Northshore Veterinary Hospital

05/21/2026

🌸🌷 with spring comes new life 🌷🌸
Your gardens aren’t the only place new life is blooming.
These 4 day old kittens were brought in with mama for a check up by a good human. Found outdoors barely under a shed, but well taken care of thanks to their lovely and caring mom (who was quite young and thin herself).
As adorable and amazing as kittens and puppies are, it’s important to spay and neuter your pets, especially if you plan on keeping them as barn cats or outdoors.
Not only can you help prevent them from developing cancers, or other health issues, but you can help make sure babies like these two don’t have to face the consequences of the outdoors at such a young age.
Contact us to schedule an appointment for your pet! Or for information on spaying and neutering you can visit https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/spaying-and-neutering

05/19/2026

Researchers tested whether catnip or silver vine better prompts cats to engage. Free-roaming and captive cats consistently favored silver vine in free-choice trials. Chemical analysis found plenty of catnip's active compound, suggesting lab bioactivity may not predict real-world response.

Chemical cues that appear potent in controlled laboratory bioassays do not necessarily function as effective behavioural cues under natural conditions, where animals can freely approach or ignore stimuli. How chemical detectability translates into voluntary behavioural engagement, therefore, remains...

05/16/2026

Genomic data more accurately predicts guide dog training success than traditional evaluations for at least 11 of 17 key behavioral traits. Incorporating genomic information into breeding programs can improve selection efficiency, reduce training costs, and increase the proportion of successful guide dogs. Limitations include the current availability of complete genomic data. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12711-026-01033-0

05/13/2026

Many animal species exhibit behavioral responses to the death of companions, ranging from functional reactions such as necrophoresis in insects to grief-like behaviors in mammals and birds. Evidence suggests that animals including cats, dolphins, elephants, and primates may experience loss and altered social dynamics, though their understanding of death likely differs from that of humans
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-pet-loss-difficult-people-pets.html

05/12/2026

05/08/2026

Recall alert -

Albright’s Raw Pet Food of Fort Wayne, Indiana out of an abundance of caution is voluntarily recalling one lot of its Chicken Recipe for Dogs Complete and Balanced because this lot has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. 

05/05/2026

Avian influenza (HPAI H5N1) is expanding rapidly across species and regions. Cats that develop clinical disease often face severe neurologic or respiratory illness with a poor prognosis. Exposure risks include wild birds, livestock, and raw dairy or meat

https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/infectious-disease/avian-influenza-and-feline-patients/

04/29/2026

The CDC issued an advisory about an early start to tick season, as emergency department visits for tick bites are at their highest for this time of year since 2017. Tick bites tend to increase in May, but "now is the time to take action" according to the agency's data, says CDC Lyme disease expert Alison Hinckley.

Tick season seems to be off to a fast start, with an unusually high number of bites already reported across the country.

04/22/2026

Interesting article: Daily probiotic and postbiotic supplementation in healthy dogs increased gut and skin microbial diversity, promoted beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus spp., and reduced potentially harmful species like Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. These changes support the gut-skin axis and suggest a potential alternative to antibiotics for maintaining skin health, though clinical benefits in dogs with skin disease require further investigation.

Adelaide University researchers and industry partners have uncovered scientific evidence that daily probiotic and postbiotic supplementation can significantly boost gut and skin health in dogs, offering pet owners a promising alternative to antibiotics.

04/21/2026

Dogs in Pacific NW need regular deworming as parasite becomes endemic

Echinococcus multilocularis, a tapeworm that can be harmful to pets and people, has been found in the Pacific Northwest, leading area veterinarians to recommend regular dog deworming and proper pet waste removal and disposal. The parasite, commonly found in Europe and Central Asia, has been detected in 37 of 100 coyotes tested in the Puget Sound region. The parasite "causes tumor-like things in the liver and also in the lungs and in the brain" when it infects people and certain small animals, said veterinarian Rex Urich.
https://ktvz.com/news/local-news/2026/04/17/parasite-alert-central-oregon-veterinarian-urges-dog-owners-to-de-worm-pets/