45. Veterinary Hero: Helping the Pets of People Experiencing Homelessness with Dr. Kwane Stewart

Dr. Ann Hohenhaus interviews Dr. Kwane Stewart, a veterinarian who provides free veterinary care to the pets of people experiencing homelessness through his nonprofit, Project Street Vet. Dr. Stewart was named CNN’s 2023 Hero of the Year for his outstanding efforts. Tune in as they discuss:

• What inspired Dr. Kwane Stewart to become a veterinarian
• The origin of Project Street Vet and how the organization has evolved
• Common health problems of dogs living on the streets in California
• The rewards of doing this work
• How being named CNN's Hero of the Year has affected his mission
• The diverse ways veterinarians can utilize their professional skills and expertise
• What are some misconceptions about people experiencing homelessness?
• How companion animals can be a lifeline to their humans

Also on this month's show: 

• Viral trending animal story of the month, featuring Rainbow, the siamese cat who travelled more than 800 miles in search of his family after going missing in Yellowstone National Park
• Animal news, including a groundbreaking new surgery: the first-ever c-section on a North American porcupine
• Pet Health Listener Q&A

Do you have a pet question for Dr. Hohenhaus? Email askthevet@amcny.org to have your question answered on Ask the Vet's Listener Q&A.

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Transcript

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We want to remind our listeners that this program is for informational and educational purposes only, and not intended to substitute for professional veterinary medical advice, diagnosis and treatment. The Animal Medical Center does not recommend or endorse any products or services advertised by Sirius XM. Welcome to Ask the Vet with Dr. Ann Hohenhaus. This is the place to talk about your pets and get advice for the top veterinarian from the Animal Medical Center in NYC. Hear from the leading authorities on animals and ask your questions. Now here's your host, Dr. Ann Hohenhaus. Hello everyone and welcome to Ask the Vet. We have a podcast for people who love their pets and want the latest in pet health and animal news. I'm your host Dr. Ann Hohenhaus. I'm a senior veterinarian and director of pet health information here at the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center in New York, where today we're recording from. I'm excited to highlight our incredible guest who works providing free care to pets of people experiencing homelessness. Our guest today is none other than Kwane Stewart, a veterinarian and director of Project Street Vet. Doctor Stewart was named CNN's 2023 hero of the year for his outstanding efforts in caring for pets of homeless people. So stay tuned to learn more about his inspiring mission and the real difference it's making in communities throughout the United States. The Schwarzman Animal Medical Center is the only level one veterinary trauma center in New York City, and we have 114 years of experience being the very best place for your pet. If you're looking for advice on maintaining your pet's health, I'm here to help. Just send me your questions. We have an email that's really easy to remember. AsktheVet@amcny.org, that's one word. AsktheVet@amcny.org and I'll answer your questions on next month's Ask the Vet program, and I'll give that again later in the show. So if you need a pen or pencil to write it down, you'll be able to pick it up during the break. And now it's time for our trending animal of the month show. It's time for the internet's most talked about animal in June, during a camping trip at Yellowstone National Park. A two year old Siamese cat named rainbow darted into the forest, leaving his owners, Mr. and Mrs. Anguiano frantic as they searched tirelessly for days. But they were met with grim news. Grizzly bears and coyotes had been spotted in the area, and it was feared that rainbow had fallen prey to a predator. The heartbroken couple eventually left the park, but as they crossed into Nevada, a double rainbow appeared, which they took as a sign of hope. Incredibly, nearly two months later and more than 800 miles from Yellowstone, rainbow was found wandering the streets of Roseville, California, just three hours north of the Angelos home. The local society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals identified rainbow via his microchip, and the couple believes rainbow likely hitched a ride along the way. Given the vast distance and challenging terrain of mountains and deserts between Yellowstone and California, although rainbow lost 40% of his body weight by the time he was found, he's been safely home since early August and is on the road to recovery. Understandable. Mr. song is now hesitant to take her cat on future trips, but what I'll tell you is that this story is a great highlight of the value of microchipping your pet, and it's not just putting that microchip in. It's keeping your contact information up to date in the microchip register. So folks, be sure you've got your pet microchip, especially if you're taking it on a trip somewhere a long ways from home. And now I'm honored to welcome Dr. Kwane Stuart. Dr. Stuart is a veterinarian with an incredible mission. He provides free veterinary care to pets of individuals experiencing homelessness through his nonprofit Project Street Vet. Recognized as CNN's 2023 hero of the year. Dr. Stuart's work spans across multiple cities in California and beyond. And Project Street Vet offers everything from routine wellness checks to life saving surgeries for pets in need. His compassionate approach to veterinary care is transforming lives not just for the animals, but also for the people who love them. Doctor Stuart, I'm so happy to welcome you to ask the vet today. Thank you so much for joining us. Yes. