated with Raw Meat-Based Diets", "url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15213196", "doi": "10.3390/ani15213196", "organization": "Animals : an open access journal from MDPI"}, {"title": "Whole-Genome Sequencing and Genomic Characterization of a Multi-Drug Resistant Phenotype of <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> Isolated from Pet Food", "url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14051097", "doi": "10.3390/microorganisms14051097", "organization": "Microorganisms"}, {"title": "Parasitic risks and One Health implications of valorising slaughterhouse animal by-products in raw meat-based diets for pets", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2025.101277", "doi": "10.1016/j.onehlt.2025.101277", "organization": "One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands)"}]}, {"id": 198, "lang": "en", "title": "Tannic acid may strengthen the intestinal barrier in livestock", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/tannic-acid-may-strengthen-the-intestinal-barrier-in-livestock/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T13:09:45.046880+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:57.384812+00:00", "subtitle": "Recent research highlights the potential of tannic acid for animal gut health.", "summary": "Studies show that tannic acid can reinforce intestinal barrier integrity, modulate the microbiota, and reduce inflammation in livestock. The effect depends on formulation, dose, and species, and results point to possible applications as an alternative to antibiotics.", "category": {"slug": "evidencia", "name": "Evidence-based practice"}, "tags": ["tannic acid", "intestinal barrier", "livestock", "microbiota", "antibiotics", "animal nutrition"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/acido-tanico-pode-fo.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "Dietary supplementation with tannic acid is being tested to improve gut health in poultry and swine.", "body_html": "Tannic acid, a polyphenol found in various plants, is gaining attention as a multifunctional modulator of the intestinal barrier in livestock. New scientific evidence indicates that the compound can strengthen intestinal integrity, reduce inflammation, and modulate the microbiota, suggesting possible alternatives to antibiotic use in poultry and swine.
\nThe intestinal barrier prevents pathogens and toxins from entering the animals' bodies. When compromised, it triggers a series of damages such as inflammation, oxidative stress, and microbiota imbalance, negatively impacting herd health and productivity. The challenge of replacing antibiotics with safe and effective alternatives has driven interest in natural compounds capable of restoring and protecting this barrier.
\nAccording to Zhao and colleagues, tannic acid acts on multiple targets to reinforce the intestinal barrier. It remodels the microbiota, stimulates butyrate production, and physically strengthens the barrier by regulating junction proteins such as claudin and occludin. It also activates antioxidant defenses via the Nrf2 pathway and modulates immune response by suppressing inflammatory pathways like NF-κB and NLRP3. These combined effects help prevent enteric disorders in livestock.
\nSeveral recent studies have evaluated the impact of tannic acid in poultry and swine. In broiler chickens, supplementation with 200 g/t of Chinese gallnut tannins improved feed conversion and increased villus height in the duodenum and jejunum, indicating greater absorptive capacity and intestinal integrity without altering cecal microbiota diversity, according to Li and colleagues. In another study, three commercial tannic acid formulations were compared in broilers: the powder form showed a more balanced profile, maintaining microbial diversity, promoting Bifidobacterium, and improving the villus/crypt ratio, although all forms reduced villus height and modulated inflammatory markers, such as reduced IL-10 and TNF-α, as reported by Gou and colleagues.
\nIn swine, Zhou and colleagues demonstrated that including 0.05% tannic acid in low-protein diets reduced diarrhea incidence and preserved intestinal morphology in weaned piglets challenged with Escherichia coli. The treatment also lowered serum LPS, IL-1β, and TNF-α levels, increased immunoglobulins, and upregulated tight junction genes, as well as favorably altering microbial composition. In models of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli infection, Gao and colleagues showed that encapsulated tannic acid administered at 500 mg/kg protected the intestinal mucosa, reduced inflammation, and restored short-chain fatty acid production, with effects dependent on the presence of the gut microbiota.
\nDespite promising results, the practical application of tannic acid faces challenges. Zhao and colleagues highlight that its antinutritional effects may limit use at high doses, requiring strategies such as microencapsulation or synergistic formulations to mitigate negative impacts. Studies in poultry suggest that different formulations and purity levels influence outcomes, making direct comparison between products difficult, as observed by Gou and colleagues. Additionally, microbiota response may vary according to species, age, and health status, and not all studies observed significant changes in microbial diversity, as reported by Li and colleagues.
\nThe findings suggest that tannic acid, especially in optimized formulations, can be incorporated into poultry and swine diets as part of strategies to strengthen the intestinal barrier and reduce the incidence of enteric diseases, particularly where antibiotic use is restricted. The choice of dose, presentation form, and monitoring of antinutritional effects are critical factors for successful application. Microbiota modulation and regulation of inflammatory pathways position tannic acid as a relevant candidate in the nutritional management of livestock.
\nIn summary, recent literature reinforces the multifunctional potential of tannic acid to promote gut health in different livestock species, although its practical adoption depends on fine-tuning formulations and doses. Advances in encapsulation technologies and standardization of comparative studies should help consolidate its use as an alternative to antibiotics in production systems.
", "sources": [{"title": "Tannic acid as a multi-target regulator of intestinal barrier function in livestock", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aninu.2026.06.001", "doi": "10.1016/j.aninu.2026.06.001", "organization": "Animal nutrition (Zhongguo xu mu shou yi xue hui)"}, {"title": "Encapsulated tannic acid protects against ETEC-induced intestinal damage via modulating gut microbiota and barrier function", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2026.119724", "doi": "10.1016/j.foodres.2026.119724", "organization": "Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.)"}, {"title": "Effects of Different Commercial Formulations of Tannic Acid Added at an Equal Inclusion Rate on Intestinal Health and Microbial Flora in Yellow-Feathered Broilers", "url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16132088", "doi": "10.3390/ani16132088", "organization": "Animals : an open access journal from MDPI"}, {"title": "Effect of Chinese gallnuts tannic acids on the growth performance, intestinal morphometry and microbiome of broiler chickens", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2026.107279", "doi": "10.1016/j.psj.2026.107279", "organization": "Poultry science"}, {"title": "Tannic acid-mediated gut microbes for enhanced intestinal immunity in Escherichia coli-challenged weaned piglets", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf342", "doi": "10.1093/jas/skaf342", "organization": "Journal of animal science"}]}, {"id": 195, "lang": "en", "title": "Climate and Environment Influence SFTS Risk in Humans and Animals", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/climate-and-environment-influence-sfts-risk-in-humans-and-animals/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T13:07:57.754065+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:37:03.389053+00:00", "subtitle": "Models show how environmental and meteorological factors affect SFTS outbreaks.", "summary": "Studies indicate that temperature, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, forest cover, and human mobility impact SFTS risk. Predictive models can guide veterinary and public health surveillance strategies.", "category": {"slug": "saude-unica", "name": "Biosecurity and One Health"}, "tags": ["sfts", "vector-borne diseases", "climate", "epidemiological surveillance", "one health", "ticks"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/clima-e-ambiente-inf.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "Tick in vegetation under humid climate, SFTS vector, focus on natural environment.", "body_html": "Mathematical models and recent analyses indicate that meteorological and environmental factors such as temperature, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, forest cover, and human mobility play a central role in the risk of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS) outbreaks in humans and animals. Integrating these data allows anticipation of high-risk areas and periods, guiding surveillance and response actions in a One Health approach.
\nSFTS is a zoonotic disease mainly transmitted by ticks, with high lethality and growing geographic expansion, especially in East Asia. The increase in case numbers and emergence in new areas have been attributed to environmental, climatic, and social changes. According to Yan and colleagues, between 2013 and 2025, 1237 cases of SFTS were reported in Japan, highlighting the growing importance of the issue for public health.
\nRecent studies detail how environmental and meteorological variables affect SFTS risk. Yan and colleagues identified that the disease risk follows an inverted U-shaped relationship with temperature and precipitation: maximum risk occurs at 21.8°C (relative risk of 1.78) and 156.6 mm of weekly rainfall (relative risk of 1.30). High atmospheric pressure (up to 1027.1 hPa, relative risk of 2.06) and greater forest cover (up to 84%, relative risk of 6.58) also increase risk. Conversely, higher altitude areas showed reduced risk, with a risk peak at a mean altitude of 45 meters (relative risk of 3.99).
\nIn Zhejiang, China, Yang and colleagues showed that mountainous and agricultural regions with moderate temperatures, high precipitation, and greater sun exposure concentrate more cases. Urbanization reduces risk, while human mobility increases SFTS incidence. According to Yang and colleagues, projections suggest a 23% increase in cases by 2028, with the transmission season expanding to year-round and 9% more municipalities reporting cases for the first time.
\nLou and colleagues emphasize that tick abundance, modulated by local climate, is a key determinant for SFTS transmission. The study identified a shift in the disease's incidence peak from July to May in endemic areas since 2021, indicating that climate changes may bring forward and extend the risk period. Additionally, patients in areas with higher tick abundance have a greater risk of death, highlighting the importance of ecological monitoring.
\nThe advancement of mathematical models allows prediction of SFTS risk based on environmental and meteorological data, even with limited information. Breda and colleagues developed a model that uses only human incidence and local temperature data to predict outbreaks, without prior assumptions about case behavior. According to the authors, including detailed ecological variables did not improve the model's predictive ability, suggesting that essential data already capture the main risk determinants.
\nThese approaches provide tools to anticipate high-risk areas and periods, facilitating resource allocation and planning of public and veterinary health actions. Integration between environmental, meteorological, and epidemiological surveillance is fundamental for faster and more efficient responses.
\nDespite advances, the studies have limitations. Yan and colleagues point out that the associations identified are based on province-aggregated data, which may mask local variations. Yang and colleagues note that after including human mobility, random spatial effects did not improve the models, suggesting that other social factors still need to be better understood. Breda and colleagues acknowledge that data-driven models may prioritize predictive accuracy over transparency of biological mechanisms, which can limit detailed understanding of transmission processes.
\nFurthermore, projections depend on the maintenance of current climatic and behavioral trends and may be affected by interventions, unexpected environmental changes, or adaptations of vectors and hosts.
\nThe analyzed studies indicate that incorporating environmental, meteorological, and social data into surveillance systems can anticipate SFTS outbreaks and guide prevention strategies in humans and animals. Integrated surveillance enables identification of critical areas and periods, adjustment of educational campaigns, targeted vector control, and monitoring of animal and human populations at risk. The projected increase in SFTS incidence and geographic distribution reinforces the need for continuous adaptation of public and veterinary health strategies in the face of environmental and social changes.
\nIn summary, a deeper understanding of the relationship between climate, environment, and social dynamics with SFTS provides valuable input for One Health policies, highlighting the importance of integrating environmental, epidemiological, and veterinary surveillance to address emerging challenges of vector-borne diseases.
", "sources": [{"title": "Meteorological and environmental factors associated with the spatiotemporal risk of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome in Japan: A prefecture-level time-series modeling study", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101547", "doi": "10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101547", "organization": "One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands)"}, {"title": "Ecological signature on the epidemiological dynamics of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0014408", "doi": "10.1371/journal.pntd.0014408", "organization": "PLoS neglected tropical diseases"}, {"title": "Exploring memory effects: Sparse identification in vector-borne diseases", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2601074123", "doi": "10.1073/pnas.2601074123", "organization": "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America"}, {"title": "Environmental, climatic, and social risk factors of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome and the implications of climate change", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101430", "doi": "10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101430", "organization": "One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands)"}]}, {"id": 192, "lang": "en", "title": "Animal organoids drive advances in One Health research", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/animal-organoids-drive-advances-in-one-health-research/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T13:06:09.967310+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:37:12.486787+00:00", "subtitle": "Three-dimensional models advance the study of diseases at the human-animal-environment interface.", "summary": "Animal organoids are transforming One Health research by more realistically simulating interactions between infectious agents, hosts, and the environment. Recent studies show applications in zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and control strategies, bridging basic science and practical solutions.", "category": {"slug": "saude-unica", "name": "Biosecurity and One Health"}, "tags": ["one health", "organoids", "infectious diseases", "zoonoses", "biotechnology", "translational research"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/organoides-animais-i.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "Laboratory with scientist analyzing animal organoids in culture plates under a microscope.", "body_html": "The use of animal organoids as three-dimensional models is driving advances in One Health research, enabling more realistic simulations of the interface between humans, animals, and the environment. These models accelerate the understanding of emerging infectious diseases and facilitate the development of prevention and control strategies.
\nEmerging infectious diseases, driven by factors such as climate change, urbanization, and the global trade in wild animals, pose increasing threats to public health, ecosystems, and biodiversity. The One Health concept, which recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, has become fundamental to addressing these challenges. However, the lack of experimental models that faithfully reproduce the complexity of these interactions has limited scientific progress. In this context, animal organoids have emerged as innovative tools capable of filling critical gaps in translational research.
\nAccording to García-Rodríguez and colleagues, organoids are three-dimensional structures cultured in vitro that reproduce the cellular composition, organization, and functions of the organ of origin. These models have already been established from tissues of various species, including cattle, birds, and bats, and are being applied in studies of cross-species infections, environmental toxicity, antimicrobial resistance, and pandemic preparedness. In cattle, Fritsch and collaborators developed mammary gland organoids capable of simulating infection by different subtypes of influenza A virus. The study showed that both avian-origin viruses (such as highly pathogenic H5N1) and strains of swine and human origin efficiently infected the organoids, while the avian H9N2 subtype showed restricted replication. This platform allows detailed investigation of mammary infection pathogenesis and zoonotic transmission risks, as well as supporting strategies for animal and public health protection.
\nIn birds, Xiang and colleagues established goose kidney organoids to study astrovirus-induced gout, a fatal disease in goslings characterized by kidney injury and high mortality. The organoids maintained the physiological functions of the kidney and, when infected with the virus, reproduced the increase in uric acid observed in vivo. Infection modulated gene expression and cellular metabolism, mainly in purine pathways, providing a relevant model to elucidate disease mechanisms and test interventions.
\nIn the context of the microbiota and intestinal health, Du and collaborators used ruminant colonic organoids to investigate the role of Faecalibacterium duncaniae in dairy calves with diarrhea. Treatment with metabolites derived from this bacterium reduced inflammatory responses, restored epithelial proliferation, and preserved the integrity of cell junctions, even under inflammatory stress induced by TNF-α. Transcriptomic analysis revealed suppression of inflammatory pathways and activation of repair mechanisms, indicating potential for microbiota-based nutritional strategies to reduce antimicrobial use and improve productivity.
\nRegarding wildlife reservoirs, Madden and colleagues highlighted the development of organoids from gastrointestinal, respiratory, and renal tissues of different bat species. These models showed increased expression of interferon genes and other antiviral mechanisms, both under basal conditions and in response to viral infection. The ability of organoids to sustain viral replication varied according to the virus, tissue, and bat species, reflecting the biological diversity of these animals. The results reinforce the potential of organoids to unravel specific immune responses and understand why bats are reservoirs of emerging viruses without developing clinical disease.
\nDespite advances, organoids have limitations. According to García-Rodríguez and colleagues, most models still lack immune system components, vascularization, and interaction with complex microbiota, all essential factors to fully simulate in vivo physiology. In addition, the response to infection may vary depending on cell origin, culture protocol, and infectious agent. Madden and collaborators emphasize that diversity among bat species and tissues results in different patterns of viral replication, requiring caution when extrapolating data. In birds, Xiang and colleagues observed that other avian viruses did not induce the same pattern of renal dysfunction in organoids, highlighting the model's specificity for goose astrovirus.
\nAnimal organoids are bringing basic research closer to applied needs in One Health. They allow hypotheses about interspecies transmission to be tested, environmental toxicity to be assessed, antimicrobial resistance to be investigated, and nutritional or pharmacological interventions to be developed more quickly and ethically, reducing the use of live animals. The ability to model diseases specific to each species and environmental context expands the potential for more precise responses to outbreaks and emerging threats. As García-Rodríguez and colleagues noted, \"organoids represent a bridge between fundamental science and translational solutions for global challenges\".
\nIn summary, the advancement of animal organoids as experimental models is redefining the study of emerging infectious diseases and other challenges at the human-animal-environment interface. Despite current limitations, these systems offer unprecedented opportunities to accelerate discoveries, integrate knowledge, and strengthen prevention and control strategies in One Health.
