Animal Health

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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31 July

New WSDA Disease Reporting Tool for Veterinarians

wsvma   |   Animal Health, State Regulatory

The WSDA Animal Disease Reporting Tool is provided to report suspected or confirmed diagnoses of reportable diseases. All suspected or confirmed diagnoses of reportable diseases must be reported to the Animal Health Program as soon as possible. The tool may also be used to report new or unusual animal diseases or disease clusters with potential public health significance, including zoonotic or potentially zoonotic diseases in animals that 1) have never or rarely been observed in WA, or 2) appear in a new species or...

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31 July

Regulations for dogs and cats entering California

wsvma   |   Animal Health, State Regulatory

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) would like to remind state officials and private veterinarians of California’s requirements regarding Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (CVIs) for dogs and cats entering California. A CVI, also known as a health certificate, is not required for cats and most privately owned dogs being brought into California. A health certificate is required only for persons bringing dogs into California with intent to sell or transfer ownership (California...

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31 July

Out-of-state disease confirmed in illegally imported pig

wsvma   |   Animal Health

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) was diagnosed for the first time in pigs illegally imported into Washington State. The disease had not previously been identified in Washington pigs. PRRS is a viral disease characterized by reproductive impairment or failure in breeding animals and respiratory disease in pigs of any age. PRRS is the most economically significant disease to affect US swine production since the eradication of classical swine fever (CSF). Once the disease is established in a herd, it can...

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26 June

New pet disease alert service launches

wsvma   |   Animal Health

Pet Disease Alerts, a public charity established by the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) announced the launch of a new service to alert veterinarians and pet owners about local infectious disease outbreaks. For almost a decade, CAPC has been mapping, tracking and forecasting diseases to make pet owners aware of the risks both where they live and where they plan to travel with their pets. Nationally, prevalence rates have risen each of the past five years and are now up...

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