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Every time I have a veterinarian on the show, we just have to ask when and why did you decide to become a veterinarian? you know, we probably get that question asked of us. And more than any other question, more. Than why is my dog scooting? Or why is my dog vomiting? I feel like people are just, enamored with the reason why we wanted to pursue this, this profession. For me, I was young, I was about seven. I think that's the case for a lot of us. We figure it out pretty early on. But I had, come out of a movie. I don't know if I'll try and let you guess. The movie. The movie featured a beautiful black, majestic horse and a boy. And my mom let me play hooky one day from school and took me to the movie. I was just completely transfixed, and I cried, I laughed, and when I walked out, I was holding her hand. I looked up at her and I said, when I grow up, I want to be an animal doctor. I didn't know what a veterinarian was. I said, I want to be an animal doctor. When I grow up. And I was seven at the time. And she said, from that day forward, I just took an interest in science and animals and never strayed. But you're not a horse vet. I'm not a horse vet. No. Interesting. It it was just something about seeing that animal injured and the the bond the horse and the boy shared together. I just it was like a love for living creatures. And it was a black stallion. And from that day forward, I just, I wanted I wanted to be able to care for him. See, I would have said Black Beauty, but Black Beauty is a book about a little girl and a horse. So I knew that wasn't the right story. But the Black Stallion movie came after I was watching movies of that sort. I moved on to a different set of movies. I think by the time The Black Stallion came out, you know, I'm kind of an Old yeller, 101 Dalmatians and Big Red. I'm kind of a Disney girl when it comes to animal cars. Okay, we can agree on that. Well, yeah. And lady and the tramp. Lady and the Tramp has a great Siamese pair of Siamese cats in it, too. Like our cat, our rainbow cat. That got saved by a microchip. so what inspired you then to start Project Street Vet? And has the mission changed since the time you started it? I, I guess it's evolved. Yes. for the longest time I did this work solo. I was just, a one man band, and it started back in around 2012, 2013. I was a shelter vet during the recession. It was a job I took on and had no idea at the time how it was going to impact my life. I guess in some ways my emotional welfare, because we were all very aware of of the emotional toll this industry can take on us, why our suicide rate is sadly so high. The shelter did not help. I, I was there for five years and we were a municipal shelter in a very depressed area of California, and we were euthanizing upwards 50, 60 dogs and cats by 10 a.m. every day. I'd never experienced anything like this. And I thought about quitting this, not only the shelter, but I thought about quitting the veterinary profession altogether. And on this random day, I'm not a big believer in fate or destiny, but on this, on this day that I was rehearsing a resignation letter in my head, I was sitting outside a 7-Eleven, sort of stone faced. I walked in, I got my coffee, and as I exited the store, there was, a homeless man and his dog sort of tucked outside the store front. From a distance, I could see his dog had a really bad skin condition, and I decided to approach him. The sad part about the story is I'd seen this man and his dog about five times before this day, but had walked right by him and I stepped over. Introduce myself. My name's quantum. With that, I see your dog has a skin issue. He went on to explain. Yes, it's been around for a few months and I'm just desperate for help. She's miserable. I'm miserable. it was just fleas. As it turns out, I was just a really bad chronic case of fleas. And as you know, and when some dogs have fleas long enough, it just destroys the skin. This dog looked like a burn victim on its hind end. No hair. The skin was red and bumpy. I said, I'll be here tomorrow with something that should help. That took me to the shelter for one more day, and I stole a little $3 flea treatment from my shelter that day, and returned back to the man and his dog. I treated the dog, and then I saw the same man and the same dog about 12 days later. And the dog was transformed. Her hair was growing back, the infection was gone, the fleas were obviously gone, and she was just full of life before she was despondent, curled up and she jumped up on me and lick my face. And the man sitting in the same spot with tears in his eyes just looked up at me and he said, thank you for not ignoring me. And I just knew in that moment I wanted to find more people like him. I made him a little quiet pledge. I said, I'm, I'm going to go out and and do more of this and find more people like you. And that was about now going on 14 years ago. For seven years, I didn't tell anybody about the work. So this is probably the more remarkable part of the story. For seven years I didn't tell a soul. I didn't tell my family, my kids. I didn't tell my brother, who now now helps me run the charity. I just kept it to myself and I think because it was my little way of healing and, I didn't want to be judged myself. I didn't