", "sources": [{"title": "Animal organoids as models for integrated One Health research", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101539", "doi": "10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101539", "organization": "One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands)"}, {"title": "<i>Faecalibacterium duncaniae</i>-derived metabolites protect intestinal epithelial integrity under inflammatory conditions in dairy calves", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.00854-26", "doi": "10.1128/aem.00854-26", "organization": "Applied and environmental microbiology"}, {"title": "Goose kidney organoids: A new model for studying the metabolic mechanism of goose astrovirus-induced gout", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2026.107500", "doi": "10.1016/j.psj.2026.107500", "organization": "Poultry science"}, {"title": "Beyond H5N1: influenza A virus infection in bovine udder organoids", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1080/22221751.2026.2698239", "doi": "10.1080/22221751.2026.2698239", "organization": "Emerging microbes & infections"}, {"title": "Leveraging organoid models to understand mechanisms of viral infections and immunity in bats", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1242/dmm.052737", "doi": "10.1242/dmm.052737", "organization": "Disease models & mechanisms"}]}, {"id": 189, "lang": "en", "title": "AI enhances tick risk identification and prediction", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/ai-enhances-identification-and-prediction-of-tick-and-disease-risks/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T12:44:56.901858+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:37:06.268368+00:00", "subtitle": "AI tools increase accuracy and speed in diagnosis and control.", "summary": "Artificial intelligence models achieved high accuracy in tick species identification under controlled laboratory conditions and AUC above 0.89 in predicting risk habitats, according to recent studies. These advances could transform surveillance and management strategies for vector-borne diseases.", "category": {"slug": "evidencia", "name": "Evidence-based practice"}, "tags": ["artificial intelligence", "ticks", "vector-borne diseases", "epidemiological surveillance", "one health"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/ia-aprimora-identifi.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "Hyalomma tick under microscope, target of AI-based automated identification.", "body_html": "The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is driving significant change in the identification and surveillance of ticks and the diseases they transmit. New machine learning tools have the potential to increase diagnostic accuracy and speed, impacting control strategies, risk prediction, and integrated management of vector-borne diseases in humans and animals.
\nAccurate identification of tick species is a central challenge for the surveillance of diseases transmitted by these vectors. Traditional methods, based on morphology, require trained specialists and can be imprecise when dealing with closely related species. A study led by Sebai and colleagues developed an experimental deep learning prototype to automatically recognize five Hyalomma species, which are important in veterinary and human medicine in Tunisia. Using 1,344 images of morphologically identified ticks, the YOLOv11-CNN system achieved accuracy between 97% and 100% in species classification, but only under controlled laboratory conditions and for a limited set of species. Explainability analysis showed that the model's decisions were based on relevant morphological regions traditionally used by taxonomists, indicating that AI can replicate and even expand the human perspective in taxonomic identification.
\nBeyond identification, AI models are being applied to predict risk areas and tick abundance, and consequently, diseases such as Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis. Kelly and collaborators used Random Forest algorithms to analyze data from 93,289 ticks of 11 species collected in Japan between 1990 and 2023. The model, fed by 26 environmental variables, achieved area under the curve (AUC) above 0.89 in predicting suitable habitats for Ixodes ovatus and Ixodes persulcatus, the main vectors of these diseases in the country. The study identified high suitability in Hokkaido and cold, humid regions of Honshu, suggesting that risk areas may be broader than previously thought. According to the authors, “climatic variables were the strongest predictors, with more than 90% cumulative importance in the model.”
\nAnother important advance is the ability of AI models to integrate environmental and biological factors to predict not only tick abundance but also disease incidence in humans. Angell and colleagues compared traditional statistical methods with machine learning (gradient boosting) to predict tick abundance and Lyme disease cases in Minnesota, United States. The AI models, which incorporated climate and small mammal fauna data, showed higher predictive accuracy one year in advance for tick abundance and two years for Lyme cases. The AUC was higher in models with time lag, suggesting that current environmental factors are good predictors of future risks. The authors highlight that “monitoring environmental factors offers expanded opportunities for public health interventions through prediction of tick abundance and possible consequences for increased Lyme disease incidence.”
\nThe use of AI also extends to the surveillance of bacterial pathogens associated with veterinary and aquatic environments. Amulraj and collaborators presented a model based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and machine learning for virulence profiling of Acinetobacter baumannii, a multidrug-resistant bacterium relevant to animal and human health. The system, tested on 20 environmental and veterinary isolates, achieved realistic accuracy of 87.9% in classifying between virulent and avirulent isolates, according to leave-one-strain-out validation. The study highlights that information on geographic origin and host is partially embedded in the spectral signatures, which can enhance integrated surveillance in One Health programs.
\nDespite advances, there are important limitations. Automated tick identification models, such as that of Sebai and colleagues, were evaluated only under controlled laboratory conditions and with geographically limited samples, which may restrict their applicability in the field. Studies like that of Kelly and collaborators depend on the quality and scope of surveillance data, and transferring models to other regions requires new validations. In bacterial surveillance, Amulraj and team warn of the need for validations aware of strain profiles to avoid overestimating accuracy. In addition, Hirata and colleagues emphasize that although genomic and AI technologies facilitate the detection of new tick-borne viruses, establishing causal relationships between viral presence and disease still requires traditional pathological approaches, such as in situ localization of agents in tissues.
\nIn practice, incorporating AI into surveillance systems can speed up diagnosis, standardize vector identification, and anticipate high-risk areas and periods, enabling faster and more targeted responses in public and veterinary health. Automated tools can support laboratories with few specialists and expand monitoring coverage, while predictive models based on climate and fauna assist in planning preventive campaigns. The integration of traditional and modern approaches, as suggested by Angell and Hirata, is essential to advance the understanding and control of tick-borne diseases within a One Health perspective.
\nThe advancement of artificial intelligence tools for identification, surveillance, and risk prediction related to ticks and vector-borne diseases represents a paradigm shift in public and veterinary health. Although technical and validation challenges persist, the results already obtained point to a future in which AI will be central to integrated control strategies for these diseases, enhancing the response to emerging threats on a global scale.
", "sources": [{"title": "Rapid SERS-machine learning-enabled virulence profiling of Acinetobacter baumannii for environmental surveillance", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.143396", "doi": "10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.143396", "organization": "Journal of hazardous materials"}, {"title": "Emerging tick-borne viral diseases in East Asia: pathology-driven insights into pathogenesis and disease causality", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1128/cmr.00340-25", "doi": "10.1128/cmr.00340-25", "organization": "Clinical microbiology reviews"}, {"title": "A convolutional neural network-based machine learning prototype for accurate identification of five Hyalomma tick species in Tunisia: Development and assessment of an experimental prototype", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2026.110915", "doi": "10.1016/j.vetpar.2026.110915", "organization": "Veterinary parasitology"}, {"title": "Climate and other environmental factors predict tick abundance and Lyme cases in Minnesota one and two years in advance", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101507", "doi": "10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101507", "organization": "One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands)"}, {"title": "Detection of suitable habitat areas in Japan of the Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis vectors <i>Ixodes ovatus</i> and <i>Ixodes persulcatus</i> based on abiotic factors", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crpvbd.2026.100385", "doi": "10.1016/j.crpvbd.2026.100385", "organization": "Current research in parasitology & vector-borne diseases"}]}, {"id": 186, "lang": "en", "title": "AI changes diagnosis and management in veterinary medicine", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/artificial-intelligence-increases-accuracy-in-veterinary-diagnosis/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T12:25:29.145945+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:37:09.362585+00:00", "subtitle": "AI tools are already impacting cytology, radiology, and clinical management in small animal practice.", "summary": "Artificial intelligence tools are being applied in veterinary cytological and radiological diagnosis, as well as supporting clinical and administrative decisions. Experts highlight the need for validation, ongoing professional training, and attention to ethical and technical risks.", "category": {"slug": "evidencia", "name": "Evidence-based practice"}, "tags": ["artificial intelligence", "veterinary medicine", "diagnosis", "cytology", "radiology", "ethics"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/inteligencia-artific.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "Veterinarian analyzes digital images assisted by an artificial intelligence system in a small animal clinic.", "body_html": "Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are already impacting veterinary practice, especially in imaging diagnosis and cytology for small animals. Computer vision models and natural language-based systems are being integrated into clinical workflows, bringing gains in efficiency and accuracy, as well as new ethical and educational demands for professionals in the field.
\nThe use of computer vision, a branch of AI, is growing in veterinary cytology, enabling automated analysis of slides and blood tests. According to Chu and colleagues, the application of these systems already allows the identification of relevant cytological patterns in small animals, with research demonstrating advances in scientific validation and industrial adoption of these tools. The article highlights that, although technology is advancing, there are still gaps in transparency and standardization, requiring rigorous validation and ongoing professional oversight. The review also warns of the risk of skill loss if professionals become overly dependent on technology without maintaining mastery of traditional methods.
\nIn veterinary radiology, AI already acts as a clinical decision support tool, but does not replace the veterinarian's judgment. Basran and colleagues emphasize that diagnostic responsibility remains entirely with the professional, regardless of the use of automated systems. Transparency is considered essential: \"If you cannot explain to the client, in understandable terms, how the AI system works and its limitations, it should not be used in practice,\" the authors state. For safe implementation, recommended practices include team training, maintenance of traditional skills, and quality assurance protocols.
\nIn addition to image analysis, systems based on natural language models are being used to optimize client communication, medical record keeping, and clinical decision support. According to Bollig and collaborators, incorporating these tools can increase efficiency and clinical accuracy, but requires attention to inherent risks such as the generation of inaccurate or biased information. The article recommends that professionals carefully evaluate the integration of these systems into workflows, maintaining human oversight and critical review of generated results.
\nPredictive models based on AI and machine learning are being used to estimate disease risks in small animals, drawing on data from medical records, insurance, wearable devices, and environmental information. Ruple and Reid highlight that these tools enable advances in precision veterinary medicine, but should be seen as complementary to clinical expertise. The article emphasizes practical limitations, potential biases, and ethical issues, reinforcing that decision-making should remain centered on professional judgment.
\nDespite advances, the literature points to important challenges for the safe and effective adoption of AI in veterinary practice. Chu and colleagues highlight the need for standardization and robust system validation, while Basran and collaborators warn of the importance of transparency and maintaining traditional competencies. Bollig points out risks inherent to language automation, such as possible biases and interpretation errors. Ruple and Reid stress that predictive models should not be used in isolation, to avoid inappropriate decisions. All authors agree that AI should be seen as a support tool, never as a substitute for clinical reasoning and professional responsibility.
\nThe integration of AI into veterinary routines requires constant professional development, both in technical skills and digital ethics. According to Pinard, understanding the fundamental concepts of AI and machine learning is essential for evaluating, adopting, and contributing to the development of these tools. Successful implementation depends on team training, critical review of results, and transparent communication with animal owners. Responsible use of AI can bring gains in efficiency, diagnostic accuracy, and personalized care, provided it is accompanied by human oversight and quality protocols.
\nArtificial intelligence is already a reality in veterinary practice, with growing impact in areas such as cytology, radiology, and clinical management. The advancement of these technologies requires professionals to maintain continuous training, critical thinking, and attention to ethical implications, so that AI becomes a safe and effective ally in animal care.
", "sources": [{"title": "Computer Vision and Deep Learning in Small Animal Cytology and Slide Review.", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2026.03.019", "doi": "10.1016/j.cvsm.2026.03.019", "organization": "The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice"}, {"title": "Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Interpretation of Veterinary Radiographs: Opportunities, Risks, and Best Practices for Clinicians.", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2026.03.018", "doi": "10.1016/j.cvsm.2026.03.018", "organization": "The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice"}, {"title": "Language Models in Veterinary Clinical Practice: Applications, Risks, and Practical Guidance.", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2026.03.014", "doi": "10.1016/j.cvsm.2026.03.014", "organization": "The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice"}, {"title": "An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Veterinary Professionals.", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2026.04.001", "doi": "10.1016/j.cvsm.2026.04.001", "organization": "The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice"}, {"title": "Disease Prediction and Precision Veterinary Medicine: Applications, Opportunities, and Limitations of Artificial Intelligence in Small Animal Practice.", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2026.04.003", "doi": "10.1016/j.cvsm.2026.04.003", "organization": "The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice"}]}, {"id": 168, "lang": "en", "title": "New tools help identify and manage acute pain in cats", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/acute-pain-cats-guidelines-unesp-botucatu-scale-video-library/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T12:23:38.412387+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:54.893759+00:00", "subtitle": "ISFM and AAHA converge on preventive, multimodal analgesia; the UNESP-Botucatu scale, developed in Brazil, had its short form validated in clinical and surgical conditions; 24 videos show the pain behaviours described in the ethogram.", "summary": "Pain is historically under-recognised in cats, whose signs are subtle. Two 2022 guidelines organise the assessment and management of acute pain, a 2021 study validates the UNESP-Botucatu multidimensional scale and its short form, and a 2024 compilation makes videos of each pain behaviour available for training. This summary describes the tools; drug and dose choices rest with the veterinarian.", "category": {"slug": "evidencia", "name": "Evidence-based practice"}, "tags": ["pain", "cats", "analgesia", "pain scales", "UNESP-Botucatu"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/dor-aguda-gatos-aval.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A cat in post-operative recovery, observed by a veterinary nurse. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Illness, trauma and surgery cause acute pain, and effective management of that pain is a condition of feline welfare, understood as physical health and mental well-being. The consensus guidelines of the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), published in 2022 in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery by an expert panel, start from a known problem: pain has traditionally been under-recognised in cats, assessment tools are not widely implemented, and signs in this species may be subtle. The unique challenges of feline metabolism and comorbidities may lead to undertreatment and to the development of peripheral and central sensitisation.
\nThe document's principles are preventive and multimodal analgesia, including local anaesthesia, with drug choices that take into account the type, severity and duration of pain, comorbidities and avoidance of adverse effects. Nursing care, environmental modifications and cat-friendly handling are described as pillars of the plan, as is a team approach that involves the cat carer. The pain management guidelines of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), also from 2022, take the same direction for dogs and cats: diagnostic guides and algorithms for acute and chronic pain, owner instruments for chronic pain, an expert consensus emphasising proactive, pre-emptive management rather than a reactive approach, and a tiered decision tree that prioritises the most effective modalities.
\nAssessment requires an instrument. The UNESP-Botucatu multidimensional feline pain assessment scale (UFEPS) is valid and reliable for acute pain, but had been validated only for ovariohysterectomy and can be time-consuming. A study published in 2021 in PeerJ, by researchers at Unesp and collaborators, evaluated the scale and its new short form (UFEPS-SF) in 10 healthy control cats and 40 cats requiring pain management for clinical (20) or surgical (20, of which 12 orthopaedic and 8 soft tissue) conditions. Three evaluators applied, in real time, visual analogue, numerical rating and simple descriptive scales, followed by the UFEPS-SF, the UFEPS and the Glasgow CMPS-Feline in random order; rescue analgesia in surgical cases was given when the UFEPS-SF scored 4 or more.
\nInter-rater reliability was moderate to good for the UFEPS and the UFEPS-SF (confidence intervals of intraclass correlation coefficients 0.73 to 0.86 and 0.63 to 0.82). The correlation between the two forms was 0.85, and of each with the feline Glasgow scale strong (0.79 and 0.78), confirming criterion validity. All scales distinguished cats in pain from controls and responded to rescue analgesia. Sensitivity and specificity were moderate: 83.25% and 72.00% for the UFEPS, 78.60% and 84.67% for the short form, 74.28% and 70.00% for the Glasgow. The authors conclude that both forms show appropriate validity, responsiveness, reliability, sensitivity and specificity for acute pain in varied clinical and surgical conditions.
\nScales describe behaviours, but recognising them takes training. A paper published in 2024 in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery used a database of 60 hours of recordings of cats with different types of acute pain, medical, surgical, trauma and orofacial, and different degrees, from none to severe, before and after surgery or analgesia, recorded with ethical approval and owner consent. Selection was based on a published ethogram of acute pain behaviours; 24 videos, averaging 33 seconds, each showing one behaviour from the ethogram, were uploaded to an open video channel (youtube.com/@Steagalllaboratory) with a short description for the public. The authors hope the compilation will improve professional training and understanding of cat behaviour.
\nTaken together, the four papers form a learning path: see the behaviours, score them with a validated scale, and treat pre-emptively and multimodally. This summary names no drugs or doses; the full guidelines and the assessment of each patient rest with the veterinarian, and publication of this text is conditional on technical review in veterinary anaesthesiology and analgesia.
