Misinformation is fueling rising hesitance to get pets vaccinated in parallel with trends in human health, says veterinarian Sylvalyn Hammond. Veterinarians tailor vaccine recommendations to pets' needs and geographic risks, says AVMA President Michael Q. Bailey, but all dogs, cats and ferrets must be vaccinated against rabies. Canine rabies has been eliminated in the US thanks to vaccination, but other forms of the virus still exist and pose threats, and vaccination keeps canine rabies from resurging. Sharing stories about people who declined to vaccinate their pets and then regretted the decision can help change hesitant minds, says Matt Motta, who co-authored a 2023 study on veterinary vaccine hesitance.

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Health officials in Washington state have reported a preliminary positive test for H5N1 avian influenza in a resident of Grays Harbor County, marking potentially the first reported human case in the US in nine months. The person is an older adult with underlying health conditions who was hospitalized with high fever, confusion and respiratory distress.

A 47-year-old man from New Jersey with alpha-gal syndrome died hours after eating a hamburger in September 2024, according to a report in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Alpha-gal syndrome is an allergy to a sugar in red meat that is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. The lone star tick is the primary carrier of alpha-gal, and its range is expanding due to climate change.

The elephant seal population on South Georgia in the South Atlantic Ocean has declined by 47% since avian influenza began infecting the animals in 2023, according to a study in Communications Biology. An estimated 53,000 female elephant seals in the colony have died, and researcher Connor Bamford says the virus is probably circulating in the population.

Research published in the journal Science sheds light on the ancient and complex relationship between humans and dogs, suggesting that canine diversity dates back more than 10,000 years. One analysis of 643 dog and wolf skulls from a 50,000-year span revealed significant physical diversity in dog skulls from the Holocene epoch. A second study of 73 canid genomes from the past 10,000 years showed how dog ancestry shifted with human migrations and suggested that dogs played an important role in cultural exchanges across Eastern Eurasia.

Starting in January, Colorado will classify bison as both livestock and wildlife, allowing the state to manage the species as restoration efforts continue. Privately owned, fenced bison will be considered livestock, and free-ranging bison will be classified as big-game wild animals, but there are no plans yet to establish wild bison hunting seasons.

Nominations are open for the 2026 AVMA Excellence Awards, recognizing contributions to animal health, welfare and the veterinary profession. The deadline for nominations is Jan. 14. Nominations are also open for the AVMA Unsung Heroes awards, with a deadline of Jan. 28.