want any negativity. I didn't want someone saying, for example, you know, these people can't take care of themselves. Why should they have a pet? Why are you where are you helping them? Why are you enabling them? I didn't want that, so I didn't talk about it until one day I shared it with my brother and he said, I mean, there's there's an awareness piece here, one that you should be talking about. So he created a social media thing, and I don't do social media at all. We created an Instagram and Facebook to start sharing the stories, and it sort of turned into a thing. And what was once just me is now turned into seven cities. And, you know, 15, 20 volunteering veterinarians and technicians. And it's a growing movement to find a way to help these folks. So, yes, I have bigger goals now to have this expand to all corners of the country. So did you like, just like, sneak around and help people who you saw on the street with their dogs and cats that were sick? I mean, how did you how how could you do this clandestinely? I, I did, I, I would pack a little bag of medical goods and I would go during my free time, sometimes after work or early in the morning or on lunch. you know, it doesn't take a lot of time to run into to someone in need, especially here in California. Our homeless issue, as you, as everyone knows around the country, really is just it's horrible. And so, yeah, I could I could drive for 30 minutes on a lunch and, and run into two people and I treat their dogs or cat and, move on to someone else. So it was just a little pockets of free time. So your story about the guy outside of 7-Eleven sounds like it was easy to engage with that particular gentleman, but is that true? Is that what it's always like, or do you have trouble gaining the trust of these people who are living on the street? Surprisingly, no. I would say of the I've seen now hundreds, maybe it's approaching 2,000 cases in my 13, 14 years. These are individual engagements. And I would say of all of those folks, maybe 1 or 2% of the client services, I think there is you have to you have to visualize what's happening on the streets. I have a backpack full of medical goods of which I can treat about 80% of the cases I see because I'm doing wellness, I'm doing flea and tick. I'm doing really basic stuff that can make a huge difference like I do the dog outside of 7-Eleven. But I'm just walking up and down skid row with a backpack. I will turn a corner, and there behind a dumpster is a small tent pitched with someone living in it with their dog. And it is. It's sort of a, a weird encounter at first, right? To see this guy who's wearing scrubs and a backpack and, and and from a distance, I'm just very careful. I have my own routine now from, you know, a safe distance. I just respectfully say who I am, what I'm doing. I'm just going through the area, finding pets in need and offering free medical care. And are you open to that? And most people, you know, they raise an eyebrow at first, but say, sure. And as soon as they give me the green light, I hit a knee. I take out my stethoscope and I just get to work like I'm in my exam room, for any other hospital. And as I'm doing the exam, I'm talking through what I'm doing. You know, the heart sounds great, the skin looks healthy. I'll take out my otoscope. Look at the ears. Ears look good. And and there's suddenly, in most every case, it's like immediate door of trust opens. Right? They see that I'm. That I am who I say I am. I'm there squarely for the needs of their pets. They're getting information they probably haven't received a long time, if ever. And then they start asking questions. And we're just engaged now our into it and it's it's it's wonderful. So then you kind of hinted at the answer to this question, but what what are the health problems of dogs on the street with their owners? I'm licensed in California, so all of my practice takes takes place in this state, mostly in Southern California, San Diego and Los Angeles. I have moved up the coast to Oakland and San Francisco before, but in California, it's a lot of skin and ears. I would say 70% of the cases I see are skin related or ear related, meaning flea issues. Allergies are a huge thing in California. Yeah. By extension, dogs with allergies usually get ear infections. So I have I have medical supplies to address to quickly address most of those, which as I said before, it's sometimes it's a basic treatment that can completely change that dog's life. They could be suffering or uncomfortable even in pain. And a basic treatment for one of those conditions pulls them out of that. So that's most of it. I do wellness, so I do vaccines and rabies, occasional microchipping, heartworm, flea and tick. And then for about the 20% of cases I can address on a corner, I will refer into a hospital. So these are things such as dental care, tumor removal, X-rays. It's maybe an internal case. I suspect diabetes, needs bloodwork. Those things. I refer to a nearby hospital, and the charity will cover all the costs for care for the patients you refer. Yes. And so it sounds like these pets have the same things that we see in pets in New York City because, you know, I do have a smattering of primary care. And I see this morning I saw ears and bad skin and, a urinary tract infection. So, it doesn't sound like these pets are really that much different than the pets that I take care of. Except my pets mostly have homes, and. And yours don't. Are there any issues for pets living on the street like that? I guess. California, the weather's nice. Yeah, we have the benefit of nice