I’ve heard of a few possible cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) in dogs in Ontario in the past week. It’s pretty preliminary information, but it’s relevant to both dog and human health so it’s worth getting some information out about it now. At least one case was a pretty solid diagnosis: Rickettsia rickettsii
Seasonal Canine Heartworm Prevention in Canada: Does Our Current Timing Still Work?
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
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
Unnerving Diaper Discovery
In case you need a break from all the discussion about H5N1 influenza and the multitude of species it now seems to be able to infect, there’s nothing like a good zoonotic parasite story to make your skin (or pants in this case) crawl. (I promise that this will be a normal-length blog post…
Raccoons, Raccoon Roundworms and Swimming Pools
Here’s a question I get surprisingly often.
I found a dead raccoon (or raccoon poop) in my pool and I’m freaking out about raccoon roundworms. What should I do?
The raccoon roundworm, Baylisascaris procyonis, is certainly a parasite of concern, but it’s also one that often leads to over-reaction and panic. While it can
Raccoon Roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) Infections in People
I get a surprising number of emails from people concerned about Baylisascaris procyonis, the raccoon roundworm. Some are just a bit concerned while others are almost paralyzed by fear at the thought of this parasite lurking in the environment. Most of my responses are largely re-assuring people that the risk is very limited
Giant Kidney Worm in Dogs
Imagine you’re a vet doing an exploratory abdominal surgery in a dog. You’re poking around in the belly and feel something abnormal. You grab it and as you pull it out of the abdomen to have a look, you see it’s a red tubular structure. As you continue to pull (and pull, and pull), it
International Canine Infectious Disease Map
A few times a week, I get questions like this from veterinarians:
- I have a canine patient from [name your country] and it’s sick. What diseases should I be aware of?
- I have healthy canine patient that was just imported from [name your country]. What diseases should I be aware of?
Or I get