Yes, I’m slow commenting on hantavirus. I got a lot of media questions about it after the cruise ship outbreak started, but those were focused on basic aspects of hantavirus. Now that things have dragged on, there are more questions about companion animals. That’s not because there are major issues. It’s mainly because people are
Genetically Similar High-Risk Strains of CPE in Humans and Companion Animals, United States
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
Brucella canis Infection in a Veterinarian
I’m on the way home from ESCMID Global, a clinical microbiology and infectious disease conference. Although the conference didn’t include much veterinary-specific content, it did include a good collection of abstracts about zoonotic diseases, including a couple about diseases in veterinarians, one of which described an infection with Brucella canis.
I’ve written about
Speaking the Same Language: Consensus Definitions for Infectious Urinary Tract Disease in Dogs and 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
Topical Canine Antiparasitics and Swimming or Bathing: Are There Any Issues?
As the weather (slowly and inconsistently) gets nicer here in Ontario, dogs start to go swimming more. My dog, Ozzie (pictured below), is an embarrassment to the Labrador breed as he will not swim, but he’ll happily wade through water, as long as his feet don’t leave the ground (but he still manages to get
Does Splitting Vaccines in Small Dogs Help Avoid Adverse Events?
The short answer: I don’t know, but probably not, and it could potentially do more harm than good.
I get asked a lot about splitting vaccines for pets, that is to say giving different vaccines at different visits instead of giving a bunch of vaccines all at the same time. The questions are often related
WormsAndGermsMap Redux
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
Raw Pet Food & Pathogens: UK Surveillance
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
(Inadequate) Rabies Titres in Imported Dogs
Many countries have import requirements for dogs based on rabies control (among other things), primarily based on the dog’s rabies vaccination history, plus or minus rabies antibody titre (RAT) testing. A few years ago (with support from the Ontario Animal Health Network), we studied RATs in dogs imported into Ontario by rescues (Belanger
Human Intestinal Infection With Canine Hookworm
A lot of interesting case reports get published in human medical and veterinary journals, but I always take case reports with a grain of salt. It’s not that I don’t trust the validity of the report, but there are those who may over-react to a single case. A publication about a single case typically signifies