Hot on the heels of the experimental study of SARS-CoV-2 in ferrets that I discussed a couple days ago is another new study, available in pre-print, that looked at susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 in a slightly wider range of animals, including ferrets, cats, dogs, pigs and poultry (Shi et al. 2020). Bear in mind that
COVID-19 and ferrets
Based on what we knew from the original SARS virus and the similarity with SARS-CoV-2 (the cause of COVID-19), we expected ferrets to be one of the species that could be susceptible to infection with the latter. When ferrets were infected with the SARS virus, they got sick (unlike cats that just shed the virus).
Canadian COVID-19 FAQ
The Public Health Agency of Canada has released a list of frequently asked questions on COVID-19, which includes a section on animals. Click here to read the COVID-19 FAQ.
Novel coronavirus and wildlife markets
While the whole story hasn’t been sorted out, it seems pretty clear that one or more animal species at the Wuhan Seafood Market (which sold much more than just aquatic animals and their products) was the source of the novel coronavirus. Just like SARS.
Once again, this has raised concerns about markets where diverse live
Backyard chicken survey
Calling all backyard poultry owners:
You are invited to participate in a survey regarding backyard chickens that is being conducted by Dr. Scott Weese, a Professor in the Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, and Public Health Ontario’s Infection Prevention and Control Team (Central-West). We are interested in hearing from people
When antibiotics fail… A tale of two antimicrobial resistance reports
Two reports came out this week, both detailing the scourge of antibiotic resistance.
- In Canada, the Canadian Council of Academies released “When antibiotics fail: the expert panel on the potential socio-economic impacts of antimicrobial resistance in Canada.”
- Not to be outdone, the CDC released Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019
She bit what? Bites, antibiotics and… I don’t know what to add
A colleague sent this leading in with “you can’t make this stuff up.” He was right.
Here’s the Cole’s notes version of the story of a couple’s visit to a Louisiana truck stop.
- A Florida couple stops at a roadside rest stop that has some animals on display as attractions.
- Their (apparently poorly
Service, therapy and emotional support animal odds and ends, Part 1
I’ve written (ranted?) regularly about fake service dogs and disruptive emotional support animals. I’ve had the odd “you must hate animals” reply, but selfish people who slap a service dog vest on their pet so they can take it anywhere, just because they want to take it anywhere, cause problems for people who really need
Things not to do with raccoons
I’ll hold back and just classify this as “not a great idea.”
How do that many people get exposed to a single raccoon?
Step 1: Take a wild raccoon and try to make it
“Dad, a chick pooped on me”
How’s this for timing? As I was writing the post below, my youngest daughter walked in the door and said “a chick pooped on me today.”
It wasn’t a total surprise since I’d heard a vague statement from her about maybe having chicks in the class for the end of the year.
Is