", "sources": [{"title": "2022 ISFM Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Acute Pain in Cats", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34937455/", "doi": "10.1177/1098612X211066268", "organization": "Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (International Society of Feline Medicine)"}, {"title": "2022 AAHA Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35195712/", "doi": "10.5326/JAAHA-MS-7292", "organization": "Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA)"}, {"title": "Clinical validation of the short and long UNESP-Botucatu scales for feline pain assessment", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33954046/", "doi": "10.7717/peerj.11225", "organization": "PeerJ"}, {"title": "Video-based compilation of acute pain behaviours in cats", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39286948/", "doi": "10.1177/1098612X241260712", "organization": "Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (SAGE)"}]}, {"id": 135, "lang": "en", "title": "Clinical review highlights advances and gaps in feline mammary carcinoma", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/feline-mammary-carcinoma-clinical-review-2026/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T12:23:10.187433+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:25.793457+00:00", "subtitle": "Published in Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, the review calls for prospective multicentre studies with harmonised staging; recent work on immune infiltrate, necrosis and phosphoproteomics shows where the next markers may come from.", "summary": "Mammary carcinoma is the most prevalent reproductive tumour in queens and combines high malignant potential with early dissemination. A review published in September 2026 organises current clinical knowledge and points to where consensus is lacking. Three studies from 2022 to 2025 illustrate research lines on prognostic markers and therapeutic targets.", "category": {"slug": "evidencia", "name": "Evidence-based practice"}, "tags": ["oncology", "cats", "mammary carcinoma", "staging", "prognosis"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/carcinoma-mamario-fe.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A female cat during a clinical examination at a veterinary practice. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Feline mammary carcinomas remain one of the greatest therapeutic and prognostic challenges in veterinary oncology. The reason, according to a review published on 7 September 2026 in Veterinary and Comparative Oncology by Portuguese researchers, is the combination of three features: high malignant potential, early dissemination and substantial heterogeneity in clinicopathological behaviour.
\nThe review summarises current clinical knowledge on epidemiology, risk factors, diagnostic work-up, staging, treatment and prognostic assessment, highlighting areas of consensus and persistent controversies. The conclusion is programmatic: progress in care will require prospective, multicentre studies built on harmonised staging and pathology reporting, enabling risk-adapted treatment pathways that are both evidence-based and clinically actionable. The abstract does not detail protocols; the full text is needed for those.
\nPart of the controversy concerns which prognostic markers to use. A study published in 2022 in the journal Cells, also from a Portuguese group, analysed the inflammatory infiltrate in 73 feline mammary carcinomas, measuring markers of lymphocytes and macrophages infiltrating the stroma and the tumour itself. Higher percentages of stromal CD8+ lymphocytes were associated with longer disease-free survival (p = 0.05) and overall survival (p = 0.021); higher percentages of intratumoral CD4+ cells correlated with positive lymph node status (p = 0.003); and CD163+ macrophages were associated with undifferentiated tumours (p = 0.013). The authors see a parallel with human breast cancer and reinforce the relevance of the feline model.
\nAnother candidate is tumour necrosis, which is part of grading schemes in veterinary oncology but whose assessment methods are poorly standardised. A study published in 2024 in Animals applied semi-quantitative and quantitative methods to 154 feline mammary tumours. Despite subjectivity, agreement between two observers was almost perfect (weighted kappa 0.851), and the two methods correlated. Necrosis was more common and more extensive in malignant tumours, and extensive necrosis was associated with aggressive features such as higher histological grade, high mitotic count and lymphovascular invasion. Survival analysis, however, produced no significant result, which the authors record as a limit of the finding.
\nAt the molecular frontier, a study published in 2025 in PLoS One carried out the first phosphoproteomic profile of feline mammary carcinoma, comparing samples of grade 1 (6), grade 2 (11), grade 3 (14) and normal controls (6) by phosphoprotein enrichment and mass spectrometry. Seventeen phosphoproteins were downregulated across all grades, many with established roles in the pathogenesis and prognosis of human breast cancer; one protein kinase subunit was associated with Ki-67 expression (p = 0.03). The authors present the findings as a basis for identifying diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets, still without clinical application.
\nThis summary describes the state of research and does not guide clinical decisions. Decisions on staging and treatment of queens with mammary tumours rest with the veterinarian, based on the full text of the sources and individual assessment of each case; publication of this text is conditional on technical review in veterinary oncology.
", "sources": [{"title": "Feline Mammary Carcinomas: Clinical Perspectives on Diagnosis, Staging, Treatment and Prognosis", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42706634/", "doi": "10.1111/vco.70109", "organization": "Veterinary and Comparative Oncology (Wiley)"}, {"title": "The Landscape of Tumor-Infiltrating Immune Cells in Feline Mammary Carcinoma: Pathological and Clinical Implications", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36010653/", "doi": "10.3390/cells11162578", "organization": "Cells (MDPI)"}, {"title": "Level of Necrosis in Feline Mammary Tumors: How to Quantify, Why and for What Purpose?", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39595332/", "doi": "10.3390/ani14223280", "organization": "Animals (MDPI)"}, {"title": "Phosphoproteomic profiling of feline mammary carcinoma: Insights into tumor grading and potential therapeutic targets", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40839607/", "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0330520", "organization": "PLoS One"}]}, {"id": 107, "lang": "en", "title": "Review details H5N1 avian flu risks and symptoms in domestic cats", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/h5n1-domestic-cats-review-one-health/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T12:22:50.943322+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:04.972846+00:00", "subtitle": "An article in Veterinaria Italiana consolidates what was learned from clade 2.3.4.4b; the 2024 outbreaks in US dairy cows showed that raw milk and raw poultry products joined the list of risks for felines.", "summary": "Cats were considered accidental hosts of influenza A. The global spread of highly pathogenic H5N1, clade 2.3.4.4b, changed that picture. An August 2026 review organises epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical signs, diagnosis and One Health implications; two 2024 studies document fatal infection in cats fed raw milk from infected cows; WOAH rates the risk of cat-to-human transmission as very low.", "category": {"slug": "saude-unica", "name": "Biosecurity and One Health"}, "tags": ["avian influenza", "H5N1", "cats", "One Health", "biosecurity"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/h5n1-gatos-domestico.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A domestic cat in a rural setting. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "For decades, the domestic cat was treated as an accidental host of influenza A viruses. The worldwide spread of highly pathogenic H5N1 virus of clade 2.3.4.4b brought felines to the centre of attention. A review published on 24 August 2026 in Veterinaria Italiana, the journal of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise, gathers what is known about the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis and One Health implications of H5N1 infection in cats.
\nAccording to the review, beyond the traditional route of predation on infected wild birds, recent outbreaks revealed new exposure routes: contaminated commercial raw poultry products and unpasteurised milk. Cats' susceptibility is attributed to the abundant distribution of α-2,3-linked sialic acid receptors in both the respiratory tract and the central nervous system, and adaptive mutations such as PB2-E627K may enhance replication efficiency in mammals. The clinical picture combines severe respiratory, neurological and ocular manifestations, including acute bilateral amaurosis, and is associated with high mortality rates.
\nThe link to raw milk has a documented origin. In 2024, Emerging Infectious Diseases reported clade 2.3.4.4b infection in dairy cows in Kansas and Texas: the cows showed non-specific illness, reduced feed intake and rumination and an abrupt drop in milk production, while domestic cats fed raw colostrum and milk from affected cows developed fatal systemic infection. Cow-to-cow transmission became evident when animals moved to farms in Michigan, Idaho and Ohio carried the infection with them.
\nA study published in Nature the same year detailed the mechanism. Infectious virus and viral RNA were consistently detected in milk from affected cows, and the virus's distribution in tissues revealed a tropism for the epithelial cells lining the alveoli of the mammary gland. Whole genome sequences recovered from cows, birds, domestic cats and a raccoon on affected farms indicated multidirectional interspecies transmission. The 2026 review also records recent documentation of feline-associated zoonotic transmission, which, for the authors, reinforces the importance of surveillance and infection control in veterinary settings.
\nThe World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) states on its avian influenza page that the virus can cross the species barrier to infect domestic and wild terrestrial and marine mammals, with cases recorded on mink farms and in wild foxes and cats. The organisation describes cats as unusual hosts and considers the risk of transmission from a sick cat to a person currently very low or negligible; even so, it recommends protective equipment when handling suspected cases, avoiding contact with sick birds and contaminated surfaces, and encourages countries to monitor and report, through the WAHIS system, occurrences in animals other than birds.
\nFor the small animal veterinarian, the review sums up the task in three moves: recognise a compatible syndrome early, especially respiratory and neurological disease with a history of exposure to birds, raw products or raw milk; seek rapid molecular diagnosis; and apply biosafety measures during care. This summary describes the state of published knowledge and does not replace official surveillance protocols or the clinical assessment of each case; when a case is suspected, the guidance of the country's official veterinary service should be followed.
", "sources": [{"title": "Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) in domestic cats: epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and One Health implication", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42661562/", "doi": "10.12834/VetIt.4040.41131.2", "organization": "Veterinaria Italiana (IZS Abruzzo e Molise)"}, {"title": "Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Clade 2.3.4.4b Virus Infection in Domestic Dairy Cattle and Cats, United States, 2024", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38683888/", "doi": "10.3201/eid3007.240508", "organization": "Emerging Infectious Diseases (CDC)"}, {"title": "Spillover of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus to dairy cattle", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39053575/", "doi": "10.1038/s41586-024-07849-4", "organization": "Nature"}, {"title": "Avian influenza (WOAH disease page)", "url": "https://www.woah.org/en/disease/avian-influenza/", "doi": "", "organization": "Organização Mundial da Saúde Animal (WOAH)"}]}, {"id": 68, "lang": "en", "title": "Coccidiosis in alpacas and llamas lacks approved drugs and clear tests", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/coccidiosis-alpacas-llamas-review-gaps/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T12:22:40.379677+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:35:53.989888+00:00", "subtitle": "An article in Veterinary Parasitology gathers what is known about Eimeria species in South American camelids and shows why protocols still rely on extrapolation from ruminants.", "summary": "A review published in September 2026 organises knowledge on coccidiosis in South American camelids: Eimeria species, life cycle, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment. The conclusions are uncomfortable: a long prepatent period, intermittent oocyst shedding, few validated molecular methods and no approved anticoccidial. Two field studies, in Peru and Korea, illustrate how parasite burden varies with the husbandry system.", "category": {"slug": "evidencia", "name": "Evidence-based practice"}, "tags": ["camelids", "alpacas", "llamas", "Eimeria", "parasitology"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/coccidiose-camelideo.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "Alpacas on a high-altitude pasture. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Alpacas and llamas have gained ground outside the Andes, in fibre, tourism and companion settings, and brought with them a problem familiar to traditional breeders: coccidiosis. Protozoa of the genus Eimeria are among the most important enteric pathogens of crias, and the accumulated knowledge about them remains smaller than the number of animals kept would suggest. A review published on 5 September 2026 in Veterinary Parasitology, by researchers from the Czech Republic, gathers that knowledge and names the gaps.
\nThe text covers morphology, life cycle, epidemiology, pathogenicity, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the Eimeria species infecting South American camelids. It gives particular attention to Eimeria macusaniensis, the large-oocyst coccidium whose biological characteristics set it apart from the other species, and to two practical obstacles: the prolonged prepatent period and intermittent oocyst shedding, which make it hard to confirm infection by faecal examination at the moment the animal falls ill.
\nAccording to the review's abstract, there are few validated molecular methods for diagnosis in camelids, and no anticoccidial is approved specifically for these species. In practice, treatment protocols are usually extrapolated from domestic ruminants, which the review records as a limitation rather than a recommendation. The authors call for molecular characterisation of the species, early diagnostic tools and therapeutic approaches based on evidence produced in camelids themselves.
\nThe scale of the problem in the animals' home environment appears in a 2021 study in Parasitology International, conducted in the Quenamari community at 4,500 metres altitude in Cusco, Peru. Among 78 clinically asymptomatic alpaca crias, 87.18% were shedding Eimeria oocysts. E. lamae was found in 85.90% of samples, E. punoensis in 62.82%, E. alpacae in 53.85%, E. macusaniensis in 41.03% and E. ivitaensis in 5.13%. The mean burden was 43,920 oocysts per gram of faeces, with E. lamae accounting for the highest counts. The authors attribute the findings to environmental contamination with oocysts of several species and caution that it remains to be established whether this burden has subclinical effects.
\nThe contrast comes from a preliminary longitudinal study published in 2025 in Parasites, Hosts and Diseases, on a herd of 61 alpacas at a tourism farm on Jeju Island, Korea. In 406 samples collected monthly between June 2022 and June 2023, overall gastrointestinal parasite prevalence was 11.3%, with strongyles and Trichuris the most frequent and E. lamae and E. macusaniensis among the six taxa identified. The authors explain the lower prevalence than reported in Japan, Poland and Australia by the restricted pasture access of tourism-oriented management, without ruling out reinfection risk from environmental contamination.
\nThe three papers point in the same direction: Eimeria burden in alpacas depends heavily on the husbandry system and pasture access, infection can be high even without clinical signs, and laboratory diagnosis has known limits of sensitivity over time. None of this replaces assessment by a veterinarian experienced with camelids; on the contrary, it reinforces the need for one, because treatment decisions still rest on extrapolation from other species. This summary describes the state of the evidence and does not recommend clinical conduct; reading the full text of the review and discussing it with the professional responsible for the herd is the path to any application.
", "sources": [{"title": "Coccidiosis in South American camelids: A review of Eimeria species, diagnostic limitations and research gaps", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42715922/", "doi": "10.1016/j.vetpar.2026.110917", "organization": "Veterinary Parasitology"}, {"title": "Coccidiosis in clinically asymptomatic alpaca (Vicugna pacos) crias from the Peruvian Andes", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34400350/", "doi": "10.1016/j.parint.2021.102438", "organization": "Parasitology International"}, {"title": "Prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in alpacas: A preliminary 1-year longitudinal study on a farm in Jeju, Korea", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41311037/", "doi": "10.3347/PHD.25042", "organization": "Parasites, Hosts and Diseases"}]}, {"id": 59, "lang": "en", "title": "Culture tests guide selective antibiotic use in dairy cow mastitis cases", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/rapid-culture-tests-clinical-mastitis-selective-treatment/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T12:22:37.601243+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:35:51.325578+00:00", "subtitle": "Evaluation of two culture kits run at the veterinary practice confirms the gram-positive/gram-negative distinction but exposes limits in identifying the pathogen.", "summary": "A study published in 2026 in JDS Communications evaluated the MicroMast and VetoRapid tests as support for selective treatment of non-severe clinical mastitis in dairy cows. Both separated gram-positive from gram-negative bacteria well; identification of the specific pathogen fell short. The finding echoes a 2023 review and an Australian study that reported frequent sample contamination.", "category": {"slug": "evidencia", "name": "Evidence-based practice"}, "tags": ["mastitis", "antimicrobials", "dairy cattle", "diagnostics"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/mastite-testes-rapid.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "Milking on a dairy farm. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Clinical mastitis remains the main reason for antimicrobial use on dairy farms. Yet a share of cases does not benefit from antibiotics: infections by gram-negative bacteria usually resolve on their own, and samples with no bacterial growth have nothing to treat. Rapidly separating those cases from the rest is the basis of so-called selective treatment, and that is where rapid culture tests run on the farm or at the veterinary practice come in.
\nA study published in June 2026 in JDS Communications, a journal of the American Dairy Science Association, evaluated two such kits, MicroMast and VetoRapid, within a clinical trial conducted in Belgium. The tests were performed and read at the veterinary practice, and results were compared with conventional laboratory bacteriology as the reference standard. The authors calculated sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, accuracy and agreement (Cohen's kappa) for two tasks: distinguishing gram-positive from gram-negative bacteria, and identifying the pathogen.
\nIn the first task, both tests reliably separated gram-positive from gram-negative bacteria, with VetoRapid performing better. According to the authors, this supports using the kits when deciding whether to treat a non-severe case of clinical mastitis. In the second task, identifying the specific pathogen, the tests' ability was limited, which restricts their use for broader udder-health management decisions such as choosing strategies against contagious pathogens.
\nThe available abstract does not report the numerical values of sensitivity and specificity; reading the full open-access article is necessary to assess the magnitude of those measures before transposing them to another production setting. The study was also conducted in a single country within a clinical trial, which limits generalisation.
\nAn invited review published in 2023 in the Journal of Dairy Science organised the evidence on selective treatment. According to the authors, advances of the past decade made it possible to exclude from antimicrobial treatment non-severe cases with a high probability of spontaneous cure (no bacterial cause or gram-negative, excluding Klebsiella infections) and chronic cases with a low bacteriological cure rate. The review concludes that relatively fast identification of the causative agent is the most important factor in the protocol and that many studies found no detrimental udder-health consequences after adopting selective treatment with on-farm testing. The reduction in antimicrobial use, in turn, depended on the pathogen distribution in each herd and on protocol characteristics.
