I’ve been a laggard with blog posts lately. It’s a bit crazy and it’s been easier to get things out quickly via Twitter (@weese_scott). However, one interesting topic I wanted to get back to is SARS-CoV-2 in deer. It’s caused a big stink in some areas and, like a lot of things involving
Update: COVID-19 in Animals Review Part 4: Mustelids (Mink and Ferrets)
Mink are not a species most people think about. When they do, they typically think of mink coats or fur farming protests. While the mink industry has been on the decline in most regions for many years, there is still a massive number of mink being farmed for fur internationally. Some of these farms are
Update: COVID-19 in Animals Review Part 3: Pigs
What we know about SARS-CoV-2 in pigs hasn’t changed a lot since the first version of this post. It’s still a fairly “good news” situation, but one that could also use some more investigation.
Are pigs susceptible to SARS-CoV-2?
Kind of, but not really. There are somewhat conflicting experimental data, but the debate is
SARS-CoV-2 in Deer: USA
I’ve meant to write more about SARS-CoV-2 in deer, and USDA’s recent announcement of infected deer made me get my butt in gear (warning: long post approaching).
What do we know about SARS-CoV-2 infection in deer?
We now have three different pieces of evidence:
- Experimental infection
- It’s been known for a while that white-tailed deer
SARS-CoV-2 Exposure in White-Tailed Deer
Game-changing research?
Something that will be walked back in the future?
Something in between?
A press release from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) about a study looking at antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in white-tailed deer (and an infosheet about the same study) released today makes me wonder which of these will apply. The results
Pets and Evacuation Planning
I remember being in a meeting years ago and hearing an estimate of the number of deaths of people from Hurricane Katrina that were linked to them staying behind because they could not evacuate their pets. People chose to ride out a devastating hurricane rather than abandon their animals – animals that weren’t part of
Simple Ways to Reduce Antibiotic Use
For this blog, I focus my writing on companion animal issues, but our group does much more than that, and a recent study of ours is worth a post here as well.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a huge issue globally. It’s a classic One Health problem with important human, animal and environment aspects, and it’s
COVID-19 Vaccination for Animals: Necessary, Useful?
I’ve written before about animal vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 with regard to mink, but with Russia having recently licensed its Carnivac-Cov vaccine for use in several species (namely dogs, cats, foxes and mink) and Zoetis developing a vaccine in the US for mink, there’s continued interest in the subject, so I’ll revisit it.
I’m glad
Critiquing Early COVID-19 Posts: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
I’ve taken a look back at some posts from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, to see how my thoughts have evolved, what I got right and what I screwed up. We have a lot of COVID-19 posts (starting from when we called it “novel coronavirus” or “Wuhan coronavirus” before the SARS-CoV-2 terminology existed).
The Easter Bunny and COVID-19 Risks
As spring approaches, a pressing question has come to the minds of many kids: “Can the Easter bunny get COVID-19?” or “Can Easter bunny eggs spread COVID-19?”
Fortunately, the answer is no. Easter bunnies are safe from this virus and kids don’t have to worry about whatever the Easter bunny leaves