Heidi Goethert, ScD, presents an image gallery showing the ticks of the northeast United States, though their range may extend throughout much of North America. The ticks were photographed on the author's hand to show scale. A close-up view is included to show details useful for identification. Source: Clinician’s Brief, April 2008. Link. A clinician's ability to make an … [Read more...]
This animal kills more people in a day than sharks in a century (videos)
Bill Gates, Microsoft founder, has come to fear mosquitos. He discusses the global consequences of mosquito-borne disease in humans, fears and shares a clever video that reinforces mosquitos as a vector. The video’s mosquito character says, “I don’t want to kill, it’s just something inside me.” For animal health professionals, mosquitos are most notably vectors for dog … [Read more...]
Heed new pinkeye management protocols
Articles from AHD sponsor Addison Biological Laboratories provide information about how we should now manage pinkeye. Starting with a historical perspective helps. This is what we know: Pinkeye is a painful cattle disease that can reduce weaning weights as much as 17 lbs. to 65 lbs. per animal. Pinkeye is a multifactor disease. Once it begins to spread through a … [Read more...]
IDEXX research links tick-borne disease exposure, kidney problems in veterinary patients
Protecting pets from ticks and Lyme disease seems not to be enough. IDEXX Laboratories has released internal research connecting exposure to the pathogens causing Lyme disease and ehrlichiosis to kidney problems later in life, even in animals that seemed asymptomatic at the time of the screening. Dogs with antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme pathogen, were found to … [Read more...]
5 steps to safely remove ticks from dogs
Kate Eldredge, LVT, shares five steps to remove ticks from an animal. Note her reference about saving the tick for identification or testing. Remove the tick Clean the bite area Check for more ticks Review your preventatives Schedule blood work to check for tick-borne diseases Source: Whole Dog Journal, March 2018. It’s hard to say which is worse: running … [Read more...]
Clean up to reduce stable fly population
The manure and waste hay from a single feeding site can produce more than 1 million stable flies. On a smaller scale, the same thing happens on acreages or in backyards where manure and feces have piled up over the winter. Stable flies are also known as biting house flies and are slightly smaller than house flies. Source: Beef, March 8, 2018. Data from the “Managing Stable … [Read more...]
Help bees get through winter
Angi Schneider shares it’s a good idea to give domestic bees extra help to survive the winter, especially if you are bee farming in areas that have severe winters. She discusses hive types and winterization protocols. Veterinary teams and retailers may want to keep information like this handy for new beekeepers. Source: Countryside Daily, January 8, 2018. Keeping the queen … [Read more...]
Feed bees so they survive the winter
The implementation of the VFD has increased animal health pros’ apiary concerns. Angi Schneider writes about feeding bees in winter to help them survive. Unlike other insects, bees do not hibernate during the winter or lay eggs that overwinter and emerge in spring. They stay active all winter long. Source: Countryside Daily, November 24, 2017. Once temperatures reach about … [Read more...]
CAPC issues first mosquito control guidelines
The first set of guidelines on mosquito control were issued in April. According to the CAPC Parasite Prevalence Maps, in 2016 more than 118,000 cases of canine heartworm were diagnosed in the United States. Heartworm infections are becoming more prevalent in areas previously considered to be at a low risk (see Heartworm disease in CAPC guidelines). In response, the … [Read more...]
There’s something wrong in the neighborhood
Who you gonna call? Pest busters. Here’s a list of available products for parasite and pest management. Source: Beef, April 2017, page 20. Pest busters for 2017. … [Read more...]
Bugs chickens love and hate
Insects are everywhere! Learn which flyers and creepers keep chickens happy, and which to watch out for. The information provided will help backyard chicken raisers better understand what to do and not to do when it comes to bugs. Source: Hobby Farms, March 15, 2017. When it comes to chickens, flies are a double-edged sword. On the positive side, chickens love to eat flies … [Read more...]
Bumblebees will return
Jeff Whitworth, Kansas State University associate professor of entomology, said bumblebees are not headed for extinction. Bee declines have been attributed to a variety of factors, including parasites, pesticides and urbanization, as well as fungal, bacterial and viral diseases. Source: Feedstuffs, January 27, 2017. Whitworth predicted that bee populations will continue to … [Read more...]