\nA 2024 Australian observational study, also in the Journal of Dairy Science, adds a note of caution about the sampling step. Among 641 milk samples collected by staff on 30 farms, 23% were contaminated, and the five point-of-care tests evaluated showed limited sensitivity for identifying pathogens of interest after 24 hours of incubation. Pathogen profiles also differed between barn-managed herds, where no-growth samples and Klebsiella spp. predominated, and pasture-managed herds, where Streptococcus uberis was the most common finding.
\nThe three papers converge on one point: the value of a rapid test lies in answering a simple question, gram-positive or gram-negative, not in replacing full bacteriology. They also converge on the importance of sample quality and of somatic cell count and cow history records, elements the 2023 review builds into its decision protocol. Choosing a kit and defining what to do with each result depend on the herd's pathogen profile, the capacity to run the test correctly and the supervision of the responsible veterinarian.
\nFor those working in dairy production, the message of the Belgian study is less a recommendation than a boundary: the kits evaluated serve gram-positive/gram-negative screening within a selective treatment protocol, but do not on their own support decisions that require knowing which pathogen is present. Before adopting any protocol, it is worth reading the full articles, checking performance under conditions similar to the herd's, and discussing implementation with the herd veterinarian.
", "sources": [{"title": "Evaluation of 2 culture-based rapid tests used by veterinary practices as a tool for selective treatment of clinical mastitis", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42698970/", "doi": "10.3168/jdsc.2026-1011", "organization": "JDS Communications (American Dairy Science Association)"}, {"title": "Invited review: Selective treatment of clinical mastitis in dairy cattle", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37080782/", "doi": "10.3168/jds.2022-22826", "organization": "Journal of Dairy Science"}, {"title": "Evaluation of point-of-care tests for identification of pathogens to inform clinical mastitis treatment decisions in pasture- and confinement-managed dairy cows in Australia", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38788848/", "doi": "10.3168/jds.2023-24612", "organization": "Journal of Dairy Science"}]}, {"id": 165, "lang": "en", "title": "Rabies in Brazil now mainly transmitted by bats, studies show", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/rabies-brazil-188-human-cases-bats-late-prophylaxis/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:50.564421+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:52.249129+00:00", "subtitle": "A study in the Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical describes the transition from canine to wildlife rabies; the 50-year review of the national programme and genomic surveillance of variants show what was achieved and what remains.", "summary": "Brazil controlled dog-mediated rabies, but the virus still circulates in bats, primates and wild canids, and people still die, mostly in the North and Northeast. Three Brazilian studies published between 2023 and 2025 gather 25 years of human cases, the National Rabies Program's track record and the phylogenetic analysis of circulating variants.", "category": {"slug": "saude-unica", "name": "Biosecurity and One Health"}, "tags": ["rabies", "bats", "post-exposure prophylaxis", "surveillance", "One Health"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/raiva-humana-brasil-.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A vampire bat in a rural area. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Rabies is preventable, and yet it kills. A study published in August 2025 in the Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical retrospectively analysed human cases reported in Brazil between 2001 and 2025, using surveillance data, scientific literature and public health reports, to describe trends in transmission sources, changes in affected populations and challenges in prevention and treatment, particularly access to post-exposure prophylaxis.
\nThere were 188 cases in the period, an average of 7.52 per year, most in the North and Northeast regions. Bats were the most common source of transmission, followed by dogs and non-human primates. Most cases resulted in death. Post-exposure prophylaxis was administered in most cases, but treatment may have been delayed, incomplete or initiated after symptom onset, which limited its effectiveness. Only two patients survived, both with intensive care and modified therapeutic protocols. The authors conclude that the transition from dog-mediated to bat-mediated rabies calls for enhanced surveillance and targeted prevention, and that ensuring access to prophylaxis in high-risk areas remains critical.
\nWhat made it possible to control canine rabies is described in a study published in 2023 in Pathogens. In 1973, the National Rabies Program was created through an agreement between the Ministries of Health and Agriculture, with integrated action: free post-exposure prophylaxis for people at risk, dog vaccination campaigns, a joint surveillance system and awareness-raising. Dog-mediated human cases fell from 147 to zero, and dog cases from 4,500 to 7. The challenge shifted to cases transmitted by wild animals, bats, non-human primates and wild canids. Most current human cases occur in municipalities with a tropical and subtropical moist forest biome and a Gini index above 0.5. In the multivariable analysis for 2010 to 2022, temperature was associated with more cases (odds ratio 1.739) and primary healthcare coverage was identified as protective (0.947). Half the cases are in the Northeast, and the authors see the association with temperature as a concern under climate change; they recommend keeping prophylaxis freely available, especially in remote areas of the Amazon, and expanding awareness.
\nLaboratory surveillance tracks that transition. A study published in 2023 in Frontiers in Veterinary Science explains that, of the Lyssavirus genotypes, only genotype 1, the classic rabies virus, circulates in Brazil, subdivided into antigenic variants maintained in independent cycles with their own hosts and distributions: AgV1 and AgV2 in dogs, AgV3 in the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus, AgV4 and AgV6 in the non-haematophagous bats Tadarida brasiliensis and Lasiurus cinereus, and variants of the marmoset Callithrix jacchus and the crab-eating fox Cerdocyon thous. Phylogenetic analysis of six surveillance genomes from the North and Northeast formed 11 monophyletic clusters, each corresponding to a variant, and placed the samples in AgV3, AgV6 and the Callithrix variant. It was the first report of AgV6 in northern Brazil. The authors call for more genomic surveillance, with more samples and greater diversity, to detect changes in geographic distribution and spillover events between hosts.
\nFor the veterinarian, the three papers define the profession's current role in Brazilian rabies: maintaining the canine vaccination coverage that brought dog transmission to zero, taking part in surveillance of bats, herbivores and primates, and recognising that exposure to a bat, even without a visible bite, is an indication for immediate prophylaxis for the person. Post-exposure management guidance is that of Brazil's Ministry of Health, which this summary does not replace.
", "sources": [{"title": "Two Decades of Human Rabies in Brazil: Epidemiological Trends, Emerging Risks and Treatment Challenges", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40767697/", "doi": "10.1590/0037-8682-0110-2025", "organization": "Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical"}, {"title": "Fifty Years of the National Rabies Control Program in Brazil under the One Health Perspective", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38003806/", "doi": "10.3390/pathogens12111342", "organization": "Pathogens (MDPI)"}, {"title": "Phylogenetic analysis of rabies surveillance samples from north and northeast Brazil", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37841469/", "doi": "10.3389/fvets.2023.1257558", "organization": "Frontiers in Veterinary Science"}]}, {"id": 159, "lang": "en", "title": "Brazil's Chamber of Deputies reviews bills on national animal protection", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/brazil-chamber-bill-national-animal-protection-system-sinapra-2026/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:46.045870+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:49.506328+00:00", "subtitle": "Bill 2575/2026 proposes integrating rescuers, NGOs, clinics and public bodies into a national database on mistreatment, abandonment and rescues, with no federal financial obligation; in September it was awaiting a rapporteur.", "summary": "Three bills introduced in Brazil's Chamber of Deputies in 2026 address the protection of domestic animals from different angles: a national information and cooperation system (Bill 2575), legal recognition of the affective bond between people and companion animals (Bill 3181), and general prevention and welfare rules by amending four laws (Bill 1334). None has been voted on. This report describes their content and procedural status according to official records on 11 September 2026.", "category": {"slug": "legislacao", "name": "Legislation and programmes"}, "tags": ["Chamber of Deputies", "bill", "animal protection", "public policy", "SINAPRA"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/camara-projetos-sist.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "The floor of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Introduced on 25 May 2026 by Deputy Gilson Daniel (PODE/ES), Bill No. 2575/2026 establishes the National Animal Protection and Support Network System, SINAPRA. According to art. 1, its purpose is to structure, integrate and support actions for animal protection, rescue, monitoring and welfare, in coordination with public authorities, civil society and support networks. The system would be national in scope, with voluntary adhesion by states, the Federal District and municipalities.
\nArt. 3 lists who would be part of the system: independent rescuers, civil society organisations, veterinary care entities, academic and research institutions, volunteer networks, social initiatives not yet legally formalised, and public bodies working in animal protection, public health, the environment, health surveillance or environmental education. Joining would require identification, basic documentation, a declaration of activities and minimum proof of activity, with simplified procedures for independent rescuers and small initiatives. Art. 4, §3 is explicit: participation would imply no employment relationship, no federal financial obligation and no automatic entitlement to public funds.
\nThe operational core is in art. 6: SINAPRA would maintain an integrated national database on animal protection and welfare, rescue and sheltering, mistreatment reports, abandonment, health-risk occurrences involving animals, and actions in emergencies, calamities and disasters, with possible georeferencing and interoperability with public systems. Data processing would fully comply with the General Personal Data Protection Law. The federal government could publish national reports and indicators, and a public electronic dashboard would consolidate statistics on adhesion, records and registered networks. Art. 13 provides for coordination with the Policy for Sheltering and Managing Rescued Animals (Amar), established by Law No. 15,355 of 11 March 2026, and art. 14 allows 180 days for regulation.
\nIn the justification, the author states that the country has thousands of rescuers, organisations and initiatives working daily, but that information remains fragmented and institutional integration is lacking, which hampers policy-making and the consolidation of indicators. The text frames animal protection within the One Health approach, given its impact on public health, health surveillance, environmental balance and violence prevention, and argues that the proposal creates no policy parallel to Amar, respects the autonomy of federal entities and imposes no mandatory spending.
\nAccording to the Chamber's Open Data API record consulted on 11 September 2026, Bill 2575/2026 was in the status \"Aguardando Designação de Relator\" (awaiting appointment of a rapporteur), with its last movement on 2 July 2026 and ordinary procedure. Two other 2026 bills address neighbouring topics. Bill 3181/2026, by Deputy Marcos Tavares, introduced on 17 June, establishes the National Policy for the Protection of Multispecies Affective Bonds, recognises the legal and social relevance of the bond between humans and companion animals, and regulates cohabitation, responsible guardianship and custody; since 3 September it has been processed jointly with another bill, by attachment, in the Committee on Social Security, Social Assistance, Children, Adolescents and Family. Bill 1334/2026, by Deputy José Guimarães, introduced on 23 March, amends Law 5,517/1968, Law 9,605/1998, Law 13,426/2017 and Law 15,046/2024 to establish general rules for the prevention, protection and welfare of domestic animals; it was awaiting an opinion in the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee after the deadline closed on 2 June.
\nBills have no effect until approved by both houses and signed into law, and may be modified by substitutes and amendments during their passage. For veterinary professionals and protection organisations, the immediate interest of Bill 2575 lies in the definition of who joins the network and which data would be consolidated; Animal Care Education will follow the process and update this report with each status change recorded in the open data.
", "sources": [{"title": "Projeto de Lei nº 2575/2026 – Institui o Sistema Nacional de Proteção Animal e Rede de Apoio (SINAPRA) – inteiro teor", "url": "https://www.camara.leg.br/proposicoesWeb/prop_mostrarintegra?codteor=3135960", "doi": "", "organization": "Câmara dos Deputados"}, {"title": "Proposição 2627420 (PL 2575/2026) – registro na API de Dados Abertos", "url": "https://dadosabertos.camara.leg.br/api/v2/proposicoes/2627420", "doi": "", "organization": "Câmara dos Deputados – Dados Abertos"}, {"title": "Proposição 2633408 (PL 3181/2026) – Política Nacional de Proteção aos Vínculos Afetivos Multiespécies – registro na API de Dados Abertos", "url": "https://dadosabertos.camara.leg.br/api/v2/proposicoes/2633408", "doi": "", "organization": "Câmara dos Deputados – Dados Abertos"}, {"title": "Proposição 2611296 (PL 1334/2026) – normas gerais de prevenção, proteção e bem-estar de animais domésticos – registro na API de Dados Abertos", "url": "https://dadosabertos.camara.leg.br/api/v2/proposicoes/2611296", "doi": "", "organization": "Câmara dos Deputados – Dados Abertos"}]}, {"id": 156, "lang": "en", "title": "Veterinary care adapts to budgets with spectrum of care approach", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/spectrum-of-care-access-veterinary-cost-shared-decision/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:43.450484+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:46.816648+00:00", "subtitle": "Four articles from 2024 and 2025 describe veterinarians' attitudes, a tool for communicating evidence-based options, the case of canine diabetes, and cost as the main barrier to access.", "summary": "Cost is the greatest barrier to veterinary care for many families, and the response gaining ground in the literature is the spectrum of care: deliberately offering a range of acceptable diagnostic and treatment options, not only the most sophisticated. This summary gathers a survey of veterinarians' attitudes, a communication toolkit published in JAVMA, an application to canine diabetes and an analysis of cost and access.", "category": {"slug": "carreira", "name": "Professional development"}, "tags": ["spectrum of care", "access to veterinary care", "cost", "shared decision-making", "evidence-based medicine"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/espectro-de-cuidado-.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A veterinary consultation with an owner and dog, the veterinarian explaining options. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Insufficient financial resources are a major barrier to pet owners receiving preventive, sick and emergency services. In response, the veterinary community has begun to incorporate more intentionally the offer of a range of diagnostic and treatment options, which the literature calls the spectrum of care. Many veterinarians, however, are trained and oriented towards providing the most specialised and sophisticated care. Four recent articles help to understand the gap between intention and practice.
\nA study published in 2024 in the journal Animals surveyed veterinarians' self-reported behaviours, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about offering a spectrum of options. The finding that many report offering it is described as encouraging. But there are patterns: veterinarians who reported comfort and confidence in a variety of aspects of clinical care were the most likely to offer options; practitioners with 20 or more years in the field were less likely to offer them to clients with financial limitations; and rural veterinarians were more likely than urban ones to offer them to any client. The authors present the results as a point of reference for those not yet practising this way.
\nOffering options requires identifying and explaining them. A video tutorial published in August 2025 in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association uses a case to demonstrate an evidence-based medicine framework: formulating the clinical question relevant to patient, client and veterinarian, acquiring and appraising the evidence, and applying it to the case's options. Among the tools is the Value Matrix, which communicates to the owner the advantages and disadvantages of each option against situation-specific criteria, to inform shared decision-making. According to the authors, evidence-based options can be identified and communicated even for complex clinical questions with minimal published evidence, and the method adapts to each pet, owner, geography and clinic.
\nAn article published in July 2025 in the same journal applies the logic to a specific disease. Canine diabetes mellitus is treatable, yet euthanasia rates are high; anticipated costs, impact on owner lifestyle and financial constraints contribute to early euthanasia. Insulin, diet, monitoring and veterinary care make up the bulk of expenses, and substituting affordable choices in one or more of these areas can significantly affect overall costs without compromising care. There is no single best approach for all diabetic dogs, but rather management tailored to the needs of owner and dog. The authors consider spectrum-of-care approaches in this disease urgently needed to lower costs, increase survival and improve outcomes for dog and owner.
\nThe backdrop is described in an analysis published in 2024 in Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice: access to veterinary care is increasingly challenging for US pet families and, although many factors contribute, cost is the greatest challenge. The article explores how payment options, a spectrum of care approach and stratification of care might improve access.
\nNone of the four papers proposes lowering the standard of care; what they propose is making the range of acceptable options explicit, with the evidence and costs of each, and letting the choice be shared. For veterinary education, the 2024 survey suggests that clinical confidence is what allows a professional to offer alternatives, which makes the spectrum of care a competence to be trained, not a shortcut.
", "sources": [{"title": "Veterinarians' Self-Reported Behaviors and Attitudes toward Spectrum of Care Practices", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38791634/", "doi": "10.3390/ani14101416", "organization": "Animals (MDPI)"}, {"title": "Spectrum of care toolkit: identifying and communicating evidence-based options", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40816327/", "doi": "10.2460/javma.25.06.0384", "organization": "Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)"}, {"title": "Can implementing spectrum-of-care approaches in management of canine diabetes mellitus improve dog and owner outcomes?", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40683306/", "doi": "10.2460/javma.25.04.0288", "organization": "Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)"}, {"title": "Cost of Care, Access to Care, and Payment Options in Veterinary Practice", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38057249/", "doi": "10.1016/j.cvsm.2023.10.007", "organization": "Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice (Elsevier)"}]}, {"id": 153, "lang": "en", "title": "Surveys Reveal Mental Health Challenges Facing Veterinarians at Work", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/veterinarian-mental-health-moral-distress-grief-workplace/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:40.794080+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:43.897171+00:00", "subtitle": "Studies in the United States, Australia, Brazil and Italy point to modifiable factors: ethical conflicts without preparation, no training on grief, workload without breaks and little autonomy. Nine in ten Brazilian veterinarians did not learn to deal with death during their degree.", "summary": "The veterinary profession lives with attrition, mental ill health and suicide rates described as alarming. Four studies published between 2023 and 2024 measure distinct components of the problem: moral distress in ethical conflicts, organisational workplace factors, the emotional impact of patient death and predictors of suicidal ideation. Together they point to interventions that do not depend on individual resilience alone.", "category": {"slug": "carreira", "name": "Professional development"}, "tags": ["mental health", "moral distress", "burnout", "grief", "career"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/saude-mental-veterin.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A veterinary team taking a break between appointments. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "The shortage of veterinarians in several countries has, among its causes, people leaving the profession, and research has indicated increased levels of mental ill health and suicide rates described as alarming among practitioners. Four surveys published between 2023 and 2024, in four countries, measure different parts of that picture and converge on one point: there are modifiable factors, and not all of them sit inside the person.
