A study by Erin Leonard of the University of Guelph and others, that has just been published in the journal Zoonoses and Public Health, once again points to the increased risk of Salmonella shedding associated with feeding raw diets to dogs. The study looked at 138 dogs from 84 households in Ontario. One-quarter of households… Continue Reading
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Over-indulgence: Canine-style
Posted in Dogs, SalmonellaAs we approach the holidays, a lot of people are going to eat and/or drink too much, and suffer the consequences. The same can happen with dogs, and sometimes both the dog and their owner pay the price. Dogs get into things they shouldn’t all the time… too much food, garbage, dead critters and various… Continue Reading
Bulk bin rawhides
Posted in Dogs, SalmonellaMy daughter’s kindergarten class is having a gingerbread cookie decorating event tomorrow. They’re supposed to bring a guest (in Amy’s case, me) and some items (e.g. candy sprinkles, gummies) to put on the cookies. I was surprised (but impressed) to see a statement asking people to avoid bringing items from bulk bins because of the potential… Continue Reading
Salmonella from frogs
Posted in Other animals, SalmonellaThe CDC is investigating an apparent multistate outbreak of salmonellosis associated with contact with frogs. As of December 7, 48 infected people had been identified from 25 states – a pretty remarkable distribution. People got sick between June 24 and November 14, 2009. As is normal for Salmonella outbreaks linked to animals, young children have been… Continue Reading
Snakes and cakes
Posted in Reptiles, SalmonellaMy oldest daughter’s latest favourite TV show is Cake Boss, a TLC show about life in a bakery (don’t ask why… I guess it’s better than John and Kate Plus 8). On a recent episode, they were making a cake for a circus sideshow and one of the performers appeared in the bakery’s kitchen with a… Continue Reading
Things not to do for Thanksgiving
Posted in Birds, Dogs, Miscellaneous, Reptiles, SalmonellaI heard this on the radio yesterday morning, I kid you not: Butterball has a "Turkey Talk" toll-free helpline, which naturally gets busy around turkey holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Like many helplines, they get stories of every kind, and this year apparently one person called in and asked if it was alright that she… Continue Reading
Family Salmonella outbreak from school reptile
Posted in Reptiles, SalmonellaThree Louisville, Kentucky children and their father recently contracted Salmonella from two lizards (green anoles) that the kids brought home from school. Two weeks after the lizards were brought home, the youngest child got sick. Then the other kids and the father got sick. This outbreak highlights numerous problems: Schools are not pet stores: Why… Continue Reading
Deja vu all over again: Turtles and Salmonella
Posted in Reptiles, SalmonellaYou’d think, after countless outbreak of salmonellosis associated with pet turtles, that people would learn and things would start to improve. I guess not. A paper published this week in Pediatrics (Harris et al) described a large outbreak of Salmonella Java associated with pet turtles. Between May 2007 and January 2008, 107 infections were identified. The… Continue Reading
Petting zoo improvements
Posted in Other animals, SalmonellaThe last time I visited the Aberfoyle (Ontario) Fall Fair, the petting zoo was so bad that I ended up writing to the fair organizers and the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health Unit. (Neither group replied). It was pretty bad. Young poultry are inappropriate petting zoo animals because of the risk of transmission of bacteria like Salmonella, yet baby… Continue Reading
HIV/AIDS, kids and pets
Posted in Cats, Dogs, Other diseases, Parasites, SalmonellaThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released updated Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections Among HIV-exposed and HIV-infected Children. A small but still important part of this document involves recommendations for contact with animals. It’s a nice, balanced document that acknowledges the risk but doesn’t make unnecessarily restrictive recommendations. Among… Continue Reading
G-force and zoonotic disease
Posted in Pocket pets, SalmonellaIt seems like whenever a hit TV show or movie features an animal, there’s concern about the "101 Dalmatians effect," whereby there’s a mad rush to get the animal for a pet. When 101 Dalmatians was a hit movie, there was a huge spike in sales of this rather unusual breed – a breed which… Continue Reading
Salmonella Apapa from a reptile
Posted in Reptiles, SalmonellaA recent case report in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology (Cooke et al. 2009) described isolation of Salmonella Apapa from the feces of a 67-year-old woman with abdominal pain. The patient had a history of various medical disorders but no clear evidence of a compromised immune system. She was hospitalized, and Salmonella Apapa was identified from… Continue Reading
More about turtles and Salmonella
