Canine heartworm (Dirofilara immitis) is a nasty parasitic infection of dogs that’s relatively rare in Canada, but it’s still a concern because of how severe it can be and because treatment isn’t easy. It’s transmitted by mosquitos (we have lots of those), but transmission is also influenced by temperature (which varies a lot
Dientamoeba fragilis in Dogs and Cats
I get variations of this question not uncommonly from veterinarians:
A client just came in and said they/their kid was diagnosed with Dientamoeba fragilis infection and their physician said to test/treat their dog. What should I do?
On one hand, it’s nice to see physicians thinking about animal exposures. On the other hand, it sometimes
Culling Considerations in Disease Outbreak Response: Take 2
My post earlier this week about culling considerations for control of disease outbreaks in animals generated some good discussion and ideas (and a surprisingly small number of “you’re an idiot” emails). Although that post was focused primarily on culling in response to influenza outbreaks, we can also think about it little more broadly
To Cull or Not to Cull: Managing H5N1 in an Era of Endemicity
The recent situation has raised more discussion about the role of mass culling in response to H5N1 influenza infection in domestic / captive birds. After H5N1 flu was identified on an ostrich farm in British Columbia, the CFIA ordered all 400 birds to be culled, but the owner is trying to find options to preserve
Recall of Yet Another High Pressure-Pasteurized Raw Pet Food Diet
Blue Ridge Beef has (again) recalled a diet because of Salmonella contamination – this time a kitten diet. As is often the case, the issue was identified after a pet that was fed the diet got sick. This follows a recall of a puppy diet from the same company in December for Salmonella contamination was
Two Rabies Deaths: Two More Reminders of Important Issues
While rabies kills approximately 50,000 people a year globally, there’s no reason anyone should die from rabies in places where people have access to a well developed public health system. Rabies is almost invariably fatal, but is also almost entirely preventable with appropriate and timely response to an exposure. The weak link is getting people
Presumptive H5 Avian Influenza in a Person, Canada
A presumptive case of H5 avian influenza has been reported in a teenager from British Columbia. Confirmatory testing is underway. Very little additional information has been released, so it’s hard to say how surprising and concerning it is. Information vacuums like this often lead to excessive speculation, but information sharing has to be balanced with
Podcast: Mission Rabies
Our latest WormsAndGermsPod episode is a chat with Andy Gibson and Ian Battersby about canine rabies and, in particular, the work of Mission Rabies to help achieve the goal of zero canine-mediated rabies deaths by 2030.
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Local Risks of Imported Heartworm in Dogs
I’ve had a few questions about the risks posed by heartworm in imported dogs to local dogs. (This also speaks to just how often we import heartworm-infected dogs, but that’s another story…). Here’s a bit of a deeper dive into the topic based on a fictionalized (but very typical) scenario:
You live in Guelph, Ontario
Echinococcus multilocularis in Dogs: North America
Parasites are pretty gross in general – both the organisms themselves, and the concept of them living in or on you. Some parasites are of limited concern to people and pets, but others not so much… If I made a list of “parasites I really don’t want,” Echinococcus multilocularis (EM) would be high on the