Last year around this time, were were talking a lot about a cluster of cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) in dogs (and people) associated with Long Point, Ontario. Prior to 2025, we didn’t consider this tickborne disease to be established in the province, but then we detected multiple confirmed cases in dogs
The other day, I did a half-hearted tick drag while walking Ozzie in our back field (yes, I know that’s strange, but let’s move on…). It was far from a professional job – just me dragging a blanket through the field as we walked, but it did the job. It quickly picked up a tick
Our emerging concerns about Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) in Long Point, Ontario, have led to a variety of questions from veterinarians and dog owners. (It’s also led to a lot of rumours, and sorting out what’s real illness vs internet chatter and hype is tough – but that’s another story.)
We’re still trying
I recently wrote about a couple cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) in dogs in Ontario. It’s not a disease we expect to find here, but we’re concerned about this tick-borne disease because it can be very nasty, and we do have the ticks for it. Ticks and the diseases they transmit are
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
“One Health” gets talked about a lot these days, but is acted on much less often. Getting physicians and vets to talk is tough. Getting physicians to query animal contact is variably successful. Some get it and do it well, others don’t.
When I speak to human medical or public health groups about zoonotic diseases,
Canadian singer Alanis Morissette wrote a song called "Ironic" that (ironically) doesn’t really describe irony: Rain on your wedding day, a free ride when you already paid, a black fly in your Chardonnay… they all suck but they’re not ironic. What is ironic is Dr. Ed Breitschswerdt, an internationally renowned veterinary internist and tickborne disease
The warm weather is just about here, and that means the start of camping season. Lots of people love to spend time in the great outdoors during the summer, whether it’s at a summer cottage on the lake, trailer camping in a park with electricity and running water, or roughing it in a tent in
