I doubt it will involve tunnelling under the wall and fake travel documents, but the 2022 Great Hamster Escape is apparently underway in Hong Kong. It’s not surprising, following the recent heavy-handed over-reaction to finding SARS-CoV-2 in a small number of hamsters, and the attempted blame-shifting (COVID-19? No, we don’t have any of that
Six Reasons Why Not to Steal Your Pet’s Ivermectin to Prevent or Treat COVID-19
Ivermectin is a commonly used anti-parasitic in animals, and it’s also used in people to treat some parasitic diseases. Additionally, it’s still widely discussed in some internet circles for treatment or prevention of COVID-19. That’s based on mainly anecdotes, some in vitro study, and very poor quality “clinical trials”.
It’s led to stories of people
Don’t Take One of Those To Go…Raccoons Handed Out Outside a Convenience Store
Lots of things you can get at a convenience store aren’t great for your health, but I wouldn’t have thought we’d have to add rabies to the list of concerns.
Public health officials in Niagara Falls, NY, are trying to track down nine baby raccoons that were handed out by someone outside a 7-Eleven store
SARS-CoV-2 and a canine origin? Seems unlikely
A new paper is suggesting dogs played a role in the origin of SARS-CoV-2.
Doubtful. I suspect this will be like the snake-origin story… lots of initial press but ultimately not much support. (The snake paper was largely debunked within about 24 hours.)
The current study, released a few minutes ago by the journal
She bit what? Bites, antibiotics and… I don’t know what to add
A colleague sent this leading in with “you can’t make this stuff up.” He was right.
Here’s the Cole’s notes version of the story of a couple’s visit to a Louisiana truck stop.
- A Florida couple stops at a roadside rest stop that has some animals on display as attractions.
- Their (apparently poorly
Things not to do with raccoons
I’ll hold back and just classify this as “not a great idea.”
How do that many people get exposed to a single raccoon?
Step 1: Take a wild raccoon and try to make it
One more reason to avoid rattlesnake pills
Not that I needed one more reason to avoid them, but a recent CDC release warns about the risk of Salmonella infection associated with rattlesnake pills. These pills, a literal variation of the old “snake oil” remedies, are apparently marketed as a cure for a variety of ailments, including cancer and HIV.
Lawsuit To Euthanize Neighbours’ Dog for Rabies Testing, Florida
A Florida couple is suing their neighbour in an attempt to get the neighbour’s dog euthanized for rabies testing. The dog attacked the couple’s beagle, and the wife was bitten while intervening (as was her sister). Because there was a bite, it’s important to consider the potential for rabies exposure and take appropriate actions.
Medical tourism for animal cell injections….bad idea
Ok, call me risk averse, but traveling to another country to have someone inject me with cells from organs or fetuses of animals isn’t high on my to-do list. I guess that’s a good thing, given the recent article in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report describing Q-fever in people from New York who traveled to
Do headline writers actually read the articles?
Part I Lyme disease is accompanied by enough paranoia. Bad headlines don’t help. A recent article on The Daily Mail is about Lyme disease and pets. It’s actually not a bad article, outlining some important issues. However, the headline shows a big disconnect between some good content in the article and a complete misunderstanding