Articles: One Health

On New Year’s Day, a 68-year-old woman was hospitalized for flu in southern China. Here’s the newsworthy part: It turns out she was diagnosed with H7N4, a new type of avian or bird flu. To experts studying the flu, this isn’t a surprise. The bird flu has been spreading and killing birds throughout China, and…

Counting sheep to help your sleep? Odds are you don’t recognize one sheep from another. Sheep, however, can recognize us and, of course, one another. Do sheep even excel at facial recognition? In a study performed by University of Cambridge researchers, sheep were shown black-and-white photos of four celebrities: Barack Obama, Emma Watson, Jake Gyllenhaal,…

Twelve years ago (2005), my 8-year-old 12-pound Jack Russell Terrier, Mickey, caught leptospirosis. We lived in a rural subdivision where opossums, mice, squirrels, and raccoons were common annoyances. Oh, and the house was surrounded by mulch, a lepto transmitter. One September morning, Mickey was a sprite, feisty Jack Russell. A few hours later, he just…

Warning signs have been posted at Garfield Park in North Tacoma, saying park officials are investigating reports that three dogs that frequented the park have died of leptospirosis, which is on the rise. There is no CDC (Centers for Disease Control) for pets (though there should be to indicate disease, where it is and prevalence),…

The Ovarian Cancer Symptom Awareness organization (OCSA) will host its 5th annual Golf Tournament and Dinner on Monday, July 31, presented by Billco Corporation at Boulder Ridge Country Club in Lake in the Hills. The benefit led by event co-chairs, Carolyn Ascher, owner of ME Project Management and Kurt Klepitsch, DVM and owner of Gateway Veterinary…

It’s no secret, dogs can identify several cancers, including prostrate, breast, colon, lung, thyroid, ovarian, and melanoma. But now what? It’s not likely that dogs will be “working” side by side in clinics with general practitioners and oncologists, as appealing as that idea is. Maybe one day our own health insurance will cover cancer-sniffing dogs,…

Lyme disease is spreading in America. FACT: In most places where Lyme has historically been diagnosed, it has become more abundant. FACT: Geographic regions where Lyme has historically been less prevalent are now seeing the illness far more often as it continues to spread. And, it’s getting worse every year. We know what we know…

Fleas are far more than a benign and gross annoyance, and the internet is filled with an abundance of misinformation and myths. Here are a few facts and some fiction regarding fleas. Flea facts Fleas are insects. They have six legs and three body parts. Of the more than 2,200 known flea species and subspecies…

Leptospirosis, a bacterial infection spread primarily through the urine of rodents, has been the cause of death for several dogs in New Jersey and a resident of the Bronx in New York City. The uptick in lepto diagnoses and deaths has pet owners and veterinary professionals concerned.  The Blue Pearl Veterinary Hospital in Paramus, New…

Of all holidays, Earth Day may be the most important. Without the Earth, we kind of have a problem. And the way things are going – we just might have a problem soon enough. I am sure I’ll get many emails that this post is politically charged. I’m unsure why protecting our planet, and the…