Understanding Salmonella typhimurium in Chickens Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium is a Gram negative bacterium that colonizes the intestines of chickens and other poultry. It is one of the most common Salmonella types detected in poultry production and an important cause of foodborne illness in humans. Infected birds shed large numbers…

Understanding Cryptosporidium parvum in Calves Cryptosporidium parvum is a protozoan parasite that infects the intestines of young calves. It’s a leading cause of neonatal calf diarrhea. Infected calves shed huge numbers of oocysts in their feces, quickly contaminating pens, feeders, and water sources. These oocysts are extremely resilient resistant to…

Understanding cTnI in Canine Cardiology Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is a protein found inside dog heart muscle cells that helps regulate contraction. Because it is specific to the heart, any injury to the heart muscle from disease, inflammation or trauma causes cTnI to leak into the bloodstream. In simple terms,…

Heart failure is a common condition in dogs and cats and can lead to serious clinical consequences. However, establishing a definitive diagnosis is not always straightforward, as the clinical signs are often nonspecific and may easily mimic other diseases. Symptoms such as dyspnea, lethargy, or coughing can be observed in…

Understanding BNP and NT-proBNP in Canine Cardiology   The B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), is a hormone that heart muscle cells release when they are stretched or stressed. The NT-proBNP is the N-terminal portion of this peptide that has an increased half-life in blood so as a result of this, NT-proBNP…

Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) is a common and serious condition in both dogs and cats. Diagnosing pancreatitis is challenging because its signs are often vague and can mimic other illnesses. Fortunately, modern blood tests that measure pancreatic lipase levels specifically canine pancreatic lipase (cPL) in dogs and feline pancreatic…

Ask any calf rearer about “crypto” and you will get a knowing look. Cryptosporidiosis is a gut infection caused by Cryptosporidium parvum. It hits calves hard in the first weeks of life, it spreads like Spainsh Flu like its 1918, and it can occasionally make people sick as well. The…

Introduction Tiny yellow bacterium, single deadly mission. Infiltrate young fish and rot them from tail to bone. In a quiet trout hatchery on a winter morning, everything looks still until you notice the fry. One by one, they go from darting in the current to drifting listlessly, a dark bruise…

  Introduction Diabetes mellitus (DM) in dogs and cats is a common endocrine disorder characterized by persistent high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) due to insufficient insulin production or action. Affected pets often show increased thirst, urination, and appetite (polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia) along with sugar in the urine. Managing pet diabetes requires…

Prologue: At the Gates of CDV Tiny morbillivirus, five battlefields: lungs wheeze, guts churn, nerves misfire, skin cracks, eyes weep. It spreads like gossip at the dog park and hits hard. And it’s not just dogs on the line; ferrets and a roll call of wild carnivores (foxes, raccoons, skunks,…