In areas where ticks and fleas are a concern (which is much of the world), dogs (and to a lesser degree cats) may receive regular tick prevention medications. Some people would rather not use them, whether it’s because of cost, concern about adverse effects, a desire to use more “natural” products or internet misinformation. This
Regulatory bodies sometimes issue “Dear Veterinarian” (or similar) notices about important issues pertaining to drugs and rug use, like the recent FDA’s letter to veterinarians about extralabel use of fenbendazole in dogs. These notices are used to get important information out to veterinarians, to try to head of future problems.
My topic
Veterinarians sometimes ask me, “Can I give a half dose of a vaccine to small breed dogs?” But more often they say, “An owner wants me to give their small dog a half dose of a vaccine because they are worried about adverse effects. Should I do that?”
The short answer
If I’m talking to veterinarians or veterinary students about infectious diseases and I mention Capnocytophaga canimorsus, I usually get a blank stare (or “capno-what?”). If I’m talking to physicians, it’s usually the same response, unless they’re infectious disease physicians or trainees (but I still get “capno-what?” from some of them on
I’ve written a lot in general about the risks of rabies and other infectious diseases from imported dogs. However, we have to remember that borders are political, not biological, and that rabies (like certain US presidents) doesn’t respect such borders, whether they’re between countries or between provinces.
Whenever we move animals or people, we risk
Last week I wrote about the recently updated ISCAID antimicrobial use guidelines for canine pyoderma, specifically regarding surface pyoderma. The full guidelines are freely available online (Loeffler et al. Vet Derm 2025). Today I’m going to cover the highlights about the “big one”: superficial folliculitis. I call it the big one
Most people don’t realize the massive number of dogs that are imported into Canada every year, for all kinds of reasons: from people moving with their own pet, to importation of large shipments of dogs from puppy mills or rescues (the latter ranging from really good operations to really dodgy). Moving animals (or people)
The updated ISCAID antimicrobial use guidelines for canine pyoderma have just been published (Loeffler et al. Vet Derm 2025). This is the first major update since the guidelines were first published in 2014. The document is a bit of a monster, so I’ll break down some of the key points in my next
Last week, I wrote about the use of oseltamivir in dogs and cats infected with H5N1 influenza. We have to be aware of the risk of drug resistance risks whenever we use anti-infectives, especially when the same drugs (like osteltamivir) are used in people, and assess the risks and benefits in order to “
