health.

What does Susie, a long-haired dachshund who was discovered to have an intersex trait, have to do with feminism? I'd argue quite a bit. Susie's experience is a harsh reminder that our society still holds simplistic ideas about bodies. Less than a week ago, the world was introduced to Susie, the dog who was allegedly "saved" when her veterinarian surgically erased her intersex trait. Intersex traits involve being born with either internal and/or external ambiguous genitalia. Historically, individuals born with intersex traits were referred to as hermaphrodites (a term today considered derogatory by some individuals in the intersex community). In Susie's case, she looked like a "normal" ...

Everything is bigger in Texas, even the invasive species and the health fears surrounding them. Recently, a gardener discovered a giant African land snail (Achatina fulica or achatina) in her yard in Houston. News outlets raised an alarm about health risks from the supersized snails. The menacing mollusks can host the parasitic rat lungworm, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which can infect humans if the snails are eaten raw or undercooked, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The parasitic infection sometimes leads to a rare type of meningitis, known as eosinophilic meningitis. RELATED: Time to Eat, Zap, or Neuter Invasive Species "The parasite dies over time, even without ...

With so many brands of pet food for pet owners to choose from, commercial dog food makers pursue customers using crafted marketing strategies. By capitalizing on widespread perceptions, or misconceptions, owners have about pet nutritional needs, these companies have created a myriad of life-stage, lifestyle, and breed specific products to capture the market share. This proliferation of "specially formulated" foods only further solidifies a more widespread belief in the need for such products. Some of these nutritional strategies are supported by scientific data confirming their value. Most are not. The notion that geriatric pets need special nutrition is a case in point. Older pets have the ...

A new study says that pets who live in certain U.S. states may outlive pets who live in other states, according to USA Today. Banfield Pet Hospital, the world's largest veterinary practice, released its 2013 State of Pet Health Report, ranking the U.S. both in terms of dog and cat populations in each state, as well as dog and cat lifespans in each state. Interestingly, cats and dogs fared differently in different states. The fives states with the longest-lived dogs are South Dakota, Montana, Oregon, New Mexico and Colorado. Dogs lived the shortest lives in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Delaware and Massachusetts. Cats who live longest reside in Montana, Colorado, Rhode Island, ...

Owen entered my life when I was 19, a sophomore in college. I had lived with dogs most of my life, but the brunt of the responsibility for their care fell on my parents' shoulders. Owen was the first dog that depended solely on me. I think I did a pretty good job, even as a somewhat unfocused teenager. I got my first veterinary scare as a "grown-up" dog owner when Owen was a year old or so. We had been through all the routine puppy vaccines, neutering, etc. with no drama. But one day, while gnawing on a rawhide, he all of a sudden stood up, hunched his back, extended his neck and said... RELATED: An Early Start To Allergy Season SNORK! SNORK! SNORK! This seemingly went on forever (in ...