Animal Health

23 April

Canine companions still needed for Dog Aging Project research

wsvma   |   Animal Health

Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is looking for local and regional canine participants to be part of the Dog Aging Project, a five-year, $23 million undertaking to better understand canine aging. WSU is one of seven colleges of veterinary medicine around the country to participate in this study along with Texas A&M, University of Georgia, Iowa State University, Colorado State University, Oregon State University, and North Carolina State University. The study is funded by the National Institute on Aging, a...

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19 March

New treatment helps paralyzed dog walk again

wsvma   |   Animal Health

The doorbell rings, shattering a moment of rare silence in a home enlivened by two young boys and a pair of hunting dogs. Mater, a German wire-haired pointer, startles from his slumber on the sofa and with a sleepy bark, alerts his family to the potential — but highly unlikely — threat. He gingerly hops down to the floor and limps toward the front door like an arthritic 15-year-old dog who long ago put his best hunting days behind him. Mater, though,...

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11 February

State Veterinarian alerts poultry flock owners to potential avian influenza threat

wsvma   |   Animal Health

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) will offer a free webinar to help poultry owners protect their birds from avian influenza as cases continue to increase worldwide. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) reports ongoing outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or bird flu, in 26 countries across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. HPAI can spread rapidly and kill entire flocks. The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recently reported the current rates of HPAI in Asia...

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11 December

Suspect a Canine Respiratory Disease Outbreak? Use this tracking tool

wsvma   |   Animal Health

Reports of suspected canine infectious respiratory disease pop up on occasion, including in British Columbia, northwest Washington and the Olympia area in recent weeks, and it’s often difficult to determine if outbreaks are really happening. In response to recent reported cases in Ontario and Alberta, Dr. Scott Weese has developed a tracking tool. “Getting good information is a challenge,” he says. To try and get information about what’s going on, Weese has launched a brief survey that owners and veterinarians with...

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20 November

Recent Upticks in Equine Influenza and Pigeon Fever

wsvma   |   Animal Health

Noticeable upticks in the number of cases of Equine Influenza Virus and Pigeon Fever have been reported by private veterinarians to the Washington State Veterinarian’s Office in the past two months. You can find the full list of diseases that veterinarians are required to report by visiting the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s website and searching for ‘reportable diseases.’ Here are overviews of both diseases and steps that can be taken for prevention. Equine Influenza Virus (EIV)  There have been 23 cases...

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06 November

Uptick in Equine Influenza and Pigeon Fever Cases in October

wsvma   |   Animal Health

Noticeable upticks in the number of cases of equine influenza (Pierce, Thurston, King, Lewis, and Skagit Counties) and pigeon fever (Thurston, Kitsap, King, Spokane and Clark Counties) were reported to the state veterinarian’s office in the past month. Here are brief overviews of both diseases for those who need a memory jog. Equine influenza is caused by influenza type A virus subtypes. It is highly contagious between horses, primarily through direct contact and inhalation of aerosolized virus. The virus can survive...

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06 November

October 2020 Reportable Animal Disease Summary

wsvma   |   Animal Health

  Month Year Disease Name Animal Species # Animals Reported October 2020 CIRD Canine 6   Ehrlichiosis (Potomac horse fever) Equine 1   EHV-4 Equine 1   Equine influenza Equine 16   Heartworm Canine 9     Leishmaniasis  Canine 1   Leptospirosis  Canine 4   Neorickettsia helminthoeca Canine 1   Pigeon Fever (Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis) (ulcerative lymphangitis) Equine 8   Salmonellosis Equine 1   Strangles (Streptococcus equi subsp. equi) Equine 3   CORRECTION to October Reportable Disease The October Report from the WA State Veterinarian’s Office incorrectly reported a case of “salmonid alphavirus.”  This was an error in their new reporting system. WSDA apologizes for any concern this has caused. Salmonid alphavirus is a Foreign Animal Diseases and has NOT been detected in Washington. 11/13/20 For more information on salmonid alphavirus see OIE’s factsheet here:...

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18 September

World Rabies Day – Rabies Hero Campaign

wsvma   |   Animal Health

Rabies Free Africa is launching the Rabies Hero campaign for World Rabies Day – September 28, 2020. The campaign encourages veterinary hospitals to host vaccination clinics in their local communities to prevent outbreaks of diseases. It is easy to participate. An online toolkit Is available with suggestions for types of clinics and marketing materials. If you are interested in being part of the Rabies Hero campaign, sign-up online or email at [email protected] “Rabies is a very serious disease and could become a...

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14 August

A message from Dr. Guy Palmer about World Rabies Day

wsvma   |   Animal Health, One Health

2020 has been an unprecedented year. I have spent my whole career studying infectious disease and, while I knew the risk of a pandemic, that doesn’t make it easier to witness the toll COVID-19 is taking on families and businesses and most importantly the loss of life. Public health officials around the world are raising concerns about recommended vaccines that are being skipped due to COVID-19 for both humans and animals. All veterinary hospitals in Washington have operated at limited capacity...

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07 August

Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship Initiative looking for participants

wsvma   |   Animal Health, One Health

The University of Minnesota is recruiting U.S. small animal veterinary teaching hospitals to participate in a 2020 national point-prevalence survey (PPS) to gather data on antibiotic use in dogs and cats. Data from a single day of clinical practice will be collected from all participating hospitals for national-level aggregation and analysis. This approach is modeled after CDC’s methodology to estimate national antibiotic use and healthcare-associated infections in hospitals and nursing homes (e.g., PMID 32519751, 30380384). Time commitment is estimated to be...

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