| Good Monday morning from Fort Collins |
| It's a mild October out there, 61° and overcast, with a high pushing toward 80° today. Good walking weather, though we'd keep an eye on your dog around any bats you come across: Larimer County confirmed its first rabid animal of 2026 right here in town, and that's worth knowing before your evening stroll. Three other stories worth your attention this week too, including some genuinely hopeful news for cat owners. |
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By the numbers
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$60
2026 annual fee for unaltered pet license
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1
Confirmed rabid animal in Larimer County, 2026
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IN THIS ISSUE
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1
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Fort Collins Had Its First Rabid Animal of 2026, and It Was a Bat |
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2
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FIP Used to Mean the Worst. Now Diagnosing It Got Easier. |
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3
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Fort Collins Pet License Fees Went Up in January: Here's Where They Stand |
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4
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Previcox, a Common Dog NSAID, Now Comes in a Tablet You Can Quarter |
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5
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Around Fort Collins: Laurel Fest is this Thursday and Friday, and 3 more coming up |
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The lead · LOCAL ALERT
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Fort Collins Had Its First Rabid Animal of 2026, and It Was a Bat
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| Larimer County confirmed a rabid bat this past May, captured from open space near the Adriel Hills neighborhood in northeast Fort Collins, with no known human exposures reported. |
| Bats are the most common source of rabies in Colorado, and they're still active this time of year before temperatures drop for good. If your dog or cat got into a bat, or you found one on the ground and aren't sure what happened, call us. A single exposure can start a clock on a rabies booster or, in unvaccinated pets, a much harder conversation. The city's animal ordinance was also updated this year under Ordinance No. 090, 2026, tightening rules around rabies vaccination requirements, so this is a good moment to double-check your pet's records. |
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Why it matters: If your pet's rabies vaccine is overdue, this is the week to fix that, not after the fact.
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Read at Larimer County Department of Health and Environment →
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CAT HEALTH
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FIP Used to Mean the Worst. Now Diagnosing It Got Easier.
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| Colorado State University researchers developed a more accurate test for feline infectious peritonitis, a disease that was once almost always fatal but can now be treated with antiviral medication. |
| FIP is notoriously hard to pin down, especially the form that doesn't cause fluid buildup. The new test, developed right here at CSU's vet school, detects the coronavirus inside the specific cells where it causes disease, without requiring surgery to get a sample. The lead researcher is careful to say it's not a single magic answer: a diagnosis still pulls together symptoms, bloodwork, and tests together. But having a more accurate tool matters enormously now that treatment exists and a confirmed diagnosis leads directly to it. |
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Why it matters: If you have a young cat who seems off, weight loss, fever, odd neurological signs, FIP belongs on the list, and it's worth asking about the newer diagnostic options.
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Read at Veterinary Practice News →
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LOCAL RULES
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Fort Collins Pet License Fees Went Up in January: Here's Where They Stand
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| The city raised annual pet license fees at the start of 2026: $17 per year for spayed or neutered pets, and $60 for intact animals. |
| These aren't optional. Fort Collins requires a license for every dog and cat, and staying current also keeps your rabies vaccination records tied to a real address, which matters if your pet ever goes missing or is involved in a bite incident. The increase is modest for altered pets, but if you have an intact animal, $60 adds up across a multi-pet household. |
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Why it matters: If you renewed last year at the old rate and haven't updated since, check your renewal status at NOCO Humane's requirements page.
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Read at NOCO Humane →
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DOG PAIN MEDS
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Previcox, a Common Dog NSAID, Now Comes in a Tablet You Can Quarter
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| The FDA approved a new double-scored version of Previcox tablets that lets you split one pill into four pieces, making it easier to hit the right dose for your dog's exact weight. |
| Previcox is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory used for pain and inflammation in dogs, often after surgery or for arthritis. The old tablets were hard to divide cleanly, which meant some dogs got slightly too much or owners had leftover medication that went to waste. The new design won't change anything about how the drug works, but for owners managing a dog on long-term pain control, more precise dosing and less waste is a practical win. |
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Why it matters: If your dog is currently on Previcox, ask us at your next visit whether the new tablet format makes sense for their dose.
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Read at Today's Veterinary Business →
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Quick hits
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Around Fort Collins
Laurel Fest is this Thursday and Friday
Laurel Fest takes over the Laurel and College area of Fort Collins on October 16 and 17 with local and touring music acts spread across a walkable stretch of the neighborhood. It's two evenings of live music without having to drive anywhere, the kind of thing that's easy to wander into after dinner. Leave the dog at home for this one, but it's a good excuse to get out mid-week.
Also coming up
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Tip of the week
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Check the vaccine dates before the bat season ends
Pull out your pet's vaccine records this week and look at the rabies expiration date. Three-year vaccines are common, but a lot of pets received one during the pandemic years and are now quietly lapsing. If the date has passed, or you can't find the record at all, call your vet before the end of October. A lapsed vaccine doesn't give you a grace period if there's an exposure, it puts you back at square one.
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How was this issue?
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Until next week,
Dr. Alvarez and the Bramble Hill team
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| P.S. Bat questions, overdue vaccines, or just not sure where your records are, we're here, and we call back the same day. |