\nMoral distress, the anguish of knowing what would be right to do and being unable to do it, was measured in 1,919 veterinarians who are members of the Veterinary Information Network, in a study published in 2023 in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Gender and age were significant predictors: younger female veterinarians reported higher levels than older male veterinarians. Controlling for age and gender, for both associates and practice owners, higher moral distress predicted lower professional fulfilment and higher work exhaustion, interpersonal disengagement and burnout. The authors consider it imperative that the field provide training on how to recognise and navigate ethical conflicts.
\nA study published in 2023 in the Australian Veterinary Journal asked whether the focus should be the individual or the organisation. With 73 Australian veterinarians, it assessed the impact of eleven modifiable workplace factors on mental health outcomes, job appreciation and intention to leave. Unfavourable factors correlated with depression, stress, reduced job appreciation and increased likelihood of leaving both the role and the profession, and the association held after controlling for individual resilience. Two categories stood out for their association with better psychological outcomes: breaks from workload and control or decision latitude. For the authors, resilience is an area for intervention, but workplace factors are potentially easier to modify. The sample size is an obvious limitation.
\nUnlike a physician, a veterinarian may care for a patient from conception to end of life, and that closeness makes the team more exposed to bad outcomes. A study published in December 2023 in Veterinary Sciences assessed the emotional impact of patient death on 549 Brazilian veterinarians, 78.3% women, through a 20-item questionnaire. Women reported being more affected than men both by the animal's death and by talking to the owner about it. The impact was heavily influenced by the number of animals euthanised and varied with age: veterinarians over 50 were less affected than those aged 31 to 40. The most direct finding for education: 91.0% of respondents received no training on dealing with grief during their degree, and those who had reported being less affected. The authors conclude that such training, aimed at preparing future veterinarians for death and its communication, is lacking and necessary.
\nThe largest study, published in 2024 in Scientific Reports, gave 1,556 Italian veterinarians aged 24 to 74 measures of exposure to animal euthanasia, substance abuse, reflective functioning (the capacity to understand one's own and others' behaviour in terms of mental states) and suicidal ideation. Structural equation modelling showed that failures in reflective functioning and substance abuse were associated with suicidal ideation. The recommendation is prevention programmes that improve reflective functioning and reduce substance abuse.
\nRead together, the four papers describe concrete targets for schools, employers and professional bodies: training in applied ethics and in communicating death, work organised with breaks and autonomy, and prevention programmes focused on reflective functioning and substance use. If you or someone close to you is struggling, seek help: in Brazil, the CVV helpline answers on 188, 24 hours a day, and other countries have equivalent services.
", "sources": [{"title": "Veterinarians and moral distress", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36753393/", "doi": "10.2460/javma.22.12.0598", "organization": "Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)"}, {"title": "Mental health in the veterinary profession: an individual or organisational focus?", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36369713/", "doi": "10.1111/avj.13215", "organization": "Australian Veterinary Journal (Wiley)"}, {"title": "The Emotional Impact of Patient Loss on Brazilian Veterinarians", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38275919/", "doi": "10.3390/vetsci11010003", "organization": "Veterinary Sciences (MDPI)"}, {"title": "Predictors of suicidal ideation in Italian veterinarians", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39080454/", "doi": "10.1038/s41598-024-68330-w", "organization": "Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio)"}]}, {"id": 150, "lang": "en", "title": "Brazil faces challenges in canine visceral leishmaniasis control", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/canine-visceral-leishmaniasis-brazil-surveillance-risk-factors-resistance/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:38.157428+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:40.796672+00:00", "subtitle": "In Mato Grosso, almost 19% of dogs tested were seropositive but few municipalities repeat the surveys; in four endemic cities, sex, outdoor living and chicken rearing changed the risk; one sand fly population from Ceará resisted the collar insecticide.", "summary": "The dog is the main domestic reservoir of Leishmania infantum in Brazilian urban areas, and the Visceral Leishmaniasis Surveillance and Control Program depends on canine surveys, vector control and case identification. This summary gathers three Brazilian studies published between 2022 and 2024 that measure surveillance performance, risk factors for canine infection and vector susceptibility to impregnated collars.", "category": {"slug": "saude-unica", "name": "Biosecurity and One Health"}, "tags": ["visceral leishmaniasis", "Leishmania infantum", "dogs", "Lutzomyia longipalpis", "surveillance"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/leishmaniose-viscera.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A dog wearing a repellent collar in an urban backyard. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Visceral leishmaniasis is considered a globally neglected disease, and in Brazil its expansion and urbanisation led to the creation of the Visceral Leishmaniasis Surveillance and Control Program, which recommends identifying human and canine cases, vector control and prevention. Three recent Brazilian studies, read together, show what happens when those recommendations meet municipal routine.
\nA study published in 2024 in the Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia Veterinária investigated the epidemiological situation in municipalities of Mato Grosso and the execution of programme activities between 2019 and 2021. Human case data came from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN), and the entomological and canine surveys from the State Health Department. In the period, 30 human cases were recorded, distributed across 16 municipalities. Vectors were identified in half of the municipalities where entomological investigations took place, with Lutzomyia longipalpis predominant. A total of 15,585 dogs underwent serological testing, and 18.91% were seropositive for Leishmania infantum. Only three municipalities, however, conducted consecutive canine surveys. The authors conclude that, although the disease is widely distributed in the state, few municipalities carry out the programme's actions, confirming the disease's neglected status.
\nWhich dogs are most at risk? A study published in 2022 in Research in Veterinary Science gathered data from four endemic cities in different regions, Fortaleza, Brasília, Palmas and Bauru, and used parasitological tests, such as skin lesion culture and histological or immunohistochemical skin analysis, to define infection, avoiding some of the problems of serological surveys. Canine positivity was 9.8% overall, with wide variation: Bauru 18.7%, Brasília 8.4%, Fortaleza 7.9% and Palmas 4%. In logistic regression adjusted for city, males were twice as likely to be infected; dogs living outdoors 1.5 times; and dogs in households rearing chickens 40% less likely. An interaction indicated that the protective association of being purebred was stronger among dogs older than seven years. The authors propose using these factors to identify higher-risk groups of animals and target control interventions.
\nCollars impregnated with 4% deltamethrin are used in endemic areas to reduce transmission from dogs, but continuous exposure to the insecticide may select resistant sand flies. A study published in November 2024 in Parasites & Vectors exposed six field populations of Lu. longipalpis, collected in areas where the collars had been used, to CDC bottle bioassays at diagnostic doses of 21.9 and 30 μg per bottle and to dose-response experiments. At the 21.9 μg dose, three populations were susceptible; two, from Ceará and Minas Gerais, had mortality of 94.9% and 95.7%, indicating possible resistance; and one, from Ceará, was classified as resistant, with 87.1% mortality. Resistance intensity was low, with resistance ratios between 2.27 and 0.54 at the dose that kills half the insects. The authors conclude that most populations remain susceptible, but that the resistant Ceará population calls for understanding resistance mechanisms where collars are widely used.
\nFor the veterinarian in an endemic area, the three papers offer three concrete tasks: demand and record the municipality's canine surveys, advise owners on modifiable risk factors such as keeping the dog in a protected environment at night, and monitor collar effectiveness locally, since vector susceptibility is not uniform across the country. This summary does not replace the official guidelines of Brazil's Ministry of Health for diagnosis and management.
", "sources": [{"title": "Epidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis in municipalities of Mato Grosso and the performance of surveillance activities: an updated investigation", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38324884/", "doi": "10.1590/S1984-29612024008", "organization": "Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia Veterinária (Colégio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinária)"}, {"title": "Factors associated with Leishmania infantum infection in dogs from urban areas endemic for visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36215737/", "doi": "10.1016/j.rvsc.2022.09.035", "organization": "Research in Veterinary Science (Elsevier)"}, {"title": "Insecticide-impregnated dog collars for the control of visceral leishmaniasis: evaluation of the susceptibility of field Lutzomyia longipalpis populations to deltamethrin", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39548568/", "doi": "10.1186/s13071-024-06474-4", "organization": "Parasites & Vectors (BMC)"}]}, {"id": 147, "lang": "en", "title": "Poverty Drives Animal Disease Risks in Rural Cambodia", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/cambodia-ethnography-precarity-informal-animal-health/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:35.731868+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:37.704163+00:00", "subtitle": "A study in Social Science & Medicine describes dead animal commerce as an economic safety net and a pathway of zoonotic exposure; earlier research with village animal health workers shows the limits of the para-veterinary system.", "summary": "The emergence of zoonoses in rural Southeast Asia is recognised as a global threat, but the economic and material dimensions that influence spillover risk are poorly understood by institutional frameworks. An ethnographic study published in August 2026, with 60 interviews in Battambang, proposes reading farmers' practices as rational adaptation to structural constraints. Two studies with village animal health workers complete the portrait of the system.", "category": {"slug": "saude-unica", "name": "Biosecurity and One Health"}, "tags": ["Cambodia", "village animal health workers", "zoonoses", "anthropology", "smallholders"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/camboja-precariedade.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A farmer with cattle in a Southeast Asian village. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Zoonosis prevention programmes tend to treat smallholders' practices as a problem of knowledge or culture. An ethnographic study published on 25 August 2026 in Social Science & Medicine reverses the lens: it examines how economic precarity, environmental degradation and inadequate veterinary services shape human–animal relations and animal health practices in three rural communities of Battambang province, Cambodia.
\nThe material comes from ethnographic observations and 60 interviews with 55 people, conducted between December 2023 and July 2025. The authors document how farmers rationally navigate animal husbandry and disease management within structural constraints that limit their options. Rather than treating these practices as cultural barriers to prevention, the study describes them as adaptive responses to poverty, service gaps and ecological stress.
\nThe central example is the trade in dead animals, which functions at once as an informal economic safety net, allowing some value to be recovered from a lost animal, and as an unregulated pathway of disease exposure. The anthropological knowledge produced, which the authors call processual, relational and embodied, reveals the situated complexity through which animal health risks emerge and are managed in practice. The conclusion is that effective interventions must address the economic and environmental drivers of risk and partner with local community knowledge rather than attempt to replace it.
\nIn countries with low-capacity national veterinary services, the front line is held by para-veterinary systems. In Cambodia, the village animal health worker (VAHW) system was established in the early 1990s, with short training programmes aimed mainly at vaccinating cattle against haemorrhagic septicaemia. A study published in 2020 in Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, with 80 workers from two provinces surveyed in 2015, examined how often they were in contact with district animal health authorities responsible for national disease reporting. Income from VAHW activities and the frequency of farmer visits were associated with more frequent contact with the authorities. The study also recorded high inappropriate antibiotic use: almost 90% of workers reported using antibiotics to treat animals with foot-and-mouth disease, a viral disease. The authors suggested greater adherence to the World Organisation for Animal Health's competency guidelines for veterinary paraprofessionals if they are expected to contribute to national surveillance.
\nA second survey, published in 2022 in the same journal, assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of 80 workers from Tbong Khmum and Takeo provinces in August 2018. The mean animal health and biosecurity knowledge score was high, at 86%. Length of employment, reporting of pig diseases, recommending quarantine of newly purchased animals, treating haemorrhagic septicaemia with antibiotics and washing footwear when entering or leaving a farm were associated with the highest scores, 92% or above. For the authors, the correlation between biosecurity and reporting behaviours and knowledge level is evidence that improved training, with regular monitoring, can keep the workers a relevant support to national services.
\nRead in sequence, the three papers describe a system in which the workers' technical knowledge is reasonable, contact with surveillance depends on income and routine, and farmers' decisions respond to an economy in which a dead animal is still worth something. For professionals designing extension and surveillance programmes, including in Latin America, the message of the 2026 study is that information alone does not change a practice that solves a real economic problem.
", "sources": [{"title": "Livelihood pragmatism: Economic precarity and informal animal health management in rural Cambodia", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42664744/", "doi": "10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119769", "organization": "Social Science & Medicine (Elsevier)"}, {"title": "Can improving animal health and biosecurity knowledge of para-veterinarians in Cambodia assist in addressing challenges in smallholder livestock farming?", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33547754/", "doi": "10.1111/tbed.14020", "organization": "Transboundary and Emerging Diseases (Wiley)"}, {"title": "Improving Village Animal Health Worker participation in national disease surveillance systems: A case study from Cambodia", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31758845/", "doi": "10.1111/tbed.13432", "organization": "Transboundary and Emerging Diseases (Wiley)"}]}, {"id": 144, "lang": "en", "title": "Rural Background and Animal Experience Predict Food Animal Vet Careers", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/rural-veterinarians-predictors-6431-new-graduates/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:33.211365+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:35.007120+00:00", "subtitle": "Published in JAVMA, the multi-institutional work confirms earlier findings and proposes using the predictors in admissions; in France, a subsidised rural internship only changed the path of those with little connection to the sector.", "summary": "The shortage of veterinarians in rural areas is a global problem with effects on animal production and public health. A study published in September 2026 analysed the first destinations of 6,431 graduates from 33 schools to identify what predicts choosing rural food animal practice. An earlier single-school study and a causal evaluation of internships in France show what works and what does not.", "category": {"slug": "carreira", "name": "Professional development"}, "tags": ["career", "rural practice", "food animals", "veterinary education", "workforce"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/veterinarios-rurais-.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A veterinarian attending to cattle on a rural property. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "If the shortage of rural veterinarians persists, recruiting better requires knowing which students are most likely to choose the countryside. A multi-institutional study published on 2 September 2026 in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association sought predictors of entry into rural practice that could be used in schools' admissions decisions.
\nThe sample gathered 6,431 graduates of 33 accredited American and Caribbean veterinary schools that use the centralised application service (VMCAS) and the AVMA Graduating Senior Survey. The researchers examined the first destinations of the classes of 2019 to 2023, including place of first employment, and used logistic regression to identify variables that predict a graduate's choice of rural food animal employment over other settings.
\nA graduate's community of origin, the community selected for their first job, and both veterinary and non-veterinary experiences with food animals had the strongest relationships with the choice of employment type and location. The authors conclude that community of origin and food animal experiences are statistically significant indicators of the likelihood of entering rural practice upon graduation, and that the findings can inform recruitment strategies and admissions practices to shape the demographics of veterinary classes and, with them, the practice locations and types of future graduates.
\nThe study extends 2023 work by the same group, published in JAVMA with 478 Auburn University graduates from the classes of 2019 to 2022. In that context, where 47 US states had a federally recognised veterinary shortage, logistic regression and latent class analysis already pointed to community of origin, preferred community and gender as the strongest predictors. The 2026 version tests the hypothesis across 33 schools and adds food animal experiences.
\nIf origin weighs so heavily, policies that try to change the path after entry into veterinary school need careful evaluation. In France, a tutored internship programme subsidises students and mentors for a training period in remote rural areas, aiming to integrate and retain future veterinarians. A study published in 2024 in PLoS One evaluated the programme with survey data from 2016 to 2020 and three methods derived from causal inference theory. The average effect of the internship on work in the food animal sector was not significant. But among veterinarians with a low share of work in that sector, the internship led to rural practice after graduation between 13% and 20% greater than among those who did not participate. In other words, the programme did not change those already decided, but it moved those on the margin.
\nThe scale of the problem is international. A qualitative study published in 2025 in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, with 124 responses from students and practising veterinarians in Alberta, Canada, describes the rural veterinarian shortage as a growing global concern, with a risk of significant impacts on livestock management, agriculture and public health in rural and remote communities. Thematic analysis pointed to personal and family ties to rural life, the strong relationships that form in rural communities, work variety and exposure during veterinary school as motivators; limited resources and supports as deterrents; and better salary and benefits, tuition or debt forgiveness, mentorship and fewer on-call duties as incentives.
