By Scott Weese on Posted in CatsIn Canada, rabies testing and surveillance is performed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). National data for 2010 are now available and indicate there were a small number of cases in domestic animals, with more in wildlife, for a total of 123 cases. Dogs: There were three cases, all in Saskatchewan. Cats: Four cases,… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animalsYou’re driving down the road. You see a dead raccoon. Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind is "Let’s pick up the carcass and take it on a road trip." No? Maybe only if you’re a high school wrestler from North Dakota. On the way to the finals of a tournament, a busload of… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animalsAn interesting paper in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases (Page et al. 2011) describes an impressively large effort to study the effect of anthelmintic (dewormer) baiting on parasite contamination at raccoon latrines sites in Indiana. Raccoon latrines can be highly contaminated with various parasites, because raccoons congregate at these sites and use them as "communal… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animalsA nine-month old Georgia (US) baby is in critical condition after being attacked by two raccoons while sleeping in her crib. The attack occurred in the middle of the night, and the baby ended up with severe bites over her head and other parts of her body. It’s not clear at this point whether these were… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in CatsProMed’s monthly rabies update contains some recurring themes: A couple of incidents of dog versus rabid raccoon. The dog usually comes out on top, but the raccoon can exact revenge at the end of the day through the need for quarantine or euthanasia. If the dog is not vaccinated, a long quarantine or euthanasia is… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Dogs2009 animal rabies statistics have recently been published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (Blanton et al 2010). Here are some highlights: 6690 rabid animals were identified, along with four human cases. (One of those human cases was associated with travel to India, as described as described in a recent post). Rabid… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animalsYet again, a large number of people are undergoing rabies post-exposure treatment because they were exposed to a rabid raccoon that was "adopted" from the wild. In this case, a North Carolina family found a baby raccoon at the side of the road and decided to bring it home. Over the next couple of weeks,… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsProMed has a new list of recent rabies incidents. The whole report can be seen by clicking here, but these are some examples of common or important issues they touch on: – Roaming pets + wildlife = bad news: One person’s dogs killed a raccoon while out for their "romp around the yard." The raccoon… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsRecently, I was speaking with a physician who mentioned that a colleague has recommended that people with raccoons in their yard get rid of their dogs because of the risk of Baylisascaris procyonis. This parasite, also known as the raccoon roundworm, can cause severe neurological disease in people that ingest infective parasite eggs from the environment.… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animalsThe Toronto Star had a front page article today about an ongoing distemper outbreak in raccoons, and the potential effects on dogs. Toronto’s not alone, as there are distemper outbreaks underway in many different municipal regions. Distemper is an infection caused by a virus that is related to human measles virus. It mainly affects dogs,… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animalsEight more rabid raccoons have been found in New York’s Central Park over the past two weeks. These, plus the 12 rabid raccoons reported in the park last year, represent a major increase in disease frequency since only 1 rabid raccoon was identified in Central Park from 2003-2008. That’s a concerning development given the number… Continue Reading
By Maureen Anderson on Posted in ParasitesThere was another paper published in the August issue of the Canadian Veterinary Journal about Baylisascaris procyonis (roundworms) in raccoons, this time in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Sexsmith et al 2009). The study was actually undertaken after infection with B. procyonis larvae was identifed as the cause of death of several animals in the collection at the… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsWhen we have a -30C windchill and snow on the ground, my first thoughts usually aren’t about survival of bacteria in the outdoor environment. However, some microorganisms are well adapted for survival in various adverse conditions and we shouldn’t assume that cold=dead for every bug of concern. Along that line, we received a question recently… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animals,ParasitesWe’ve written various posts about raccoons, raccoon latrines and concerns about the raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis). I received a question today about how to keep raccoons from coming back after a latrine has been identified and cleaned. It’s a good question, and one without a simple answer. I’ve looked through various sources and have found… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animals,ParasitesIf you live in the suburbs of Chicago (or probably many other cities as well), chances are pretty good that you live close to a raccoon latrine. Raccoons like to defecate in specific areas (raccoon latrines) which can become highly contaminated with eggs of Baylisascaris procyonis, the raccoon roundworm. Human disease caused by this parasite… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Cats,Deworming,Other diseases,ParasitesA reader posed this question, with respect to having raccoons living around the house: "One thing that causes me concern with the raccoon roundworm is the possible danger of infection to my pets and myself through the feces left behind from the raccoons in the yard and possibly in my vegetable garden. Can I acquire… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animals,Parasites,RabiesA recent question from a reader: "We live adjacent to the Oak Ridges Moraine in Aurora (Ontario) so our property has always been popular to local wildlife. For years, neighbourhood animals have enjoyed dry cat food in our backyard but the town has ordered this practice must stop immediately. Among reasons given, were that this… Continue Reading
By Maureen Anderson on Posted in Cats,Dogs,Other animals,ParasitesSpring appears to have finally sprung in earnest in Southern Ontario (although we may still get one more frost on the weekend, so I hear) and people are getting back out into the garden. An increasingly popular trend in recent years, particularly this year now that the Obama’s are doing it too, is vegetable gardening. … Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animals,ParasitesProMed mail has a report about 2 cases of Baylisascaris procyonis infection in people in Brooklyn, New York. Baylisascaris is the raccoon roundworm and is very commonly found in the intestinal tract of healthy raccoons. Raccoons shed this parasite in their stool, and after a short period of time, the parasite larvae become infective to… Continue Reading
By Maureen Anderson on Posted in Other animals,ParasitesRaccoon latrines are a major source of eggs of the raccoon roundworm, Baylisascaris procyonis. Accidental ingestion of large numbers of eggs from these latrines can lead to a disease known as visceral larval migrans. The most severe forms of this condition are known as ocular or neural larval migrans, which are damage to the eyes… Continue Reading
By Maureen Anderson on Posted in Other animals,ParasitesThis post has been updated with new information as of October 2, 2008. An article was published on Sunday in a local Guelph newspaper about a 14-month-old child who has been battling infection with Baylisascaris larvae in a Hamilton (Ontario) hospital for the last two weeks. This comes on the heals of a very recent… Continue Reading
By Maureen Anderson on Posted in Cats,Deworming,Dogs,Other animals,ParasitesThis post has been updated with new information as of October 2, 2008. Raccoons, just like dogs and cats, can have roundworms in their intestine. Dogs are typically infected by the species Toxocara canis, and cats are infected by Toxocara cati. Raccoons are infected by a type of roundworm from a different genus, called Baylisascaris… Continue Reading
