Rat Bite Disease

Have you ever taken your dog out for a potty break and turned your back, only to discover your canine pal chomping on a large mouthful of grass? While you might panic and think about the vomit you'll be cleaning off the carpet later, this behavior is not always cause for alarm. But why do they do it, and how do you know when it's a problem? And are there ways to get dogs to stop eating grass? Reasons Dogs Eat Grass There are a variety of reasons why dogs find grass to be a delicacy. These include: Diet Deficiency Some dog owners and veterinarians assume that grass eating is a form of  pica , or eating strange nonfood items, sometimes caused by a diet deficiency. Many diet deficiencies are rooted in missing vitamins, nutrients, or minerals that are absent from daily intake. This should not be a problem for dogs who are fed a well-balanced diet, so consider asking your veterinarian about switching dog food if your dog repeatedly eats grass. ...

Dogs can do some pretty weird things sometimes — like chew their butts or bite their tails. Why do they do that? Turns out there are a lot of causes for itchy butts in dogs, and with the help of your vet, they're pretty easily treatable. We spoke to Dr. Megan Moore, a veterinarian at Bergen County Veterinary Center, to find out why your dog is chewing his butt and how to treat it. Why is my dog chewing his butt or biting his tail? If your dog is chewing or licking his butt or tail area, there's probably a reason behind it — he's likely not just doing it for fun. "Rectal itching may be due to a variety of issues: full or infected anal glands, intestinal parasites, skin infections, allergies, perianal fistulas or masses, foreign material, trauma, etc.," Dr. Moore told The Dodo. Certain factors can put some dogs at greater risk for rectal itching. "There are predisposing factors that may contribute," Dr. Moore said. "Overweight dogs, dogs with loose st...

By Colin Dayan, Vanderbilt University,  via The Conversation As recently as 50 years ago, the pit bull was America's favorite dog. Pit bulls were everywhere. They were popular in advertising and used to promote the joys of pet-and-human friendship. Nipper on the RCA Victor label, Pete the Pup in the "Our Gang" comedy short films, and the flag-wrapped dog on a classic World War I poster all were pit bulls. With National Pit Bull Awareness Day celebrated on Oct. 26, it's a fitting time to ask how these dogs came to be seen as a dangerous threat. Starting around 1990, multiple features of American life converged to inspire widespread bans that made pit bulls outlaws, called "four-legged guns" or "lethal weapons." The drivers included some dog attacks, excessive parental caution, fearful insurance companies and a tie to the sport of dog fighting. As a professor of humanities and law, I have studied the legal history of slaves, vagrants, ...

Cat bites can make deep puncture wounds that are hard to clean. The nature of these wounds allows bacteria or other organisms to become trapped deeper in the skin. Due to this, and the fact that cats carry many types of bacteria in their mouths, a bite can lead to infection. In the United States, cat and dog bites make up 1% of all emergency room visits. Cat bites are responsible for up 3–15% of these cases. This article has more information on cat bites, safety tips, first aid, and when to seek medical attention. Cats can bite when they become spooked or scared. Cats carry a variety of pathogens in and on their bodies. In some cases, cat bites may lead to mild to severe infections. Though the chance of infection can vary, general estimates of infection rates of cat bites range from 20% to 80%. Some estimates indicate that up to 50% of children bitten by a cat will develop an infection. As a result, a person should watch for signs of infection if a cat bites them. In addition to an in...

Abstract Knowledge of the clinical presentation of central nervous system (CNS) infections and the causative pathogens is crucial for appropriate diagnosis and rapid initiation of appropriate treatment to prevent severe neurological sequelae. The aim of this study is to understand the aetiology of CNS infections based on the clinical presentation of Vietnamese patients. A prospective hospital-based cohort study was conducted between May 2014 and May 2017. We screened 137 patients with clinically suspected CNS infection for fungal, bacterial and viral pathogens using their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood cultures. In addition, DNA or RNA extracted from CSF samples were subjected to nucleic acid testing (NAT) with a selective panel of bacterial, viral and fungal pathogens. At least one pathogen could be detected in 41% (n = 56) of the patients. The main pathogens causing CNS infections were Streptococcus suis (n = 16; 12%) and Neisseria meningitidis (n = 9; 7%), followed by Herpes ...

The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) is working in close collaboration with officials at San Diego Unified School District and Mira Mesa High School to notify people who were possibly exposed to tuberculosis (TB). The period of potential exposure at Mira Mesa High School is from March 27, 2022, to June 14, 2022. HHSA is working with San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) officials to notify those who have a higher risk of exposure, and to ensure those people are tested for TB. While students and staff with increased risk for exposure have been identified, other students and staff may also have been exposed. TB is an airborne disease that is transmitted from person-to-person through inhalation of the bacteria from the air. The chances of infection are higher for people with frequent and prolonged indoor exposure to a person who is sick with TB. "Symptoms of active TB most commonly include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weigh...

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A child was treated for dog bites in a Fort Lauderdale neighborhood Tuesday night. Local 10 News' cameras captured a dog being placed in an animal control vehicle. Police said the dog bit a 10-year-old boy in the face and neck area. It happened in a building on the 1400 block of Northwest 2nd Street. Fortunately, authorities said the child's injuries were minor, but he was still taken to Broward Health Medical Center to be further evaluated. The boy's older brother spoke to Local 10 News. His mother was with his brother at the hospital. "The dog tried to bite him in his face so he got like scratches or wounds on his face," he said. Other than that, he got minor scratches on his wrist. A place like this for a wild dog like that, that's dangerous." The dog wasn't hurt despite reports of a witness shooting it.

Gleaner- Amid a rise in cases of gastroenteritis in St James and St Andrew, doctors at Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) in Montego Bay have confirmed that a two-year-old boy who was admitted to the medical facility Tuesday night with symptoms of the disease died hours later Wednesday morning. The child, who was first taken to a private hospital before his parents sought treatment at CRH, presented with vomiting and diarrhoea, said Dr Delroy Fray, clinical coordinator at the Western Regional Health Authority. The head of the hospital's Paediatric Unit, Dr Carleene Grant-Davis, said that cases were on the rise in St James. The virus occurs in adults as well, but children may be more severely affected. Since Sunday, 112 children have turned up at Bustamante Hospital for Children with the intestinal infection. "We had 28 children presenting with the symptoms on the 16th, 35 on the 17th, 26 on the 18th, and 23 on the 19th," Dr Sandra Chambers, regional technical director of th...

Liza Rudolph, BAS, RVT, VTS (CP-CF), SAIM, outlines ticks that target dogs, their geographical distribution, when they are active, and diseases they carry Why are ticks a growing concern for veterinary professionals? According to Liza Rudolph, BAS, RVT, VTS (CP-CF), SAIM, program director of veterinary technology at Rowan College of South Jersey in Sewell, New Jersey, this is because the geographical distribution of ticks is expanding along with the array of diseases they carry due to temperature fluctuations, movement of animals and people, and more. Thus, during her presentation at the 2022 Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference (ACVC) in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Rudolph detailed information on common ticks in the United States for veterinary professionals to warn clients of and bear in mind. Deer tick (or blacklegged tick) Geographical distribution There are 2 different species of deer ticks, one that lives in the east coast and the other in the west coast. They are found in wooded ...