\nFor schools and professional councils in Brazil and the region, where the gap in care in small municipalities is well known, the three papers suggest two complementary fronts: select and support students of rural origin with prior food animal experience, and design rural internships for the undecided, which is where the French evidence shows an effect. This summary is based on the published abstracts; the coefficients and limitations are in the full texts.
", "sources": [{"title": "Community of origin, preferred community or location of first employment, and food animal experiences are predictors for veterinary graduates choosing rural food animal employment", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42685778/", "doi": "10.2460/javma.26.01.0079", "organization": "Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)"}, {"title": "Community of origin, preferred community, and gender are predictors for veterinary graduates from Auburn University choosing rural food animal employment", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37673216/", "doi": "10.2460/javma.23.05.0266", "organization": "Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)"}, {"title": "Effectiveness of rural internships for veterinary students to combat veterinary workforce shortages in rural areas", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38451938/", "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0294651", "organization": "PLoS One"}, {"title": "Understanding the motivations, deterrents, and incentives for rural Albertan veterinary practice", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41049143/", "doi": "10.3389/fvets.2025.1633149", "organization": "Frontiers in Veterinary Science"}]}, {"id": 141, "lang": "en", "title": "Women veterinarians boost biosecurity training for Indian farmers", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/women-veterinarians-train-women-farmers-biosecurity-india-cascade/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:30.683179+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:31.923633+00:00", "subtitle": "A study in Frontiers in Public Health describes 38 professionals trained and 152 farmers reached; research in South Africa and on Rift Valley fever shows why gender matters in zoonotic exposure.", "summary": "In India, women play central roles in livestock management but have little access to biosecurity training because field visits are mostly carried out by male veterinarians. A programme published in August 2026 worked around the barrier by training women veterinarians to train women farmers. Two earlier papers show that the gendered division of tasks changes who is exposed to what.", "category": {"slug": "carreira", "name": "Professional development"}, "tags": ["One Health", "biosecurity", "women", "training", "zoonoses"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/mulheres-veterinaria.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A woman farmer with goats and buffalo on a smallholding. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Zoonotic diseases remain a significant public health threat in India, where a dense population and an agricultural economy make human–animal interactions frequent. Despite policy initiatives promoting One Health approaches, barriers such as limited awareness and inadequate biosecurity practices persist. A study published on 26 August 2026 in Frontiers in Public Health starts from a specific diagnosis: women farmers play crucial but under-recognised roles in livestock management and have limited access to training because they engage little with male veterinary professionals, who primarily conduct field visits. Women veterinary health professionals, in turn, can engage better with women farmers but face their own barriers to fieldwork positions and to training for professional growth.
\nThe solution designed was a cascade training model. In the first stage, women veterinary health professionals were trained in biosafety, biosecurity, One Health and community engagement, and equipped with tools to train women farmers. In the second, those professionals ran local sessions for farmers, using case studies and games. Acquired knowledge was measured through pre- and post-training assessments and focus group discussions.
\nThirty-eight women veterinary health professionals were trained; their knowledge scores improved from 10.6 (± 2.49) to 11.3 (± 2.47) on the same questions. The focus groups showed they understood the farmers' knowledge and the issues they faced, and produced three themes on building farmers' capacity: knowledge gaps and high-risk practices, structural and sociocultural barriers, and pathways for effective community engagement and knowledge transfer. Of the 152 women farmers trained, 79.9% could identify clinical signs of animal sickness and 85.9% recognised integrated prevention practices; even so, gaps in zoonotic disease awareness and sanitation practices were evident. The authors conclude that engaging women professionals as both practitioners and trainers can advance community-level biosecurity and disease detection, and argue that women-centred approaches should be embedded in national One Health strategies.
\nThe programme's logic rests on earlier studies. In 2020, a paper in EcoHealth described, in the rural Mnisi community of Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, residents' roles and responsibilities in the tasks identified as critical control points for pathogen exposure, broken down by gender. Male gender-typed tasks included livestock and poultry husbandry, hunting and slaughtering wildlife, and rodent control; female gender-typed tasks included animal-sourced food preparation, domestic cleaning and maintenance, and caregiving to children and ill family members. Because the tasks are gender specific, exposure and transmission patterns may be too, and the authors recommended gender-disaggregated analysis for risk mitigation.
\nA perspective paper published in 2025 in Research Directions: One Health used Rift Valley fever as a case: the literature focuses on male exposure because certain occupational roles are male dominated and neglects women's varied responsibilities in livestock care; studies often lack sex-disaggregated data; and social norms limit women's autonomy in livestock ownership, vaccination decisions and healthcare access. Programmes involving women, the authors cite, led to changes in norms and greater access to markets and veterinary care for female farmers.
\nFor veterinary training, the set suggests a simple question to include in any extension programme: who, on the farm, performs the task you want to change, and who is receiving the advice. When the two answers do not match, the training may be reaching the wrong person.
", "sources": [{"title": "Empowering women for health security in India: a One Health cascade training model for strengthening biosecurity through women veterinarians and farmers", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42719778/", "doi": "10.3389/fpubh.2026.1903744", "organization": "Frontiers in Public Health"}, {"title": "Gender Roles and One Health Risk Factors at the Human-Livestock-Wildlife Interface, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32285224/", "doi": "10.1007/s10393-020-01478-9", "organization": "EcoHealth (Springer)"}, {"title": "Rift Valley fever and invisible women", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42667086/", "doi": "10.1017/one.2025.10005", "organization": "Research Directions: One Health (Cambridge University Press)"}]}, {"id": 138, "lang": "en", "title": "Delayed diagnosis of cat-scratch disease reported in Portugal", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/cat-scratch-disease-portugal-16-year-case-series/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:28.709621+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:28.733383+00:00", "subtitle": "A study in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases calls for One Health strategies with flea control and veterinary follow-up; a paediatric series in the United States and serology in cats complete the picture.", "summary": "Cat-scratch disease, caused mainly by Bartonella henselae, has a broad clinical spectrum with atypical manifestations that delay diagnosis. A retrospective study from 2010 to 2025 in Porto, published in September 2026, characterised 39 confirmed cases. A series of 304 children in Atlanta and a study of antibodies in cats help gauge exposure.", "category": {"slug": "saude-unica", "name": "Biosecurity and One Health"}, "tags": ["Bartonella henselae", "cat-scratch disease", "zoonoses", "fleas", "cats"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/doenca-da-arranhadur.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A domestic cat with fleas being examined. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Cat-scratch disease is a well-recognised zoonosis, primarily caused by Bartonella henselae, with a broad clinical spectrum in which atypical manifestations may delay diagnosis. A study published on 8 September 2026 in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases characterised the clinical and epidemiological profile of the disease at a Portuguese tertiary care centre and evaluated the role of molecular and serological methods as complementary tools.
\nThe retrospective cohort included all patients with laboratory-confirmed diagnosis at Unidade Local de Saúde de São João, in Porto, between 2010 and 2025: 39 people, median age 15 years, 53.8% of them paediatric. Cat exposure was reported in 94.9% of cases; information on flea infestation and preventive measures in companion animals was unavailable in the records. Systemic presentations occurred in 43.6% of patients, and the great majority of those (94.1%) were immunocompetent.
\nAmong PCR-positive specimens that could be sequenced, all were identified as B. henselae. PCR positivity was much higher in lymph node tissue (79.2%) than in blood (15.8%). The median time from symptom onset to diagnosis was 52.5 days. At diagnosis, serology was positive for IgG in 76.0% of patients and for IgM in 28.0%. Azithromycin monotherapy was the most frequently used treatment for typical disease (81.8%), while combination therapy predominated in systemic cases (76.5%); clinical resolution after a single course of treatment was achieved in 74.4% of patients.
\nThe authors conclude that the disease frequently presented with systemic involvement, including in immunocompetent patients, and that the prolonged interval to diagnosis highlights the need for greater clinical awareness and improved access to serological and molecular diagnostics. Given the high frequency of cat exposure, they propose that One Health strategies focused on responsible pet ownership, regular flea control and veterinary follow-up may help reduce Bartonella transmission and the burden of the disease.
\nA series published in 2022 in Open Forum Infectious Diseases gathered 304 children diagnosed at a tertiary paediatric hospital system in Atlanta, Georgia, between 2010 and 2018. The largest proportion of diagnoses was made in August (13.5%) and September (15.5%). Median age was 8.1 years; 92.4% of children with a documented history reported feline exposure and 22% canine exposure. Lymphadenopathy was present on physical examination in the majority (78.8%), but atypical presentations lacking lymphadenopathy were also common (20.7%); among children with imaging, 36.4% had splenomegaly and 38.1% splenic or hepatic microabscesses. Veterinary data from the state, reviewed in the same study, showed a Bartonella seroprevalence of 8.2%, all in dogs.
\nCats are the primary reservoir host of B. henselae. A study published in 2021 in Pathogens, with shelter and client-owned cats, found seroreactivity of 78% in serum by immunofluorescence, in both the in-house and the commercial assay, and 56.8% in oral fluid, with only moderate agreement between the two specimens (kappa 0.434); the authors concluded that oral fluid antibodies are of limited utility for epidemiological or diagnostic purposes.
\nFor the veterinarian, the point of contact with these three papers is flea control: it is the vector between cats, and the Portuguese study notes that information on fleas and prevention in patients' animals was simply absent from the medical records. Recording and advising on that in the veterinary clinic is a direct contribution to surveillance of a zoonosis that, in the Portuguese data, took almost two months to diagnose.
", "sources": [{"title": "Clinical and epidemiological features of cat-scratch disease: a 16-year case retrospective study in a portuguese tertiary care centre", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42709285/", "doi": "10.1007/s10096-026-05664-5", "organization": "European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (Springer)"}, {"title": "Cat Scratch Disease: 9 Years of Experience at a Pediatric Center", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36072697/", "doi": "10.1093/ofid/ofac426", "organization": "Open Forum Infectious Diseases (IDSA / Oxford University Press)"}, {"title": "Bartonella henselae Antibodies in Serum and Oral Fluid Specimens from Cats", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33799577/", "doi": "10.3390/pathogens10030329", "organization": "Pathogens (MDPI)"}]}, {"id": 132, "lang": "en", "title": "UK study suggests joint healthcare for homeless people and their dogs", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/my-dog-is-my-life-homelessness-coordinated-care/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:25.010330+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:22.781386+00:00", "subtitle": "Research in PLoS One heard from people experiencing homelessness and from veterinary, health and housing providers; two earlier studies show these dogs are usually well cared for, with separation distress as the main concern.", "summary": "One in ten people seeking shelter in the UK has a companion animal, usually a dog, and the dog can be the reason a person stays on the street. A study published in September 2026 used interpretative phenomenological analysis to investigate the health needs of these pairs and the feasibility of joint care. Welfare assessments in the United States and the UK describe the dogs' condition.", "category": {"slug": "bem-estar", "name": "Welfare and animal care"}, "tags": ["homelessness", "dogs", "One Health", "access to veterinary care", "human-animal bond"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/caes-pessoas-situaca.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A person sitting on a pavement next to a dog. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Around one in ten people seeking shelter from homelessness in the United Kingdom has a companion animal, most commonly a dog. Owning a dog in that situation can be a barrier to accessing healthcare and accommodation, and may force the person to sleep on the streets. A study published on 3 September 2026 in PLoS One, by UK researchers, describes these people as a stigmatised minority within a minority, often invisible to support services and hard to reach.
\nThe bond between person and dog in these situations is usually strong; the dog is often the most significant other in that person's life. Failing to accommodate that relationship, the authors argue, has implications for both human and animal healthcare in the homeless community, and bringing the two care disciplines together is a specific application of One Health. The study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore the health needs and challenges of people experiencing homelessness with companion dogs and to investigate the feasibility of joint healthcare provision. Participants included people experiencing homelessness and providers working in veterinary, human health and housing services.
\nService users and providers alike considered human and animal health entangled, requiring an approach that accounts for the needs of both together. The idea of delivering human and animal healthcare at the same venue was of interest to both groups but also raised concerns. Since examples in the literature are sparse, the authors suggest that a more workable concept may be coordinated multi-species healthcare that is responsive and empathic to the needs of both people and dogs.
\nThe public perception that people experiencing homelessness cannot care for an animal has been tested in two studies. In the United States, a descriptive study published in 2024 in Animal Welfare assessed 100 human–dog dyads in the western part of the country, with a survey and a visual assessment of the dog's condition through a One Welfare lens, which observes animal and human well-being, the environment and the notion of a life worth living. The dogs were well cared for and physically healthy, consistent with other studies, and had few behavioural problems, but showed evidence of separation distress when the owner was away. The authors point to implications for policies and practices that prohibit dogs in homeless shelters, which typically report lacking the resources to accommodate a person with a dog.
\nIn the UK, a study published in 2022 in Veterinary Record assessed 21 dogs owned by 19 homeless people using the PDSA Petwise MOT tool. The dogs compared favourably with conventionally owned pets in most areas, including exercise and companionship. Problems included being overweight or obese, at a lower prevalence than the general population, and some owners' difficulty in accessing veterinary care. Behavioural concerns were reported for 61.9% of the dogs, most commonly separation-related distress. Being unable to leave the animal safely, the authors note, may impair owners' access to services; accessible veterinary care, behavioural support and pet-friendly services could improve the health of both.
\nThe three papers point in the same direction: the dogs of people experiencing homelessness tend to be doing well; what is missing is access to services that do not force a choice between shelter and animal. For the veterinary professional, the 2026 study suggests a concrete place in the care network, alongside health and housing services.
", "sources": [{"title": "'My dog is my life': One Health approaches to healthcare for people and their companion animals experiencing homelessness in the United Kingdom", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42691039/", "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0354517", "organization": "PLoS One"}, {"title": "Physical and behavioural health of dogs belonging to homeless people", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38510424/", "doi": "10.1017/awf.2024.12", "organization": "Animal Welfare (UFAW / Cambridge University Press)"}, {"title": "Assessment of health and welfare in a small sample of dogs owned by people who are homeless", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34402075/", "doi": "10.1002/vetr.776", "organization": "Veterinary Record (BVA / Wiley)"}]}, {"id": 129, "lang": "en", "title": "Hendra virus review details spillover history and new variant challenges", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/hendra-virus-review-bats-horses-australia/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:22.783556+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:20.026665+00:00", "subtitle": "An article in Frontiers in Veterinary Science integrates biology, transmission, diagnostics and equine vaccination; the genotype 2 variant, described in 2021 and 2022 in horses and flying foxes, escaped routine tests and widened the risk area.", "summary": "Hendra virus is a highly lethal zoonotic henipavirus that circulates in Australian flying foxes and reaches people through infected horses. A review published in August 2026 organises the knowledge accumulated since 1994 from a veterinary-oriented One Health perspective. Two Emerging Infectious Diseases papers document the genotype 2 variant, which required updated tests and biosecurity practices.", "category": {"slug": "saude-unica", "name": "Biosecurity and One Health"}, "tags": ["Hendra virus", "henipavirus", "horses", "bats", "zoonoses"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/hendra-virus-revisao.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A flying fox hanging from a tree at dusk. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Since 1994, Hendra virus has caused recurrent cross-species spillover events in Australia. It is a highly lethal zoonotic henipavirus with tropism for vascular endothelial and neural tissues, which makes it important to both veterinary medicine and public health. A review published on 19 August 2026 in Frontiers in Veterinary Science gathers the research progress on the virus from a veterinary-oriented One Health perspective.
\nThe transmission chain is known: flying foxes, bats of the genus Pteropus, are the natural reservoir hosts, and horses act as intermediate and amplifying hosts. All confirmed human infections have occurred through horses. Human infection is rare but can cause severe respiratory and neurological disease. The review records that detection of antibodies and RNA of related henipaviruses in Southeast Asian bats indicates regional diversity and a possible broader henipavirus spillover risk but, according to the authors, does not demonstrate Hendra virus circulation or transmission in that region.
\nThe text covers viral biology, transmission, clinical disease, diagnostics, animal models, equine vaccination and clinical-stage vaccines and antibody-based interventions. Two points receive particular attention: the diagnostic challenges associated with the virus's genotype 2, HeV-g2, and the role of horse vaccination in reducing occupational exposure for veterinarians and handlers.