weather out here. So? So. No. When, when when I get asked this question, what do you see? People, tend to think I'm going to give some different answer while they answer that that is far, far afield from what? What their pet, you know, conditions, their pet experiences or what I normally see in clinical practice. And the answer is no, it's not, it's a lot of the same things these pets are taking care of quite well. Remarkably well, given the circumstances and the lack of resources these people have. And I say that all the time, because I still go out today, and I'm surprised that, they're, well, nutrition and they're usually very well exercised and socialize. They're outside with their, with their person 24/7, it's sometimes wellness care. They're, you know, typically not up to date on vaccines, things like rabies, which is legally required. And then a lot of the same things that yeah, I see day to day in typical practice it's dogs with allergies. The dogs have fleas, dogs with ear infections. And those are things I can address on the backpack. So these pets are clearly important to their people. Does that influence your approach to their care at all? No. no. I guess in general, not really. I've learned to appreciate there is a different bond between these folks and their pets, and you'd have to be on the streets and sit with them for a while to really feel it, to understand it. I've been a practicing vet for 27 years. I've seen thousands of cases in clinic, but what's different about the people on the streets is and I just alluded to this, they're with their pets all the time, right. And so when we talk about if you're going to start to rank pet parents, right, or judge a pet parent, I say this a lot. What is a pet value above all else? They're person. Yeah. They want to be with their person. They don't care if you drive a Range Rover. They don't care how big your house is and how nice your furniture is, or how well-groomed the grass is, they want to be with you. I go to work for eight, ten hours a day and my dogs are pulling back the curtains, are waiting, listening for the garage door to open, and that's all they care about. They just want to be with me. And in that respect, these people have me beat. I consider myself a pretty good pet parent. They have me beat, and most of the people I meet in clinic who have typical middle class homes and jobs, who go away to work. And I want to point that out. I want to underscore that because that is so important. So the relationship I see is is really on a different level. But when it comes to, to me as a professional giving care to these pets, it's no different. It's I show them the same respect and courtesy. I give them as much time as I can. So if that's a 30 minute sit down, a 45, I've spent an hour and a half, two hours with some people I've met in the streets doing the full exam, talking about the care and the treatment, and then just sometimes having very personal conversations with them. But I would say in most cases I walk away and I've just met a new friend, and I think the only thing that sounds different is that you're not in a, a very clean room with a stainless steel table to put the animal on. And it sounds like everything else is just about the same the people, the pet and the diseases. It's pretty much the same. You're right. My, you know, I'm under a traffic lamp and that becomes my exam room. Or I'm in an alleyway or under a bridge and that's my makeshift exam room. But outside of that, no, these are these are loving pet pet parents. I see a creature in front of me that I have the skills and experience to treat and care for, and I just get to work. I just I just do it and, you know, that's it's. The reason why this, this whole mission, journey has saved me in some ways is because when I'm in the streets and I'm giving care to a dog that may not otherwise receive care at all, or maybe in some cases has never received professional medical care, it takes me back to that seven year old boy, and I just I love that feeling. There's, when you do something without pay, but you do it for kindness or compassion. The reward to me is immense. It's so much more than someone writing a check is, or leaving the hospital and paying for services that the reward to me is, is, is it's almost transcendent. And that's why people ask, well, how long you can keep doing this? Why do you keep doing it? That's why. Because I'm finding an animal that wouldn't get care. I'm happy I develop a relationship with a stranger who is so ever grateful for it, and they feel good. I feel good, and you know, my day is complete. You know, AMC has a program called AMC to the Rescue where we provide specialty care for the pets that are being taken care of by rescue groups. And the pet can't get adopted because it's got some medical problems, got a broken leg that needs to be fixed, and sometimes we don't. We find that we don't need to fix whatever the perceived problem is. And it was really interesting to me to talk to these people when I would call them and say, now the doctors say that your pet doesn't need the surgery that you thought maybe it needed, and it can get a home now and you know it. It has a little limp, but it'll be okay. And they were. So the rescue groups are so ever grateful for the fact that we just looked at that pet and said it. It's fine. It can get a home, and the new adopter should not worry about the little limp that it has because the dog's not painful or the cat's moving fine or something. And I thought that was just really, it's all along the same lines as what you're saying is