WormsAndGermsPod

Big dog, small dog, same vaccine. Does that make sense? Can we, and should we, use smaller doses of vaccines in smaller dogs? How does that impact the immune response and adverse event risk? Like a lot of things in veterinary medicine, data are sparse, but this podcast reviews what we know, and don't know, about half dose vaccines in dogs.

As H5N1 influenza continues to cause havoc across the world, there's continued spillover of this virus in domestic mammals. While antivirals aren't used much for influenza in animals, they might be effective in some situations. However, should we use them? What's the benefit and what are the potential resistance concerns? This podcast dives into issues regarding antiviral use in ani...

As H5N1 continues its unprecedented march through wild and domestic animals, recent infections of cats have highlights concerns about risks to dogs and cats from raw diets. This quick podcast outlines the main issues and prevention measures related to H5N1 exposure from raw diets. 

As H5N1 avian influenza continues to spread, we are seeing more issues with spillover into companion animals. This episode provides some thoughts about when, why and how to test dogs and cats for this virus. It's not as straightforward as you might think. A companion podcast to a post on WormsAndGermsBlog:  https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2024/12/articles/animals/cats/h5n1-testing-in-dogs-a...

Do changes in antibiotic use in animals lead to changes in resistance in people? It's a bit of yes, no, maybe situation because it's complicated. However, there are some good data showing that what we do in animals can affect resistance in humans.  We dug into the archives for this interesting and still highly relevant 2010 paper (see link below) about changes in the use of ceftiofur in...

Our World AMR Awareness Week series continues with Dr. Weese talking about the issues around use of antibiotics in animals for growth promotion. Here's the link to he World Organization for Animal Health's ANIMUSE program that was mentioned:  https://amu.woah.org/amu-system-portal/home

Part 2 of our World AMR Awareness Week series covers the controversial issue of antimicrobial prophylaxis in animals.  Should we use antibiotics in healthy animals to prevent disease?  No...except when we need to. It's not a black and white issue....there's a lot of grey in between and understanding that great area is important. This pod tries to explain some of those issues and nuances....

As part of World AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance) Awareness Week (WAAW), Dr. Scott Weese outlines some  dogmas, misconceptions and barriers that are commonly encountered in antimicrobial treatment of companion animals (and beyond). 

Andy Gibson and Ian Battersby from Mission Rabies join Scott Weese to talk about canine rabies and Mission Rabies's international efforts to control this virus, that kills ~59,000 people a year. To learn more about Mission Rabies, check out http://www.missionrabies.com The Nature Communications paper about Mission Rabies' work in Goa, India that was discussed can be found here: https://w...

Dr. Katie Clow joins Scott Weese for a talk about ticks and tick borne diseases in companion animals. Resources mentioned in the podcast: Ontario risk map: https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/Documents/O/24/ontario-blacklegged-tick-established-risk-areas-2024.pdf?rev=d7dafd390245466483d51e910f02c882&sc_lang=en eTick: eTick.ca AEROH lab: https://aeroh.uoguelph.ca/

Freshly back from the United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance, where antimicrobial use targets in animals were a key topic, Dr. Scott Weese provides an overview of the issues around this controversial but important area. Do we need targets for antibiotic use in animals? What are they meant to do? Why are they controversial? What can do to make them actionable...

Antivirals have revolutionized treatment of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), turning it from an almost invariably fatal disease to one that's usually treatable. However, antivirals are expensive and administration can be a hassle (as many cat owners can attest to). "As long as needed but as short as possible" is what we aim for with anti-infective treatments, but what does that...

All things rabies; a discussion with Dr. Maureen Anderson DVM DVSc PhD DACVIM. Why do we care about rabies? What's rabies exposure? What do we do if an animal may have been exposed to rabies? How do we vaccinate and can titres be used? ...and much more. For more about rabies and other infectious diseases, check us out at http://www.wormsandgermsblog.com

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) is a multidrug resistant bacterium that's an increasing problem in dogs. But can it poses a risk to people as well? This episode will delve into the potential zoonotic disease risks from MRSP and what we can consider to assess and mitigate risks.