Although nearly all dogs that have the H3N2 influenza virus can transmit it, only about 80 percent of infected dogs show symptoms. The virus can survive in the environment for days. This means a dog can catch it without direct contact with another dog, says veterinary epidemiologist Yvette Johnson-Walker. Source: Herald & Review, August 18, 2018. Link. Vaccines are … [Read more...]
9 things to know about dogs in heat
Writer Jackie Brown presents some facts about dogs in heat and the importance of spaying female dogs. Her article helps answer some questions new owners of female dogs may have about heat and reproduction. A dog heat cycle only happens once or twice a year. A puppy can go into heat sooner than you think. Dogs in heat should stay away from intact male dogs for 3 to … [Read more...]
Infections from a dog lick are a risk but very rare
Jennifer McQuiston is one of the nation’s leading experts on capnocytophaga, the bacteria at the center of recent news stories revealing amputations and deaths from these bacteria. According to the CDC, 74% of dogs have capnocytophaga detected in their mouths The bacteria are often found in dog and cat saliva "and on occasion, you can even find this bug in human saliva." When … [Read more...]
Mosquito emoji to benefit public and researchers
The AHD team has presented posts about mosquitoes and how they affect animals and humans five times in past two years. Link. Our friends at QUARTZ did a great job summarizing how the 3,000 known mosquito species are the deadliest animals in the world. They also note the importance of an upcoming mosquito emoji that will help researchers communicate via social media about the … [Read more...]
Opinion – Animal healthcare market trends and major industry players
Key points and trends in the press release from Global Market Insights, Inc. will interest animal health pros. It notes various growth drivers including: Growing trend of adopting pet animals Rising prevalence of food borne and zoonotic diseases Favorable government initiatives Rapidly increasing demand for animal protein in human food Technological … [Read more...]
Sponsored content: as seen in AAHA Red
AAHA Red is a blog designed to represent everything AAHA. Red also contains sponsored content from AAHA Strategic Alliance partners. Recent content sponsored by Merck Animal Health is provided below. Source: AAHA Red. The broad-spectrum antibiotic with patented ‘Taste Masking Technology’, Merck Animal Health, August 1, 2018. Link. Are your patients covered when it … [Read more...]
Rural veterinary shortage continues; food safety a concern
There has been a shortage of large-animal vets in rural areas since 2003. Experts say this is because of a combination of low wages, long hours and fewer new graduates wanting to live outside a major city. Without vets, farmers and the nation's food supply are more vulnerable to disease outbreaks. Source: NPR, June 16, 2018. Link. The death of a cow can set a rancher back … [Read more...]
Solve common foot bath mistakes
Jim Edwards focuses on the top four mistakes that are key to achieving maximum value from footbaths on dairies: Common mistake #1 – Water volume Common mistake #2 – Treatment concentration Common mistake #3 – Cow passes before refill Common mistake #4 – Footbath frequency Source: Progressive Dairyman, July 30, 2018. Link. Each mistake impacts the effectiveness of … [Read more...]
Armadillos now re-gifting leprosy to humans
Leprosy, the oldest disease known to be associated with humans, is not a thing of the past. John Stewart Spencer, associate professor at Colorado State University, says research shows humans are contracting leprosy from common, nine-banded armadillos. The disease is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, the identical strain infecting the majority of armadillos and … [Read more...]
Veterinarian’s life purpose keeps him busy into his 90s
Veterinary surgeon Lincoln Parks invented and patented a cart that allows disable animals to walk in the 1960s. He’s been making them since through his business, K-9 Cart (link). He retired in 1991 after more than 3,000 spine surgeries, but he didn’t stop working. He set up a workshop and has built and sold animal wheelchairs since. Source: Washington Post, August 9, 2018. … [Read more...]
Cats are neither mean nor cruel
Brigitte Osterath discusses cat behavior, their status as loners and how that affects interactions. Her article and photos are worthy of social media posts targeting new cat owners. There is a simple reason for why cats are so different from dogs — and thus also in their relationships to humans: "Cats are originally loners and independent," explains Dennis Turner. They did not … [Read more...]
A tired dog is a good dog
We don’t promote any of the products featured in this article. However, it clearly spells out the need for dogs to get enough exercise and stimulation. Issues with obesity, destructive behavior, separation anxiety, excessive barking, attention-seeking, leash pulling and many other undesirable behaviors often have the same root cause: your dog just isn’t getting enough … [Read more...]
Implementing the multimodal approach to heartworm prevention
The Heartworm Update, <link> sponsored by Ceva Animal Health, provides multiple practice scenarios and suggested roles and responsibilities for veterinarians, practice managers, technicians and front desk staff to ensure things go as smoothly as possible with implementation efforts, client education and client compliance. Source: AAHA Red, August 1, 2018. Link. The … [Read more...]
Change is in the air for U.S. cattle ID and traceability
A 2017 BEEF Survey says beef producers give cautious support to traceability, Burt Rutherford said as he spoke to members of the International Livestock Identification Association (ILIA) at their annual conference. This is important because at present, outside of those for various value-added programs, the U.S. doesn’t have a nationwide birth-to-consumer traceability … [Read more...]
The quest for more piglets has eroded quality
Litters of 15 or more piglets sounds good until you only wean 10. Mark Knauer reviews production practices and survival data, focusing on improving piglet birth weights to ensure better live-ability. Source: National Hog Farmer, August 9, 2018. Link. Piglet birth weight has clear associations with production throughput and efficiency. An increase of one piglet per litter is … [Read more...]
