In the antimicrobial stewardship area, there are things that are so easy to address (‘low hanging fruit’) but have received surprisingly little attention. Over-the-counter (OTC), including internet, purchases of animal antibiotics for use in people occurs in some regions. (In Canada, you could buy a variety of antibiotics for fish OTC in any pet store
COVID in Animals Review Part 9: Bats
By #9 we’re moving well away from most of our domestic animals, but there are a few species still worth highlighting. 
This one isn’t one species actually, it’s a diverse group of over 1400 species…bats. Some eat insects, some eat fruit, some eat small critters like frogs and some eat blood (yes, vampire
SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance in Pets Study
We are looking to recruit Canadian veterinary clinic staff who have had COVID-19 themselves for a study to learn more about the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from people to their own pets (dogs, cats, ferrets). This study is being performed by Drs. Scott Weese and Dorothee Bienzle from the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph.
Who
COVID in Animals Review Part 8: Birds
This one’s easy. Birds are not susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. Stop reading here if that’s all you want to know. If you’d like a little more detail read on…
The SARS-CoV-2 virus originated in mammals (most likely in bats, which will be the topic of the next review) and has spread to other mammals (especially people,
Study Says Living With A Dog Increases COVID-19 Risk (But It Didn’t Find That)
Headline: “Are Dogs Spreading SARS-CoV-2? Study Finds Living With a Dog Increases Risk of Contracting COVID-19”
NO, it did NOT!
Even though the paper said that, it’s not what they actually found. Unfortunately, a lot of people are reading that headline, or worse, they’re reading “…yada yada… dogs spreading SARS-CoV-2… yada
COVID-19 in Animals Review Part 7: Cattle
I’m going to have to go back to the start soon and update previous reviews of COVID-19 in animals, but there are still a couple of more species worth mentioning first. Cattle are an obvious consideration because they are important food animals that are widely raised in countries around the world, and they are
Mutating COVID-19 in Mink – What’s the Story?
Denmark is one of the largest mink producing countries in the world, and mink on numerous farms have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 from farm workers with COVID-19. At last report, 216 farms were affected. That wasn’t too surprising since outbreaks on mink farms have been seen in several countries, with particularly widespread infection on farms
COVID-19 in Animals Review Part 6: Marine Mammals
Perhaps this is one you didn’t see coming, but there have been lots of discussions about SARS-CoV-2 and marine mammals. You may think, “people don’t have much contact with marine mammals,” and of course you’d be correct, if you meant direct contact. However, human activity (and waste) can significantly influence marine mammal health.
COVID-19 in Animals Review Part 5: Horses
What the story with SARS-CoV-2 in horses?
This one’s easy to answer: we have no clue.
There’s been almost no investigation or research regarding this virus in horses. Horses often get left out in situations like this because they’re livestock, but not (typically) food animals, and investigation of livestock tends to focus on food animal
COVID-19 in Animals Review Part 4: Mustelids (Mink and Ferrets)
I’ve spent a lot more talking about mink in the past few months than I ever thought I would. In regard to SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19 in people), mink and ferrets (their close relatives) are a fascinating story, but I’ll try to be brief about it. Mink have become important because of the