Canada has a long-standing requirement for rabies vaccination of most categories of dogs and cats being imported from countries not considered free of non-bat rabies. While this requirement helps protect dogs and cats from rabies infection should they be exposed to endemic wildlife rabies that is present in Canada, it does little to prevent rabies
Why Is the Approach to Rabies Titres in Humans Different Than in Pets?
We have different approaches to rabies in dogs and cats versus humans. The ultimate goal is still the same: preventing this almost invariably fatal infection. However, between humans and animals there are differences in who we target for vaccination, frequency of vaccination, utility of rabies antibody titres, and how we respond to potential rabies exposures,
Pet Vaccination Questions, Part 1: Rabies Vaccine Timing
For some reason, I’ve been spending a lot more time lately discussing vaccination, so I figured I’d write about a series of vaccine issues, questions and dogmas (that are often non-evidence-based or just downright wrong).
Age for first rabies vaccine
Here in Canada at least, rabies vaccines are licensed for use in dogs and cats
Rabies Round-Up Ontario, New Interactive Case Map
As the weather cools down and wildlife of various kinds become less active (as do many pets and people!), we tend to see a decline in the number of rabies cases detected in the province. It doesn’t mean the risk is no longer there, it just means we’re less likely to encounter the animals that
New Canadian Dog Importation Rules
Hot on the heels of a recent update to dog importation rules in the US, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced new rules for importation of commercial dogs into Canada.
The essence of the change is quite straightforward: “As of September 28, 2022, World Rabies Day, commercial dogs from
Preventing Rabies in Imported Dogs
As per yesterday’s post, another rabid imported dog was identified in Ontario, again from Iran. What’s particularly surprising about this case is the very long incubation period. The dog didn’t develop signs of rabies until over 6 months after importation, and it was confirmed that it was infected with canine-variant rabies (consistent with strains
Imported Canine Rabies in Ontario – Again
For the second time in 7 months, rabies has been identified in a dog in Ontario that was imported from Iran through a rescue organization. The first case was detected in July 2021 in an adult dog that started to develop signs of rabies within 10 days of arrival in Canada, and was euthanized 2
2021 US Rabies Recap
Five human deaths due to rabies were reported in the US in 2021, the highest annual case count in the last decade. Obviously, that’s still a very small number overall and pales in comparison to other infectious diseases in the US, and to rabies deaths in other parts of the world like Asia and
Canine Rabies Imported Into Canada From Iran
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has reported the identification of a rabid dog imported into Ontario from Iran. The dog was imported on July 1, 2021 and started showing signs of rabies on July 11. It was euthanized the next day and subsequently diagnosed with rabies caused by a canine rabies virus variant
Big Change in US Dog Importation Restrictions
We’ve seen some increased awareness of the risks associated with dog importation, and countries taking measures to reduce disease and welfare problems, including here in Canada and more recently potential future measures in the UK.
The US just raised the bar a huge amount with new restrictions on importation of dogs from over 100