\nThe variant's story was told in two Emerging Infectious Diseases papers in 2022. In the first, Australian researchers identified and isolated, from a horse in Queensland that died of acute illness with signs consistent with Hendra, a variant not detected by routine testing. Whole-genome sequencing showed about 83% nucleotide identity with the prototypic virus. In silico and in vitro comparisons of the receptor-binding protein indicated that the human monoclonal antibody m102.4, used for post-exposure prophylaxis, and the current equine vaccine should be effective against the variant. An updated quantitative PCR for routine surveillance resulted in subsequent case detection, and genetic consistency with virus detected in grey-headed flying foxes suggested the variant circulates at least in that species. The authors recommended updating surveillance and biosecurity to acknowledge risk across all regions frequented by flying foxes.
\nThe second paper closed the link: the genotype 2 variant was detected in the urine of black and grey-headed flying foxes, which is the pathway relevant for spillover, supporting an expanded geographic range of Hendra virus risk to horses and humans.
\nFor the equine clinician outside Australia, the interest is methodological: a virus known for three decades still managed to escape routine tests, and the response combined sentinel surveillance in horses, sequencing, PCR revision and verification that vaccine and antibody remained valid. The 2026 review, open access, gathers the references for anyone wishing to retrace that path.
", "sources": [{"title": "Hendra virus: research progress on a bat-borne threat lurking at the human-animal interface", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42689109/", "doi": "10.3389/fvets.2026.1889103", "organization": "Frontiers in Veterinary Science"}, {"title": "Novel Hendra Virus Variant Detected by Sentinel Surveillance of Horses in Australia", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35202527/", "doi": "10.3201/eid2803.211245", "organization": "Emerging Infectious Diseases (CDC)"}, {"title": "Novel Hendra Virus Variant Circulating in Black Flying Foxes and Grey-Headed Flying Foxes, Australia", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35447052/", "doi": "10.3201/eid2805.212338", "organization": "Emerging Infectious Diseases (CDC)"}]}, {"id": 126, "lang": "en", "title": "WSAVA revises dental guidelines for common oral diseases in pets", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/wsava-global-dental-guidelines-2026/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:20.496484+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:17.169247+00:00", "subtitle": "Published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice, the guidelines revise the 2019 version, treat anaesthesia-free dentistry as ineffective or harmful, and gain sections on trauma, nursing, young patients and radiography. VetCompass data show the scale of periodontal disease in dogs and cats.", "summary": "The World Small Animal Veterinary Association published in September 2026 the revision of its global dental guidelines. The document starts from a finding: oral diseases are the most common in practice and remain undertreated, partly because the discipline is undertaught. Population-based studies in the UK record a 1-year prevalence of 12.5% in dogs and 15.2% in cats.", "category": {"slug": "evidencia", "name": "Evidence-based practice"}, "tags": ["veterinary dentistry", "periodontal disease", "WSAVA", "guidelines", "welfare"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/wsava-diretrizes-odo.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A dental examination of a dog under anaesthesia, with intraoral radiography. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Dental, oral and maxillofacial diseases are the most common conditions seen in small animal veterinary practice, and they may cause not only significant pain but also infection. From that starting point, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) states that un- and undertreated oral and dental diseases pose a significant animal welfare concern. The revision of its global dental guidelines was published on 2 September 2026 in the Journal of Small Animal Practice.
\nThe document acknowledges that dentistry is still an undertaught area of veterinary medicine and is therefore subject to many myths and misconceptions; effective teaching in the veterinary curriculum is identified as the key to progression of the discipline. The guidelines were created to give veterinarians the foundations to provide gold standard therapy while also defining realistic minimum standards of care. To do so, they use WSAVA's three-tiered continuing education system, based on the World Bank classification, and make global equipment and therapeutic recommendations, highlighting the anaesthetic and welfare requirements for patients.
\nThe text covers common oral and dental diseases, basic diagnostic procedures and treatments, with sections on anaesthesia and pain management for dental procedures, home dental care, nutrition and the universities' role in improving teaching. A specific discussion is devoted to the deleterious effects of anaesthesia-free dentistry, described as ineffective at best and damaging at worst. The negative effects of undiagnosed or untreated dental disease are addressed as a welfare issue. Compared with the 2019 version, the revision reflects advances in diagnosis and treatment and includes new sections on trauma, the veterinary nurses' role, juvenile pathology, ergonomics and an extended section on radiographic interpretation.
\nStudies from the Royal Veterinary College's VetCompass programme give the measure of periodontal disease in UK primary care. In dogs, a study published in 2021 in the Journal of Small Animal Practice analysed a random sample of 22,333 animals under veterinary care in 2016 and found a 1-year prevalence of 12.52%. Eighteen breeds had increased odds compared with crossbreds, led by the Toy Poodle (odds ratio 3.97), King Charles Spaniel (2.63), Greyhound (2.58) and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (2.39); brachycephalic breeds had 1.25 times the odds of mesocephalic breeds, spaniel types 1.63 times the odds of non-spaniels, and increasing adult bodyweight was associated with progressively decreasing odds.
\nIn cats, a 2023 study in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, with a random sample of 18,249 animals from 1,255,130 under primary care in 2019, found a 1-year prevalence of 15.2%, with Siamese (18.7%) and Maine Coon (16.7%) among the most affected breeds. The median age of cats with periodontal disease was 9.47 years, versus 4.94 for the others; bodyweight, age and sex-neuter status were associated with rising odds. Cats with periodontal disease had more comorbidities (median 3 versus 1) and 1.79 times the odds of at least one other diagnosis. The authors conclude that periodontal disease is the most common specific diagnosis in cats and that ageing is the strongest predictor.
\nFor practice, the set suggests a path: WSAVA offers what to do and at what resource level; the population studies indicate which patients to look at, with attention to predisposed breeds, small dogs and older cats. The full text of the guidelines is in the journal; this summary does not replace reading it or individual clinical assessment.
", "sources": [{"title": "World Small Animal Veterinary Association global dental guidelines", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42687403/", "doi": "10.1111/jsap.70057", "organization": "Journal of Small Animal Practice (BSAVA / Wiley)"}, {"title": "Epidemiology of periodontal disease in dogs in the UK primary-care veterinary setting", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34374104/", "doi": "10.1111/jsap.13405", "organization": "Journal of Small Animal Practice (VetCompass, Royal Veterinary College)"}, {"title": "Periodontal disease in cats under primary veterinary care in the UK: frequency and risk factors", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36912667/", "doi": "10.1177/1098612X231158154", "organization": "Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (ISFM / SAGE; VetCompass)"}]}, {"id": 123, "lang": "en", "title": "Global study finds tetracyclines most common in animal faeces", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/antibiotic-residues-food-animal-faeces-global-analysis/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:18.625271+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:14.320265+00:00", "subtitle": "A study in the Journal of Hazardous Materials compiles 1,334 records from 28 countries; pigs carry the highest levels and Europe, despite stricter rules, does not differ from China. Global use estimates and the role of manure complete the picture.", "summary": "Because antibiotics are incompletely metabolised and excreted in faeces, faecal residues serve as a direct indicator of use and environmental release. A study published in September 2026 made the first global compilation of these data. Use projections to 2030 and a review of manure and environmental resistance show why measurement matters.", "category": {"slug": "saude-unica", "name": "Biosecurity and One Health"}, "tags": ["antibiotics", "residues", "manure", "antimicrobial resistance", "environment"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/residuos-antibiotico.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A manure pit on a pig farm. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Antibiotic use in food-animal production is a major driver of antimicrobial resistance, yet global patterns of use and environmental release remain poorly characterised. There is an under-explored indicator: because antibiotics are typically incompletely metabolised and excreted in faeces, faecal residues directly reflect what was administered and what may reach the environment. A study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, with an issue date of 15 September 2026, made the first global analysis of that indicator.
\nThe authors compiled 1,334 faecal residue records for 84 antibiotics from 88 studies across 28 countries. Coverage is highly uneven: 42% of studies were conducted in China and 28% in Europe, while several major meat-producing countries have no measurements. Tetracyclines showed the highest faecal residue levels globally, with median doxycycline, chlortetracycline and oxytetracycline concentrations of 382, 284 and 260 μg/kg dry weight respectively. Pigs generally showed the highest overall residues.
\nThe most striking finding is comparative: despite lower reported veterinary use and stricter regulatory controls in Europe, European faecal residue levels did not differ significantly from those observed in China. Temporal analysis, on the other hand, revealed significant declines in residues of several tetracyclines and sulfonamides in China. For the authors, the results expose substantial limitations in current monitoring coverage and demonstrate the potential of faecal-residue surveillance to strengthen assessment of veterinary antibiotic use, environmental loading and associated resistance selection pressure.
\nThe scale of use was estimated in 2023 in PLOS Global Public Health, with data from 42 countries combined with regression models and FAO livestock projections, calibrated to use-intensity reports from the World Organisation for Animal Health. Global antimicrobial use in food-producing animals was estimated at 99,502 tonnes in 2020, with a wide confidence interval (68,535 to 198,052), and projected to rise by 8.0% to 107,472 tonnes by 2030 on current trends. Use hotspots were overwhelmingly in Asia (67%), with under 1% in Africa. The authors call for national reporting to evaluate the effect of policies.
\nThe fate of residues is addressed by a review published in 2022 in Frontiers in Microbiology on the impact of manure on the environmental pool of residues and resistance. Soils fertilised with manure-derived products harbour a higher and chronic abundance of resistant bacteria, multiple resistance genes and an enriched mobilome, sometimes also detected in crops grown on them. Different processing techniques vary in efficiency: composting seems to reduce or eliminate most residues, enteric bacteria and resistance genes more rapidly and effectively than lagoon storage, but there is little data from commercial farms. The review recommends stopping veterinary use of human reserve antibiotics and of unprescribed antimicrobials, and limiting use on farms.
\nTogether, the three papers describe a measurable chain: tonnes administered, residues excreted and genes that persist in soil. The 2026 study's proposal is simple to state and hard to execute: turn faecal analysis into a routine surveillance tool, with geographic coverage that does not exist today, including in large producers in Latin America.
", "sources": [{"title": "Veterinary antibiotic residues in food-animal feces: insight into global use patterns, environmental release and surveillance implications", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42673807/", "doi": "10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.143431", "organization": "Journal of Hazardous Materials (Elsevier)"}, {"title": "Global trends in antimicrobial use in food-producing animals: 2020 to 2030", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36963007/", "doi": "10.1371/journal.pgph.0001305", "organization": "PLOS Global Public Health"}, {"title": "Insights into the impact of manure on the environmental antibiotic residues and resistance pool", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36187968/", "doi": "10.3389/fmicb.2022.965132", "organization": "Frontiers in Microbiology"}]}, {"id": 114, "lang": "en", "title": "Study finds abdomen most at risk for dogs injured in car crashes", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/dogs-vehicle-occupants-crashes-v-ais-scale/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:12.433522+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:11.183821+00:00", "subtitle": "VetCOT trauma registry data show 91% survival; serious injuries were concentrated in internal organs, and the anatomical pattern varied with size. A survey in three countries reveals that a sizeable share of owners travel with the dog unrestrained.", "summary": "Dogs struck by a vehicle or injured inside one have the highest mortality rates among cases reaching veterinary trauma centres. A study published in August 2026 in Traffic Injury Prevention applied the Veterinary Abbreviated Injury Scale (V-AIS) to VetCOT registry cases to characterise severity and anatomical pattern, with the stated aim of giving the automotive industry data for validated restraint systems.", "category": {"slug": "bem-estar", "name": "Welfare and animal care"}, "tags": ["trauma", "dogs", "road crashes", "vehicle restraint", "emergency"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/caes-ocupantes-acide.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A dog wearing a safety harness on the back seat of a car. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "The Veterinary Abbreviated Injury Scale, V-AIS, was created to mirror the AIS scale used in humans and to fill a gap in retrospective analysis of animal trauma. A study published on 28 August 2026 in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention applied it to a specific group: dogs injured while inside a vehicle. According to the authors, dogs struck by a vehicle or injured inside one have the highest mortality rates among cases presenting to veterinary trauma centres, and understanding injury mechanisms, patterns and severity is necessary to develop scientifically validated restraint systems.
\nThe cases come from the registry of the Veterinary Committee on Trauma (VetCOT), a programme supported by the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care which, according to its institutional page, creates a network of hospitals that work collaboratively to define high standards of care and disseminate information that improves trauma patient management. The registry query, from 2013 to 2024, identified 268 dogs injured inside vehicles. For a subset of 19 cases with medical records available, all injuries were coded with V-AIS version 1.0, noting where possible the dog's position in the vehicle and the crash circumstances.
\nAmong the 268 dogs, 91% survived to hospital discharge; euthanasia accounted for 83.3% of the 24 deaths. Weight class was not associated with survival, but non-survivors presented with a median Animal Trauma Triage (ATT) score of 6.0, against 1.0 among survivors. In the 19-case subset, with 63 coded injuries, anatomical distribution varied significantly by size: large dogs, over 30 kg, sustained primarily appendicular trauma (75.8%); medium dogs, 10.1 to 30 kg, predominantly central body trauma (61.5%); and small dogs, up to 10 kg, a mixture of central (47.1%) and axial (47.1%) trauma. Clinically significant injuries, with V-AIS severity of 3 or more, were confined to the abdomen, and all fatalities occurred in dogs with internal organ trauma.
\nThe authors treat the findings as preliminary, given the size of the subset, but consider that expanded application of V-AIS in trauma registries can provide the automotive industry with actionable, severity-stratified data for developing evidence-based restraint systems.
\nThe first VetCOT registry report, published in 2018 in the Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, gives the size of the database: 29 veterinary trauma centres in North America, Europe and Australia contributed 17,335 dog and 3,425 cat cases over 42 months, between September 2013 and March 2017. Penetrating trauma was the most common cause in dogs (52.3%) and blunt trauma in cats (56.7%); 43.8% of dogs underwent surgery; survival to discharge was 92.0% in dogs and 82.5% in cats. The authors already pointed to the need to analyse subsets by injury type, and the 2026 study is one such follow-up.
\nPrevention starts before the crash. An online survey conducted in 2017 and 2018, published in 2019 in Preventive Veterinary Medicine, gathered 706 responses in the United States, 692 in the UK and 637 in Australia. Just over half of owners in the United States (55%) said they restrained their dog when driving, compared with 67% in Australia and 72% in the UK. In the US and the UK the most common method was a cage or crate in the cargo area; in Australia, a harness and tether attached to the seat buckle. Country, dog size, owner age, dog age and vehicle type were factors associated with restraint use; younger US owners driving a pickup or utility van, with a large dog and less frequent trips, were the least likely to restrain the animal. The authors caution that this was a convenience sample.
\nFor the clinic, the three papers suggest two routines: recording the injuries of canine vehicle occupants in a standardised way, so that data feed scales and registries, and talking to owners about restraint during transport. The articles do not evaluate specific restraint products, and this summary recommends none.
", "sources": [{"title": "Injury severity and anatomic patterns in canine occupants involved in vehicular crashes: application of the veterinary abbreviated injury scale", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42663521/", "doi": "10.1080/15389588.2026.2709024", "organization": "Traffic Injury Prevention (Taylor & Francis)"}, {"title": "ACVECC-Veterinary Committee on Trauma Registry Report 2013-2017", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30294833/", "doi": "10.1111/vec.12766", "organization": "Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (Wiley)"}, {"title": "Restraint of dogs in vehicles in the US, UK and Australia", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31421492/", "doi": "10.1016/j.prevetmed.2019.104714", "organization": "Preventive Veterinary Medicine (Elsevier)"}, {"title": "Veterinary Committee on Trauma (VetCOT), página institucional", "url": "https://vetcot.org/", "doi": "", "organization": "American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC)"}]}, {"id": 111, "lang": "en", "title": "Study suggests emergency plans for animal labs should include welfare", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/animal-facilities-emergency-preparedness-welfare/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:10.043342+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:07.988487+00:00", "subtitle": "Korean researchers compared standards from four regions and organised the common elements into three domains; earlier experiences, from hurricanes to the pandemic, show what is at stake when a facility's routine is disrupted.", "summary": "Natural disasters, infrastructure failures and outbreaks can disrupt the operation of laboratory animal facilities. An article published in September 2026 in Laboratory Animal Research proposes an integrated framework and a stepwise operational checklist so that animal welfare enters decision-making during emergencies. An ILAR Journal article on containment units and the account of two South African facilities during COVID-19 complete the picture.", "category": {"slug": "bem-estar", "name": "Welfare and animal care"}, "tags": ["laboratory animals", "animal facility", "emergencies", "disasters", "welfare"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/bioterios-preparacao.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "An animal facility room with racks of rodent cages. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "When the power fails, the water stops or staff cannot get in, an animal facility faces two problems at once: the continuity of research and the fate of the animals in its care. An article published on 8 September 2026 in Laboratory Animal Research, by researchers in South Korea, argues that emergency preparedness should stop being seen merely as an operational requirement and be understood instead as an extension of the institution's animal welfare programme.