how rewarding working with these pets that yours haven't homes. Mine have owners. But doing the same thing, taking good care of them. And people are just really, really grateful for that. So I understand how you work when you're kind of out in the field. Shall we say, but you also provide surgery to some of these patients. So how does that happen? Well, again, that's all by referral. So I have some veterinary partners and some of these cities that we've established who will take on these cases at a lower cost occasionally pro bono, which is great. obviously that I'm a 501 C 3 so any breaks help. But yeah, for for pets that require surgery, I will refer them in and they'll receive care by a practicing vet. Just like like any pet with any pet parent that's paying paying for the services. And again, we cover we cover the costs of the diagnostics, the treatment, the surgery, so forth. Whatever is whatever is needed beyond what I can provide out there on the streets. So has being named CNN's hero of the year changed any of that? Well, it's it's providing a lot more awareness and visibility. I guess that's, and I expected that to happen. But also, yes, more donations, more resources, and, yeah, more opportunities for me to do what I'm doing right here, sitting and talking with you and and getting the message out, the the number of requests I've gotten since December, I, I can't even keep up with, to be quite honest. It's, it's been overwhelming, but in a good way. In a very fortuitous way. I just never. Yeah. And it's changed my life, too. I mean, not just professionally, but personally. There's the some of the people have reached out the celebrity world or beyond. I've made contact. I've got to know. It's been it's been amazing. I started a dog food company with John Legend and Chrissy Teigen in May 1st called Kismet, Kismet Dog Food, and that is... Well, I mean, it's stuff you dream about as a kid. I just want to be a vet. I would have been just perfectly happy practicing being a vet, but my my life and career have spun off in a very different and neat direction. Well, you know, I can appreciate that from from my viewpoint, I, I still take care of a lot of pets, but I also spend time on zoom talking to people like you and write things. And, I never in a million years would I have predicted that this is how I was going to be spending a good chunk of my career, is talking to people on zoom and and writing about health and disease in pets. I thought I would just take care of pets. It's kind of fun though. It also highlights what a great profession. So if you kids are out there thinking about being veterinarians, listen up. It's a great profession and it has enormous flexibility. And it's so diverse. Veterinarians can do all kinds of great things. Yeah. What I share with people, yes, I've been a shelter, I’ve been an emergency vet, I've done nonprofit, I've done governments. But you can do research, you can do academia. You could be a zoo vet. You can travel the world with this profession, your skills transfer. There's not many skills at transfer to every corner of the planet, but veterinary medicine is one of them. I was, I am Netflix's head consultant now. So I go on movie sets and I consult the animal safety. Who would have thought that was a job? When I was dreaming of being a vet, who would have thought of that? I have been on set with a horse that looks very much like that original black stallion horse that, inspired me to be a that when I was 7 years old. That is pretty full circle. And it's it's pretty cool. So we have maybe not as many homeless people as in California, but we still have a lot here in New York, too. And what do people like me who have a home not understand about homeless people? There's a lot that I've learned, and I will tell you honestly that before doing the work 13, 14 years ago, I had my own set of pre judgments or notions about the unhoused. California, where I reside is 13% of the US population. It is 32% of the homeless population. So we we are in real trouble here and it's not getting any better. But what I found is that these these folks, as I like to say, they are no different than us and we are no better than them. We somehow look upon them, I think with the, less than eyes that you're less than us, or because you're begging or you're asking or you're out of a home, you're not my equal. And that just simply is not the case. These are human beings that, are struggling. And I would say for many of them, they struggle because they were just lacking the support that I've been so blessed to have in my life, family and friends. I've had bad bounces and bad luck in my life. And if not for a close friend whose couch I could sleep on, or parents who could pick me up financially in certain moments, maybe I would be on a street corner. So to look at them and judge and say, well, that's that's your own fault. This is your own doing, that's not always the case. Some people just did. They didn't have family. They were in foster care. They had early addiction issues. So I don't the non-judgment that we carry with the program is very important. We as we say, it's no judgment, just help. And it's very important that people understand that, they're just trying to get out, get themselves out of a bad fix. And kindness is probably the best thing that you could show them. You know, a lot of people will judge and say they shouldn't have a pet. They they can't afford it. They can't live without. And that's a different discussion than, than I hear you having, which is, how can I help your pet and not not say, you shouldn't