Posted in Reptiles, SalmonellaIn response to recent posts about Salmonella and turtles, a reader posed these questions: Okay, so turtles and tortoises can carry salmonella. Does that mean that all do? Not all, but a lot of them do. Aquatic turtles are probably a greater risk than tortoises. If a vet analyzes a poop sample from my Russian… Continue Reading
Red eared slider turtle rebuttal
Posted in Other animals, SalmonellaFollowing a report on black market turtle sales in Maryland, a letter to the Baltimore Sun by Maryland veterinarian Dr. Jeffery Rhody wanted to "set the record straight". "All reptiles carry salmonella as part of the normal bacterial population in their body." Not really true, however Salmonella can commonly be found in healthy reptiles, so… Continue Reading
Black market turtles in Baltimore
Posted in Reptiles, SalmonellaThere is apparently a thriving black market for baby red-eared slider turtles in Baltimore. The sale (and possession) of small turtles is illegal in Maryland, like many other regions, largely because of public health concerns regarding Salmonella. Over 100 hatchling turtles have been seized in the past 2 weeks. Baby turtles offer a good profit… Continue Reading
Songbird fever: Salmonella in birds and cats
Posted in Birds, Cats, SalmonellaAs is common this time of year, outbreaks of Salmonella infection in wild birds have been widely reported in parts of the US. Salmonella circulates regularly at low levels in the wild bird population, and sporadic outbreaks involving large numbers of sick and dead birds are periodically encountered. These are often noticed in urban areas… Continue Reading
Exotic animals in daycares… another bad idea
Posted in Pocket pets, Reptiles, SalmonellaOne more post about illogical and dangerous activities associated with animals and young children and I’ll hopefully get off the subject for awhile. I came across this daycare’s website today. Keep in mind (again) that the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children less than 5 years of age not have contact… Continue Reading
Baby chicks in preschools
Posted in SalmonellaJust last week I blogged about concerns regarding young children handling baby chicks in classrooms. Baby chicks are high-risk animals because of the potential for transmission of Salmonella. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children less than 5 years of age not have contact with baby chicks for this reason. Unfortunately,… Continue Reading
Chicks in classrooms: Salmonella shouldn’t be a sign of spring
Posted in Birds, SalmonellaAn annual "ritual" in some schools is hatching chicken eggs in the classroom. This can be a great educational experience for children as they learn about eggs and incubation, watch them hatch and see the baby chicks. It can also be a great source of infection for children if certain precautions are neglected. The picture… Continue Reading
CDC recommendations for people with HIV
Posted in Cats, Dogs, Other diseases, Reptiles, SalmonellaThe latest edition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)‘s publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports consists of the revised Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents. Among the highlights relevant to pets: HIV-infected patients should be advised to wash their hands after handling pets or other… Continue Reading
Bird seed recall: Salmonella
Posted in Birds, SalmonellaAs you undoubtedly know, a large Salmonella outbreak has occurred in the US, associated with contaminated peanuts. The scope of this outbreak continues to expand in unexpected areas, including pets. The latest development is a voluntary recall of bird seed. The recall affects 20-pound packages of Wild Birds Unlimited Wildlife Blend bird food (produced by… Continue Reading
New York Times and Pet Health Advice: Bad Combination
Posted in Cats, Dogs, Other diseases, SalmonellaI used the think the New York Times was a reputable newspaper and source of reasonable information. However, considering some of the articles I’ve seen, I no longer have a good opinion of this newspaper. One example from a few years ago came across my desk recently. The article is basically an infomercial for an unqualified… Continue Reading
Hatching chicks in classrooms
Posted in Birds, SalmonellaMy oldest daughter is in Grade 2, and last year her class hatched chicken eggs in the classroom. As a parent, I was somewhat torn about the idea. My main concern was the risk of exposure to Salmonella. A recent article in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports described outbreaks of salmonellosis associated with contact with live… Continue Reading
Dog infection linked to peanut butter Salmonella outbreak
Posted in Dogs, SalmonellaMaybe the only thing surprising about this is that it’s taken this long, but there has now been a dog infection reported in association with the massive peanut butter recall due to Salmonella contamination. This outbreak has made hundreds of people sick, and caused a few deaths so far. Pets that eat contaminated "people food" or… Continue Reading