November 2010

While the potential health risks to people exposed to dogs with Giardia have received a lot of attention (and concern), there’s more and more evidence indicating that dogs pose a very limited risk to people. Giardia is a protozoal parasite that can cause diarrhea in numerous animal species, including people and dogs. It can also

A teenager who was filming an otter he spied in a pond now knows more about rabies than he probably ever wanted. The 19-year-old shot the video from the bank of a pond, watching the otter innocently swimming around. After a brief stare-down, the otter did another quick swim, then ran onto shore and attacked! 

I had a call from a colleague in Ottawa (Ontario) the other day, asking if I’d seen an increase in kennel cough in dogs lately. Kennel cough is a respiratory infection of dogs that can be caused by a variety of different viruses and bacteria, or combinations thereof, but is often associated with the bacterium

Probiotics are widely available and increasingly popular as "alternative" or "natural" approaches to treatment and prevention of disease. When considering the use of probiotics, it’s important to think about what a probiotic really is. A widely used (and my favourite) definition is:

Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when given in adequate doses, provide health effects

Here’s a comment from a well-meaning but ultimately misinformed reader. I’m commenting on it because these misconceptions are not uncommon.

"This blog post appears to be based on inadequate knowledge of iguanas. I am an iguana keeper and have been for several years.  Unlike many reptiles, iguanas do not carry salmonella on their skin and

Humane societies and shelters are often overwhelmed by the number of animals that come in. It’s pretty uncommon to see much (if any) empty space in most shelters, and overcapacity shelters lead to increased risk of disease transmission, outbreaks and suboptimal care of the animals that are there.

One way of helping deal with overcrowding