have this pet. You know, because I suspect for some of those people, just like for the elderly homebound, that pet is incredibly important. That's their social structure. you know, if you're living on the street, your friends may be transient. but your dog is always there. What about cats? Do people on the street have cats? Or cats are harder. Cats are a little harder. I would think I, I'd say about 95% is dog. And yeah, maybe 4 or 5% are cats. And for the cats I do meet the cat. They're like dogs though, right? They stay close to their quote unquote home. And they, they have like recall, they say their name, the cat comes running. It's pretty amazing. But, they're very much like dogs. But, you know, still a lifeline to these people. They just as important and and, no, I've dismissed this, sort of notion that they should not have pets. I, I see them as in most cases and there's always exceptions is very is very remarkable pet parents who give the love, the time, the devotion commitment on a level that many people I meet in homes do not do not give. How many of us can say that you would pass up on a shower and a bed if your pet can go with you? If you've been homeless for two years, unable to shower and clean up and it's been cold or raining and someone's offering you a place to sleep, but they tell you your dog can't come with you. How many of us would refuse that? I hear that all the time in the story. If my dog can't go, I don't go. I'll figure it out. I'll stay right here until my dog can go with me. That that that really demonstrates the loyalty that these people have. There's there's one quick story I want to share about the lifeline part. I met a lady. This wasn't too long ago. About six months ago, it was raining outside Skid Row. I was going sort of walking down and, announcing myself, listening for whimpers or any sign of a dog. And I could hear a dog rustling around behind a tent. I said, hello, my name is Dr. Kwane Stewart. I'm a vet. I walk the area. She came out to introduce herself. She invited me in. I saw her dog curled up there in the corner. I did an exam. We got to talking afterwards and she shared with me, sort of very personally, that she was going to take her life about two weeks prior to this night I'd met her. And, by her own admission, she said, I have been addicted to drugs for the better part of 10, 11 years. I've lost the support of my family. I've lost the support of my friends. And she says it's my fault. I just can't seem to kick this demon. But, she just thought I was at a point where I wanted to end it all and she had pills and a bottle of alcohol, and she was going to take the pills and and drink down the bottle of alcohol. And she said she looked over at her dog and she was curled up in her bed, and she said to herself, if I go tonight, then who's going to feed you in the morning? She said that thought was enough to stop her. She got up the next day and she sought care again. She said she's been through this process, but she is, very serious about getting clean now. And she credits her her life, not taking her life, to her dog. And I can't say that story is too far removed from a lot of people I meet in the streets. Maybe not to that extreme, but for a lot of these people, their pets keep them breathing, they keep them hopeful. And that is the part that I'm trying to preserve. That's that's such a great story. And I think a wonderful way to end this fascinating discussion with Kwane Stewart, who was CNN 2023 hero of the year for his work with helping the pets of homeless people on the streets. So thank you so much for joining me today. And if you want to learn more about Project Street Vet, you can go to Dr. Stewart's website, which is ProjectStreetVet.org. Thank you so much for joining us here on Ask the Vet today, and best of luck in your future work with Project Street Vet. Thank you. Thank you so much. I know you're keeping your pet healthy is very important to you. And with that said, I hope you'll reach out to me if you have a question about your pet’s health. And of course, I'll answer that question on next month's podcast, just email me at AsktheVet@amcny.org. We have a short break coming up, but please stay tuned because there are lots of interesting animal news stories. When we return, we're back with Dr. Ann Hohenhaus. on Ask the Vet. Welcome back to Ask the Vet. And now it's time for the animal news. It's time for animal headlines, the biggest animal news from across the world. Veterinarians from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance recently performed a groundbreaking surgery, the first ever C-section on a North American porcupine. The mother's name is Maisie, and she required assistance during labor, prompting the veterinarian to step in and perform the procedure successfully, saving both the mom, Maizey, and her porcupette baby boy, Dakota. I love this story for the use of the baby porcupine word, which is really porcupette sounds maybe like some sort of lunch meat that you would get in a deli, but I'll have a porcupette sandwich. But in fact, it is the correct title for a baby porcupine. North American porcupines are the second largest rodent species in North America, and the biggest one is the beaver. And while the porcupine species is not endangered, others, such as the thin spined porcupine, are facing population declines due to habitat loss, so this historic C-section helps to ensure the long term survival of porcupines in the wild. Because we now know that you can do a C-section on a porcupine. Maizey the mom porcupine, has fully recovered and Dakota, the