\nThe authors recall that earlier events, such as Tropical Storm Allison, which flooded facilities in Houston in 2001, and the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, demonstrated the vulnerability of laboratory animal populations and the need to build welfare considerations into planning. To identify the key elements of a preparedness programme, they reviewed and compared regulatory frameworks and guidance documents from the United States, Europe, Canada and Korea, examining definitions of emergency, core components, veterinary oversight systems and decision-making structures.
\nDespite differences in regulatory approach and institutional context, the common elements could be organised into three functional domains: continuity of facility operations, protection of animal welfare and institutional response capacity. On that basis the authors propose an integrated preparedness framework and a stepwise operational checklist, intended to make it easier to write standard operating procedures in which welfare priorities are built into the decisions taken during an emergency. The conclusion is explicit: while prioritising personnel safety and institutional resilience, planning should also seek to minimise animal suffering and preserve the value of ongoing research when normal operating conditions cannot be maintained.
\nEarlier literature already addressed specific scenarios. An article published in 2018 in ILAR Journal describes disaster response planning in hazardous agent containment units as a time- and personnel-intensive task, organised in stages: planning team formation, situational understanding, goal and objective determination, plan development, preparation, and rehearsal or implementation. Specific risks, such as the type of agent and the animal species, guide goal-setting. The text further explores the difficulties of euthanising animals treated with hazardous agents and, finally, the handling of media relations after a disaster, with proactive measures to mitigate negative perceptions of research.
\nNot every emergency is abrupt. An account published in 2021 in Laboratory Animals notes that policies and guidelines exist for acute disasters such as earthquakes, fire and floods, but little is available for subacute disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic, which imposed major restrictions on the movement of people. The simplest options, stopping experiments and breeding or euthanising all animals, carried dilemmas: the ethical debate over euthanasia at the start of a pandemic, the loss of information from studies at advanced stages and the destruction of genetically modified strains that would be hard to replace. Two research facilities in South Africa responded by allowing only essential studies to continue, keeping small breeding colonies of essential strains, providing staff with private transport to avoid public transport, and redesigning work areas for distancing. According to the authors, the measures ensured the continued welfare of the animals during lockdown and can be adopted in future pandemics.
\nFor anyone who runs an animal facility or sits on an animal ethics committee, the three papers converge on a practical point: the emergency plan needs to exist in writing, be rehearsed, and contain decision criteria about the animals before the decision becomes necessary. The operational checklist proposed in 2026 is in the full text of the article, which is open access.
", "sources": [{"title": "Reframing emergency preparedness from facility survival to laboratory animal welfare", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42711714/", "doi": "10.1186/s42826-026-00295-5", "organization": "Laboratory Animal Research (Korean Association for Laboratory Animal Science / BMC)"}, {"title": "Disaster Planning for Animals in Hazardous Agent Containment Units", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31037296/", "doi": "10.1093/ilar/ily022", "organization": "ILAR Journal (Oxford University Press)"}, {"title": "COVID-19 disaster management plans for two laboratory animal facilities in South Africa", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34279127/", "doi": "10.1177/00236772211032083", "organization": "Laboratory Animals (SAGE)"}]}, {"id": 104, "lang": "en", "title": "Researchers propose ethical checklist for ovum pick-up in mares", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/opu-icsi-mares-ethical-self-assessment-checklist/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:04.241826+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:36:02.149769+00:00", "subtitle": "Published in Theriogenology, the tool covers animal welfare, professional ethics and procedural ethics; a survey in the Equine Veterinary Journal shows that perception of the dilemma shifts with experience of the technique.", "summary": "The combination of ovum pick-up (OPU) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has grown in sport horse breeding. An August 2026 article proposes an ethical self-assessment checklist for the practice; a survey of 429 veterinarians and breeders reveals disagreement over how ethically challenging the technique is; and a clinical programme of 515 sessions gives the scale of results and risks.", "category": {"slug": "bem-estar", "name": "Welfare and animal care"}, "tags": ["horses", "assisted reproduction", "OPU", "ICSI", "ethics"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/opu-icsi-eguas-lista.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A mare under reproductive management at a stud farm. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Assisted reproductive technologies can accelerate genetic improvement in selective horse breeding and address specific reproductive challenges. One of the most recent in domestic horse breeding is ultrasound-guided transvaginal follicular aspiration, known as OPU, combined with intracytoplasmic sperm injection, ICSI. Like other breeding methods, it raises ethical questions about animal welfare, staff safety and the integrity of professional and veterinary practice. An article published on 22 August 2026 in Theriogenology proposes a way to monitor those questions in daily practice.
\nThe authors, from European institutions, developed an ethical self-assessment checklist organised in three dimensions: animal welfare ethics, professional ethics and procedural ethics. The instrument was built and tested through an iterative process with a panel of 14 experts in OPU procedures and applied ethics. Stated aims include reducing procedural risks and protecting animal welfare; the self-assessment approach, according to the abstract, enables professionals to highlight issues that might otherwise be overlooked in daily practice and to ensure procedures adhere to high ethical standards. The abstract does not describe the checklist items; the full text is needed to know them.
\nA survey published days later, on 27 August 2026, in the Equine Veterinary Journal measured how veterinarians and sport horse breeders perceive the ethics of OPU-ICSI. Three questionnaires drew 225 responses from breeders, 92 from veterinarians performing OPU and 112 from general equine practitioners. Among veterinarians not performing OPU, 58.8% rated the technique ethically challenging (scores of 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale), as did 55.2% of breeders not using it. Among those who practise it, the proportions fall to 35.2% of veterinarians and 19.6% of breeders.
\nDespite the divergence, mare welfare was the main theme across all groups, followed closely, among breeders, by concern over genetic diversity and overuse. The authors acknowledge the potential for motivational and response bias and conclude that the mare's experience during OPU needs to be better characterised to support evidence-based guidance for clinical and breeding practice.
\nTo understand what is under discussion, it helps to look at the numbers from an established clinical programme, published in 2022 in Theriogenology. In 515 OPU-ICSI sessions performed in 2021 at a European university clinic, a mean of 25.9 follicles were aspirated per session, yielding 13.8 immature oocytes shipped to a specialised laboratory. One or more blastocysts were produced from 78% of procedures, with a mean of 2.12 per session, and the likelihood of pregnancy after transfer of 781 cryopreserved blastocysts was 77.7%. About 60% of transferred blastocysts yielded a foal, with no noticeable effect on gestation length or foal health. The authors record that serious complications after OPU are uncommon but exist, and some can be life-threatening for the mare, which is why owners should be informed.
\nThe three papers describe an effective technique with known risks and a split in perceptions that tracks familiarity with the procedure. The self-assessment checklist proposed in 2026 is an attempt to give written form to concerns that, according to the survey, everyone involved says they hold. This summary neither evaluates the technique nor guides its indication; for decisions about breeding programmes, the full articles and the assessment of a veterinarian specialised in equine reproduction are the path.
", "sources": [{"title": "Ethical monitoring of ovum pick-up procedures in domestic horses: A standardised self-assessment checklist for responsible veterinary practice", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42641286/", "doi": "10.1016/j.theriogenology.2026.118153", "organization": "Theriogenology"}, {"title": "Veterinarian and breeder perspectives surrounding ovum pick-up and intracytoplasmic sperm injection in mares: A survey study", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42666017/", "doi": "10.1002/evj.70323", "organization": "Equine Veterinary Journal"}, {"title": "Success rate in a clinical equine in vitro embryo production program", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35623226/", "doi": "10.1016/j.theriogenology.2022.04.019", "organization": "Theriogenology"}]}, {"id": 101, "lang": "en", "title": "UK study highlights health and regulation risks in rescue dog imports", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/rescue-dog-importation-uk-qualitative-study/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:33:01.147868+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:35:59.738741+00:00", "subtitle": "Qualitative research in PLoS One heard from rescues, transporters, veterinarians, authorities and adopters; misaligned expectations and fragmented enforcement emerge as critical points.", "summary": "Rescue dog importation has grown in the UK and continental Europe. A study published in September 2026 organises the perceptions of 54 people involved in the practice into seven themes, from transport to regulation. A content analysis of 241 organisations in Germany and a Brucella canis case series in the Netherlands show that the risks described are on record.", "category": {"slug": "bem-estar", "name": "Welfare and animal care"}, "tags": ["rescue dogs", "importation", "welfare", "Brucella canis", "adoption"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/caes-de-resgate-impo.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A rescue dog in transport towards adoption. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Adopting dogs rescued in other countries has become common practice in Europe, driven by good intentions and by a network of organisations, transporters and foster homes. The welfare implications for the animals, however, have been little studied. A qualitative study published on 9 September 2026 in PLoS One, by researchers at UK universities, went to hear from those who live that chain from the inside.
\nThe team conducted 30 interviews and four focus groups, totalling 54 participants: overseas and UK rescue representatives, trainers, transporters, veterinary surgeons, animal health officers, government representatives, fosterers and owners. To that material they added 18 publicly available online forum threads, selected purposively. Inductive thematic analysis produced seven themes.
\nSix themes concern health and behaviour: dogs unfit for transport; welfare during transport; infectious disease; novelty (exposure to a completely unfamiliar environment); agency (the dog's capacity to exercise choice); and caregiver expectations. The seventh gathers regulation and enforcement challenges, with sub-themes on non-compliance, lack of resources, communication, jurisdiction and lack of cross-sector regulation.
\nThe finding that runs through the accounts is the gap between expectation and reality. According to the authors, caregivers' expectations often did not align with reality after the dog arrived, leading to costly surprises for new owners; some dogs were felt to be poorly matched to the household and displayed challenging behaviours. Participants saw rescue organisations as morally responsible for providing accurate information and pre- and post-adoption support, but reported this was inconsistently provided. Preventing the problems runs up against the difficulty of regulating and monitoring animal movements between countries. The recommendation is twofold: greater education about what to expect from an imported dog's health and behaviour, and improved monitoring of rescue organisation and transport processes.
\nIn Germany, where more than 100,000 dogs are imported each year from other EU countries, mainly Romania, a study published in 2025 in the journal Animal Welfare carried out a systematic content analysis of the websites of 241 organisations rehoming dogs from southern and eastern Europe. Many lacked information on the dogs' origin, transport method or health status, which, according to the authors, sometimes makes it hard to distinguish rescue from illegal trade. Behavioural descriptions appeared in only two-thirds of adverts, and information on vector-borne diseases and the typical behaviour of imported dogs was not provided comprehensively. Few organisations violated legal standards, for example by offering underage puppies or banned breeds, or by failing to use the TRACES transport system.
\nThe infectious disease theme has a documented example. In the Netherlands, Brucella canis had never been isolated until November 2016, when it was identified in a dog imported from Romania. In the following 25 months, 16 suspected cases were notified to the authorities; ten dogs were seropositive, and contact tracing found another eight seropositive littermates. All were rescue dogs imported from Eastern Europe. The case series, published in 2021 in Emerging Infectious Diseases, recovered the bacterium from urine, blood and other specimens, and the authors stress that urinary shedding should be considered when assessing zoonotic risk. The conclusion is that importing infected dogs introduced the bacterium into a country where it was not endemic.
\nFor the veterinarian who receives an imported dog in the consulting room, the three papers point to concrete questions: where it came from, how it was transported, what health screening was done, what documentation exists and what the adopter was led to expect. None of the studies opposes cross-border adoption; what they ask for is verifiable information at every step, so that good intentions do not turn into harm for the animal, the owner and the local dog population.
", "sources": [{"title": "\"They're just shifting a problem\": A qualitative study of stakeholder perceptions of the welfare implications of UK rescue dog importation", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42715163/", "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0343416", "organization": "PLoS One"}, {"title": "Animal welfare organisations that rehome dogs from southern and eastern Europe to Germany: A homepage content analysis", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41158303/", "doi": "10.1017/awf.2025.10044", "organization": "Animal Welfare (UFAW / Cambridge University Press)"}, {"title": "Transboundary Spread of Brucella canis through Import of Infected Dogs, the Netherlands, November 2016–December 2018", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34152959/", "doi": "10.3201/eid2707.201238", "organization": "Emerging Infectious Diseases (CDC)"}]}, {"id": 95, "lang": "en", "title": "Review urges full-career assessment of therapy dog and handler teams", "url": "https://animalcare.global/en/portal/therapy-dogs-review-lifecycle-welfare/", "published_at": "2026-09-12T00:32:55.567107+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-12T13:35:56.912490+00:00", "subtitle": "A synthesis published in Animals compares governance models in Europe and the United States and finds core welfare requirements applied inconsistently.", "summary": "A 2026 narrative review examined how therapy dogs are selected, trained, monitored and retired under European and US frameworks. The conclusion: governance is fragmented, and certifying the dog alone is not enough. A study of French handlers and the IAHAIO white paper help explain what is at stake for the animals' welfare.", "category": {"slug": "bem-estar", "name": "Welfare and animal care"}, "tags": ["therapy dogs", "animal-assisted services", "welfare", "handlers"], "cover": "https://animalcare.global/media/images/caes-de-terapia-prep.2e16d0ba.fill-1600x900.format-webp.webp", "cover_caption": "A therapy dog accompanied by its handler. Illustrative image.", "body_html": "Dogs take part in animal-assisted services in hospitals, schools, social care and community settings. The benefits for people have been studied for decades; the systems for preparing and protecting the dogs, far less. A narrative review published on 16 August 2026 in the open-access journal Animals synthesised the empirical, conceptual and governance literature on therapy dog preparation in selected European contexts and the United States.
\nThe authors organised the evidence into seven themes: governance, candidate selection, training, handler competency, welfare monitoring, health and zoonotic risk management, and career lifecycle. The diagnosis is one of fragmentation. International guidance, voluntary certification systems, national guideline frameworks and legally embedded models differ in scope, enforceability, welfare safeguards, handler requirements and re-evaluation.
\nThe review's central proposal is to stop treating certification as a test the dog passes or fails and to assess the human-dog team within specific intervention contexts instead. Reward-based and consent-oriented preparation, multimodal welfare monitoring, handler stress recognition, veterinary screening, infection control procedures, workload regulation and retirement planning emerge as central yet inconsistently standardised requirements. The authors organise these into a tiered lifecycle framework in which a dog's readiness is a dynamic, context-dependent, welfare-centred process from selection through active service to retirement.
\nAs a research agenda, the article prioritises longitudinal welfare assessment, validated selection and handler competency tools, comparative governance evaluation, positive welfare indicators and transparent reporting of preparation variables. As a narrative review without a systematic search protocol, its conclusions describe a landscape rather than estimate effects.
\nA study published in 2022, also in Animals, surveyed 111 French handlers through an online questionnaire. For them, therapy dog welfare is multidimensional: it involves physical and psychological welfare, a balance between work and dog life, and the settings and interactions of sessions. Three categories of risk factors were highlighted: the spatio-temporal framework (planning and environment), interactions with beneficiaries, and the handler themselves. The authors draw attention to a sensitive point: interactions with beneficiaries are at the heart of the practice, yet few studies examine them as a stressor for dogs. And because handlers' representations may carry a positive bias, the study argues they should be trained to identify and manage stress in their dogs.
\nThe field's shared language comes from the white paper of the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO), published in 2014 and updated in 2018, which defines the modalities of animal-assisted intervention and provides welfare guidelines for the animals involved, with a One Health and One Welfare approach. The organisation announced a 2025 update replacing the term \"interventions\" with \"animal-assisted services\", the same adopted by the 2026 review. The document is institutional, not a study, and belongs here as a reference for vocabulary and principles.
\nFor the veterinarian, the most concrete contribution of this body of work is the list of tasks the review identifies as central and poorly standardised: health screening, infection control, workload limits and retirement criteria. These are decisions that pass through the consulting room, and the available evidence says they still depend more on each programme than on a shared standard.
", "sources": [{"title": "Preparing Therapy Dogs for Animal-Assisted Services: Governance, Welfare-Centred Preparation, and a Lifecycle Research Agenda Across Selected European and United States Frameworks", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42651962/", "doi": "10.3390/ani16162557", "organization": "Animals (MDPI)"}, {"title": "Handlers' Representations on Therapy Dogs' Welfare", "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35268155/", "doi": "10.3390/ani12050580", "organization": "Animals (MDPI)"}, {"title": "IAHAIO White Paper: Definitions for Animal Assisted Intervention (Services) and Guidelines for Wellness of Animals Involved", "url": "https://iahaio.org/best-practice/white-paper-on-animal-assisted-interventions/", "doi": "", "organization": "International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO)"}]}]}