Knowing how to properly handle a rabbit is very important for rabbit owners. If done incorrectly, the handler, the rabbit, or both could be injured. A rabbit’s powerful hind legs and flighty nature (being a prey species) are a dangerous combination. Even though rabbits may not do so intentionally, the nails on their hind
Organic meat is not sterile!
I frequently get e-mails from people who are proponents of feeding raw meat to pets. The e-mails often start by calling me an idiot, and they generally go downhill from there. Some, however, go into detail about why they think there are no health concerns for themselves or their pets associated with feeding raw meat.
Leptospirosis and Pot-Bellied Pigs
Back in the 1980s, Vietnamese Pot-Bellied Pigs were a popular fad pet. These stout little oinkers are still out there, though they’re not quite as popular as they once were. Potbellied pigs are cute (at least to some people… to each their own!), supposedly quite smart, and can even be house trained/litter trained. As with
Bowls and birds: keeping both clean
It’s amazing where infectious disease discussions can develop (at least for strange people like me). I was having a conversation with Dr. Mike Taylor (an avian and exotics specialist at the Ontario Veterinary College) after hockey the other night, and we started talking about infectious diseases.
Mike has done a lot of work with
Pseudorabies is a more than a pseudoproblem
Pseudorabies is suspected of being the cause of death in a small number of dogs in Florida. The name "pseudorabies" can cause confusion and concern because of the significant risks associated with rabies in animals and subsequent exposure of people. Pseudorabies is actually caused by a type of herpesvirus, which is completely unrelated to the
Stop the presses: sick puppies from a pet store!
It should come as no surprise that puppies (and kittens, and pretty much any type of animal) from pet stores can carry infectious diseases. The same can be said about puppies (and kittens, and pretty much any type of animal) from other sources. It’s really a question of the relative degree of risk.
Pet pharmacies: the good, the bad and the ugly
I spent some time the other night looking at different internet pet pharmacy sites. (Yes, I know that sounds strange, but it was interesting and sometimes appalling.) It’s well known that you can buy virtually anything over the internet. Pharmaceuticals are no different. There are numerous online pharmacies that offer drugs for animals. Some
Healing with honey
As we encounter more infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria (e.g. MRSA), we need to explore treatment options other than antibiotics. While we usually focus on "new" treatments, sometimes we can look back in time for ideas to treat infections. An old treatment method that is getting increasing attention these days is the use
Don’t forget fungi: Blastomycosis in dogs
Most of the infectious disease topics that we’ve covered on Worms & Germs involve bacteria or viruses. Fungal diseases (other than ringworm) are often overlooked because they are less common, and because they tend to be more of a concern in certain areas only. However, when fungal infections occur they can cause serious
Characteristics of dog bites
A study was recently published in the Veterinary Record (O’Sullivan et al, 2008, volume 163) describing 234 dog bites in people in Ireland. Dog owners and victims of dog bites were interviewed to characterize the incidents. Bites were divided into 2 categories: bites to the dogs’ owner(s) and bites to someone who didn’t own the