Animal Health

15 October

New report on harmful algal blooms and illnesses, resources for pet owners

wsvma   |   Animal Health

Blooms of harmful algae or cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae) can harm people, animals, and the environment. A new CDC report shows that during 2019, 14 states reported 242 harmful algal blooms, 63 human illnesses, and 367 animal illnesses linked to harmful algal blooms. Over half of the animals (56%)—including pets, livestock, and wildlife—died after coming in contact with harmful algal blooms. Order FREE posters and reference cards. Get posters for animal owners and reference cards for animal owners, physicians,...

Read More
17 September

World Rabies Day – WSU Rabies Clinics volunteers needed

wsvma   |   Animal Health

World Rabies Day, started in 2007, aims to raise awareness about the public health impact of human and animal rabies. This year’s World Rabies Day theme is: “Rabies: Facts, not Fear.” The global COVID-19 pandemic has raised many doubts and misconceptions about diseases, their spread, and vaccination in general. Because of this, there has been some hesitancy about the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccines in many countries and many people are afraid to get vaccinated. For rabies, this is nothing new,...

Read More
27 August

Helping clients understand the pet obesity epidemic

wsvma   |   Animal Health

  The human-animal bond has never been stronger. COVID-19 has led to national discussions about what potential long-term impacts quarantine might have on our pets, including extra pounds and anticipating separation anxiety upon return to the workplace. New data pulled from Banfield Pet Hospital’s® electronic veterinary health records system confirms suspicions of weightier pets over the past year. A wider look shines a spotlight on an even more concerning reality that many of us in the profession have been trying to tackle for years:...

Read More
27 August

African Swine Fever (ASF) Action Week

wsvma   |   Animal Health

The Dominican Republic will slaughter tens of thousands of pigs after detecting outbreaks of African Swine Fever in 14 of the country’s 32 provinces last week with estimated economic losses of around $180 million. In response, USDA issued a Federal Order to establish additional requirements for dogs imported into the United States for resale from countries where African swine fever (ASF) exists. ASF can be transmitted via dogs’ fur and bedding, which represent a possible pathway for the introduction of...

Read More
20 August

West Nile Virus is waking up again

wsvma   |   Animal Health

Mosquito pools in the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla area have been showing up with positive results for West Nile virus (WNV) and Washington now has four confirmed cases of West Nile Virus in un/under-vaccinated horses. Three of the horses were from Yakima County and a single horse from Kittitas County had a recent travel history in Idaho. One of the diagnosed horses in Yakima was euthanized due to ataxia and recumbency. The vaccination history of the horse is unknown. The WNV vaccine...

Read More
13 August

Help keep African Swine Fever out of the United States

wsvma   |   Animal Health

African Swine Fever (ASF) has recently been reported in the Dominican Republic and Germany. Veterinary professionals play a crucial role in keeping ASF out of the U.S. You can help by advising clients traveling to ASF-affected countries to take these steps: Declare any overseas farm visits to U.S. Customs when returning. Only bring back safe items. After returning to the U.S. wait at least five days before entering a farm or any other location where pigs are found. This includes livestock markets, zoos, circuses, state and county fairs,...

Read More
06 August

Veterinarians recruiting dogs to help develop life‑saving test

wsvma   |   Animal Health, Professional News, Veterinary Medical Education

Washington State University veterinarians are recruiting dogs to help develop a life-saving canine drug metabolism test. The test could provide veterinarians with a quick-and-easy way to determine if a dog will have a potentially life-threatening reaction to anesthesia drugs or other drugs commonly prescribed to dogs. Dogs of all breeds and sizes, age 1-12, are eligible to participate in the Drugs Optimized by Genomics (D.O.G.) Study. Life-threatening unanticipated reactions to drugs are a common concern for dog owners and veterinarians. Like humans, all dogs are unique in...

Read More
18 June

Conserving pentobarbital in times of shortage

wsvma   |   Animal Health, Medicine

As a means to address the current shortage of pentobarbital euthanasia solutions and extend available supplies, veterinarians might consider combining the use of pentobarbital-containing euthanasia solutions with deep general anesthesia to perform in-clinic and in-home euthanasia. Due to limited availability of the active pharmaceutical agent, there is a shortage of Schedule II and Schedule III pentobarbital euthanasia solutions (e.g., Beuthanasia-D®; Euthasol®; Fatal-Plus ®). Each ml of Schedule II and Schedule III pentobarbital euthanasia solutions contains 390 mg of pentobarbital. The labeled product dosing is 1...

Read More
18 June

Vesicular Disease in Livestock

wsvma   |   Animal Health

Vesicular diseases are clinically indistinguishable. All vesicular diseases can produce vesicles progressing to erosions in the mouth, nares, muzzle, teats, and feet of livestock. Affected animals are usually febrile, anorexic, and depressed. Although vesicular diseases produce similar clinical lesions, the species they affect and the severity of lesions differ. Foot and mouth disease Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and parts of South America. The U.S. has been FMD-free since 1929. Species affected include cattle,...

Read More
27 May

Antimicrobial resistance and stewardship initiative: Enrollment open for small animal clinics and hospitals

wsvma   |   Animal Health

The University of Minnesota (UMN) is recruiting U.S. small animal general and referral practices to participate in a 2021 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 clinics 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., Pub Med ID 32519751, 30380384). The time commitment for...

Read More