pork your pet is surviving spinning in circles and practicing flaring his quills. The success of this procedure is credited to the dedication and expertise of the veterinary team, hospital care specialists and the neonatologist assisted care staff who work together to save these two wonderful animals. Now, we've all heard the saying that cats are liquid, but the question really is do cats know that they're liquid? And so a recent study has explored feline body awareness. Body size awareness refers to an animal's ability to understand how large it is relative to its environment. And, you know, you have body awareness when you look at a little teeny space in a crowd of people and you try to say, oh, I can't squeeze through there, it's because you know how big you are. A trait of body awareness is known to be present in dogs, but it was unclear if it was present in cats. Well, in these solid, just at a universal city in Budapest, tested cats at home by placing a thick piece of cardboard between the door frames with only a little rectangular cutout for the cat to squeeze through. When the width and the height of the hole were just right, the participating cats walked through comfortably. However, as the hole got shorter, some cats hesitated, seemingly unsure if they could squeeze through, and that was considered to be a sign of body awareness in these cats. Still, unlike dogs, the cats would often push through even if the hole was too small for them. One surprising result from this study is cats seem to be less concerned about how wide the hole was, as long as of high enough, and this may explain their talent for squeezing into tight places is as long as the space looks tall enough, they're going to try and squish into something that's actually more narrow than the cat is. So cats seem to be more aware of horizontal constraints than vertical constraints. And finally, dog owners understand this special connection when gazing into their dogs eyes. Now, science confirms that this connection runs deeper than we thought. A recent study from China revealed that humans and dogs experience a phenomenon known as brain synchronization. So during this study, there were pairs of humans and their dog with electrodes to measure brain activity. And when the dog and the human gazed into each other's eyes, the brain activity in the frontal and parietal regions of the brain increased and was very similar in both the person and their dog. The synchronization increased when humans petted the dogs while maintaining eye contact. Remarkably, the paired brain activity increased each day over five consecutive days, indicating a deepening bond between dog and human. So this research suggests that the bond between humans and dogs is not just in our hearts, but is also in our heads, and it proves that our connection is rooted in shared brain activity. And now it's time for questions from our listeners. Our first question is from Sylvia in New York. The question is, are 16 year old Tabby Leo has GI cancer and currently going down the slope. Would acupuncture help at this point he is on lots of meds, including chlorambucil. So I suspect what Leo the tabby cat has is a form of lymphoma in his intestine because that's the drug. The drug chlorambucil is commonly used to treat that disease. And although some cats succumb to intestinal lymphoma, not all. In my experience. And so I would ask the question, does Leo have another problem going on? Many of these cats, maybe as many as 70%, are deficient in vitamin B12. Some of these cats have pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas at the same time. And of course, anyone who has a cat knows that they're commonly get chronic kidney disease. So I would suggest that Sylvia T perhaps ask her veterinarian if these things have been tested for. I recommend acupuncture frequently for patients, but I think it's most good for pain, especially pain of arthritis. So I'm not sure that acupuncture is going to help Leo at this point. But I do think there are some other considerations that might put Leo back on a track to feeling better, and thriving again. So good luck to Sylvia and her tabby, Leo. Our next question is from Lynn,e also in New York. Lynne asks, I'm thinking of getting a hedgehog as a pet, but I heard they're nocturnal. Can nocturnal animals make good pets? Wouldn't it be difficult to take care of them if they're sleeping while you're awake? And vice versa? So I didn't know the answer to Lynn's question because I don't really take care of hedgehogs. But AMC takes care of hedgehogs. And so I checked in with our exotics group, and they said that, yes, in fact, Lynne is correct that hedgehogs are nocturnal. So if you want to play with your pet during the day while you're up, I hedgehog is not really interactive when you're going to be up. If you work nights, maybe. Maybe that's a good opportunity for you to have a pet who's on the same schedule as you are. The other thing to keep in mind is hedgehogs are spiky and not cuddly. And so if what you want is a pet who's going to snuggle with you or sit on your lap. Although hedgehogs are really interesting creatures, they may not be the kind of pet that you want because they don't cuddle and they may also not be a great pet for children. Again, because children want to pick up pets and hold them, and play with them. And that's kind of not the behavior of hedgehogs. The other thing to keep in mind is hedgehogs don't have a very long lifespan, and we all know how devastating the loss of a pet can be. And so you just need to think about the fact that hedgehogs