U.S. federal pot law puts vets into a quandary
California appears ready to pass the nation’s first law giving veterinarians the legal position required to answer questions about using cannabis for pets. At least 30 U.S. states have legalized medical marijuana, but none of them make provisions for ailing animals. As a result, veterinarians are reluctant to even discuss marijuana, which remains illegal under federal law, … [Read more...]
Veterinary clients, hospitals not together on parasitology
It’s no surprise, but variance numbers are just too far apart between veterinary teams' and their clients’ perceptions. Opinions between veterinarians and pet owners differ about what parasite education, treatment and diagnostics are being done in visits, according to new data from Partners for Healthy Pets, AAHA and AVMA. Parallel information from the Veterinary Hospital … [Read more...]
How we use our land helps customers gain perspective
Animal health pros, especially those serving livestock and wildlife sectors, often get into conversations about the best use for certain types of land. Bloomberg writers Dave Merrill and Lauren Leatherby used data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to show the major uses of land in the lower 48 states. You may be surprised at how little is used to grow our food. Source: … [Read more...]
What you need to know about Eastern and western equine encephalomyelitis
EQUUS reprises Laurie Bonner’s article from last fall to remind horse owners of the importance of protecting their animals from eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EED) and western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE). EEE easily ranks among the worst diseases a horse can get. Caused by a virus that is spread mainly by mosquitoes, the disease damages the horse’s central nervous … [Read more...]
Signs of ulcers in horses often subtle
Boehringer Ingelheim’s Hoyt Cheramie, DVM, MS, DACVS, discusses equine stomach ulcers and reminds us that subtle changes can signal an ulcer condition. Clinical signs of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) are not pathognomonic, meaning not very highly associated with the disease. Some signs of EGUS, such as behavioral issues or poor performance, can be so common that they … [Read more...]
JAVMA: attire may impact believability
Among the many papers in the August 1st issue of JAVMA are two that will interest many veterinary team members: Clients' attitudes toward veterinarians' attire in the small animal emergency medicine setting. Link. Survey of human-horse relationships and veterinary care for geriatric horses. Link. Source: JAVMA, August 1, 20-18. Link. INSIGHTS: It is interesting … [Read more...]
Top 5 zoonotic disease concerns for dogs during hospital visits
In our post “Zoonotic knowledge poor in MDs and population,” December 20, 2017 <link> Sara Wooten, DVM, discussed the lack of zoonotic knowledge and the potential issues. . . . many MDs are uncomfortable discussing zoonotic disease and lack appropriate knowledge about the subject. Scott Weese, DVM, reiterates Wooten’s concerns and then empirically identifies the top 5 … [Read more...]
Small dogs leave dishonest scent marks (includes video)
We had to share this. A new study published in the Journal of Zoology found that small-breed male dogs engage in dishonest scent marking (yes, this is the technical term) to try to fool other dogs into thinking they're bigger than they are. Source: Bustle, August 6, 2018. Link. "Many small dogs are terriers, small versions of terriers, or other breeds and mixes of breeds … [Read more...]
White paper covers how dogs will help owners in distress (includes video)
The white paper “Timmy’s in the well: Empathy and prosocial helping in dogs,” was recently published in the journal Learning & Behavior. Paper authors studied the time that dogs responding to their owners’ crying. The study involved 34 pet dogs of various breeds and sizes and their owners. The results show that dogs will frequently push through barriers with urgency to help … [Read more...]
ARH-WOOOOOOO! Why do dogs howl?
Beyond ancestry, communication seems to be the primary reason dogs howl, writes Melvin Peña. He discusses some common reasons and situations when dogs howl. Source: Dogster, July 12, 2018. Link. INSIGHTS: Peña’s list of howling-prone dog breeds might help with a dog owner’s choices for a new animal. … [Read more...]
Therapy dogs may help with ADHD
There is good reason to suspect that dogs could be helpful for kids with ADHD, writes Karen B. London, PhD. If the Motivational Hypothesis is true, then interacting with dogs may help these kids by heightening their arousal and emotional states which may lead to increased attention and interest in the environment in which therapy takes place. Although promising, there is … [Read more...]
Our pets are fat and getting fatter
Sixty percent of cats and 56 percent of dogs in the U.S. are overweight. In fact, the Association for Pet Obesity estimates that veterinarians now classify more than 100 million dogs and cats as overweight or obese. That is up from 80 million five years ago. Some pet owners fail to recognize the severity of the problem. Source: New York Times, August 2, 2018. (paywall) … [Read more...]
Traveling with pets: AVMA FAQs
August is traditionally a busy family vacation month. These trips include pets more than ever before. The AVMA has a solid resource to answer questions about pet travel. Consider using it to inform pet owners via social media, website links and in vacation readiness newsletters. Many of these FAQs also apply to the dogs and cats that attend state fairs with 4-Hers and FFA … [Read more...]
Focus on feline health: AVMA Special Report
Animal health pros focused on Feline urinary tract health and wellness will want to review this issue of the AVMA Animal Health Smartbrief. It begins with sponsored information from Royal Canin as the first in a series of reports. Cats are known for concealing signs of illness, so often the first sign of something amiss occurs in the litter box, or outside of it, as is … [Read more...]
Cat scratch fever and prevention
Referring to a bacterial infection caused by Bartonella henselae bacteria, not Ted Nugent’s hit song of 1977, Sandy Robins reviews cat scratch fever also known as cat scratch disease. Zoonotic, cat scratch fever is preventable if you understand feline behavior and ensure pets are protected from fleas. The article includes good information about avoiding scratches and dealing … [Read more...]