I wasn’t very quick to write about this because while some incidents of contamination of raw pet food prompt recalls, such contamination is a largely expected event that occurs every day under the radar.
This was also another example of a company ignoring an FDA request to recall raw pet foods in response to
I’ve seen quite a bit of “can your dog or cat get hantavirus?” discussion in media lately, in follow up to the recent cluster of human hantavirus cases associated with a South Atlantic cruise ship. Fortunately, unlike past articles about many other emerging infectious diseases, these have mainly been pretty low key.
I got a lot of media questions about hantavirus after the recent cluster of human cases was identified associated with a cruise ship, but those questions were primarily focused on basic facts about virus itself and its general epidemiology. As things have dragged on, there are now more questions about hantavirus and companion animals
Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) is a group of bacteria with resistance to powerful carbapenem antibiotics such as meropenem. They’re also usually resistant to various other antibiotics, which makes them a big concern because treatment options are very limited, and unfortunately the rate of CPE infections in people is increasing rapidly. To treat them, physicians typically need
“Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something.” ~Winne the Pooh
I don’t think the beloved wise sage of a bear was thinking about urine when he said that, but we can nonetheless heed the guidance of Winnie the Pooh when it comes to the management of subclinical bacteriuria. Here’s why:
Subclinical bacteriuria
Colorado State University, in partnership with the University of Bristol, is recruiting licensed veterinarians who have encountered at least one case of Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) since 2019 to complete a brief (20 minute) online survey examining clinicians’ experiences and comfort levels with diagnosing FIP and using antiviral therapies for FIP in cats
Words matter. Inconsistency and inaccuracy with terminology can result in misinterpretation, poor communication and creates challenges when discussing cases, interpreting research and developing guidelines.
This has been particularly evident when it comes to urinary tract disease in dogs and cats. For example, “urinary tract infection (UTI)” is a very generic term that has been commonly
When it comes to disease surveillance and communication, we have a tendency to throw lots of stuff at the wall to see what sticks. Some things stick around (like this blog!), others things not so much… like our first attempt at WormsAndGermsMap about ten years ago. It was a good idea, but the technology
I haven’t written about raw diets lately (beyond risks from H5N1 influenza, particularly in cats), but that doesn’t mean the risks from these diets have gone away, and they are still really popular in some areas, and some messages are worth repeating.
Potential problems with raw diets for dogs and cats include infections (e.g. Salmonella
