Yet another reminder of the risks associated with handling turtles (and other reptiles) comes to us from a report published earlier this year regarding an outbreak of salmonellosis in people tied to contact with turtles. In this case, more than 100 people in 33 US states were affected. The report sparked additional public education
Treatment of MRSA and MRSP: more than meets the eye
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) are important causes of infection in pets, and are resistant to many different antibiotics. It’s therefore very important that these bacteria are cultured and tested in a lab to determine what antibiotics may be effective. Even then, choosing an effective medication can be difficult due to
Pet food and Salmonella
The recent pet food recall for Salmonella has generated a lot of attention and, encouragingly, more resources containing information about reducing the risk of Salmonella from handling pet foods. One is a video from Drs. Doug Powell and Randy Phebus of Kansas State University, that can be seen by clicking on the image below.
Updated: Raccoon Roundworms – Baylisascaris procyonis
This post has been updated with new information as of October 2, 2008.
Raccoons, just like dogs and cats, can have roundworms in their intestine. Dogs are typically infected by the species Toxocara canis, and cats are infected by Toxocara cati. Raccoons are infected by a type of roundworm from a different genus,
Pet food recall: Salmonella
Mars Petcare has recalled certain pet foods produced in a plant in Everson, Pennsylvania and sold in several US states. This is being done because two lots of pet food were found to be contaminated with Salmonella Schwarzengrund. This is the same Salmonella strain that was identified during a pet-food associated outbreak of salmonellosis in
Raw meat feeding revisted, part II: So you want to feed raw meat to your pet…
Because of the significantly higher rates of shedding of certain potentially harmful bacteria by dogs that are fed raw meat, I think raw meat diets are a bad choice – especially in households with young children, elderly individuals or people with compromised immune systems. However, if you are going to feed raw meat to your
Raw meat feeding revisited: what are the risks and benefits of raw diets for dogs?
Feeding raw meat diets to dogs is a very controversial issue. Some proponents passionately advocate these diets (e.g. the BARF diet) based on vague and unproven recommendations. Opponents cite various studies showing that pets fed raw meat (not surprisingly) have high carriage rates of potentially harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, and reports of
Brucellosis in dogs
Brucellosis is an infection caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella. The most common species of Brucella in companion animals is Brucella canis, which typically causes infection in dogs. This bacterium is very rare in Ontario – in a survey of 2000 dogs, only 0.3% had evidence of exposure to B. canis.
Echinococcus and hydatid disease – not your average tapeworm
A previous Worms & Germs post talked about the (very low) zoonotic risk of the tapeworm most commonly found in dogs and cats, Dipylidium caninum. Dogs can also carry other species of tapeworm, such as Taenia pisiformis, which cannot be naturally transmitted to people. But dogs can also carry tapeworms from the genus
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus – HIV/AIDS for Cats
Everyone is familiar with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) – the retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in people. Although HIV can only infect humans and some primates, cats can be infected by a very similar virus from the same genus (Lentivirus) with a similar name – feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). The