Articles: One Health

Many naturalists and biologists warned us about an impending pandemic, due to our increasingly close and often forced interactions with the wild world. Nowhere is this more evident than in so called ‘wet markets’ of the Far East, where species who would never, ever associate in the wild (as they live in different parts of…

Denmark plans to cull its 17 million mink at mink farms. At this point, five different variant strains of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus-2 which causes COVID-19 have been found in mink. These are changes or variations in the spike protein the virus uses to attach to (and subsequently infect) cells. A mutation…

Chicago has done it again, leading the country – it’s not about crime or tall buildings – it’s about rodents. For the sixth year in a row, according to the pesky Orkin Pet Control list of the rattiest cities in America, Chicago finishes at the top. And with rats comes leptospirosis. Rounding out the top-10…

Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke for just over 15 minutes on August 22 at the closing session of the Virtual Convention of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Of course, he didn’t need to explain what corona viruses are to this crowd of veterinary professionals. He noted that four corona viruses cause 15 to 30 percent of…

From my national Steve Dale’s Pet World radio show, I talk with Dr. Emilio DeBess, Oregon State Public Health Veterinarian and President Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) about leptospirosis. We discuss what leptospirosis is, and what the real threat is to dogs, and even potentially to all of us.  And how common this preventable disease truly…

Many humans cringe at the very thought or sight of bats. And some of those people may even have chiroptophobia, a fear of bats. True enough some bats are blood-suckers and some have a wingspan nearly the size of an average human. It’s also true that bats likely responsible, at least in great part, for…

One Heath is how animals interact with us and with our environment – and that topic has never been more relevant than today. It appears clear that the pandemic causing SARS CoV-2 (the novel corona virus) began at a so-called wet market or animal market in China with a bat and likely an intermediary species…

Two additional cats turn out to be positive for COVID-19 caused by the novel corona virus, SARS-CoV-2, one cat in Carver County, MN and a second in Springfield, IL. Both homes have in common at least one person sick with COVID-19. While very rare, it’s obviously possible that cats can get the virus. Two other…

Dr. Dana Varble, chief veterinary officer of North American Veterinary Community, has been updating her colleagues regarding COVID-19 and pets, on Steve Dale’s Pet World HERE on WGN radio she updates all of you. She answers the big questions: Do pets get COVID-19? Can they give COVID-19 to one another? Can they give COVID-19 to us?…

I am saddened by the division happening in America. Historically, after national (or international) tragedies, our leadership and our collected patriotism typically brings us together, as political affiliation in these times becomes irrelevant. To be sure, there’s been some of that. However, there are millions of Americans who actually believe the novel corona virus is…