don't live nearly as long as a dog or cat, and that might influence choosing a hedgehog as a pet. So Lynn,e I hope you find the perfect pet for your family, and maybe a hedgehog is just right. And maybe you need to think again. And our last question is a long one, and it's from Kellie. And the question is, I taken a lot of abandoned, discarded senior cats. Usually there are some health issues. This is now my fourth cat with chronic kidney dysfunction. He was asymptomatic. We found it because he had a growth under his dew claw that had to be removed. And when his blood work was run to clear him for anesthesia, we found out that his kidney values were elevated. What do you think is the best way to treat this horrible disease? To extend quality of life? So once kidneys start to not work well, and we can pick up that abnormality on a blood test, those kidneys have lost, probably 75% of their normal function. Now, that doesn't mean that every cat with bad kidneys ultimately succumbs to kidney disease. But we know that by the time we can detect it, it's quite advanced. There's no medicine that will reverse kidney disease, and that's frustrating for cat owners as well as veterinarians. But what's been shown in scientific research is the most important treatment for cats with kidney disease is to feed a kidney friendly diet. These kidney friendly diets have been formulated to minimize the work that kidneys have to do in excreting waste products from the body, and it is absolutely been shown that feeding a kidney friendly diet will extend your pet's life. when it comes to a pet with kidney disease. So food is the treatment of choice for Kellie's cat with kidney disease. And now we're going to take a short break. And when I come back, we'll have news from AMC's Usdan Institute. We're back with Dr. Ann Hohenhaus on Ask the Vet. Hi, everyone. Welcome back to the last section of Ask the Vet. And we're now going to have important information from AMC's Usdan Institute for Animal Health Education when it comes to dressing up your pet for Halloween, safety and comfort should always come first. Check out your pet's costume and make sure it fits well. Not too tight, but not so loose that they'll trip or get tangled up in it. Be sure to avoid any costume that has small buttons or strings that the pet could chew on or accidentally swallow. I think it's probably most important to do a dress rehearsal sometime before Halloween. Make sure that the pet is okay wearing the costume that you've picked out for them, and if the pet seems uncomfortable pawing at the outfit, trying to shake it off, or just looking distressed, maybe skipping the costume for this year and go for something simpler like a festive bandana or some sort of Halloween light up collar. Also, keep mind of the weather. if it's really hot outside, your pet may not want to wear a heavy, warm costume. Pets can overheat really quickly, especially in some sort of furry animal costume, so opt for something light and breathable if you're expecting it to be hot on Halloween. And finally, always keep an eye on your pet in a costume. Make sure they are able to move comfortably that they have a good range of vision, and that they can breathe easily. And if they're uncomfortable, take a quick picture posted on the internet and then remove the costume. Now this next news story, I kind of sort of embarrassed to say because it's about me. on Thursday, October 17th at 6 p.m., I will be leading a webinar entitled How to Be Your Pets Best Nurse. And as a pet owner, you always take on the role of pet nurse, whether it's caring for them after surgery, managing your medication, or monitoring their recovery from an illness. And this webinar is designed to equip you with the skills you need to excel in your role as a pet nurse and ensure your pet's rapid recovery from whatever their medical issue is. If you want more information about the webinar and to register, please go to amcny.org/events. You need to register for the event because of course it's free as all our events are, but it's on zoom, so if you don't register, we can't send you the link to join us for that Thursday night's presentation. For other access to free, timely and relevant health articles, upcoming pet health events, video tutorials and other pet parent resources, be sure to check out AMC's Usdan Institute for Animal Health Education by going to our website and putting Usdan Institute in the search bar. I want to take an opportunity now to thank Dr. Kwane Stewart for joining me today. His discussion of his Project Street Vet, is really heartwarming, and I kind of choked up in tears a couple times, and I'm sure you probably did too. Don't forget, if you want to know more about the Project Street Vet. He has a website which is www.projectstreetvet.org. If you want to know more about your pet's health or looking for advice, please don't hesitate to email me at AsktheVet@amcny.org and I'll answer your questions on the November show. The Ask the Vet podcast can be accessed on the Sirius app across all major podcast platforms, and also on AMC's website. All of this thanks to AMC's long standing partnership with Sirius XM. Don't forget to check out AMC on social media on Facebook. It's the Animal Medical Center on Twitter and Instagram. It's @amcny It'd be great if you could take a moment to give Ask the Vet podcast a review, and be sure to like and subscribe so you receive new episodes as soon as they drop. I'm looking forward to working with you all next month for another episode of Ask the Vet. Thanks everyone and have a wonderful Halloween!