Texas expands fever tick quarantine zone
Fever ticks carry Babesia protozoa, which cause cattle fever. It is characterized by acute anemia, high fever, and enlargement of the spleen and liver, ultimately causing death for many infected cattle. Last summer, animal health officials confirmed that the fever ticks, which can carry the protozoa Babesia bovis or B. bigemina, have spread outside the permanent quarantine area … [Read more...]
Know which products need a VFD before time runs out
The veterinary feed directive (VFD) takes effect January 1, 2017. Here’s a handy list of products affected by the new rule compiled by the National Pork Board and the University of Wisconsin. Source: AGDAILY, November 10, 2016. A VFD can only be issued from a licensed veterinarian, based on a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship, before a producer may use feeds … [Read more...]
Long-forgotten research unearths new mystery about Lyme disease
Nearly two years before Willy Burgdorfer discovered the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, he stumbled upon another obscure tick-borne bacterium, Rickettsia helvetica, which he called the Swiss Agent. But, Burgdorfer put those results aside. His 1980s-era papers on the forgotten research were recently discovered, raising new questions about the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme … [Read more...]
Fly control essential to pinkeye prevention
Fall’s short days and cool nights combined with the grouping of cattle, increases the risk of pinkeye. Fly control is essential to reduce the risk of pinkeye, says A.J. Tarpoff, Kansas State University beef veterinarian. Effective fly control plans may include insecticide sprays, special ear tags or cattle rubs. “Flies work to cause pinkeye in two different ways,” he said. … [Read more...]
Screwworms in Florida after 30-year absence
Some of us have vivid memories of screwworm larvae burrowed into the flesh of livestock. A full-grown screwworm looks like any other fly. It is an insect small in size, dark, six-legged and compound-eyed. Its life cycle is quite different than other flies, however. A pregnant screwworm seeks out the bodies of much larger animals. Upon finding an open wound or other fleshy … [Read more...]
Dogs not a reservoir for Zika virus – so far
There is no indication that dogs harbor the Zika virus which might allow a mosquito to pick it up when it bites a dog and then inject the virus into a person. To date,, there are no reported cases of Zika virus in dogs or other animals in the U.S. This may change as continued research and testing is completed. Zika virus is related to the West Nile virus. Source: Capital … [Read more...]
Tick warning from up north
Cooler weather is ahead or here. Veterinarians from Prince Edward Island reminded pet owners that fall is clearly still tick season. You should warn your clients, too! Source: CBC.ca (Canada), September 15, 2016, via AVMA SmartBrief. The cooler weather may have some pet owners thinking they can ease back on flea and tick treatments for their animals. But P.E.I. … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content – Videos help explain mosquito control and heartworm prevention
AHD sponsor CEVA created a video series in which parasitology experts discuss vector control and the multimodal approach to heartworm prevention. Presenters in the videos share results from studies by John McCall, MS, PhD, which examine the effects of topical repellent-insecticide plus oral heartworm preventive on development of heartworm disease. Videos like these are … [Read more...]
It’s a lousy time of year
Cooler weather brings a greater risk of lice. The USDA estimates that U.S. livestock producers lose $125 million each year to it. Protecting cattle includes understanding the life cycle of lice, recognizing the potential damage and using effective methods of control. If not controlled, a single adult female in September can result in approximately 1 million lice by … [Read more...]
Equine WNV Diagnoses Increasing
Horses in three states recently tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV): two in New York, one in Oklahoma and five in Wisconsin, according to officials at the Equine Disease Communications Center. Source: The Horse, September 13, 2016. In addition to vaccinations, horse owners also need to reduce the mosquito populations and their possible breeding areas. Recommendations … [Read more...]
4 surprising flea-transmitted diseases you need to know
Unlike ticks, fleas don’t seem all that threatening. Mostly, we see the tiny bloodsuckers as a nuisance for pets and for us, not a serious threat to anyone’s health. Don’t dismiss them. Learn how fleas can transmit a surprising number of diseases to animals and humans. Source: Pet MD, September 12, 2016. Fleas can cause serious harm to you and your pet’s health through … [Read more...]