@scottweese.bsky.social
Infectious disease vet. Girl's hockey coach. Herder of (or herded by) critters and daughters
Contaminated raw pet food ✔️
Life-threatening illness in a child linked to the food ✔️
Ignored FDA recall notice ✔️
Business as usual, I guess.
Hemolytic-uremic syndrome in a child linked to E coli from raw dog food, but the company (again) has ignored recall requests.
1/2
And highlight a couple "we don't want owners doing this" things that I did.
www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2025/07/arti...
2/2
I guess it's fitting that, as someone who's authored international urinary treatment guidelines for dogs, my dog would develop an infection.
Anyway, Ozzie got a UTI. It was pretty straightforward but it's an opportunity to discuss some practical issues.
1/2
We're still tracking Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever on Long Point, Ontario.
Here's a quick primer on the disease and issues.
www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2025/07/arti...
Canine parvovirus 'outbreak' in London
Likely more of a cluster in a low vaccine coverage population that's attracted attention vs something overly remarkable for this endemic virus, but a good reminder that it's a problem and we need good vax coverage
www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2025/07/arti...
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) in dogs update, Ontario.
Now up to 5 cases, 4 with a solid link to Long Point (and the other may have).
Not a reason to panic but we need increased awareness about ticks, in general, and RMSF, esp in dogs (and people) at Long Point.
1/2
Free webinar by our AMR Multistakeholder Partnership Platform Vet Education group.
More than just numbers-making use of surveillance data in veterinary practice: Dr. Susanna Sternberg Lewerin
Registration here: fao.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
...because of how nasty can be (potentially fatal if treated too late or untreated).
Ppl can't get infected from dogs but canine cases are relevant since we get exposed the same way dogs do, from an infected tick.
2/3
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) in a dog in Ontario.
Not unprecedented but locally acquired cases have been rare.
Rumours of other dogs affected in the same area (real? Unclear).
Worth paying attention to because of how tickborne dzs are changing and..
1/
I'd love to have a device that would effectively repel insects. Make one that works and I'll buy it and recommend it.
Dodgy products waste money but more importantly can lead to increased disease in dogs/cats when ppl use them instead of proven methods.
3/3
Insect borne diseases huge #s of ppl and animals every year.
An easy, non-drug preventive method is a billion dollar market waiting for an effective product.
The fact that we don't have one to prevent malaria and other dzs in ppl says a lot.
www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2025/06/arti...
2/3
Ultrasonic flea/tick repellants for pets.
Easy to find, splashy advertizing, but do they work?
TLDR: There's no supporting evidence and often the 'evidence' that's used in marketing is crap.
1/3
Vets need to understand the drugs they use but diagnostic labs play a key role and need to do a better job.
www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2025/06/arti...
Labs should only report nitro susceptibility for urine samples, but some labs still report results for non-urine samples.
That can lead to inappropriate use, treatment failure and in some cases, death of the animal (I've seen all).
2/3
Not an official "Dear Veterinarian" letter but my own plea to avoid causing harm through inappropriate nitrofurantoin use in dogs and cats.
It's a good drug for UTIs but only gets useful drug levels in the bladder (so it's useless for other infections).
Late notice, but here's a free webinar on surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis in dogs and cats tomorrow (1500 CET, 9am Eastern) by Fergus Allerton.
It's the first in our series of veterinary antimicrobial use webinars
Registration link below.
oo complex an issue to cover in a tweet (or tweetorial).
Vaccine adverse events are real and important, but does cutting a vaccine dose actually help?
Is it a bigger issue in small dogs, or certain breeds?
Could it help or hurt?
👇
www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2025/05/arti...
Not an uncommon question....
"Can I give a half dose of a vaccine to small breed dogs?”
Or
“An owner wants me to give their small dog a half a vaccine dose because they are worried about adverse effects. Should I do that?”
TLDR: No.
Full answer: check out the post in reply
Also, too often, people don't voluntarily report animal contact or bites.
Most often, those aren't relevant but when they are, they can be really relevant (and it takes seconds and no $ to ask).
3/n
It can also be linked with cats. We usually think about other bacteria from cat's mouths but this one should be on the list too.
The big gap, though, is identifying a bite. Too often, animal contacts and bites are not queried when people seek healthcare.
That's a major gap.
2/n
Capnocytophaga canimorsus...a bit of a niche zoonoticn bacterium but an important one since it can kill.
It's a common commensal in the mouth of dogs, and most infected ppl don't have a spleen, but it can affect other people.
1/n
27.05.2025 08:55 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Rabid dog in Winnipeg. Another incident of unknowingly moving a rabid dog from Nunavut to southern areas.
www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2025/05/arti...
2025 @uofg Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses (CPHAZ) Symposium
Free, online, Wed May 21.
Program below.
Registration: www.eventbrite.com/e/cphaz-annu...
