I keep saying spring is approaching and I keep getting disappointed by the cold weather. But it’s going to happen soon, so we’ve been gearing up for tick season. There are a few new initiatives underway for tracking ticks and tickborne diseases in Canadian dogs and cats. Check out the recent post at PetsAndTicks.com for
Parasites
Echinococcus multilocularis in a child: Quebec
Echinococcus multilocularis (EM) is an important zoonotic tapeworm. The situation with this parasite in Canada (and probably the US) is unclear and evolving. It’s increasingly clear that EM is present in a high percentage of wild canids (e.g. coyotes, foxes) in some regions. What this means for human health isn’t clear yet.
This tiny tapeworm…
New infographics: Echinococcus multilocularis, feline upper respiratory tract infection
The title says it all… see below for the latest and greatest infographics from the Ontario Animal Health Network, including an update to the very popular E. multilocularis infographic and a new one on treatment of feline upper respiratory tract infection.
To download the infographics in pdf format, visit oahn.ca at these links:
Echinococcus multilocularis: Ontario, Canada
Echinococcus multilocularis, a small tapeworm with a big name, is causing big concerns in Ontario, an area that was until recently considered free of this parasite. This tapeworm is normally found in the intestinal tract of wild canids (e.g. coyotes, foxes) and can also infect dogs. That itself isn’t a problem, since the intestinal…
PetsAndTicks.com: Our 400th tick of the year
…
‘Tis the season for travelling (ticks, that is)
A post from guest blogger Dr. Katie Clow, reproduced from our sister site www.petsandticks.com.
…
Canine and feline antiparasitics
Negotiating the world of antiparasitics for dogs and cats can be daunting. With the wide range of products, similarly named products with different ingredients and differently named products with the same ingredients, it’s hard to keep up.
The Ontario Animal Health Network as put together some useful tables that outline antiparasitic products available in Canada…
Freeze dried vs fresh vs frozen raw pet foods
I think I’ve covered this before (probably a few times), but the question keeps coming up so it can’t hurt to talk about it again:
“Is freeze-dried raw pet food any different than fresh or frozen raw diets, from a microbiological standpoint?”
We don’t have much pet food-specific research, but there’s little reason…
Will you test my tick?
If you’d asked me a few years ago, I wouldn’t have said that’s a question I’d expect to get (daily). However, we’re in a different world tick-wise now, so it’s a common and understandable question, particularly because of our tick tracking efforts.
- The answer is no/possibly/maybe later.
How’s that for a straight answer?
We are…
Barn > Deck > Garage > Attic: Cat migration and kitten care
I’m not sure I wrote about it at the time, but last spring we adopted Rumple (technically Rumpelstiltskin, pictured below… rough life) from the Guelph Humane Society as part of their Barn Cat Adoption program. He quickly migrated from the barn and set up shop as a garage and deck cat (which also lead…