Fur & Feather Veterinary Hospital

06/07/2026

A Fear Free Happy Homes sucess story...

Meet Gryphen!
💉He has allergies and needs an allergy injection almost monthly. Over the years, he has become less tolerant to injections (can't blame him on that!) and can escalate very easily.
😋Luckily Gryphen is super treat motivated (of course his mom brings his own treats due to his allergies)
🧀We use treats frequently in our Fear Free techniques to help distract pets in a positive way.
But smart boy Gryphen tends to keep our vet tech Bridgid Burk on her toes by having to come up with creative new ways to use his treats as a distraction.
📦 We made a "snuffle box" (photo below!) to put his treats in along with a hand towel. It has been an amazing way to keep him focused on sniffing for his treats & he hardly noticed his allergy injection and with his mom helping, we even managed trimming several nails at this visit!
🩺💉🩸By using positive distraction techniques instead of restraint, we can more safely and easily perform medical procedures on pets that struggle with, stress or become fearful, anxious or reactive!
Fear Free Pets "Putting the TREAT in Treatment!"

05/11/2026

At Fur & Feather Veterinary Hospital, we use real board certified radiologists for confirmation of our radiograph studies. You not only get initial interpretation from our doctors, but also the specialty doctors as well for the most comprehensive analysis. AI may eventually catch up to human brains but for now, we will utilize more reliable humans.

In a recent pilot study published in JAVMA, researchers evaluated six commercial veterinary radiology AI platforms using canine abdominal radiographs obtained from general practice cases with confirmed diagnoses. Overall diagnostic performance was found to be “low to moderate,” with notable variability between platforms.

One particularly illustrative case involved a dog with a surgically confirmed small intestinal foreign body caused by a river stone. While one AI system classified the study as normal, another identified the case as abnormal but failed to detect the foreign body itself, instead incorrectly diagnosing splenomegaly, abdominal mass effect, gastric foreign body, gastric dilation, and colonic distension.

Importantly, the study also found that sensitivity for detecting small intestinal obstruction — a potentially life-threatening condition — ranged from only 23% to 69% across platforms.

The authors concluded that, in their current stage of development, these AI systems are not yet suitable for autonomous interpretation of abdominal radiographs in clinical practice.

In an interview discussing the study, veterinary radiologist Dr. Stephen Joslyn stated:
“It’s ticking a dopamine box for them. They don’t know how bad it is, and they feel like it’s helping. It’s the blind leading the blind, unfortunately, at this stage.”

AI may eventually become a valuable adjunct in veterinary medicine. However, studies like this reinforce an important principle: radiographic interpretation still requires clinical judgment, contextual assessment, and confirmatory diagnostics.

Study cited in the comments:

05/07/2026

Dental care isn’t just something we recommend—it’s something we truly believe in. Our team makes pet dental health a priority, and that includes our own pets too! 🐾🦷

We also want to give a big shoutout to Bridgid for completing her very first dental cleaning—she did a fantastic job! And kudos to Antonia, who helps keep our pets safe during anesthetic procedures with her excellent patient care and monitoring.

💙 👏 Their dedication, focus, and care really stood out, and we couldn’t be more proud to have them on our team.

Healthy pets, inside and out—that’s what we’re all about! 💙

05/07/2026

04/18/2026

April is , a helpful reminder of the role preparation plays in keeping pets safe. Encouraging pet owners to have a well-stocked first-aid kit can make a meaningful difference when unexpected situations arise, whether it’s managing a minor injury or supporting care on the way to veterinary support.

04/11/2026

Happy National Pet Day, April 11th, 2026!
❤️🐈🐩🐹🦜🐰🦔🐈🦨🐦🐀🦮🐇🐦‍⬛🐾🪶🪽🐭🦅🐶🐈‍⬛❤️

Today we celebrate the pets who bring immense joy to our lives. Here's to the fur, feathers, paws, claws, beaks, whiskers, wags, and little personalities that make our days softer and homes feel full. Pets don't just live with us, they love us in their own perfectly special ways.

⭐️Post a photo of your pet in the comments and join in the celebration!

04/11/2026

We are so PROUD to be Houston's 1st fully Fear Free Certified Practice, meaning every single member of our staff has gone through the process of becoming certified by Fear Free after completing hours and hours of educational sessions, training and of course passing lots of tests!

Fear Free Happy Homes Fear Free Pets

Today is National Fear Free Certified Veterinary Practice Day, and we’re celebrating the teams who make it all possible.

The small, intentional choices you make throughout each visit help pets feel more at ease and help people feel supported. Thank you for the compassion and intention you bring to your work and for the impact you make every day.

Tag your Fear Free Certified Veterinary Practice and share a photo below to celebrate the impact your team makes!

04/01/2026

Happy Easter! Don't forget to come by and get a cute Easter photo of your pets!

03/31/2026

01/19/2026

We sent a couple of our nurses, Bridgid & Eunice, to Flordia to gain more knowledge, skills and keep Fur and Feather up to date on all the newest things in Vet Med! They are at VMX, one of the worlds largest Vet Med conferences Fear Free Happy Homes