Contaminated hands are the most common source of infectious disease transmission in the hospital environment. Fingernails of personnel having patient contact should be cut short. Hands should be washed before and after attending to each individual animal as follows: collect clean paper towels and use to turn on water faucets, wash hands for 30 seconds [...]
It is always preferred to prevent rather than treat infections. Consequently, avoiding exposure is the most effective way to prevent infections. Most infectious agents of dogs and cats are transmitted in fecal material, respiratory secretions, reproductive tract secretions, or urine; by bites or scratches; or by contact with vectors or reservoirs.
Some infectious agents can be [...]
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Tissues collected from animals with suspected infectious diseases can be evaluated by several different techniques. Tissue samples should be aseptically placed in appropriate transport media for culture procedures or inoculated into laboratory animals, if indicated, before further handling.
Gently blotting the cut edge of the tissue on a paper towel to remove excess blood and then [...]
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There are two types of parvoviruses that infect dogs. Canine parvovirus-1 (CPV-1), also known as “minute virus of canines”, is a relatively nonpathogenic virus that sometimes is associated with gastroenteritis pneumonitis, and/or myocarditis in very young puppies.
Canine parvovirus-2 (CPV-2) is responsible for classic parvoviral enteritis. CPV-2 usually causes signs 5 to 12 days after the [...]