New World Screwworm (NSW) is a nasty parasitic infestation (with a very high ick factor) that’s back on the radar in North America, re-emerging after several decades of highly successful control and eradication efforts that had pushed its northern reach back as far as Panama. It has now made to back as far as northern
The other day, I did a half-hearted tick drag while walking Ozzie in our back field (yes, I know that’s strange, but let’s move on…). It was far from a professional job – just me dragging a blanket through the field as we walked, but it did the job. It quickly picked up a tick
Last month, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) issued a somewhat vague notice about an ongoing outbreak investigation of Salmonella infections linked to dog food and treats. At the time they were still unable to identify a specific brand or manufacturer to which the outbreak had been linked.
This week PHAC posted an
There are a couple of new voluntary recalls because of Salmonella contamination of pet diets or treats. Both are US products, and the recalls were posted on the FDA website just before (Canadian) Thanksgiving.
One recall is for possible Salmonella-health risk associated with a raw frozen beef dog food from Raw Bistro Pet Fare
I remember the first case of fly myiasis (aka fly strike, maggot infestation) in general practice. I was a very new grad called to look at a lamb owned by someone who had a few sheep. The complaint was that the lamb wasn’t doing well. It was laying down when I arrived and I grabbed
Oh Darwin’s… here we go again.
Yet again, the FDA has issued a “Do not feed certain lots of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products” warning. It’s a pretty regular occurrence. And, once again, Darwin’s is dragging their feet on responding.
In July, Darwin’s ignored an FDA request to recall diets contaminated with E. coli
I’ve had a lot of questions about this week’s somewhat (understandably) vague notice from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) about an ongoing outbreak investigation of Salmonella infections linked to dog food and treats. The information available is pretty sparse, but there are still some important messages related to what we do know.
Yesterday, I was in Birmingham, UK, giving a keynote address at the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress (and HRH Princess Anne was in the audience and I didn’t put her to sleep… I’ll take that as a win).
After finishing my talks I was walking back to the conference centre when I heard someone yelling.
Cat colonies present some interesting infectious disease challenges. Anytime we have animals congregating, there’s an increased risk of disease transmission, and when they’re outside, it also increases the risk of diseases from wildlife. Thus cat colonies can become a bridge for diseases between wildlife and people.
I’ll pause here to add a perspective that I’d
Universal Ostriches. It’s been a ride.
I was involved early in the saga of the H5N1 influenza outbreak on this ostrich farm in BC, answering some questions about the situation and potential options, but eventually stepped back from commenting much as things went off the rails, in part to avoid the flurry of threats
