When I give talks about pet therapy animals, I talk about appropriate and inappropriate animals. On one slide I have a picture of a hedgehog, and I use it as an example of an animal that sometimes makes its way into pet therapy programs, despite standard guidelines to the contrary. This is a species that raises
Salmonella in zoo education reptiles
There was a picture in the weekend edition of the Guelph Tribune of a 3-year-old girl with a large python wrapped around her as part of a nature show put on by the Guelph Lake Nature Centre.
While I’m certain I’ll face more wrath from the keep-reptiles-in-schools group that is currently bashing me on
Reptile rage
I get a lot of emails about this blog. Some are complementary, some… well… not so much.
When it comes to the latter group, the most common (and often the most grammatically-challenged) group is raw meat feeders. They’re a constant source of interesting comments about my intelligence and other aspects of my life. Some actually provide
African Dwarf Frogs info sheet
In response to Salmonella outbreaks linked to these critters, their popularity as pets for young kids, and efforts to ban them in some areas, we’ve developed an info sheet regarding African Dwarf Frogs. As with our other info sheets, it discusses the good and bad points of owning these little guys, things to consider when
Biohazardous bandicoots? Playground Salmonella outbreak in Australia
The latest edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases has an article describing a Salmonella outbreak in New South Wales, Australia, that was linked to playground sand (Staff et al, 2012).
The outbreak stretched over a long period of time, from 2007-2009, and involved a strain of Salmonella called Salmonella Java. During the course of
Yes, dogs can get salmonellosis
Let me say it again… yes, dogs can get salmonellosis.
…and in French, oui, les chiens peuvent devenir malades de salmonellose (hope that’s close)
…and in Swahili, ndiyo, mbwa anaweza kuwa na wagonjwa salmonellosis (thank Google Translate for that one).
What prompted my recurrent ‘yes dogs can get Salmonella rant’? Another fluff piece on
African Dwarf frog ban in Markham, Ontario
Markham, Ontario’s city council has passed a bylaw prohibiting the keeping of African Dwarf frogs. While in reality more of a ban on the sale of frogs in the city (since I doubt there will be any effort to search for contraband frogs in households), and perhaps of somewhat limited impact because of the availability
Elementary school reptile club: good, bad or ugly
Today’s Toronto Star has an article about a reptile club in a Toronto Elementary School. Teacher Jim Karkavitsas runs a session every day that teaches students about a range of reptiles. His menagerie has expanded from one snake five years ago to more than 40 different species in his classroom. Some are loaned out
Diamond pet food lawsuit
It’s not the first, and it’s a safe bet it’s not the last, but a lawsuit has been filed against Diamond Pet Foods in response to a case of salmonellosis in a New Jersey infant. The lawsuit claims (probably correctly) that the infant acquired Salmonella from contaminated dog food that was in the household.
And so it continues…Diamond Pet Food Recall
The title from Food Safety News‘ latest report says it all: "After eight expansions, how big is the Diamond Pet Foods Recall?" It’s disturbing that we can’t answer that question, considering the contamination stretches back to 2011 and now it’s apparent that there are problems with another one of their plants.
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