Vet Terms

Warm-blooded - Having a relatively high body temperature that is regulated internally and is independent of the environmental temperature. Mammals and birds are warm-blooded.

Wart - Benign growth caused by a virus.

Wasting - Loss of muscle mass due to decreased food intake or increased metabolic rate.

Whelping - In dogs, the act of giving birth.

White blood cells - Cells in the blood whose major role is to defend the body against invading organisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. There are different types of leukocytes: lymphocytes are part of the immune system; monocytes, eosinophils, and neutrophils eat or engulf organisms; basophils contain histamine and are involved in inflammatory reactions.

Window of susceptibility - A time period in the life of a young animal in which the maternal antibodies are too low to provide protection against a certain disease, but too high to allow a vaccine to work and produce immunity.